This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be gifted with tickets to the Coldplay concert at the Rose Bowl. I was standing in the middle of the crowd, confetti and balloons falling from the sky, singing along to some of my favorite songs, next to people that I love and I thought to myself how truly happy I was in this moment.

Granted, I was definitely having the concert high, and yes, I am still floating on my concert high as I write this. The post concert depression has yet to sink in, but stay tuned for something about that next week. Nevertheless, concert high or not, it got me thinking about spending money on material items versus experiences.

I have always been very careful with money, thinking thoroughly about my purchases before I make them. I’m big on placing items in my cart, sitting on the decision for a few days and then rarely going through with the purchase. That is how I have always been and probably will be for my whole life. That being said, I do indulge here and there, buying myself clothing, the occasional manicure and pedicure, and things I don’t really need.

There is definitely nothing wrong with that, but these things are just material goods. Things that most of the time don’t get the bang for their buck, clothes that are worn a few times and then re-sold, donated or maybe even thrown out.

I am currently reading the book “The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo which is a book that helps guide you to de-cluttering your life. By starting to remove the clutter from my life and home, I have realized all of the things I have spent money on that were really unnecessary. I have spent money on things that never really gave me a sense of joy, material objects that gave me a false, very short-term happiness. Granted, I did not know this at the time of my purchases and my perspective was a lot different before.

I don’t regret my past purchases or the decision to allocate my money to certain places and categories because well, there is no point in regretting something I can’t take back. Instead, from now on I plan to invest in more experiences and less material goods.

Invest in that concert ticket, that vacation, that road trip with your friends. Because at the end of the day, you are going to remember those experiences and memories far more than the outfit you wore and what your manicure looked like.