1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: This week we're talking about money related topics. Time and 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: money are both scarce resources, and it's good to be 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: careful with both. Today's tip is about ways to use 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: money as a tool to build a better life, or 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: in other words, how to buy happiness. Now, while we 8 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: all have the same amount of time, people have wildly 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: varying amounts of money. If your idea of a good 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: time is flying by private jet to a resort on 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 1: the Mediterranean, it's obviously going to require quite a bit 12 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: of cash to pull that off. But most of life 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: isn't about that resort. A life has lived in hours, 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: and a lot of happiness is influenced by how we 15 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: spend our normal, everyday hours. The good news is that 16 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: even small amounts of money can boost happiness if we 17 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: spend this money wise lee with an eye on those 18 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: everyday hours. In other words, money can buy happiness if 19 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: you spend it right. The first category for buying happiness 20 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: spend on experiences. Experiences, because they tend to be varied 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 1: and novel, create memories. As we've talked about on this 22 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: podcast before. Having more memories makes us feel like we 23 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: have more time. The dining room table that you use 24 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: once a year doesn't really do that. You might be 25 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: better off taking that trip to Rome that you'll remember 26 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: forever and getting a much cheaper table. In my family, 27 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: we try to operate under this philosophy. We buy the 28 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: kid's clothes at discount stores and hand down whatever lasts 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: from kid to kid, but we've brought memberships that most 30 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: of the major family friendly institutions in the area, the zoo, 31 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: the children's museum, the science museum, the aquarium. This way 32 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: we always have fun activities we can do together on 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: the weekend. The second category is to spend money to 34 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: buy time. As we've talked about this week time is 35 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: in some sense is more limited than money. You can 36 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: make more money, but you cannot make more time. So 37 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: if there's a place where you can spend a modest 38 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: amount of cash to move time from the unhappy category 39 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: to the happy category, this could be a big win. 40 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: If you dislike mowing the lawn, pay a service and 41 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: free up your Saturday. In my family, if two of 42 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: the big kids have simultaneous sports events on a weekend, 43 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: my husband and I will each go to one and 44 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: then sometimes will hire a sitter to come play with 45 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: the littler kids. This way we can actually watch our 46 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: kids games instead of missing a kid's goal because we're 47 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: trying to keep the preschooler from running into the parking lot. 48 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: This is definitely a way to buy happiness. And finally, 49 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: you can buy happiness by spending money on relationships. Time 50 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: spent with close family and friends is often the most 51 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: pleasant time we have. When I did a time diary 52 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: study of nine days in the lives of busy people 53 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: for my book Off the Clock, I found that people's 54 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: sense of time abundance rose in direct correlation to how 55 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: much of their leisure time they spent with friends and family. 56 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: People who felt starved for time watch TV or peruse 57 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: social media. People who felt time was abundant made plans 58 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: with friends, and they were happier for it. One great 59 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: idea take her friend out to lunch. Spending money on 60 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: her will make you happy, and you'll also get time 61 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: with her. And then even better, she'll probably reciprocate, so 62 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: you'll get too happy lunches instead of just one. What 63 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: could be better than that? In the meantime, this is Laura. 64 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of 65 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 66 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 67 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 68 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: be for Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then 69 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 70 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: email at before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com 71 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 72 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 73 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 74 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 75 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 76 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.