Spend money on memories, not things
By: Frances Lennon
Tags: Travel, Feelings, Memories, Friendship

When people go, they leave only memories and feelings.

Photo by Fredy Jacob on Unsplash

A lesson I just learned. For as long as I can remember, I have always found it right to save money. I was very careful while spending not only money but actually many things. When I was 5–6 years old, I would put the chocolates given by my mother into my piggy bank and thought I should only eat one piece each day. Actually, I only thought about tomorrow, all my effort was to make sure it doesn’t end today. Yes, but why would a child think about tomorrow? The feeling of being safe. Peace of mind knowing they’re in that piggy bank. The reason was knowing that I could eat again whenever I wanted without needing anyone. At that time, I was not aware of them, of course, these are just my current interpretations. But there is one thing I’m sure of; These limitations in me came to me as the ability to control my will later in my life and led me to success in many areas.

My savings turned into money from chocolate as I grew up. Things change a lot at this point because money is not something you can eat. You can save money and have something you have wanted for a long time. So what are these wishes? Mine would simply be tangible objects that I could hold and use. What about a trip where you can collect memories? When you go on trips, you will have a good time and experience for your money, so your money will fly away. This is exactly why actions like buying clothes in the store felt like I was transforming money instead of spending it. It is our consumer spirit that drives us to think that way.

One day an opportunity arose and my friends said it would be perfect for us to go on this trip together. I thought that this 2–3 day trip would cost us unnecessary expenses. But they were people I really loved, so it wasn’t too hard for me to be convinced. For some reason, I did not forget that I woke up at 4.44 am on the day of the trip. We set out by taking the bus together quite early in the morning. Three of us had such fun on a 9-hour bus ride that we toured, ate, and chatted together. I forgot my headset at home and my friend sitting next to me shared it with me. We shared many memories on that journey.

When we finally got to the hotel, we settled in our room. I still remember freshly when we entered the first place. Our room had two single beds and a mirror cabinet opposite it. Next to the bed was a balcony overlooking the pool, and since our room was on the ground floor, we could step on the grass. Then we went to eat and then went to the beach. There, we played and jumped on the sands and watched the serenity of the sea. When we got back to our room we put the beds together, slept together, watched things, and laughed. So the magic of that night is still on me, I remember it from time to time. The pure feelings of childhood with the people I saw as my best friends for the first time… Even though I wasn’t talking to them now (for no reason), I felt that we made our bond much stronger that night and the morning after that. A trip for the first time has had a more important place in my heart than anything else, I am grateful for what they gave me.

After that day, I realized that seeing new places will expand your horizons and people will broaden your soul. And despite the years that have passed, I still feel the warmth of that moment inside me. When people go, they leave only memories and feelings. That is why if you have to make a choice, spend your money on memories, not things