On a scale of 1 to 10 how motivated by money are you?

About a 3 because I am motivated mostly by my girlfriend.

4.

Numbers are for birth certificates so i’ll just put a description & maybe you can fill in the blank.
I’m not at all motivated by money, it’s nice to have & all that, but secondary to almost everything that I stand for & how I place my values.

Beyond needing enough money to meet minimal needs, it has never been a motivator for me. So I guess my answer would have to be a five.

3

Money can not buy happiness. But it can definitely stave off a lot of misery. I would not kill for money, so I am not a 10. Assuming by your scale that a 9 might mean stealing it, I would not do that either. So I will go with 8.

Zilch (that is, I am not at all motivated by money).
I like (to have a bit of) it, but that’s all.

I am not as motivated to do things for money as I am motivated to not do things that would cause me to lose money, if that makes sense.

The number scale is pretty subjective, so I’m going to put myself at a 5, assuming that 7–10 involve some sort of crime or violating personal trust or people that are afraid to spend any money.

I once had a magazine article that described a variety of money-related personalities, it would be completely relevant to this conversation if I could find it…

Well, when you put it THAT way…....
In a job, bonuses for performance don’t work for me. I don’t know why, I think it’s the competition and I feel like I’m taking money from someone else when I get the bonus. I’m not sure why, but it’s almost an anti incentive. (3 at work.)
That being said, I REALLY like not having to worry about how my life will be devastated if I get a traffic ticket, or how I am going to pay the power bill, or if I will go broke if my husband or I get sick. The motivation to stay in this position is pretty strong. So strong that we’re selling most of our “stuff” paying off all our bills and will soon be in a position to live off our passive income. I’m pissed at myself for getting caught up in the bubble and accumulating as much debt as we have. (8 personally.) Ashamed to say.
Anyone want to buy an airplane?

3

5. I hate the idea of having to have money to survive because it compromises your quality of life. People wake up every day to get ready for work and go to bed to get ready for work the next day– that’s a pitiful way to live. But, it is apparent in my life, now more than ever, that money is essential to being comfortable. Lately, I have been focused extremely hard on money, but I hope that can change soon.

Hmmm, about a 6. I’ve had chances to leave the military, be happier, and go to college, but why would I do that when I have a steady paycheck that alleviates worry?

Hmm. It depends on how much money. Scale is low for low amounts of money and high with very high amounts of money. However there are things that even money can’t buy. It’s an adjustable scale.
In 105 degree weather I spot a dollar bill across the street. I will not leave my a/c home for it.
Now make that a 100 dollar bill than I’m running across the street. Of course I will still pause to look both ways before crossing. I won’t kill myself for it.
Now make it a million dollars. I will take a picture of the stack and call the cops. Maybe there will be a finders fee.

I’m middle path, maybe a 3–5. Not greedy but do enjoy being comfortable. However, the caveat…I will ALWAYS choose TIME over money, and will live with less in order to have more time.
I am motivated by freedom and flexibility which money brings, but not motivated to work at a job I hate just for the money.
I enjoy relatively simple living with a few of the finer things, such as occasional travel, but I could care less if I ever own a Mercedes, a BMW or a drawer full of jewelry.

If I had my way I’d work my ass off for 6 months and then not work for the next 6 months. That’s my lifestyle and work style as it is, feast or famine.

@Coloma you should get yourself a food wagon (burgers, kebabs, noodles, veggie, you name it) and do the summer music festival season, I know people who do that all summer here in the UK then spend the winter skiing in Europe or sunning themselves in the far east. They do work non-stop all summer but then have the whole winter to do whatever they like.

@RareDenver Sounds like my kinda thing, I have always liked that idea. Work hard in spurts then no work at all. :-)

While I’ve done my share of work for nothing, I didn’t spend my work life working for nothing. I took those jobs for the money. A 7 or an 8 for me. I like my creature comforts. I like feeling like my future is secure and I don’t have to worry where the next meal is coming from.

