Last week, I finally got to see The Offspring live at the O2. And when I say “finally”, I mean I bought the tickets so long ago that I can’t actually remember doing it and was genuinely delighted when we arrived and found our seats right at the front of the stand.  It only took a year of waiting, which meant I’d had a whole year of anticipation building up and we’d paid for it so long ago that it felt free!!
It was amazing!! I sang (badly) the whole way through and shouted bad words along with all of my fellow Offspring fans. One of my favourite bands in a phenomenal venue and I walked out of the O2 absolutely buzzing.
That night reminded me of something important:
Experiences stay with you. Stuff doesn’t.
We’ve all done it – bought something on impulse because it gave us that tiny hit of joy in the moment. Something shiny, pointless, or destined for that drawer where forgotten purchases go to die. It makes you feel good for about a minute and then it becomes clutter.
But The Offspring? That is going to stay with me for years.
It wasn’t just the music either. It was the feeling. It was sharing something special with my husband who only came because he loves me. Punk rock isn’t his scene; he’s a country music man through and through, but he came, for me, and even bought me the merch beforehand so I was kitted out in Offspring clothes. And that made the whole thing even more special.
That gig has genuinely inspired how I want to spend my time and money next year – on experiences. Not stuff. Not gadgets. Not home dĂ©cor items that “spark joy” for one week and then spark absolutely nothing except dust.
Time with the people I love, doing things that make memories.
So far, the plan is off to a good start:
- We’ve booked the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) — which is hilarious. Three men prancing around the stage with audience participation.
- Avenue Q is returning to the West End, and obviously we’re going. Nothing bonds a family like laughing at puppets who should absolutely not be allowed around children.
- I’m off to see My Chemical Romance at Wembley with just my daughter—something we’ll talk about for years, which I’m sure will be full of black eyeliner and dark clothes and rock boots.
- And because fairness matters, my husband and stepson are off to see Simon’s favourite country legend, Garth Brooks, at Hyde Park.
None of these things can be bought from Amazon.
So here’s my question to you:
What actually brings you joy?
What moments will you remember five or ten years from now?
And what would you regret not having done?
Then spend your time and your money on those things. Not on the plastic nonsense that will end up abandoned, dusty, or quietly judging you from the corner.
Life is short. Make memories, not landfill.
