An inexpensive way to buy happiness

☕ Today’s tip: Splurge on the nicest version of something you use every day.

Okay, of course you can’t really buy happiness. But if you have some extra dollars, you can use them to elevate the everyday.

Research on happiness (and lived experience) has shown that we quickly get used to things, and this makes them less happiness-sparking. As Laura Vanderkam writes in Forge, “because we get used to things, it’s hard to buy happiness by purchasing big-ticket items.”

But we can, Vanderkam points out, give ourselves lots of jolts of happiness from small, lovely things sprinkled throughout our days. So go for the best coffee beans at the grocery store, or the fancy hand soap that smells great. It’s a good, and relatively cheap, investment in your own well-being.

✨ More from Forge on being a little happier every day:

The Stoics’ Best Advice for Finding Happiness in Hard Times
Read more >>

Maybe You’re Unhappy Because You’re Trying to be Happy
Read more >>

To Increase Your Happiness, Focus on Your ‘Near Misses’
Read more >>

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