The Wildcatter’s Battleground is our take on the classic Point/Counterpoint style of debate. It is a place for everyone to discuss light-hearted, yet oftentimes controversial, topics affecting today’s society. We hope to present this debate in a manner that is fun, respectful, and most of all, enlightening. More opinion-fueled than fact-based, these questions have no right or wrong answer and everyone is free to join the conversation…as long as they can defend their point. Welcome to the Battleground, where only the fittest survive!!
Spend your money on experiences:
Just because a physical object will last longer than a specific experience, doesn’t mean it will provide you with happiness longer, or even retain its value for that matter. New things are exciting…until they aren’t new anymore.
How many unread books do you own? Unworn clothes? At the end of the day, are you going to lay in bed thinking about that fancy $10 soap you convinced yourself you needed for the guest bathroom? Or will you be thinking about that cool new restaurant you finally tried?
Experiences are what make us who we are, they shape our past and make up our memories. New experiences can be a great way to get to know someone, or to strengthen an existing relationship. Shared experiences help us bond and form connections with each other. Learning experiences can lead to lifelong positive change. Even a bad experience can still be of more value to you than buying yet another pair of shoes for your already crowded closet.
That trip to New Orleans was only for the weekend, but you’ll be talking about forever… The concert only lasted a few hours, but you’ll never regret catching Tina Turner’s farewell tour… You may never go bungee jumping again, but you’ll have bragging rights for life… A great experience doesn’t just last once, it lasts a lifetime.
Spend your money on stuff:
In a way, isn’t each time you interact with an object, an experience? A nicer car with a smoother ride and heated seats is a vastly different experience than a shoddy old car with manual window openers and squeaky brakes (not to mention the better fuel efficiency that will save money….to go buy more stuff!). Washing your hands with that $10 artisan soap is an infinitely more enjoyable experience than the 10 for $10 off-brand stuff that makes your skin dry. A 25-inch tv plays the same shows as a 75-inch tv, but those two experiences are definitely not the same.
Objects have value and utility, that is why we accumulate them. Maybe you don’t really need a fancy mandoline when you’ve got a set of knives already, but the amount of cutting time it saves you really adds up over a lifetime, and having that extra time is an invaluable experience.
Your trip to New Orleans only lasted the weekend, but the giant novelty beer mug you bought there will last forever, serving as a constant, tangible reminder of that trip. And you only have to buy that fancy waffle maker you’ve been eyeing ONCE and then you get to experience waffles WHENEVER YOU WANT! Splurging on stuff that will enhance your experiences is far more valuable than one-off events that will soon be a thing of the past.