Transcripts

"Money File"-Prioritizing Money

SUSIE GHARIB: In the "money file" tonight, one view of why money shouldn't be the most important thing in your life. Here's Chuck Jaffe, senior columnist for "Marketwatch."

CHUCK JAFFE, MARKETWATCH: Back in the 1980s, when my wife Susan and I were just starting out, she would have me pull off to the side of the road when we traveled across the south, so that we could gather big, perfect, beautiful pine cones. She'd use them for decorating and she hated leaving them behind years later when we moved. Last week, while I was shopping, I saw similar, classically gorgeous southern pine cones on sale for $3.50 a piece.

I could blame Martha Stewart and her classic centerpiece designs for pine-cone inflation. Over-commercialization springs to mind too. But my real concern is that people are so anxious to buy memories at this time of year that they forget to enjoy the actual experiences of the season. I'm sure someone can appreciate a pine cone after paying $3.50 for it, but they missed the effort of getting it, the majesty of the woods or the joy of two people filling their hearts while they're together filling straw baskets.

This is the season when we remember that the best things in life are free and that some things are worth more than money. So enjoy the first snowfall of winter, the flash of colors from a late afternoon sunset, the smell of homemade baked goods and more. Take your children and grandchildren out to enjoy the vast night sky on a cloudless night. And when those awestruck youngsters ask, leave them with the holiday message that those wonderful things aren't selling anything. They're not sponsored by anyone and that they will always come at the same price to all. I'm Chuck Jaffe.