what is the right way to spend it is the big question?
I think all those lotto winners who squander their money and then say they wish they never won it are good examples of how not to spend. Like that 17 yr old who won a sh-tload of money and wasted all of it on boob jobs, clothes, and partying and then was sad that she no longer has money and nothing to show for it excpet for a couple of bags of silicon, some cloth, and maybe some vomited remnants of the good ol' days. That's the wrong way.
I think if you use your money to take care of yourself, it can make you happier. Investing money so that when that emergency hospital bill arises, or when you want to buy some shelter for yourself that doesn't make you fear the roof blowing off during a bad storm, then that's the right way to spend it. Nobody's going to say "I know I can't afford to go to the hospital for my broken ankle which is now all but twisted off, but I couldn't be happier and having the money to fix my ankle wouldn't do a damn thing to elevate that!"
I guess this might just me being raised under a military family but money that can buy stability (key word here), can buy me at least
some happiness. If I ask myself "Without any form of money, can I protect myself and would I be happy without any protection?" and the answer is "no" then I can't honestly say that money won't make me at least a little happy.