Turns Better Than Espresso

When I was twenty-four or twenty-five years old, my girlfriend at the time wanted to go to Europe in the spring.  I was working as a ski instructor and going to college and thought she was crazy.  I "couldn't afford it."  As a matter of fact, I was sure she couldn't afford it either, so I grilled her about it.  Her response was simple and unarguable.  

This cup of tea was definitely an experience.

She asked a simple question.  "How much money do you spend in the bar each week?"  I would stop in after work each day and have a beer or two with the other instructors, so I said something like $40 or $50, which didn't seem unreasonable at the time.  She simply pointed out that $40 per week, every week of the year, was over $2000.  Mind = blown.  That summer we spent a month in Europe.

I have a lot of people tell me they can't afford a trip to Chile with a guide.  And I fully admit, it's not "cheap."  A week of skiing might run $4000 with airfare included.  So, yes, it's not an insignificant cost.

How many cups of coffee do we buy on the way to work?  How many quick lunches do we buy instead of make at home?  How many beers to we buy in the bar?  How many things do we casually purchase even though they don't really add an experience to our life?

I do believe there is merit to buying experiences, not stuff.  Skiing in Chile is an experience.  Two hundred, skinny, tall lattes with foam art is not an experience.  Give it some thought.