Buying Into Life

Todd told me about a topic he had heard on NPR radio the other day. He showed me the link to listen to it because I had missed it live on the radio. It peaked my interest because it was about how EXPERIENCES make us happier than possessions. I had always thought this and now there's proof! There's also a CNN.com article about the same topic. Basically, the gist of it is that people who spend money on experiences are happier than people who spend money on material possessions, because:

• The initial excitement of a new possession fades over time, usually 6-8 weeks. (And in my opinion and experience, I think that's why there are shopaholics. They crave the initial "high" of a purchase.) Experiences continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event.
• Experiences draw people closer. Common and shared experiences with family & friends are often what draw us together. This fulfills our need for social bonding and brings satisfaction.
• People felt a greater sense of "being alive" during the experience and in reflection.
• When you spend money on experiences there's less of the "keeping up with the joneses" phenomenon. Experiences are unique and so we are less likely to compare ourselves to other people and feel inferior.

Regular readers of this blog probably have figured out by now that I'm all about the experiences! I love the memories that I create with each new experience, and I document that through my blog and digital scrapbooking. It creates a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness for me when I look back on them. I would much rather spend money on a vacation, on food, on outings with friends, than on expensive jewelry, shoes, clothing, or cars. It's also the reason I haven't bought a DSLR camera yet. The main reason I take photos is to capture my life experiences, and having a compact P&S camera that fits into my purse does it perfectly for me. I'm not ruling a DSLR out yet, I just haven't wanted one very much up to this point. I also love to give experiential gifts to people I love. Things like concert/show tickets, dinners out, a cooking class, a spa massage, etc. A perfect segway now to my pic of the day! Today was my best girl Meera's birthday! She and AJ came over after dinner so that Todd can help AJ with his computer programming homework. Check out the two of them geeking out. I love Meera very much. Not only is she one of my very best friends, she's my sister in Christ. To celebrate her birthday, I'm taking her out to lunch this Friday. Oh yes, there will be food pics, oh yes. :) Dinner tonight was Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash in the crock pot: Just add sour cream to it when it's done and you're ready to serve it. We had it over noodles and it was really good!