Ever since we set up a simple chat group to coordinate our dinners after college studying sessions eight years ago, two friends and I had been talking about a Simpsons marathon. We all loved the show when we were in high school, the German voiceover is hilarious, and many of the jokes are running gags for us to this day.
Almost a decade later, one of us is moving out of town, and so I pushed a bit harder than usual to finally make it happen. We decided on a Friday afternoon at my house and started curating a list of episodes to watch. Meanwhile, I tried to get a bit of a theme night going.
First, I ordered three beer glasses, branded with “Duff,” Homer’s favorite brew in the show. I bought a subscription so we could watch on my big TV. And the day before the event, I went to the grocery store and bought every relevant snack I could find. Some chips, energy drinks and ice to make “Squishees,” which is a version of slushies, and of course the famous donuts with pink frosting Homer constantly munches on during his day job at the nuclear power plant.
The theme was an immediate hit. “Damn man, you’re prepared! This is amazing!” We drank our beer out of Duff glasses, snacked on the donuts, and watched 12 episodes in one go. It was so. Much. Fun! On their way out the door, I told my buddies to keep the glasses as a souvenir, and they said to let them know how much money they were supposed to send in return for all the stuff.
A little later, I did the math: Beer glasses, snacks, streaming subscription, plus the burgers we ordered. It all came out to just over 100 bucks. I couldn’t believe it. So much enjoyment? For three people? For this relatively small amount? I decided not to ask for reimbursements. I bought a feeling, and it felt like money incredibly well spent.
In comparison, 100 bucks barely buys you two medium-sized Pokémon trading card products to open. You could easily spend it on a single dinner in Munich, a handful of drinks at a club, or some home repair materials. Meanwhile, when fueling a Simpsons marathon, 100 euros went unbelievably far.
Rich is always relative. But when you spot an opportunity to add more emotional return to your dollars, grab it! At least every now and then. Save, invest, spend deliberately—these are all important. But sometimes, the very best way to do the latter is to simply have 100 bucks worth of fun with two friends.
