Things or Experiences?

[SavingSweetOneL]

Which would you prefer to have?

Things or Experiences?

SweetOneL

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

To some degree, I find that a false dichotomy.

Say I have a gold plated saxophone. I play it and play it and play it. I guarantee I'm having an experience!

Say I have a comfortable pair of shoes. My feet are toasty warm in this cold house; my feet feel good and my back, what with its nearly two decades long troubles, feels better when I walk in these shoes. Good experience!

[feh]

I assume what the OP meant was, if you had to choose between a possession and an experience, which would you choose? ie. somebody has $3500 in disposable income they've decided to spend. They could go on a vacation or get a new living room set.

My answer is experiences. I've also read articles that indicate people cherish experiences more than objects.

[disneysteve]

I think it partly depends on your stage of life. Early on when I first got my own place and later when I was newly married, a lot more money got spent on things because we didn't have them: furniture, cookware, decorative items, shelving units, appliances, etc. Today, however, we spend a lot more money on experiences: travel, shows, dining out, casino gambling, charity events, etc. We have all of the stuff we need except for the occasional replacement or upgrade.

[kork13]

Experiences, hands down. Yes, "things" are necessary and enjoyable, but what I value and remember are experiences. And sometimes things will be tied up in an experience, like when I bought a piano. The piano itself is a thing, but I got it for the experiences of playing it. There are so many examples I could give, but in the end, I want to spend my time and money for enriching experiences. I'll get stuff along the way, but in most cases, that is relatively immaterial.

[creditcardfree]

Experiences!

[EarlyRetirementJoy]

Here's a test - Think of the last three experiences you had. Now, think of the last three things you bought.

Which one brought a smile to your face?

For me, nine times out of ten its the former.

[MonkeyMama]

To some degree, I find that a false dichotomy.

Agreed.

When it comes to larger purchases, I much prefer the things. Because they can bring utility and happiness for a long period of time. But it's usually the experiences that the things bring. (& I would not consider myself materialistic in the least). I am just not much one for spending a large sum on a fleeting experience.

When it comes to smaller things I think we lean towards the experience side - is seen in the every day choices that we make. I'd rather go for a walk or spend some time with my family than buy just about anything. I do not, in general, collect material possessions. But we also don't spend a lot of money on experiences because the thing is the best experiences usually don't cost a lot of money. So we find ourselves putting more dollars to our stuff.

& I agree with Steve too. IT definitely comes down to stage in life. My parents were largely the same way as us, but in retirement they live their life completely different. Without being tied down by kids, work, mortgage, etc., they seem to choose to spend a very large percentage of their income on travel. I find it shocking because I never received any inkling that they even liked to travel, before. But I could certainly see making some of the same choices if my kids were grown, my house was paid for, and if I wasn't tied down by a job. Whereas, when you have small kids sometimes you just don't want or are not able to leave the house very much, so you rather have all your creature comforts. That's kind of the stage we are just moving past - we also just finished furnishing our home after owning it for 11 years (took our sweet time, not wanting to go broke over it). So I see a shift in our spending priorities as most our needs and basic wants have been met.

[thesimplemoneyblog]

The question is quite broad. It depends on your age, stage, and what specifically 'things' might be in reference to (things for your car, home, office, gifts for others, etc.). In general, experiences are my preference, but often, I'm purchasing perishable 'things' like food. We don't have a whole lot of room for any extra things around the house, so we lean more toward purchasing experiences, but this is likely to change once we ultimately decide to move into another home and will need some more stuff to fill it with. More stuff doesn't really make us happy, but it's the experiences we gain (as DS was mentioning) through travel, time with friends, dining out, etc. that are particularly rewarding and memorable.

[disneysteve]

More stuff doesn't really make us happy

I think getting more "stuff" indiscriminately won't increase happiness but selective acquisitions can definitely make you happier. I totally love my iPhone, for example. It was the first cell phone I ever paid for (rather than getting it free after a rebate) and it was worth every penny. It has brought much happiness to my life and I use it every day multiple times per day. I've had it for over 3 years and I'm eagerly awaiting getting a new iPhone 5 right after the holidays (because I refuse to set foot in an Apple store until then). I'm quite sure that one will continue to bring me happiness.

[thesimplemoneyblog]

I think getting more "stuff" indiscriminately won't increase happiness but selective acquisitions can definitely make you happier. I totally love my iPhone, for example. It was the first cell phone I ever paid for (rather than getting it free after a rebate) and it was worth every penny. It has brought much happiness to my life and I use it every day multiple times per day. I've had it for over 3 years and I'm eagerly awaiting getting a new iPhone 5 right after the holidays (because I refuse to set foot in an Apple store until then). I'm quite sure that one will continue to bring me happiness.

Yeah, said better than how I worded it. We don't have an iPhone, but we enjoy our Samsung Galaxy S3 we just got. They were having some great deals on Black Friday, so we were able to snap it up for cheap. Amazing how much easier it makes life when you have a smartphone (the first one I got was about 4 years ago)...almost hard to imagine what it was like without the phones and tablets!

[disneysteve]

almost hard to imagine what it was like without the phones and tablets!

I know what it was like. I got a lot more exercise. The computer is on the 2nd floor and every time I thought of something I needed the computer for, I had to run upstairs. Now I just pull out my phone and do the job. I don't even have to get off the sofa. I guess that's progress.

[elessar78]

I like both. As Joan said, certain things can make the experience of life more pleasing. As I mentioned in the "best thing" thread. My meat thermometer and winter boots make me happy—my food is cooked and moist and my feet are warm and dry. Simple things.

But to be more specific, I realized in college that experiences give you something to talk about years from now while things are more "in the moment".

I'm a minimalist and I have to say I have everything I need (wants is another thing) so I'd love to experience more things.

[lewiskelly]

In my opinion Thinking is more important then experience and our Thinking can grow our experience.Thinks grows Experience.It depends on person to person.

[bjl584]

My experience and knowledge allows me to have things. I think that one can lead to the other like a cause and effect relationship.