In my last blog, I wrote about my search for a new job — one that would give me a more stable routine in my daily life. After sending out quite a few applications and receiving many rejections, it started to feel out of reach. But after a lot of patience, a tough assessment, and an enjoyable interview, I finally found a job where I work 32 hours a week and have weekends off. The best part? It’s day shifts only.

It will still take almost a month before I can start, but I’m already happy that one of my goals is moving in the right direction. I’m trying to make small preparations to build a more structured routine. I asked my new employer to set Wednesday as my standard day off, though I haven’t received confirmation yet — and that’s fine. Without a fixed schedule, there’s not much to prepare apart from financial planning.

I’ve started working on an Excel sheet to record all my income and expenses so I can get a better view of my balance. I used to try doing it monthly, but my discipline wasn’t strong enough to keep it up. I’ve now switched to a quarterly system — every quarter of the year — which actually works better since I also have to submit my business income reports every quarter.

Your financial situation can influence how happy you are — or can be. When your expenses aren’t balanced with your income, it can cause stress, and that’s understandable. And sometimes, the more money you possess, the more greedy you become. It can happen so gradually that you don’t even notice it yourself. So, the expression “money doesn’t buy happiness” — is that really true?

In my opinion, it is — but I can also understand why others might disagree. I see it this way: happiness shouldn’t cost anything. This society has given us the impression that happiness should come with a price tag. We’re constantly offered things that promise happiness, which makes us desire and want to possess more — and money often stands at the center of that exchange. We grow up in a world where this idea becomes the norm, leading us to believe that spending money will make us happier.

And that’s true — we often end up paying for it. But afterward, we wish it had been cheaper, or we realize it’s simply too expensive to afford. The solution seems obvious: we need more money; we need to work harder and faster to earn more. But is it really worth it if it costs us our happiness?

From my experience, working harder, faster, and more wasn’t worth it just to earn extra money in an attempt to buy happiness. I missed the free time and peace to do and organize things — both physically and mentally. This can also be seen in my previous Lifequest. In my previous Lifequest, I learned the hard way that time holds more value than money.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts about money and happiness. Let me know in the comments!