Choosing experiences over things

I was reading a recent study, and 

psychologists have been saying it for years:

experiences make people happier than possessions.

In general, 

people are doing more and buying less. 

We are elevating the value of experiences over things thanks (in no small part) to the 

recent Recession. 

But once (or if) the recession is over (which I doubt will be any time soon) and we find ourselves with extra cash in our pockets, we still should continue to place greater value on the experiences we have vs things we can buy...and here is why:

diminishing value of things

within 6 weeks, if not sooner, of purchasing something, the initial excitement fades, and we become accustomed to the item.
Aka, it becomes just one more thing we own.

Value of experiences increase over time

our experiences from memories give us joy as we experience it, as well as when we remember them.

Experiences create relationships

experiences are usually shared with others, therefore create a social bonding between the people involved.

Have you noticed that when you are catching up with old friends, you talk about experiences you did together?

I have a very good friend who lives in South Florida. Rachel. We don't see each other very often, but when I saw her last time, we spent hours looking at pictures of our travels to Italy.

Talking about our College days.

We laughed about our train experiences, the places we visited and the people we met.

We talked about the trip of our lifetime, not

our first flat screen tv.

That's because things might be cool when we get them, but quickly loose luster and importance.

You can have too much stuff, 

but you can never have too many fond memories.

At the end of the day it's about how you spend your time, not your money.

So the question is,

are you spending your time working to pay off (or to buy) things you have filled your life with?

Stay Frugal,

Daniela