Over the past couple of years, I’ve started to shift my spending from more clothes, shoes, and accessories to spending on experiences. Designer labels and brand names are becoming less important as I get older, and at the same time, I’m starting to think more about how I want to spend my money on memorable experiences. I mean, who really needs 8 pairs of sandals?
(No one.)
Now that the weather is warming up, I’m starting to give a lot more thought to how I want to spend late spring, summer, and fall. Even though I’m somewhat used to my homebody ways of watching Netflix or reading and snacking in pajamas, it’s time to break out of that mindset and get out there. It’s time to start going out more often (GOMO)!
I’m pretty lucky that I live in one of the coolest places in the world(San Francisco Bay Area whaat!!) and there really isn’t a shortage of fun things to do around here. From concerts to sporting events to wine tasting and camping, there’s something here for everyone to love.
With the help of my friends at Eventbrite, I’ve put together a sort of bucket list for fun things I want to try in 2017 that require me to get out of my comfort zone, get out of the house, and have fun and make memories!
Here’s the list:
Go to my first country concert. In a few weeks, I’m going to be sipping on some bud light with my cowboy hat watching Chris Stapleton take the stage. I’m no stranger to concerts, but I’ve never been to a country concert. The group of friends I’m going with aren’t the usual friends I go to concerts with, so I’m really looking forward to making some great memories with these friends at this show. Fingers crossed that the weather is nice and it doesn’t get too chilly near the end of the show!
Take a cooking class. I took a baking class a couple of years ago while in New York at the Momofuku Milk Bar. Even though I was by myself, I found the experience to be pretty fun since I love to bake. The thing about that class is that while I loved baking and I learned a lot, birthday cake isn’t something I can incorporate in to my diet on a regular basis (but wouldn’t that be awesome if I could!?!!?). I’m hoping to take a cooking class on some type of cuisine–perhaps Thai or Japanese? I don’t have much experience with cooking those types of cuisine at home and some recipes feel pretty intimidating to tackle on my own, including beginner recipes.
Go on a wine tour. Lucky me, I live pretty damn close to wine country. While Napa County is world-famous and everyone and their mother goes there, there are wineries throughout the Bay Area, including the East Bay and the South Bay. It would be awesome to get a group of friends together one Saturday or Sunday and go on a wine tour where the itinerary is already planned and all we have to do is show up.
Hit up a foodie festival. There is no shortage of foodie festivals in the Bay Area. Whether it’s about craft beer, coffee, wine, or street food, there’s a festival happening somewhere just about every month. Some of them can be pretty pricy, and you definitely have to make sure you don’t upset your stomach with too much food, but it will be really fun to see what local vendors have to offer and even do a taste test.
Spend time at a retreat. Whenever I take time off work to go on vacation, I usually pack that time full of activities and don’t give myself a lot of time to unwind and rest. With that strategy, I make the most of my time off, but I also come back to work feeling tired and unfocused…which is not good. Heading to a retreat–a holistic one, a yoga one, or something similar, where we take time to rest, heal, and connect, would be an awesome experience.
What do you think of my list? I hope my list has inspired you to step out of your comfort zone and plan to do something new this year!
If you’re looking for ideas, you should definitely check out Eventbrite. And if you’re the type of person to plan your own event, Eventbrite even has an event planning page that’s perfect for you.
With all this being said, what do you say–let’s GOMO this year?
-S
