Five senses | 300 ways to find happiness on a budget

Appealing to all five senses will make you happy! Yes it will! Recently someone asked me what makes me happy. I quickly rattled off a list of things in my life, which make me happy including time with my hubby and kids, writing, reading, playing guitar, a fantastic meal, cooking, working on a project, a sunset, Russian fudge, a glass of wine, an amazing run along the beach and a bike ride with the wind in my hair. I realised there are so many things in life that make me happy and that happiness is much to do with being grateful and appreciating all the little things in life that can make one happy.

But everyone’s version of happiness is different. Money makes a lot of people happy. Some people find happiness in buying a BMW and driving it around a rich neighbourhood. Other people enjoy the pleasure of living in a mansion where the drawers in the kitchen glide open with ease. I admit, that a kitchen like this would make me happy! But for now I’m happy with my little renovation challenge at home because it presents us with such a challenge both in time and money! I do admit that having more money would make most people happy!

Academics define happiness in a variety of ways. Scientists might say there are mix of factors, which might combine a persons biological and psychological state. While the arty and philosophical types might see happiness as flourishing in a good life through working on the higher senses. There are plenty of theories out there, all of which would hold some ground.

After reading a lot of these theories I got thinking about the five senses, and how we move through the day. We use our five senses to feel, hear, see, smell and taste daily. If I cuddle my daughter I rub my hand through her beautiful hair. This makes me happy. When I’m driving to work I turn a great song up extra loud and sing to it. This makes me happy. On the way home from work I might see a beautiful sunset at the beach. This invokes the emotion of happiness in me. Finally, when I smell a roast cooking in my oven, this makes me happy.

Once I started thinking of happiness in terms of the five senses, I decided to put together a long list of the kinds of things we feel, hear, see, smell and taste daily which can envoke feelings of happiness. I felt that there are too many theories out there that seem impractical in there application.

So this is my big list of 300 ways to find happiness! Keep this list handy and add to it using the Happiness Printables in the Savings Room. Create your own list of what makes you happy and refer to it daily to be more grateful and appreciate life more. Take photos of what makes you happy and post them on Facebook. Over time you will have a wonderful collection of what makes you happy according to the five senses. Be sure to check out my Pinterest Board on what makes me happy! Whether you love a bubble bath, a baby’s giggle, a rainbow, the smell of vanilla or tasting blue cheese, you will find inspiration here!

Keep this list handy if want to appreciate life more and be grateful. Add your own items to this list to personalise it. We have a sheet in PRINTABLES you can use to document times when you feel happy.

Five senses | Feel happiness

• A bubble bath
• A facial
• A great hug
• A hot shower
• A hot spa
• A hug from your soul mate
• A letter to a friend
• A mind holiday
• A mohair blanket
• A newly bathed baby
• A second chance
• A snowball
• A sore gut from laughing
• A travel bag in your hand
• A wonderfully soft pillow
• An awesome run
• Baby’s fingers
• Baby’s toes
• Bare feet
• Bare feet on sand
• Bare feet on the grass
• Building a cubby house
• Building something
• Candyfloss
• Cash you found in your pocket
• Clean hair and skin
• Creating something
• Deep sleep
• Facing a fear
• Feeling energetic
• Feeling loved
• Finding your true gift
• Fresh pillowcases and sheets
• Freshly brushed teeth
• Getting lucky
• Giggles in your gut
• Good health
• Having an awesome dream
• Holding hands with your child
• Holding hands with a soul mate
• Hugs at Christmas
• Inventing something
• Just feeling good
• Love butterflies
• Mental strength
• Moisturiser
• New books in a shop
• Pages of an inspirational book
• Physical strength
• Picking a blade of grass
• Picking a flower
• Sand between your toes
• Sitting by a fire
• Swimming in the ocean
• The euphoria of exercise
• The rhythm of dance
• The shade of an old tree
• The steering wheel on a road trip
• The sun warming your bones
• The warmth of shelter
• The wind on a swing
• Therapeutic shoes
• Time alone
• Time in a sauna
• Turning on a foot spa
• Waking from a fantastic dream
• Warm slippers on cold feet
• Weekend freedom
• Wind on your skin
• Wiping happy tears
• You in your skin
• You under a sprinkler
• Your baby inside you
• Your bed after a long day
• Your breath going in and out
• Your bum on a slide
• Your kid’s love in a hug
• Your partner’s skin
• Your pet’s fur

