Can money buy happiness?

I think the majority of people who say, No, money can't buy happiness are the ones who haven't had to live through lean times. I'll take the stance that sure, money can't directly buy happiness, but it sure can buy the things and securities that contribute to happiness. And I'll also admit that along with money comes a new host of problems; the poor, just because they have less money than the rich, don't necessarily have any more or less problems than them, just different ones.

But for simplicity's sake, money does buy happiness. It buys access to higher education which is almost a necessity in acquiring the lowest-tiered job (and it'll only continue more in that direction, too). It buys health care, and better health care. Needing a hip replaced is a lot easier when you've got a deep wallet- you have more options of where to go to get it done, you can take time off to heal properly, and you don't have to worry about being able to afford pain meds to make the rehab easier. Having money can also mean the difference between eating well and just eating. There's a huge difference in being able to start your day with a proper, nutritious breakfast and having to forgo it because that means you don't get to eat either lunch or dinner. Having a good source of income also means that you probably have a decent roof over your head, a comfortable bed to sleep in and your choice of living quarters. Not having it can mean that you're relegated to choosing between two neighbourhoods of seemingly equal lousiness, or that you have to squash bedbugs and cockroaches before you step into the shower.

I'll venture a guess that most people who say money can't buy happiness have never experienced a prolonged period of time when money was tight. I don't mean tight in that they couldn't socialize for a couple of weeks, but tight in that you can't socialize at all. While your friends are buying coffees, you're filling up a bottle at the water fountain. Instead of driving a car or even buying a Metropass, you're stuck with getting tokens every week or so because it's a cheaper- at first- outlay than spending four or five time that much in one sitting and you just don't have the cash to spread around; buying tokens instead of a pass also means that you have to count them like pennies nickels and you start really carefully counting the number of places you go. Coffee with a friend? Not as important as taking the bus to get groceries. Your social life suffers as a result, causing unhappiness and loneliness.

Not having money also means you're living in constant fear of the landlord knocking on your door, taking on enormous student loans and worrying that the brightest future you'll have is not living in a trailer park.

So, with all due politeness, please don't tell me that money can't buy happiness until you've seen what it's like on the other side. It may not directly buy happiness, but it sure makes life a helluva lot easier and paves the way for happiness instead of trying to get there on a gravel road.