Comments on: The Katana: Where Experiences Matters More Than Things

By: Red

Red — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:22:09 +0000

I have spending paralysis when it comes to material things and experiences, unfortunately. Yesterday, D and I drove 30 minutes away for food. (I don’t know why. It was his idea.) Once in Tourist Town, D asked if I wanted to go to the aquarium? Putt-putt? The mountains? “But… You only budgeted for lunch. You can’t spend unplanned money on anything else today.” I said no, and we wound up having a fun time going to a store to look at guns (oh, boy) and get my dad’s birthday present.

Am I different when it comes to things not bought on impulse? Sure. I can save up for a vacation or for a trip to Tourist Town if I know it’s coming up. But it’s super difficult for me to part with money when it’s unplanned. (I can’t make myself stop thinking of how better it could be spent – paying down my debts!)
.-= Red´s last blog ..Link love: Saving and the psychology of debt edition =-.

By: Griff

Griff — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:40:32 +0000

Experiences are great and worth spending money on, but I think we can get carried away sometimes and forget that money is not infinite in abundance.

By: Monevator

Monevator — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:29:52 +0000

@ Money Reasons You really want to come over to the UK to snap a photo of my secret lair? Did I mention it is in an extinct volcano? On the seabed? ;) .-= Monevator´s last blog ..Playing chicken with house prices =-.

By: David @ MBA briefs

David @ MBA briefs — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:09:18 +0000

@admin They're all used, and one will be for my son who is away at college. I've got 4 kids, or as I like to affectionately refer to them "my little tax write-offs", so I'm renting a 5 BR built in the mid-70's. .-= David @ MBA briefs´s last blog ..How long are you going to live? =-.

By: ctreit

ctreit — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:40:07 +0000

I have spent a bit of money on experiences but I never spent money I did not have available easily. I have also had as many great experiences when I did not have to spend money. In my mind life is a sequence of experiences, not a race to accumulate the most things. I feel like I am doing pretty well so far. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as saying that I have had experienced so many cool episodes so far in my life – both, good and bad – that I don’t really need to add any more. But they are still coming…. :-)

By: Menandro Tomas

Menandro Tomas — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:43:41 +0000

I sometimes fall into impulse spending. I saw myself long time back where I spend my extra income on worthless things. I think I need to avoid this because it can really become habit forming.

When it comes to lifestyle experiences like traveling, I really plan it. Since I love going places, I don’t feel any guilt.

This I think is the difference between the two: I don’t think smart during impulse spending. On the other hand, spending on experiences is worth it.
.-= Menandro Tomas´s last blog ..True Passive Income Opportunities That Makes Automated Income. =-.

By: Monevator

Monevator — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:58:31 +0000

@Sam - No, you're not wrong, I do fund the subject very sad. As I wrote in my post about whether you'd invest differently if you knew the exact day you'd die, there's a lot of sadness lurking in the corners of what we do and think in the PF domain. After all, this article is really "live now because one day you'll be dead", is it not? :) [To stress, I'm not weeping over my keyboard etc though! It's more my long term philosophical pondering] .-= Monevator´s last blog ..Playing chicken with house prices =-.

By: youngandthrifty

youngandthrifty — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:18:13 +0000

Hmm I think that I'm actually the opposite because I can easily spend things on experiences and trips but I get the spending paralysis for material items. I had no trouble buying my $1600 flight ticket, but had trouble buying my $1300 macbook PRO! .-= youngandthrifty´s last blog ..Carnival of the Young and Thrifty: Edition #2 =-.