Blah blah blah money blah blah blah.
I feel like that's been my life lately.
But last Sunday, in our cute little cabin in New Paltz, we listened to a NPR show about how money can make you happy, but it depends on WHAT and HOW you spend it as to how much happiness you experience. Fascinating story, and the same woman from the NPR show is featured in this article in the Times that my friend Julia posted on Facebook last night.
The main point I took away from this article is that you should spend you money on planned experiences and things that bolster human relationships rather than material items (a new couch, for example) because those things foster long term happiness mainly through memories. Such simple words, but so true. Some things you can't put a price on.
For example: The undergraduate debt that I am so close to paying off (I think I have about $3000 left) is mainly from my year abroad in France. That year cost triple or more than a regular year at UNC, but it formed me into the person I am today on so many levels I can and cannot measure. It birthed my love for travel, alone and with others and my love for cities, which led me to NYC and my life today. The friends and memories I have from that year pretty much define my adult life. I'd probably pay $200/month the rest of my life if I had to to have had that experience.
See also Kat & Eric's wedding in Mexico, my solo trip to India post-miscarriage, my summer in West Africa, and even last week's vacation--all of which I/we couldn't really afford to take but did anyways.
For some reason that article provided me with a moment of peace about our life. I'd rather live in an 800 square foot 1 bedroom apartment and have these city experiences and mini-vacations than live in a huge house with a gigantic mortgage and two name-brand cars, even if that means we have no solid long term investments. I hope to look back on my life and see a richness of people and places; I feel we're doing a good job at that right now.
(Photo of fishing net in cochi, india--where I was four years ago this month. How awesome is that?)
i haven't read the article yet, but i'm headed that way as soon as i finish writing this. loved the post! SO true. when my sister and i were composing our wedding toast to our brother a few weeks back, it was totally comprised of memories we had growing up together of family trips, experiences, and just being together. i don't think we mentioned a couch once. :) thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeletelove this!
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