I am having a hard time believe people in the below 5 range. Do you have no property? No houses? Anyone who owns a house, it seems to me is automatically at a 7 or above. Any less, and you’d sell the place, and give the money away.

About a 7–8. See @josie‘s response above.

I’ve been on my own since my late teens and rarely have I ever been financially secure so I know what it feels like to panic about food, gas in the car, work clothes, being able to hang with friends or family who do have more money and options.

Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy security which has occasionally made me absolutely giddy. Money bought healthcare, better food, a decent running car so I could be able to take jobs farther away from having to walk from a home. Money also buys a great vacation if it can’t also buy more time to enjoy a vacation with. Money helps take care of other people in ways my physical presence doesn’t impact.

@wundayatta Not necessarily. One can live simply, yet well, and that has nothing to do with giving away your house. I’ve downsized twice in my life and less IS more, but I also am not going to renounce all of my worldly possessions to make some statement of enlightenment either. I already live a lifestyle that many would consider quite minimalist.
Thing is, I have the confidence that I can live well in most any circumstance, I’m a creative type and could make a cardboard box into a palace if I had too. ;-)

I’d say a 4. I am not materialistic and I live a frugal lifestyle but money gives security and the means to help your kids.

I call myself ” A financial adaptive” personality. haha
When I have plenty I enjoy spending and being generous, although my greatest pleasures are cerebral and nature oriented rather than materially.
When the cash tide rolls out to sea again I adapt and still manage to indulge myself, but “indulging” might not include random spending, but getting into my photography, writing, gardening etc.

Creative adaption is where it’s at and if one has imagination and an apprciation for simple things they need never feel deprived. :-)

Infact, I am cutting back on my gardening costs right now and just bought a little push mower for my yard yesterday to comp. between my gardeners visits. Today I am having a happy brownie afternoon and playing with my new lawn mower. It’s a cool little archaic, but brand new machine, makes a neato “whirrr” sound, cuts the grass well and is another way to facilitate a little extra greening of my garden and shakin’ my booty.

I’m joyously ecstatic about my around the house adaptive Saturday. lol

I think money means different things to different people. To me, it means security. I don’t want to lose my home. I don’t want to be unable to get the best health care available. I want to be able to raise my kids well. Those are the most important things that money is helpful for, for me, and because of that, it is very important. Something worth spending a lot of time on.

As far as having money to spend things on—well, that’s nice, but that’s not why I worry about money. If I can buy a horn or a vacation—that’s great! I’ll enjoy it. And I probably could afford those things or more of those things, but that’s not what money is for. Money is for security and thus shouldn’t be spent on things I don’t absolutely need.

Money is for taking care of things. We’re painting the house now. We have lots of other house projects in the works, as well. Insulation. Heat sealing. Other projects I don’t remember. Oh yeah—painting inside, and maybe putting in new cabinets in the kitchen so we can organize things and it doesn’t look so trashy. This last is something we can do without and in fact, have done without for a long time. Maybe we’ll do it…. some day.

The car is six or seven years old, and we plan to use it until it no longer moves, or we downsize. We spend money on education and the house and health and food and not so much on entertainment. Not so much on clothes.

5

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8 I’m not motivated by money itself, looking at a bank account fill up with money does nothing for me, but having nice things and being able to get new nice things. . . I’m quite fond.

5
I value time and convenience (read: laziness) over money. Sometimes I wish I were more motivated by money… I’d probably have a lot more of it.

2.
I need very few material things to feel content. I don’t have that drive to “keep up with the Joneses,” so to speak. I would probably be a 1 if being poor weren’t so damn stressful. I hate money. I hate spending money, I hate having money, I hate not having money, I hate how money makes people behave, I hate everything about money.

I’m more motivated now because I’m worried about retirement.

Maybe a 4 or 5, I don’t know. I’m not a very materialistic individual. Maybe just enough where I wouldn’t have to work for somebody else. I’m very content with the simpler things in life anymore.