--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Fun money' is another thing that makes…" description: "\"'Fun money' is another thing that makes no sense to traditional economists. Because there's just money; there's no 'fun money.' It's all supposed to be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/richard-thaler-3060_economists_fun-money-is-another-thing-that-makes-no_2274813.png" --- # 'Fun money' is another thing that makes no sense to… ![“'Fun money' is another thing that makes no sense to traditional economists. Because there's just money; there's no 'fun money.' It's all supposed to be the same.” quote by Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/richard-thaler-3060_economists_fun-money-is-another-thing-that-makes-no_2274813.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/richard-thaler-3060_economists_fun-money-is-another-thing-that-makes-no_2274813.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/richard-thaler-3060_economists_fun-money-is-another-thing-that-makes-no_2274813.png) > “'Fun money' is another thing that makes no sense to traditional economists. Because there's just money; there's no 'fun money.' It's all supposed to be the same.” [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Points out that traditional economics ignores the concept of discretionary or “fun” spending, treating all money as identical. **In simple terms:** Economics overlooks fun money. Key Takeaway Recognize different spending motives. Themes economics behavioral finance consumer behavior Mood analytical curious Type economic behavioral When to use this quote - budget planning - personal finance education - marketing strategies Key Concepts utility theory psychology of spending Questions to Reflect On - How does “fun money” affect saving habits? - What policies could account for discretionary spending? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex consumer motivations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) [Economists Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists-just-5286202/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Fun Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun-money-526380/) [Just Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-money-670235/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-fun-917801/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Traditional Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional-economists-5286203/) ## Related quotes > [I never went into business to make money, but I have found that if I have fun, the money will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-never-went-into-business-to-make-money-but-i-have-found-that-if-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I never went into business just to make money - but I found that if I have fun, the money will come. I often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-never-went-into-business-just-to-make-money-but-i-found-that-if-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I don't do something I won't enjoy just for the money. I do it for the fun, for the joy of working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hill/i-don-t-do-something-i-won-t-enjoy-just-for-the-money-i-do-it-for-the/) [Benny Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hill/) > [For the last several decades, there was a prevailing belief among traditional economists that the markets were rational and self-correcting. Alan Greenspan advocated this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/for-the-last-several-decades-there-was-a-prevailing-belief-among/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [The Nobel Prize is going to be 'fun money' - for an occasion, when my wife and I want a $50 bottle of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-nobel-prize-is-going-to-be-fun-money-for-an-occasion-when-my-wife/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [It's so much fun that the money is just icing on the cake. There seems to be a lot of icing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/it-s-so-much-fun-that-the-money-is-just-icing-on-the-cake-there-seems/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [If it wasn't for the fun and money, I really don't know why I'd bother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/if-it-wasn-t-for-the-fun-and-money-i-really-don-t-know-why-i-d-bother/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Work for the fun of it, and the money will arrive some day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-milsap/work-for-the-fun-of-it-and-the-money-will-arrive-some-day/) [Ronnie Milsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-milsap/) > [I used to hang out at karaoke bars all the time. It was the most fun you could have when you had no money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/i-used-to-hang-out-at-karaoke-bars-all-the-time-it-was-the-most-fun/) [Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/) > [A budget takes the fun out of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/a-budget-takes-the-fun-out-of-money/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [At this point, it's either for fun or it's for money. I don't take movies that I don't really like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-stamp/at-this-point-it-s-either-for-fun-or-it-s-for-money-i-don-t-take/) [Terence Stamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-stamp/) > [If your entire relationship with money is devoid of fun, money becomes something you fear and loathe rather than something to celebrate and enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-your-entire-relationship-with-money-is-devoid-of-fun-money-becomes/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [Sometimes I regret that I don't have a bit more fun with money. I should have spoilt myself a bit more. Life isn't going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/sometimes-i-regret-that-i-don-t-have-a-bit-more-fun-with-money-i/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [I think behavioral economists don't have any more of an explanation about the rise of Trump than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/i-think-behavioral-economists-don-t-have-any-more-of-an-explanation/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [Fortunately, economists open to new ways of thinking are finding novel ways to use supposedly irrelevant factors to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/fortunately-economists-open-to-new-ways-of-thinking-are-finding-novel/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) ## More by Richard Thaler > [The Nobel Prize is going to be 'fun money' - for an occasion, when my wife and I want a $50 bottle of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-nobel-prize-is-going-to-be-fun-money-for-an-occasion-when-my-wife/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [In some ways, the finding that financial education doesn't provide long-term payoffs is hardly surprising. After all, how much do you remember from your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/in-some-ways-the-finding-that-financial-education-doesn-t-provide/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [Fortunately, economists open to new ways of thinking are finding novel ways to use supposedly irrelevant factors to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/fortunately-economists-open-to-new-ways-of-thinking-are-finding-novel/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [If people just put away what's left at the end of the month, that's a recipe for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-people-just-put-away-what-s-left-at-the-end-of-the-month-that-s-a/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [The wealth in many large estates has never been taxed because it is largely in the form of unrealized - therefore untaxed - capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-wealth-in-many-large-estates-has-never-been-taxed-because-it-is/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [The lesson of my field, behavioral economics, is that we need to understand the ways in which we differ from the rational human assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/the-lesson-of-my-field-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-need-to/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [I think behavioral economists don't have any more of an explanation about the rise of Trump than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/i-think-behavioral-economists-don-t-have-any-more-of-an-explanation/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [There are cases when I can make myself better off by restricting my future choices and commit myself to a specific course of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/there-are-cases-when-i-can-make-myself-better-off-by-restricting-my/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [For amateur golfers, I think one of the biggest mistakes is to model their play on professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/for-amateur-golfers-i-think-one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-is-to-model/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [he card companies will often, as a courtesy, honor that credit card, but hit you with a penalty. And you keep swiping your card…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/he-card-companies-will-often-as-a-courtesy-honor-that-credit-card-but/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [We all need a lot of humility, and especially about the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/we-all-need-a-lot-of-humility-and-especially-about-the-economy/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [Social Security may be the most beloved of all the government's programs, partly because it requires so little thinking. You pay taxes while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/social-security-may-be-the-most-beloved-of-all-the-government-s/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [If you're trading individual securities, you're almost certainly making a mistake. Because most professional managers can't outperform their benchmarks, and there's little reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/if-you-re-trading-individual-securities-you-re-almost-certainly/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [A nudge is some feature of the environment that changes the behaviour of humans but would not change the behaviour of rational economic agents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/a-nudge-is-some-feature-of-the-environment-that-changes-the-behaviour/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) > [One reason for high health care costs is that patients fail to follow their treatment regimen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-thaler/one-reason-for-high-health-care-costs-is-that-patients-fail-to-follow/) [Richard Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) [Explore all 141 Richard Thaler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-thaler/) ## More Economists quotes > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [It is often sadly remarked that the bad economists present their errors to the public better than the good economists present their truths. 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The bad news is their work is often of little use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-good-news-is-that-economists-are-intelligent-engaging-and-often/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/economists-actually-disagree-about-whether-there-are-significant/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [I have always been considered to be the most German among Italian economists, which I always received as a compliment, but was rarely meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-monti/i-have-always-been-considered-to-be-the-most-german-among-italian/) [Mario Monti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-monti/) > [When economists speak of money, they neglect that all money and credit is debt. 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Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-j-hobsbawm/) [Browse all 316 Economists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Fun money' is another thing that makes no sense to traditional economists. Because there's just money; there's no 'fun money.' 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