Experiences, not stuff, make you happy

First blog in February...been swamped lately.

I ran across an interesting link on Phil Greenspun's blog. This article discusses research that indicates that people are happier doing things than buying things. I tend to agree; I really enjoy planning on going on trips, but buying stuff is a chore. The things I like to buy are usually in support of doing something interesting. That's why we bought our kayaks, so we could explore new places. Going through the unused stuff and clutter in my house is a good lesson in this...were those things important at the time I bought them? Just think of the extra trips I could've taken with the money.

I could have paid a lot more on my house, gone through a couple more cars, or had a bigger TV, but I wouldn't trade my trips for anything.