Do We Need To Spend Money To Have Fun?
I just had a friend visiting, an old and close friend who I met over 10 years ago when we were just starting university/college and lived together in a madcap, very budget student hostel. Picture a campus version of Alcatraz, with nice people but gloomy cells for rooms, bolted-down furniture and overcooked mystery slop for dinner served by warty wenches.
In those fun if un-nutritional days, we had little money but would still manage to splurge on at least one CD a week, plus a few bottles of something for the weekend, and we’d go to the movies and shop for clothes. The magic of student loans, overdrafts and the ‘worry about it later’ mentality.
These days we are the same but different. She’s a home-owner and very eco-conscious. I spend on travel and save when I’m home, and this year I’ve become generally more finance-conscious. So neither of us was particularly keen to spend money on the stuff we used to buy, but we came to an impasse: it was a rainy winter’s day and we could not think of something free to do.
In the end, we went window-shopping and out to lunch. It was fun, but I was annoyed with myself; could I not create my own entertainment? I thought back to what I’d do when I was a kid having friends over for slumber parties:
- Cooked. We would always bake something from a kids’ cookbook. Something five-star, like pancakes.
- Written/painted. We’d write plays, or just get out the crayons and make a mess.
- Make up games. We used to record pretend radio shows, before video blogging was even a twinkle in my eye.
- Dress up. It was the ’80s - there was always something stupid to wear.
- Play games. Twister, Operation, Monopoly… hours of hilarity and sulking when my Boot landed on someone’s Park Lane hotel.
See, I typed that out in no time at all. Does the fact that I can’t entertain myself for free anymore relate to having grown up, or is it just that we’re more of a consumer culture now? Or both?
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Saturday, August 18th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
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I think it is a combination of the two. Let’s face it how many times have you walked into an apple store and watched all the kids drool over the latest ipods. Let’s not get me started on what I think about the iphone and how Patrick Scoble was one of the first to buy one. What example does this show to the rest of the world? Not a very good one at that.
I am happy that you wrote this post because it is a much better life not living on a consumer based lifestyle. When you get older your tastes become more expensive but they do not nessarily become better. I remember when I was a kid the fun I had in the woods in the park with my friends. We would track animals and catch bugs. Now it seems to have fun we have to drive someplace and go to some theme park. It is too sad.
So to answer your question from my perspective it iss a combination of both but we can see how this consumer culture is affecting the children of today.
August 19th, 2007 at 2:58 amIt’s a great point, Minx. I’ve been aggravated at myself on occasion for the same reason.
I think it’s a mix of maturing and being part of a consumer culture. Peoples’ interests are also constantly changing. For me, I like to read blogs and books, as well as write in my spare time (both free) - two things I had little interest in as a child.
August 19th, 2007 at 3:05 amI still make up and play games and dress up with my friends. Never sober, mind you.
August 19th, 2007 at 9:29 amThis summer, I hung out at my apartment’s pool and taught my son poker–both free. That said, tequila is not free, so, yes, sometimes I need to spend money to have fun.
You know, another thing is the development of “taste”, which is definitely consumer driven. When I was a kid, I crocheted using a 99 cent skein of acrylic yarn. Today, if the yarn isn’t an alpaca (or something else soft and luxurious) at 10 bucks per small skein, it’s no fun. But…if I didn’t know about alpaca yarn, then I wouldn’t “need” to buy it.
I also include massages and pedicures in my definition of fun now. I miss my friend from college that I could trade both with.
August 19th, 2007 at 1:17 pmMy mum took me out to lunch today, was great, didn’t spend a penny!
I guess it does become harder over time, though it does depend on the company. I know two of my mates are happy throwing darts at a dartboard for an afternoon, and if I join them I will be happy too, though I know other people (who are still good mates) who I could quite easily spend £30-£40 socialising with them for an afternoon.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:50 am