As you can see I am procrastinating as I am writing this. What’s the benefit of making $80k a year over $50k a year?
Thinking about making money when I graduate helps me study harder. I know its better cars, bigger house, hotter wife but is there any other benefit to making more $$$? Sorry for being so superficial.
Less stress.
Hotter wife? Has there been a study?
More money can = potentially less marital arguments because you can hire some cleaning help, babysitters for a night out, someone to cut the grass, etc. Nice vacations don’t suck. 
You can save more and retire earlier.
You can contribute a larger amount in taxes so it’s of benefit to everyone that you earn a lot.
more money=less materialistic problem=less stress=less fight=more chances to be happier.
More money for discretionary spending. And the ability to start saving sooner for the college educations of your future children.
In general, more money gives you more choices. More choices can equate to greater individual freedom if you make educated decisions in exercising those choices. Obviously, more choices gives you greater freedom from others controlling your life. In general, the ability to exercise choices rather than be controlled by others’ choices helps a person feel happy and fulfilled. Examples: Start with choosing (because you’re not limited by funds) a home in a safer neighborhood, safer car, better built house, better quality food, better quality medical care. Move up the hierarchy from there. If you live in the U.S., (and not Bhutan), the reality, like it or not, is you live in a system of capitalism that requires money. If you’re idealistic, use those ideals to help others after you have earned and saved money. As for hotter wife (or husband), we all will age to the point where even expensive cosmetic surgery won’t preserve the dewy freshness of youth. “Hotness” can also bring more trouble than it’s worth.
80k vs 50k? Maybe 800k vs 50k.
More money means more savings (for retirement and as a buffer) so that you won’t have as much daily anxiety when you hear rumors that your company is laying people off, or scrambling when an emergency happens.
Also saving up what Heinlein called “drop dead money” - enough money so that if you get a terrible employer, you know that you can tell your employer to drop dead and you just walk away.
@AznSkyDragon, if we are talking about a woman who would reject one guy because of his salary in lieu of another who makes more, I think you have got it all wrong. No “hot” self respecting gold digger worth her salt would waste her time with a guy who only makes 80k per year. 50K or 80k would be all the same to her; neither would interest her in the slightest.
I think the answer to this question is fairly self apparent. The benefit of 80k over 50k is an additional 30k. That’s a substantial difference.
I don’t think you’re going to have very many gorgeous gold digging women chasing after you for an 80k salary.
It depends on how tall you are.