Does Money Buy Happiness?

We had an interesting night out last night here in Dubai.

We went to “Frankie’s” (Frankie Dettori’s new bar) which from the outside looks like some kind of stripper bar (I’m sorry but it does) but on the inside is quite an elegant restaurant and lounge bar. It’s a far cry from our ramshackle little beach bar in Grenada.

Our company consisted of mostly Aussies – pretty much all women. They were all dressed to the nines, expensive handbags, very expensive shoes and totally glammed up for what was a fairly casual drink and nibbles-type of evening.

In conversation with a couple of them, here are some of the things they said:

• I make more money than my whole family combined.
• You feel so pressured to dress up and look “right” here.
• Before we came we were all calling each other, co-ordinating our outfits and making sure we’d be suitably dressed.
• It’s so pretentious here.
• I hate having to dress up and buy expensive handbags and shoes but we just have to here.
• I’ve just planted a load of my own vegetables and it was one of the most rewarding days I’ve spent.
• I bought blah blah blah plane the other day (said by the only token man there).
• I’d much rather be wearing my trackie bottoms and a t-shirt (oops no, that was me)

I’m not judging (well maybe I am a little), but do they sound like the things happy people would say?

After hearing for about the 8th time how they really hated the fact that they had to dress up so much, keep up appearances but that in Dubai you really just “have to”, I felt like saying….”Really? You have to? Is it like the law here or something?”.

There I was in my Gap trousers, Gap top and trusty old boots looking fairly ok…

I wasn’t refused entry because I wasn’t carrying my Balenciaga bag; nobody refused to serve me because I didn’t have my Jimmy Choos on (oh what’s that? I don’t own a pair of Jimmy Choos); and nobody turned their noses up at me and scoffed to my face because I was wearing “Gap” stuff (and even if they had, then I wouldn’t have cared).

And I had a perfectly fun evening in my Gap stuff, drinking the same as everyone else (except I only had one whilst they were all sloshed) and making decent conversation.

I’m sorry, there’s no “have to” about any of it.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying nice things if you have the money and that’s what you choose to do with it; but if you’re going to do that, then be happy with it and be proud. Don’t pretend you’d rather not but someone else is making you; it’s your choice. Live with it.