For the majority of my life, I considered myself a pretty big shopaholic. I would go to the mall every weekend and rarely leave without buying at least a few things. But over the past couple of years, I’ve slowly started to realise that just buying clothes, shoes, extra makeup, etc doesn’t really have any positive impact on my life. What I have discovered is that experiences are what have really affected my overall happiness and shaped me into the person I am today.
I think this preference of spending money on experiences rather than things began when I studied abroad a few years ago. I knew my money was limited, so I would have to choose—a shopping spree at H&M or a weekend trip to Paris? An expensive dinner out or a ride on the London Eye? An overpriced cocktail at the bar or wine tasting in the Beaujolais? The answer was obvious, and so almost all of the money I had saved up went toward trips and other experiences that I could remember and tell my family and friends about.
After getting back from abroad, that way of thinking increased even more. I rarely shopped unless I really needed something, and I saved up as much money as possible from my part-time jobs. Then in October I moved to New York City, and even though I was making a little more money than I had before, I realised my interest in shopping had almost completely disappeared! When I would get my paycheck every other week, I saved most of the money that I didn’t have to put toward my rent, groceries, subway pass, and student loans, knowing that I wanted to use it for a big international adventure. The loan is really helpful when you badly need money whether any questions pertaining in education, housing or business. With that, look these up cashcrazy.co.uk to see the different loan options that will match your needs. (And a few months ago, I realised what that adventure will be! I wrote a blog post on it that you can read here.) And almost everything I did spend money on in New York were things that I still remember vividly! Lots of Broadway shows, amazing brunches, a day trip to Philadelphia, hiking in Bear Mountain, and a day at Six Flags. Click to read
And not only am I creating way more memories with stories to tell—I feel much happier now than I did five years ago too. It’s really amazing how much changing your spending habits can have such an impact on your life. If I could go back in time, I would definitely tell my teenage self to lay off on the shopping and save my money for travel and experiences!
And of course it’s still ok to splurge once in a while! After all, it’s not always easy to resist a cool new pair of sunglasses or an extra glass of wine with dinner : On related advertisement about finance, checkout this link all the lenders no credit checks if your thinking of making a personal loan.
How do you like to spend your money? Do you prefer to shop or save your money to spend on experiences? What are some of the best experiences you’ve bought? Let me know in a comment!
Hi I’m Christie, a 28-year-old girl originally from Boston who has spent time living in New York City, North Carolina, France, Australia, New Zealand, and London. I love moving to new places and exploring them as a local, and I can’t see my nomadic expat life stopping any time soon! I have no greater passion than travel, and when I’m not exploring I spend my free time reminiscing on past trips and daydreaming about future travel.
I agree with you on spending money on experiences rather than “things.” If only we could convince our family and friends of the same! When it comes to Christmas and birthdays and the like, I’d much rather be gifted an experience or money I can save towards something instead of just more “stuff” that I feel obligated to find a place for in my life. I think lots of people have a really hard time with intangible things, like experiences, since they can’t sit on a shelf or be wrapped up with a pretty bow on top.
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