Five senses | Hear happiness

• A baby’s coo
• A baby’s giggle
• A beautiful foreign language
• A beautiful singing voice
• A cat purring
• A great new song
• A great piece of advice
• A guitar strumming
• A heartfelt thank you
• A loved one’s voice
• A music box
• A parent being patient
• A popping cork
• A roaring crowd
• A scream of joy
• Adults being silly
• Adults laughing
• An amazing speech
• An audience clapping
• An inspirational story
• Being yourself with friends
• Birds at dawn
• Children being silly
• Children laughing
• Crowd clapping
• Drums
• Family on the phone
• Family arriving home
• Friends laughing at your jokes
• Guitar strumming
• Hearing ‘I love you’
• Hearing a nice compliment
• Jokes on TV
• Kids in the bath
• Kids laughing as they swim
• Kids opening presents at Xmas
• Kids playing at the beach
• Listening to the rain
• Listening to the rain from bed
• Live music
• Music in your dreams
• People congratulating you
• People on a roller coaster
• People singing happy birthday
• Quiet after a long day
• Radio jokes
• Rain on the roof
• Screams at a sports match
• Silence
• Someone singing to you
• Someone saying thank you
• Talk back radio stories
• The buzz of city traffic
• The crackle of a fire
• The music in your headphones
• The ocean
• The ocean on holiday
• The peace of a sleep in
• The ring of a long distance call
• The roar of a plane you are on
• The scream from good luck
• The silence at night
• The silver lining in a story
• Waterfalls
• Your neighbours
• You mentoring a young person
• Your child’s breath as they sleep
• Your family planning a holiday
• Your happiness fulfilling a dream
• Your own laugh
• Your partner’s voice

Five senses | See happiness

• A baby smiling
• A baby’s new crawl
• A baby’s new walk
• A child being born
• A curious monkey
• A glance from the opposite sex
• A great movie
• A kid surprised
• A miracle occurring
• A mother’s pride
• A moving art piece
• A mum hugging a baby tight
• A person blushing
• A rainbow
• A smile from a stranger
• Airport hugs
• Amazing art
• An artist painting
• An awesome movie
• Balloons
• Butterflies
• Children singing on stage
• Children’s writing
• Families reuniting
• Flowers blooming
• Flowers in a beautiful garden
• Friends meeting up
• Gerberas
• Kids playing in puddles
• Painting a canvas
• People on their bikes
• Puppies in pet shops
• Shapes in clouds
• Someone flirting
• Sunflowers
• Sunrises
• Sunsets
• The man of your dreams
• The Mediterranean in the spring
• The ocean and sky
• The woman of your dreams
• Tulips
• View from a cliff
• Watching life at the park
• Words in a great blog
• You building something
• You looking your best
• Your dreams materialise

Five senses | Smell happiness

• A cake baking
• A nana’s perfume
• A pinecone
• A Queen of the Night flower
• A roast baking
• A rose
• A soap shop
• A sparkling kitchen
• Baby powder
• Bacon and Eggs
• Basil
• Bread at the bakery
• Campfires
• Candy-floss
• Cherries
• Christmas trees
• Coconut oil
• Coffee brewing
• Cologne
• Coriander
• Eucalyptus Oil
• Fresh laundry
• Fresh paint
• Freshly cut grass
• Leather
• Pages in a new book
• Perfume
• Popcorn
• Scented candles
• Shampoo
• Summer evenings
• The air in spring
• The ocean
• The rain on your face
• The smell of home
• The smell of rain
• Vanilla

Five senses | Talk to happiness

• Aunty
• Brothers
• Cousins
• Electric conversation
• Father
• Friends in the schoolyard
• Granddad
• Grandma
• Inspirational people
• Meet your mentor
• Mother
• New friends
• New people
• Old friends
• Santa
• Sister
• Someone in need
• Someone who loves you
• Tell a child a story
• The aged
• Uncle

Five senses | Taste happiness

• A crunchy apple
• A fresh sandwich
• A full glass of milk
• A garden tomato
• A gourmet recipe
• A great burger
• A great wine
• A homemade meat pie
• A perfect steak
• A quenching cup of tea
• A refreshing beer
• A roast dinner
• An auntie’s chocolate cake
• An icy pole
• Blue cheese
• Candyfloss
• Caramel square
• Cheese and crackers
• Chocolate
• Christmas mince tarts
• Drinking water
• Fresh bagels
• Fresh herbs
• Fresh pesto
• Garlic in a recipe
• Grapes
• Great Champagne
• Greek salad
• Hokey-pokey ice cream
• Homemade hummus
• Hot chocolate
• Hot chocolate
• Kabana sausage
• Marshmallows
• Mixed lollies in a bag
• Mushrooms in butter
• Oysters Kilpatrick
• Popcorn
• Russian fudge
• Salt and vinegar chips
• Salt on your lips
• Strawberries
• Strawberry donuts
• Pizza
• Popcorn
• Russian fudge
• Salt and vinegar chips
• Salt on your lips
• Strawberries
• Strawberry donuts
• Turkish Delight
• Vanilla slice