3 ideas
Spending on experiences yields more lasting happiness than spending on material goods. Experiences resist hedonic adaptation, and memory tends to improve them over time. They also become part of a person's identity and social stories, and they are harder to compare unfavorably with alternatives, so they escape the regret and comparison that erode satisfaction with possessions.
Repeated, unlimited access to a pleasure dulls it through habituation. Deliberately limiting access, by giving something up for a while or making it occasional, resets its hedonic impact. Abundance is therefore often the enemy of appreciation, and rationing favorite things can increase total enjoyment.
Separating payment from consumption changes how both feel. Paying upfront and consuming later adds free pleasure through anticipation, and the delay makes the later consumption feel costless. Consuming now and paying later, as with credit, front-loads the pleasure and leaves only the pain of payment.