Since at least the 1950s mainstream society has been pushing as the norm the concept of working to earn money and then spending what money one has earned on various leisure activities.
In fact it is often the promise of the fun of the later that motivates us to 'endure' the former - so many of us push through to the end of the day or the week looking forward to our night out on Friday, or that 'experience event' on Saturday - or to annual events such as holidays, birthdays, weddings (not every year but it's quite common to have one such big event ever few years) or of course Christmas....
Glastonbury 2022 - almost £300 this year, then add on travel, gear, food and it all mounts up!
I'm not going to bemoan about people spending money on stuff or experiences - some of this consumption based expenditure is even altruistic - plenty of people look forward to spending money on their kids for example (misguided in many cases, but at least not entirely selfish).
And in fairness there is a good 20% of the UK population NOT in the position where they earn enough to be able to properly enjoy spending on consumer-items or experiences that hard or that often.
But most of us have several thousands pounds a year spare for much of our lives which we could spend on our 'leisure'.
I mean there is a lot of choice - holidays, cars, gadgets, clothes, meals out, gigs, and increasingly experience days - the drive in an F1 or base jumping experience kind of thing.
And if we don't spend it every year we can save it up and spend it when we finally get to retire, probably at >70 the way things are going for anyone under 50 (I shit you not, I'm telling you so now!) - the Cruise being the archetype of leisured consumption.
Thankfully I don't really enjoy leisure..
I mean for starters a cruise is my idea of hell - I can only imagine the intense hollow feelings that people must have on these holidays - if such a thing as a 'barometer of shallowness' existed to measure conversations over dinner, it'd be off the charts on most cruise liners between 19.00-21.00.
But besides that, I don't enjoy going out much either - except for the pub which is my weakness - where I generally like to be in a very small group.
I can happily sit out big events like gigs and festivals and football matches, even when sporting events are free like cycling races, or relatively cheap (like Ascot, it's not that pricey) I'm put off by the crowds - the shit of travelling too.
I'm much happier working - even social events which are free like parties I much prefer it where there's some kind of focus, I'm much happier turning up earlier and help set up, and I'll be gone by early evening.
What I prefer to do with my leisure time is work, or learn something, or just meditate, and I'm glad, I'm lucky because the way things are going with the cost of living crisis IF I was a heavy spender on leisure I'd be having to cut down now.
But as it is, because I'm frugal, by choice and by nature I've hardly noticed the cost of living crisis at all.
You don't need to tighten your belt if its already tight enough, after all!
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ME TOO.
I gotta disagree on this part, though - at least here in the US, it's hitting hard in food costs, rent costs, and for those who drive, gas costs. And the gas costs are part and partial, so they claim, for the food costs. That being said, it's all an excuse as the corporations are making massive profits, so as much as they try to pretend "we have to pass the gas cost increase on or we'll go bankrupt" it's a load of hooey. Also, our broken global food system where we're not just importing foods that only will grow in regions far away but also importing foods that could easily grow in our own backyards from halfway around the world, then processing them in another far-flung place, then importing them here ...the corporations do that for cheap labor costs but now with fuel costs and the broken shipping ports, maybe we'll see change? Maybe?
I mean I understand that tropical fruits and coffee and things like that are going to imported here, but I live in a heavy farming and ranching state, why the eff is there beef from New Zealand on the shelves in Colorado? It's ridiculous. But I digress.
I'm with you on food miles, it is crazy! Best to DIY as much as you can.
I am wondering whether locally produced organic food will weather the rising prices better?!?
Those events are not leisure, they are just as exhausting as work.
I have been there, done that, got it out of my system while in college already.
Nowadays I prefer intellectual stimulation more than those vacations, concerts, restaurants, pubs and don't miss any of those at all.
Reading blogs is more fun than "leisure"
I know what you mean about social events being like work, being social is for me, easiest to just avoid it all together if you ask me, at least in real life, at least most of the time!
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It is a funny kind of thing, isn't it, leisure? Almost like a kind of fabricated experience.
Fabricated is a very good word to describe it actually! Good to remember that!
Have you seen this article? I thought it was fascinating. Be interested to hear your take.
300 pounds for a pop festival!?!?!? That is utterly insane (even for elevated UK prices). I'm totally with you, by the way, when it comes to "leisure" activities. I remember my first, and incidentally last large music festival, the Sziget in Budapest, way back in 1998. I don't recall how much it cost, but it couldn't have been a lot. My friends an I bought tickets for the whole two weeks (I believe that's how long it went), but by the third day we had enough. We decided to ditch the debauchery, and went on a hiking adventure in northern Hungary instead.
Same thing goes for cruises! I talked to this 70+ year old guy whose wife dragged him on a cruise. He didn't really enjoy it very much, but tried to make the best out of it. Ironically, one book he read there was The Death Ship by B. Traven, which helped give his dinner conversations a bit of a twisted spin.
Today, if I had 300 pounds for "leisure spending", I would probably buy BTC for it. I'm sure that would make me feel much better in the short and long terms, even if the price doesn't recover immediately.
Give me hiking any day, and that 70 year old sounds like a legend!
I dunno what I'd spend £300 - building materials or tools probably!
Frugality is a gift. You can, of course, develop it like anything else, but you have to want it in the first place.
If you keep a spread sheet you can get on a real roll with it!
Many of us have a misguided definition of what leisure truly is. That's why we'd regard those who do it differently as 'boring'. Am increasingly liking the simple things and spending more time exercising or meditating does qualify as leisure for me these days
I don't think we can judge how others spend their time and money. Maybe some do it mainly to impress others, but many are really passionate about their leisure, even those who go on cruises. I am actually going on one soon :) It might not be my first choice of holiday, but it is a family event.
Oh I'm not judging really just thinking about how lucky I am to prefer doing things which make or save me money!
I can be happier on a hill walk than lying on a beach, but I will consider some experiences worth paying for. You only get one life to find out.