[NF] NFs: is 'money' really secondary to you?

[Siúil a Rúin]

Money is quite important when you have no guarantee of having enough for food. More often than not that has been the case in my life from childhood through adulthood. I don't care at all about social status related to money, but it is an important tool that allows one to achieve whatever ends are important to them.

I want to have enough money to not feel powerless to obtain temporal needs for myself, have the capacity to help out my family, and move forward professionally.

 

[cascadeco]

The way the poll was worded -- is money (& money-success) often a secondary thing for you NFs? -- I think most people, even non-NF's, will consider it secondary, as for most people, family, relationships, personal happiness, free time and hobbies, etc, are more important. But yes, there are those who think money and tangibles alone will provide for happiness on all levels, and there are some whose personal happiness is tied to their job and responsibility/prestige/control/power.

I am careful with money, I monitor and am aware of what I have. I've always budgeted, and see money as a definite tool/need for holding the lifestyle I want to live, and doing the things I want to do. In theory money isn't 'necessary' and I could become a hermit, live off the land (literally), or dumpster dive, but I have no desire to do any of that, and I have doubts I'd even survive doing that for an extended period. So yes, money is definitely important given today's realities and what I do want out of my life, and it's one of many things I factor in. It's inaccurate to say though that it's my primary objective.

 

[kyuuei]

^ This is my rationing entirely.

 

[Anja]

See, this is why the more experienced have a place and a role in society.

+1

Kitty-cat, are you rubbing up against my leg?

*Pets the forum cat.*

I dunno. I think it's like parenting. The "experienced" have the obligation to make themselves unneccessary.

 

[runvardh]

Kitty-cat, are you rubbing up against my leg?

*Pets the forum cat.*

*purrs* Nope, but I'll take pets =^.^=

 

[eclare]

The way the poll was worded -- is money (& money-success) often a secondary thing for you NFs? -- I think most people, even non-NF's, will consider it secondary, as for most people, family, relationships, personal happiness, free time and hobbies, etc, are more important. But yes, there are those who think money and tangibles alone will provide for happiness on all levels, and there are some whose personal happiness is tied to their job and responsibility/prestige/control/power.

I am careful with money, I monitor and am aware of what I have. I've always budgeted, and see money as a definite tool/need for holding the lifestyle I want to live, and doing the things I want to do. In theory money isn't 'necessary' and I could become a hermit, live off the land (literally), or dumpster dive, but I have no desire to do any of that, and I have doubts I'd even survive doing that for an extended period. So yes, money is definitely important given today's realities and what I do want out of my life, and it's one of many things I factor in. It's inaccurate to say though that it's my primary objective.

I am so jealous that you are able to budget successfully. I just cannot keep an eye on the details of what I buy enough. I usually just have a general sense of how much I have and how much I owe.

I am the absolute worst at managing money!

 

[cascadeco]

I am so jealous that you are able to budget successfully. I just cannot keep an eye on the details of what I buy enough. I usually just have a general sense of how much I have and how much I owe.

I am the absolute worst at managing money!

I think it was being raised and 'trained' by an IxTJ father, who drilled all of my money habits into my head. Now all of it makes total sense and I don't think I'd do it any other way. Also one of my first jobs was very low paying, and it was critical that I kept track of everything I spent (well, because I was also taught to never go into debt and spend more than I earned, and I take that seriously too) -- and I guess the habits have stuck. I'm actually grateful that my father trained me in this way, even though I would get annoyed at times when younger when he kept reiterating various things.

 

[Athenian200]

It really depends on my mood.

If I'm feeling stable and like myself, I usually don't care much about money as long as I'm comfortable and going in the direction I want to go.

Although... if I get stressed or start to feel trapped, I've been known to do some pretty tacky things in the name of money. Especially regarding my father. My dad has always tried to show love for me by giving me things and money... and I accepted them, and began to think I loved him back. But over time, I began to realize I had only ever loved his money, and that that was the only thing that ever motivated me to put up with him when I chose to, even though I didn't want to admit it to myself earlier in life.

