I recently read, that the key to feeling rich... is being happy with what you already have, and even being happy with less.
I have been experimenting with the idea of "being happy with less".
As a small expample, just this weekend, while using starpoints cash & points, I chose to stay at an Aloft hotel (category 2), instead of a nearby Westin (category 3). I saved $45. I really liked the Aloft, and met interesting people. It was not as traditionally "nice" as the Westin, but it had a very friendly and fun vibe.
I don't think I would have been any happier at the "nicer" Westin property, even though I was tempted to stay there, because it was the better value in terms of cents per starpoint redeemed vs. retail price.
My new travel philosophy, is to value everything in terms of my personal enjoyment and happiness, not the retail price, and not the ego value.
So, a three star hotel is just fine for me almost all the time. Economy airline seats are just fine, especially for short flights. When using points, I may still splurge for business class on flights over 6 hours, because I do get extra happiness and comfort. I might rarely even go international first on points, when the additional incremental point cost required is low (125K for first, vs. 100K for biz), because the novelty and overall experience is worth it for a treat.
Overall, though, my goal is to be happy with less, and to question assumptions about value.
I especially want to avoid blindly valuing items like hotel suites and first class seats at retail price in determining how to redeem my points, but instead use my own personal valuation models, that are based on my personal enjoyment and experiences.
Another example that comes to mind, is that I would probably be happier using 120K BA points to take myself and two friends to South America in economy, than I would just getting a first class ticket for myself.
