Money or Memories?

We live in a materialistic culture, don't we?  We're 'professional consumers' - always wanting the newest gadget or the latest technological advancement.  Do you ever catch yourself comparing your station in life with others?  Maybe your neighbor gets a new car, truck, boat or lawnmower and you start thinking, "Man, if I got one of those..."  The thought process being, if you purchased one more item, well, then you'd be happy.

I read a really good article that I linked below that I'd like to share.  You can click on the link and read the whole article and I encourage you to, but I've attached a snippet from it:  YANSS Podcast/Mini-Article


If given the choice between having something of material value or an experience, which would you choose?

quote:

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When asked similar questions, most people choose the tangible things over the experiences. The material items just seem more valuable in the long run, and cash always seems more practical than a fleeting indulgence. Yet the research says if you are seeking long-term happiness, nothing compares to unique experiences, even short experiences, even bad experiences. Over time, things lose their luster, but memories do not. Memories grow and spread inside your mind like a tree that can always be harvested of its fruit. They become a part of you, increasing in value as you age and continuously providing stories and smiles long after a nice car becomes just a way to get to Taco Bell or a nice house becomes the place where you watch Breaking Bad before going to bed.

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Now we don't eat at Taco Bell and I have no idea what Breaking Bad is, but I really get the point that the author is making.  Do you ever find that, especially as you age, memories mean more than stuff that we accumulate and forget about?  In fact, I read somewhere that the Storage unit industry didn't exist prior to 1960.  Now we have storage units to store away things that we forgot we even own. Many of those items were things at one time that we felt we couldn't do without. 

The moral of the story is that buying 'stuff' is not a good means of providing joy.  A bigger "bang for our buck" if we want to be happy is to make memories.  You know what?  Making memories doesn't take a lot of money.  In fact, I'll bet if you thought about it, I'll bet some of your favorite things begin with, "Remember when we _______________... (fill in the blank)?"  Most of the things you fill in that blank with don't cost much money at all.

I found the contents of this article thought-provoking.  Some of the best things in life, the most memorable things, are waiting for us and involve things I call the 4 F's: Faith, Family, Friends and Food.  Let's make some memories!