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Old 09-18-2013, 10:45 AM   #21
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+1

Sometimes they are free, and sometimes they cost just a trivial amount. We are always on the lookout for these free or inexpensive experiences, and have lots of fun doing free things.
Yes, looking out for free and low cost things to do is a fun hobby for me.

I made a spreadsheet a couple of years ago of everything we did in a month and we rated how much fun it we had versus the total cost (tickets + transportation + parking). It turned out that we had as much fun, if not more doing free, or very low cost activities that were more active and less passive than watching plays or concerts.

For us we had more fun doing active stuff that didn't cost much like going hiking, biking, having picnics and going to the beach. Or finding free events like the free days at the museums or events at the local parks.
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:01 AM   #22
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Yes, looking out for free and low cost things to do is a fun hobby for me.

I made a spreadsheet a couple of years ago of everything we did in a month and we rated how much fun it we had versus the total cost (tickets + transportation + parking). It turned out that we had as much fun, if not more doing free, or very low cost activities that were more active and less passive than watching plays or concerts.

For us we had more fun doing active stuff that didn't cost much like going hiking, biking, having picnics and going to the beach. Or finding free events like the free days at the museums or events at the local parks.
(emphasis mine) Oh, you hit the nail on the head, at least for me! For some reason I really prefer being engaged and not just sitting passively to watch things or events.
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:20 AM   #23
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while you can! Because when you get to that rocking chair, you'll hopefully still have some of those memories, but you probably won't have any of the "stuff" you could have accumulated instead!

Pssst: Pan American Highway...2015.
Ah - so this is your secret plan to support your hubby ER: sell the seats on your short bus for 2015?
How many seats are still left and how much are you charging?
Any discounts (or surcharges) for E-R.org membership?
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:26 AM   #24
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Ah - so this is your secret plan to support your hubby ER: sell the seats on your short bus for 2015?
How many seats are still left and how much are you charging?
Any discounts (or surcharges) for E-R.org membership?
Haha--I think we came out seriously behind on the Mongol Rally! Our teammates just paid shares of fuel. But yeah, are you any good at fending off drug lords intent on making the bus their new mobile headquarters? 'Cause we're heading through Mexico and might need some talent in that dept.
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:49 AM   #25
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I guess I'm confused on where the cut-off point is (or is there one?) between buying a materialistic 'thing' and buying an 'experience'.

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(research shows that material purchases are less satisfying than vacations or concerts)
So if someone buys a big screen TV, is that a 'material purchase', or does it bring 'experiences' (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that the person enjoys?

I've got a fairly high-end stereo. Is that big honkin' amplifier and the large speakers 'things'? Or do they bring me 'experiences'? A few times, I have enjoyed my CD version of a performance more than experiencing the same performers and pieces in concert. And I can enjoy them more often and more conveniently at home. So I can have more of these experiences.

Do the photographers or the cyclists (both motorized and human powered) on this forum buy these as 'things', or for the experiences they get?

Maybe the whole concept is a bit judgmental?

-ERD50
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Old 09-18-2013, 11:59 AM   #26
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Do the photographers or the cyclists (both motorized and human powered) on this forum buy these as 'things', or for the experiences they get?

Maybe the whole concept is a bit judgmental?

-ERD50
Good point. On a bigger scale, what about a vacation home? I have one (or at least a fraction of one) and I bought it for the experiences it allows me to have.
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Old 09-18-2013, 12:07 PM   #27
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(emphasis mine) Oh, you hit the nail on the head, at least for me! For some reason I really prefer being engaged and not just sitting passively to watch things or events.
We didn't realize that until we did the spreadsheet, but afterwards it seemed obvious.

I think for years we would buy tickets to stuff we saw advertised, and that tends to be commercial events other people were doing and we were paying to watch.

Now I plan the week more on events from club newsletters, the free library passes, park calendars and other places that don't have any advertising budgets but might be nonprofit or tax dollar supported.
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Old 09-18-2013, 12:19 PM   #28
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I guess I'm confused on where the cut-off point is (or is there one?) between buying a materialistic 'thing' and buying an 'experience'.



So if someone buys a big screen TV, is that a 'material purchase', or does it bring 'experiences' (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that the person enjoys?

I've got a fairly high-end stereo. Is that big honkin' amplifier and the large speakers 'things'? Or do they bring me 'experiences'? A few times, I have enjoyed my CD version of a performance more than experiencing the same performers and pieces in concert. And I can enjoy them more often and more conveniently at home. So I can have more of these experiences.

Do the photographers or the cyclists (both motorized and human powered) on this forum buy these as 'things', or for the experiences they get?

Maybe the whole concept is a bit judgmental?

-ERD50
I think I have gotten more years of pleasure from my iPods than I have from one time concert tickets, and my iPods still have resale value.

But I get the point in the article. If you watch shows like Til Debt Do Us Part or Clean House, the people on the shows are often compulsive shoppers, they don't seem happy at all, and there houses are often cramped and crowded with stuff they have bought and don't even use or enjoy.
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Old 09-18-2013, 12:40 PM   #29
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So if someone buys a big screen TV, is that a 'material purchase', or does it bring 'experiences' (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that the person enjoys?
Others will undoubtedly have another POV, but that's easy IMO, it's a material purchase. The experiences that are most memorable are those where you're actively involved, not those where you are passive. Sure there's a continuum, but I can't think of anything much more passive than sitting (alone especially) on a couch watching TV (not a big fan of TV to begin with, most of it is just escapist drivel). Almost any outdoor activity beats the best TV "experience" IMO. YMMV
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Old 09-18-2013, 12:49 PM   #30
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....

