Money: Meh.

Growing up, money was very coveted in my mind. Not because I enjoyed having money, but because I followed a simple equation: money = new stuff. Ever since I saved up and paid for my Trek bicycle at age 12, the concept was ingrained in my mind that if I wanted something, I had to earn the money to pay for it. This led to my first mp3 player, video camera, and even my first computer. Saving money up to buy (in my nerdy little mind) the latest and greatest material goods gave me purpose and excitement; something to look forward to.

A concept that I never grasped with all this was saving money. To me, earning money had to have a purpose, a specific goal I was trying to reach in which that money would be spent. Having a large sum of money always felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket; it needed to be used! My parents were not big fans of my financial theories and consistently encouraged me to "Save ten percent of everything you earn!". Now that was smart thinking. However, saving a bit of everything I earn wouldn't help me get my home theater system any faster. Naturally, I ignored this advice and carried on.

Fast forward to my first year of college, and my attitude started to shift. I had spent the summer earning and saving money so I could have a full checking account for my inevitably jobless freshman year at school. Sadly, much to the angst and disappointment of my father, my love for material goods didn't change and this money didn't last. I managed to survive the rest of the year just fine without having to ask for extra money from my mother or father.

Through all of this, and moving into summer, my attitude changed dramatically. The end of the semester had brought a difficult break-up, sunshine, and a new desire to experience the world. I created a checklist of things to do over the summer: road trips, camping, skinny dipping (with women), etc. I even enacted a plan to save money and travel on a backpacking adventure in Europe two summers from now. If there was an opportunity to go somewhere or experience something new, I jumped on it!

I also came to appreciate the simple things. Spending evenings by a campfire on the lake with my best friends, staring at the stars, driving my car with the windows rolled down and music up loud, and just sitting on the front porch reading a magazine with a glass of lemonade. These things are truly what drove my happiness as a person.

Through this, my interest and desire to have material goods went down significantly, as did my desire to have large sums of money. I had a job over the summer, and I saved a good amount of it, but not nearly as much as I could have. I found myself spending the majority of my money on new experiences and doing things with my friends. You know that guilt you feel when you buy that new item that you know you really couldn't afford? I never felt the slightest trace of that when I spent money on experiences. Camping at our property in Colville, driving to Seattle to go to Bumbershoot, paying my friend's way for a movie he couldn't afford to go to; it's these situations where I feel like my money was well spent.

Starting my second year of college, reality set back in and I had to control my spending habits. That certainly didn't last and my funds became low in record time, shattering my previously held record from freshman year. It's when my bank account gets to that low level that's not quite bankrupt, but not high enough to be secure that I get stressed out about it. Every purchase I had to make was painful, knowing my funds were that much lower.

However, these financial woes inspired my latest realization: I'm happier and less stressed when I'm completely broke than when I have money. When I have some money available to me, I have to think about each purchase and worry about whether I can afford it or not, whereas when I have no money I know ahead of time that I can't afford anything, so I simply don't worry about it. Money truly does not bring me happiness.

This last semester has been the happiest and financially poorest period of time in my (short) adult life. I've had amazing opportunities, I've gone places I've never been, my knowledge has grown significantly, and I met the girl of my dreams. This post is not meant to preach a specific lifestyle or to say that money isn't important; it is. I just wanted to share how my perspectives changed over the last few years and encourage people to think differently about what makes them happy and what is important in their lives.