Hi Reader

I've overspent these last 2 weeks!

But for very good reason... It was my wife's 50th. Destination restaurants, 1930's New York immersive speakeasy experience, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, took the kids to see Mamma Mia The Party.

More than I'd normally spend, the type of spending that made me pause before putting the card in.

But here's what I got... memories I'll have forever, moments with my wife we'll talk about for years, an evening with the kids they'll remember, stories I've already told three times, and this general sense of having actually lived properly for a week rather than just existing.

Worth more than the number in the bank account.

Here's what struck me

The value wasn't in the moments themselves, though they were brilliant. It was everything surrounding them.

The anticipation - weeks of planning, looking forward to it, that energy in our days before it even happened.

The aliveness - doing new things with my wife, stepping outside our normal routine, remembering why we actually like each other, getting back some of that early relationship energy that gets buried under decades of familiarity.

The connection with the kids - they're teenagers now, 15 & 18, busier, less central to our world. That evening together, all of us laughing at the same things, that's a memory they'll have of us as a family, not just the everyday mundane stuff.

And every time I think back on it, which I've done dozens of times already, I get value from it again.

That's not frivolous. That's possibly the most valuable thing I could have spent money on.

The bit that's really hitting me

You won't always be able to do these things.

Right now we're healthy, energetic, the kids still want to spend time with us. But that window is narrower than it feels. In 10 years, 15 years, maybe less, our life will be different, our energy will be different, the kids will have thier own lives and the opportunities will be harder to come by.

And the research is clear, people don't regret money they spent on experiences, they regret experiences they didn't have. The trips they didn't take because they were being sensible or saving for later.

"Later" eventually becomes "too late."

The learning

If you're financially comfortable, if the money is just sitting there making you feel secure while you don't actually use it for anything meaningful, then maybe it's time to reframe what spending on experiences actually is.

It's not wasteful. It's possibly the most important investment you can make because it's what creates connection with people you love, memories that last, a life that feels like it's actually being lived.

The emotional benefits, the aliveness, the closeness, the sense of time being marked and not just passing... that's not luxury. That's what makes life worth living.

So maybe the question isn't "can we afford this experience" but "can we afford not to create these memories while we still can."

The question

And when you're 80, what do you want to remember? That you were sensible with your money, or that you actually lived. The memories are worth it. The connection is worth it. The sense of having actually lived is worth it.

So what are you putting off, and what would it take to actually do it while you still can?

P.S. - If you've spent on an experience that felt expensive but was worth it, hit reply. I'm curious what we're all prioritising and what we're avoiding.