But I get the point in the article. If you watch shows like Til Debt Do Us Part or Clean House, the people on the shows are often compulsive shoppers, they don't seem happy at all, and there houses are often cramped and crowded with stuff they have bought and don't even use or enjoy.
Sure, buying what you don't really need is a problem (unless you can easily afford it, then who cares?). But I still don't get the distinction between materialistic and experiential.

Some people might buy a 'thing' that they really won't use or get any benefit from. Others may go to a concert because it is just the 'in' thing, and they may not really get any benefit from it (and from what I've seen, some of these people talk all through the concert, so they don't really seem to care that they are there other than to tell people they were there). What's the difference?

-ERD50
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Old 09-18-2013, 12:51 PM   #31
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I guess I'm confused on where the cut-off point is (or is there one?) between buying a materialistic 'thing' and buying an 'experience'.



So if someone buys a big screen TV, is that a 'material purchase', or does it bring 'experiences' (movies, TV shows, documentaries) that the person enjoys?

I've got a fairly high-end stereo. Is that big honkin' amplifier and the large speakers 'things'? Or do they bring me 'experiences'? A few times, I have enjoyed my CD version of a performance more than experiencing the same performers and pieces in concert. And I can enjoy them more often and more conveniently at home. So I can have more of these experiences.

Do the photographers or the cyclists (both motorized and human powered) on this forum buy these as 'things', or for the experiences they get?

Maybe the whole concept is a bit judgmental?

-ERD50

I was thinking the same thing. Many things that I buy do not create happiness on their own, but they open up a world of enjoyable experiences.
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:01 PM   #32
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Yes, looking out for free and low cost things to do is a fun hobby for me.

I made a spreadsheet a couple of years ago of everything we did in a month and we rated how much fun it we had versus the total cost (tickets + transportation + parking). It turned out that we had as much fun, if not more doing free, or very low cost activities that were more active and less passive than watching plays or concerts.

For us we had more fun doing active stuff that didn't cost much like going hiking, biking, having picnics and going to the beach. Or finding free events like the free days at the museums or events at the local parks.
No possible bias in your scoring?
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:05 PM   #33
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(not a big fan of TV to begin with, most of it is just escapist drivel). Almost any outdoor activity beats the best TV "experience" IMO.
A tv is hardware; what is watched on it is software, and today almost 100% under viewer control. So if someone watches drivel, it's his choice.

Ha
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:20 PM   #34
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A tv is hardware; what is watched on it is software, and today almost 100% under viewer control. So if someone watches drivel, it's his choice.
Agreed. But to me most of it is drivel, and if you believe ratings at all, a lot of people are watching. So that makes my view in the minority. But I still contend TV falls under material purchase no matter what you watch...again YMMV.
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:38 PM   #35
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Then there was my dad, who couldn't remember any of his recent travel experiences due to Alzheimer's. Still loved his Hi-Fi though. Don't wait until retirement to have some of those memorable experiences.
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:44 PM   #36
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No possible bias in your scoring?
The whole scoring was based on our personal opinions of what we thought was fun, so I am not sure what you mean by bias. Anyone else doing the same chart could have totally different results. If you aren't into outdoor or hobby club activities, then if you did the same exercise your results might be the total opposite.

But for us we realized we had the most fun doing things rather than watching things, even if doing meant just walking around a museum.
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Old 09-18-2013, 01:53 PM   #37
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Agreed. But to me most of it is drivel, and if you believe ratings at all, a lot of people are watching. So that makes my view in the minority. But I still contend TV falls under material purchase no matter what you watch...again YMMV.
As a counterpoint, friends sometimes gather around my TV to watch concert videos for "fun". The seats are more comfortable, the restroom is close and clean, the beer is colder and cheaper, etc.

I'm fairly picky about what I watch, but I enjoy at least some of the programming on PBS, Cooking Channel, Discovery Science, etc. And, still being a w*rking stiff, after the day is done, plus a workout afterwards, and watching interesting programming (vs. whatever drivel is on), or listening to music, are good ways to spend the last couple of hours before bed...
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Old 09-18-2013, 02:37 PM   #38
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Going to a dinner theater tonight to see Cindy Williams in a light comedy. We do this maybe once a year so it's a treat. I know it is passive but it's a night out where we get dressed up for an experience we enjoy and it's better than a movie theater. It might not rate up there with other things we have done but I would rather do this than buy a DVD.

Cheers!
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Old 09-18-2013, 03:19 PM   #39
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The whole scoring was based on our personal opinions of what we thought was fun, so I am not sure what you mean by bias.
I'll try a brief explanation. Most people here have a bias to prefer, or at least try to prefer, inexpensive things. You are rating and scoring, unless you are a very rare person, you like everyone else is susceptible to bias.

That is why health related studies are double blinded. The raters don't know who is supposed to win.

Anyway, I'm happy if you are happy.

Ha
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Old 09-18-2013, 04:04 PM   #40
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I'll try a brief explanation. Most people here have a bias to prefer, or at least try to prefer, inexpensive things. You are rating and scoring, unless you are a very rare person, you like everyone else is susceptible to bias.

That is why health related studies are double blinded. The raters don't know who is supposed to win.

Anyway, I'm happy if you are happy.

Ha
We didn't lower our monthly entertainment budget to try to save money - we just tried to figure out which events gave us the most fun for amount of money we had budgeted.

Not every inexpensive event rose to the top and not everything that cost money sunk to the bottom. We still eat out a lot but to us that is worth the money.
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