How to find the best value for money
What do you still talk about? Is it that lovely winter coat you bought in 2005, which became scruffy and has long gone or is it the hilarious weekend with friends in that same year? What are the photos telling you? Showing a coat or a group of happy people? Possibly you wearing that coat during the weekend…
How to find the best value for money
Professor Richard Wiseman, a (positive) psychologist, has looked at a range of studies to discover more about the value of experiences and the impact it has on our happiness. An experience is captured in our memory and when we relive the positive experience, we infuse ourselves again with the good feelings that went with it. Even stronger, over time our memory of experiences get distorted, as we forget the negatives or difficulties that were also part of it. Imagine you had a holiday to the Caribbean: the flight was delayed, you needed to change hotels because the first one was really bad and you got an upset stomach. Five years later, you will remember the beautiful beaches, the fantastic food and the great partying. All the negative details are long forgotten. Over time, the positive experience becomes stronger, happier and more exciting!
When it comes to material goods, it is the opposite. Once you have opened your present, which happened to be a £2,000 designer handbag, you are absolutely delighted. Your bag is shiny, beautiful and perfect. However, the first scratch and the first smear on the lining are really upsetting. You are worried about how to keep it in a perfect condition. The bag gives you some joy but also worries and as it goes, your bag will only get dirtier and uglier over time. What will be left in a few years time is a tatty bag, which is out of date and ready for the bin. No stories to tell about that one!
Spend your money wisely and remember that an experience is an investment for a lifetime.
