Think Kit Day 4 - Words By Which I'm Living

Spend money on experiences, not stuff.  

Here we have an influential statement that left its mark this year. I don’t really know from where I picked it up.  A simple Google search confirms this is not a new concept.  Nonetheless, it’s a statement that has validated a number of decisions we’ve made in recent past while informing future decisions.

It’s not full proof, but it’s still sound advice.  If you downplay or even shun consumer culture with this as your mantra it feels like you’re really buying into an information culture.  You run the risk of coveting the photos or the curated online persona.  It seems the phrase is not really an exercise in non-attachment, as you create an emphasis on the pictures, the videos, the journal entries about the experiences.  Is this bad?  I guess it depends on your attitude and preference toward non-attachment.

So while my 2014 self can't claim that this mantra is a true exercise in non-attachment, spending money on experiences and not stuff has created clarity in thought and less clutter in the home.  It feels like the right move.

This post is part of ThinkKit by Smallbox. Today’s prompt: “Whether you asked for it – or not – what good advice did you get this year? Did it come from an unexpected source?"