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Dogs have no money. Isn’t that amazing? They’re broke their entire lives. But they get through. You know why dogs have no money? They have no pockets.”
-Jerry Seinfeld

Having lived with a number of dogs for virtually all of my life, I believe that they really are one of the joys of life.  Home just isn’t the same without at least one.  They each have their own personality and if you’ve lived with a dog, you understand how the house just feels empty without their antics.

I really don’t know what reminded me of the quote at the top of this post, but it really made me think.  The concept of money would be completely foreign to a dog and their lives are no worse without it.  People spend their time chasing money and material posessions - when people have no money, it can cause serious problems.  We worry about money and the stuff we can get with it, what we can’t have without it, and yet dogs have none of these concerns.  Maybe people would be a little happier if we didn’t waste so much time and energy on the concept, acquisition and disposition of money.

Dogs Value Good Food and Experiences

Looking at the life of the average housedog, they value good food and experiences.  My dogs could care less what colour their collars are (clothing) or even what kind of c-a-r we drive.  As long as it runs, car rides are a great treat.  My beasts wouldn’t know the difference between my eight year old Jetta and a Bentley.  A car is a car.  They’re all fun.  A few years ago, I really could have learned a lot from that type of attitude.  I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I wanted the nicest, most expensive car the bank would let me drive.  Nowadays, I’ve come to realize that as time passes, I tend not to appreciate my little Jetta any less than I would a Jaguar.  It runs, it gets me to bowling, ball and most of the places that I need to go.  For the first few weeks, I take the time to look at it and think to myself, “Wow, is that ever nice.”  After awhile, it becomes, “Thats the car, lets get out of here.”  This has happened with all of the cars that I’ve owned.  Is it worthwhile to waste those extra thousands of dollars and hours of work on the extra depreciation and interest costs just for the extra enjoyment that you get during the first few weeks of ownership?

I think it is a fairly safe wager to say that most dogs could care less what kind of collar or food bowl the neighbours dog has.  Charlie seems perfectly happy with is plaid collar with the plastic latch.  When we go to the dog park, there seems to be no concern over one dog having better posessions than another.  They socialize, they play and they seem perfectly happy.

All of these examples bring me to the suggestion that people waste too much time, money and energy worrying about material goods.  If you own a dog, pay attention to what makes the dog happy.  Chances are that you’ll find your company, walks, car rides and people food pretty high on the list.  These are all things that can be categorized as experiences, rather than stuff. 

Experiences Make You Happier Than Stuff

I have read a bunch of blog posts lately suggesting that when people purchase experiences rather than stuff, they end up gaining more happiness from their purchases.  When you think about it, aside from survival, isn’t happiness the reason that we do most things?  What is the point in adding more stuff to our lives if it will not increase our happiness?  I have found lately that I have been leaving many potential purchases on the shelf, because I have been asking myself a few simple questions.  What will I use this for?  Sometimes I get myself wound up over something in a store, and realize that I may only use it once or twice when it comes home.  So I put it back.  Another question I ask, will this add anything to my life?  How will I benefit from this purchase?  If I can’t honestly believe that something will make my life easier, or lead to some sort of lasting enjoyment that item will also be left on the shelf.

It really is amazing how you begin to look at things when you approach expenditures from this angle.  Rather than thinking about how I would love that new BluRay player and can’t afford it, I begin to realize that I’ve survived without it just fine.  Most of the movies I watch are recorded from television with the PVR anyway - its been a long time since I’ve rented, and even longer since I’ve purchased a movie.  I likely wouldn’t even use it.

As I have begun to have these types of realizations, I have begun to shift my spending towards things that make me happy - and less extra junk that I don’t use.  I don’t mind shelling out once in awhile for a concert because I know that I haven’t wasted tons of money on other useless junk, and I have begun to feel the difference.