QUESTION

Does money really buy happiness?

Tough one. With one foot in luxury and one in poverty- I lean on the side of "YES it bloody does!" Oh I've touted my fair share of non-materialistic pronouncements: Greed is bad, simplicity is good; who needs as many bathrooms as there are bedrooms in their McMansion?

This last one of immediate relevance because of the two teenage sons who first clogged up the upstairs toilet, then, the guest one downstairs- leaving only my father's en suite, which... let's just say none of us would venture there unless it were the last toilet standing, and even then, with definitive reservations. (BTW- life hack: Pour hot water into the clogged bowl and a generous amount of dish-washing liquid. Let sit a bit. Flush... Desperation lead son to Google innovation. And to an again usable toilet.)

Money buys ease- is how I see it. Money buys people who facilitate, get the nasty stuff taken care of, the tedious stuff, the little nuisances which take up time and effort and- let me use First Class travel as an example: Did you know the airline sends a car to ferry you to the airport? No catching taxis or public transport, no struggling with luggage, not dumping the car in the long-term car park where either you've forgotten where you left it in the vast maze of aisles on your return (been there done that) or you cringe at the cost of said parking on your return; damning that last spending splurge (been there too).

Money- I oft dream of what it would be like to be them: Those around me not having to check their balance before they withdraw cash or buy something on a whim. That, to me, is the epitome of ease and by default, a kind of happy.

It's not the stuff. The expensive surroundings, plethora designer labels and latest gadgets. No. There's no joy in plonking your arse on a 30k sofa or getting behind the wheel of a Porsche SUV. Not for me anyways.

But the ease- the lack of constant juggling and the worries of how to get through another month of bills. That ease... it leaves room to enjoy other things. Money may not 'buy' happiness, but it surely makes living less of a mine-field to negotiate.

Does it equate with happiness for you?