I read the other day that people generally feel a greater sense of "happy" when they spend their money on experiences as opposed to material goods, and that money can indeed buy happiness if spent on the right things.
Thought provoking, huh? My initial reaction is that I both agree and disagree. But this is definitely something that I am going to think about.
I mean, part of me says that if I am going to spend my money, I want something measurable to come out of it. Take my dining room table, for example. I like it. We waited a long time before we spent our money on it and I am now glad to be able to see it every day. It looks nice in our house, matches our style, is the right size. My bed - we bought a nice mattress and it makes me happy and because of it (and sheer exhaustion) I am able to get a wonderful night's sleep. My camera - I love that I have nice, portable camera that takes decent pictures.
Ok. Wait. I am writing as I think, here, and now that I just re-read the three things that came to the top of my head, I need to reconsider them. Is it the table that makes me happy, or is it that we can fit more people around it to have a nice dinner with friends and/or family? Is it the mattress that makes me happy or the experience of a good night's sleep? And the camera - I am pretty sure what makes me happy about that is that I get to have a visual record of the wonderful experiences that are happening during the picture taking.
Interesting.
We do not have a tremendous amount of expendable income at this point in our lives. (At least not after we pay for childcare. Ugh.) So, we really don't spend a lot of money on experiences OR material goods, except what we really need. Not that we don't spend any, but certainly not in the amounts that some people can afford to spend.
With that said, I do know that I love the experience of going to the zoo and children's museum with my kids - no souvenirs necessary. And vacationing with friends - be it in a condo at the beach or in a tent. And having fun at Idlewild Park. And of course, all of the little experiences that require no money at all.
But I also know that I love having a cute new outfit to wear (few and far between these days), and a sentimental piece of jewelry around my neck.
I have a lot more thinking about this topic to do. And quite possibly a lot more writing. But I am out of time for a little while...lots on the agenda this weekend (things that might tie in nicely to this post). So, while I am experiencing, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Experiences vs. Material goods? Can money buy happiness?
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That's interesting food for thought, Joyce. The thrill of new "things" can be so fleeting (just look at those who are addicted to shopping as an example). I think you may be on to something about the experience that is derived from the things being more important than the actual item itself. Even with new clothes, what you enjoy is the way they make you feel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Leslie! I thought the idea that you can achieve greater happiness by choosing carefully what you spend money on was pretty interesting. There was also the notion that there is generally greater happiness as a result of spending money on others as opposed to one's self. Not sure how that can be measured, but interesting thoughts!
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