If you believe the phrase “Money Can’t Buy Happiness” you’re right and you’re wrong. No money can’t buy the actual feeling of happiness, BUT it can buy what makes you happy. If going shopping makes you happy and you love the feeling of having that brand-new pair shoes to strut around in, then you just bought your way into happiness. I, on other hand, would prefer to spend my money on traveling and seeing the world (I also have a shopping problem and spend my money before I can actually travel).
Though, it seems that people would still prefer to buy material items and spend their money on things that they believe make them happier. It could be the idea that an object lasts longer than a trip, but in actuality that trip resides in your memories until you die, now that’s long-lasting happiness.
How excited does everyone get when their 16th, 18th, and 21st birthdays come around and why? Typically, it is because of the anticipation of the event and even during the event people are ecstatic. Now I know people are probably thinking that it’s because everyone gets things or stuff for their birthday, but is that really all? How much do you remember about the day? How much do you remember the things you got? How long did those things last for? You most likely remember the day more than anything, right? Well yeah, it’s plausible, because it’s a milestone in your life and represents a significant moment.
The thing is we get tired of that same old object lying around and end up getting rid of it by either giving it to someone else or throwing it away. A memory or experience, however, cannot be given to someone else or thrown out. Yes, you can “forget” things, but they never really go away. An experience is always new and exciting, therefore, not predictable as an object would be. You’ll expect your iPhone to work as an iPhone should, but a concert would have a number of outcomes that you can’t control. That’s the exciting and invigorating part, the unknowing factor of an experience.
To add, an experience is subject to the person who experiences it, which gives that person the upper hand in ideal wealth. Let’s say Greg just bought the brand-new iPhone with his most recent paycheck while Katie saved up her money and went to Europe for two weeks in the summer. Who would you rather be? Obviously, Katie, right? Well whoever you chose, I see Katie as having a richer lifestyle, because traveling Europe is different and has things you can do there that you can’t anywhere else.
Here are a few comparisons to help you think about this:
| Item | Item Cost | Flight Cost | Trip (Round-Trip from Pittsburgh) |
| iPhone 7 | $698 W | $648 AE | London, England |
| Samsung 3D T.V | $3,797 | $1,691 AN +$1,649 =$3,340 | Sydney, Australia plus London, Bahamas & Paris! |
| Lenovo Yoga Laptop | $699 B | $587 U | Bahamas |
| Apple Watch Series 2 | $400 W | $414 AR | Paris, France |
*W=Walmart, B=Best Buy
** AE=Aer Lingus JetBlue, AN=Air New Zealand United, U=United Bahamasair Republic Airlines, AR=American Republic Airlines
Now I’m not saying to drop that brand-new laptop and head out to South America, but I am asking you to think about it. Be conscious of what life has to offer and take a grab at it if you can. If you have to choose between going to a concert or taking a trip to Australia to buying a new phone or television, which one really means more? Just think about what you’re doing with your hard-earned money and your future. Life can be boring, but it doesn’t have to be.
