Money CAN buy happiness!

There were a lot of wonderful things about my birthday this past weekend. Perhaps one of my favorites was the opportunity to spend the $100 I received from a wonderful relative.

I'd suspected it was coming, and had two things in mind that I wanted: a pop-up tent for bringing my cards and signs to the Farmer's Market, and an expensive yummy-smelling shampoo to replace the cheap (and nearly-empty) bottle in my shower.

I ended up buying neither.

As much as those would have made great gifts, when it came time to spend my money on them, I was uninspired. So I decided to hold off.

Instead I saw this Facebook post from my childhood friend Valerie about a cool food/ nutrition/ education/ community-building program in Bali that her brother is involved with. They were asking for donations, and $35 would cover a month of meals for an elderly person in Ubud. So I donated. And it felt great.

Then I saw that my next door neighbor and her daughter were selling masks to raise money for some family expenses. They looked beautiful, and might even be better than the disposable ones I've been wearing, so I decided to get one. Another $10 committed, and again, it felt great.

Next I read an email from Braver Angels, a nonprofit whose mission to help depolarize politics in America is deeply important to me. They have a free event coming up that looked interesting, so I registered. And also made a $50 donation.

Finally, I saw an email from Molly Howes, a member of my church whose new book, A Good Apology: Four Steps to Make Things Right is being released this week. I am a huge fan of hers, and her take on this topic in particular, but hadn't yet pre-ordered the book. So I did.

And just like that, my $100 was gone.

Research shows people feel happier when spending money on others than on themselves, and that's exactly what I experienced. It's the same principle that's behind the Gift of Happiness in general: that our greatest joy comes not from having things, but from being able to contribute to others.

My birthday was a perfect reminder.