When I was younger, and felt trapped at his house... it even got to the point that I would stash my lunch money (lie saying I had spent it to get more) and do without lunch in an attempt to find some way to get out. The pattern is, pretty much, that when I feel stressed and scared, I begin to think that hoarding money and things will save me somehow (by giving me more options), so I begin collecting them and neglecting everything else in my life for some period of time, only to regret it later.

Sometimes I would even stand near vending machines, and wait for people to drop coins (and checked the coin return on the vending machines), then snatch them up quickly when they turned away.

In the end, though... I don't like money, I'm just scared of not having enough to get where I need to be.

 

[nolla]

When I have 1000e on my account, I don't think about money at all (the poverty line here is somewhere close to 1000 anyways, so, I don't think I am greedy with this). If I have less than 100e then it is usually my primary concern (or if I don't know where or when will I get more) but other times it really is secondary.

Or, if I think about dream jobs and such, money is never the thing, since I have seen that I can manage with really little. But, then again, the jobs I think about are the ones that would make a decent amount of money anyways...

 

[step0nmi]

1st on my list is being happy and healthy. what do you have if you don't have those? With the economy right now though money is definitely on my mind more often...but it's not something that i HAVE to have. If needed, like right now, i am able to budget myself and cut out things like going to the movies or out to dinner.

 

[Brendan]

Secondary to what?

 

[Moiety]

Secondary to what?

Intercourse, silly.

 

[Sniffles]

It's not the most important thing to me, but I wouldn't say I'm indifferent to it.

I like to eat and I like to buy books so I can't say money means nothing to me.

+1

 

[BlackCat]

I don't care about money as long as I can live my life.

 

[AfterHours]

I was just thinking how in western (i.e. heavily capitalistic) society the suicide phenomenon is a lot more common (this is pure conjecture since I don't really now) than in countries were people have to live with almost no money.

It's almost as if, with money, comes "happiness > survival" whereas with less money "survival > happiness".

I can relate to that.

 

[Lookin4theBestNU]

I am somewhere in the middle between well not really and yes. I'm driven to succeed in what I set out to do and money is a "mile marker". I like the sense of accomplishment I get from raises/promotions more than the actual money. I thrive more on that internal reinforcement. The feeling of self-sufficiency is also very satisfying. In real life I am very thrifty and love living life as cheaply as possible. I don't spend time wishing I had more "stuff". I spend lots of time looking for ways to figure out and measure if I am going the right direction in life. I wish money wasn't such a common theme to measure ones self but it is for most people I know.

 

[alcea rosea]

Answering the OP question: NFs: is 'money' really secondary to you?

I say than these days it's the most important thing if you want to have a home to live in, if you want to eat and drink in order to live and if you want to have some clothes on.

Another question is if the money is the most important thing in my value system?

To that question I would say no. My family is the most important thing in my life. I will be ok with so much money that we can live in a proper house, with enough food and clothing and so on. But if somebody would just donate me with 1 000 000 € I wouldn't mind because it would probably make my life a bit easier because I wouldn't have to go to work anymore.

 

[SillySapienne]

Yes.

 

[Dwigie]

I come from one of the ten poorest countries in the world and live in the richest one(hm that was a change these past few years).
So I've seen both extremes and that's changed my idea on money. I've also paid a visit to wall street and seen for myself the brokers living like dogs. I also remember the children with their stomachs out, covered in dust and flies being mindlessly blown off by strangers when they begged for money. I also remember playing checkers with soda caps (yes, they still use glass bottles there!) while sitting on the dirty cement with my cousins and their neighbors. Ketchup is not even available in that country...
In any case, the extremes don't bring much happiness. I think it's just a means to obtain material security period. I decided that I'd work to get what I call "comfort zone".
Honestly money is not secondary to me.

 

[speculative]

Money is just a vessel; in and of itself it's nothing. So, I assume this thread is about materialism vs. spirituality?