"Money is the biggest stressor in Kiwis' lives, and it is the young that are feeling it most." - Stuff
Man, do I know that feeling. Money was the number one source of stress in my life for the majority of 2014 and 2015, and it was THE WORST.
We spend most of our lives working for money, and you can't get by in the world without it. My life has only improved as my income has risen. It is not the #1 factor in my career decisions, but it is a significant factor.
I'm no longer ashamed to proclaim that I like, nay, LOVE, money. Like Bianca Bass, I'm taking a stand and putting it out there. She sums it up wonderfully in these three sentences.
"Money is wonderful. It's the difference between having choices and having none. It's the difference between worrying about bills and having the mental space to think about more creative things." - Bianca Bass
Being broke is a time suck, and an energy suck. Things like navigating public transport in many cities, bargain shopping and researching every single purchase to save every possibly cent takes up a huge amount of your time.
They say wealth is the ability to fully experience life. Hell, even a modest existence requires money - and in New Zealand, quite a bit of money, actually.
It's not very PC to say that you like money and want more of it. People like to argue that money doesn't solve all problems, that having too much money is just as big of a problem, etc... Which I just find so hilariously out of touch with most people's realities. More of us than not are worrying about how to make ends meet, how to support a family, how to afford a comfortable retirement. Your average person is never going to have #richpeopleproblems - myself included.
"I think about how much money I'm making and how I could find more of it, not out of greed but out of a pressing need to know that regardless of what happens, I will always be able to take care of myself. I love money for the security it represents. Worrying about money has been a defining characteristic of mine for as long as I can remember." - Megan Reynolds
Preach it.. To me, money means options. It means peace of mind. I spent a solid chunk of time feeling panicked about money on a day-to-day basis. Downgrading that to mild worry has been awesome. I want to accumulate money, not for the sake of it, but for the security and freedom (ha yes, two slightly contradictory words) it brings.
