You know, most of the freedom money gives you is the freedom to buy stuff.
(I think I'm being stupidly obvious right now, so I'll apologize: I thought the OP was referring to the social impact that people knowing you've got money has, and I don't think that's actually what he meant.
It isn't. Stuff makes things possible.
Not so much to spend it on stuff, but rather the freedom that money buys in today's society.
And I was arguing that the freedom money buys is the freedom to spend money on stuff.