Maybe Possessions Are Worth More Than Experiences
Some comforts I value as much (or more!) than concert tickets
Welcome to Ten Dollar Latte! I’m not a financial advisor, just a 27-year-old trying to afford life in NYC. I write about how I spend my money while enjoying a $10 latte.
This past weekend, I saw Hozier at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY.
Getting concert tickets is no small feat these days. Getting these ones for face value involved missing out on tickets for the first 3 nights at Forest Hills, Hozier adding a 4th night, sitting by the computer and joining the queue at 9:30am, getting into the site just after 10am and smashing click on my mouse on three tickets quickly before they sold out.
Face value tickets for the back of the stadium were just under $100—not cheap, but far less than any resale tickets. Last week, I tried to get tickets to see Clairo, too. The presale started Thursday at 10am, and even though she’s playing 5 nights in New York City, I couldn’t get 1 ticket to the Saturday night show, instead barely grabbing 2 tickets to the Wednesday night show.
Just an hour after the general sale opened for the Clairo shows, they were marked sold out and resale tickets up to $533 were for sale—when the original general admission tickets were $68. And, yeah, you probably won’t be surprised that if I could barely grab Clairo tickets, I’ve never seen Taylor Swift live.
“Experiences are better than things”
It’s the age-old quote. But experiences are expensive nowadays. Travel is expensive. Concerts are, too.
I still value them. I’ve spent over $1,000 on shows so far this year (I have my monthly resets to prove it). I spent thousands of dollars traveling to Alaska last year, which was truly the trip of a lifetime.
These were amazing experiences, and yet, that vacation, and these concerts, are just moments of time in a life, not day-to-day. Maybe mentally these things keep me going day-to-day, but not physically. And I certainly wouldn’t have had as great of a time at any of these without some valuable possessions.
Here’s a few possessions I spent money on that those experiences wouldn’t have been the same without:
Good hiking socks. I have some I bought years ago, but bought more from Bombas for hiking in Alaska. Would the trip have been half as fun with socks that got soaked and gave me blisters? Probably not.
These insane shoes. Yes, I used to be obsessed with Unif shoes (if you know you know). They weren’t practical when I was obsessed with that style of shoe in high school, but once I graduated college and started making money, this was one of the first adult purchases I made (not Unif, just that style, from my favorite shoe store in NYC, Moo Shoes). And they’re the staple piece for a concert, especially when I want to be taller. I never feel more confident than when I’m in these shoes (priceless)!
My Loop earplugs. I don’t know how I did concerts (or exercise classes) before I had these. Not only does it save my hearing, but it genuinely makes the sound better.
There’s so many more possessions I use to stay afloat in my daily life, too, the list could go on and on: a great mattress and soft sheets to fall into after a long day at work, a tower fan to stay cool in hot NYC summers, and my favorite candle to burn while I’m relaxing at home.
Of course I’ll keep spending money on flights, concerts, and shows. But I’ll also spend money on possessions. I think the phrase “experiences are better than things” is a little short-sighted. Because if things make you happy, and make those experiences possible (and better!), go for it. That’s what intentional spending is all about.
Is there a possession you couldn’t have gotten through your last trip/concert/experience without? Drop it in the comments!
Odds & Ends
Submit a question to my financial advice column here (I’m not a financial advisor, this is fun advice like how to split the bill on a group trip)!
Check out my party card game company, Sidetracks.
If you liked this post, you might enjoy:
Thanks for reading! I post weekly about personal finance and lifestyle in NYC. I also post a monthly reset on the 1st of each month sharing everything I spent money on the previous month and goals for the next month.
i love this reframing!!!! i think there are some items in my life that i love SO so much, but i also love my experiences as well. such an important thing to have a blend of both :))
I'm also a Loop devotee. Can't even go to the movies without them these days. How badly have I damaged my hearing in the past?? My mother works at Costco and also can't get through a shift without them now. Talk about a small thing for a huge boost in quality of life. I've definitely been in the boat of saying that experiences are worth more, and that might be true when it comes to mindless spending or excessive purchases like cheap clothing, but I absolutely agree that there are still a lot of material possessions that may outweigh the fleeting moments of an experience OR enhance that experience. I also appreciated my hiking socks (and shoes!) and my personal fan when I was hiking in Costa Rica.