Nearing the end of November, I’m guessing that I’m probably not the only one with an inbox full of Black Friday offers. You too?
I don’t watch television, so I’m probably escaping the full extent of it. But as it is, I’ve stumbled across a very reasonably priced ‘plush kitten bouquet’, a set of ballpoint pens in the shape of golf clubs and a robot vacuum cleaner all in just five minutes online*. Oh the things I had no idea I needed.
With all this encouragement to invest in new things, I’ve been reading about the relationship between buying stuff and feeling good. Here’s what I’ve found:
Buying experiences can result in greater happiness than buying things
- because we enjoy anticipating and remembering experiences (whereas we adapt to and forget about new material possessions quickly)
- because we’re more likely to share experiences with others (and social connection tends to make us happier)
- because we are more likely to compare possessions than experiences (and this comparison can make us miserable)
HOWEVER, this is only true if you’re in a financially comfortable situation and have leisure hours to fill.
If money’s tight, you’re likely to feel happier about buying things
- that save you time
- that protect you from discomfort
- that help you avoid doing things you don’t like doing
Interestingly, irrespective of financial status, one of the most effective ways of converting money into happiness seems to involve buying time. Another involves buying something for someone else.
Anyway, after all that thinking, I’ve come to a decision….
It’s way too complicated to figure out what to buy. I’m going to focus on giving things away instead.
So I’m curious…what have been your happiest purchases and why?
*I’m not going to link to them here because I’m willing to bet you’ve already got plenty of clickbait in your inbox. However if you need a special deal on toy kittens, novelty pens or a robot vacuum cleaner, feel free to contact me at www.littlechallenges.com and I’ll send you links. Or there’s always Google…