When we buy something, there's the cost and the value.
The cost is the amount you pay for the thing.
The value is the transformation you experience after you buy it. People value different things based on their experiences.
A banana costs little, and the value is curing your hunger.
In a third-world country, a banana may cost a lot, and the value is getting to live another day.
When a family gives their kid piano lessons from age 5-18 with a good teacher, the cost could be in the ballpark of $38,000 total.
You might think, "What? That's an insane amount of money to spend on piano lessons!"
But then, consider car payments. The total number of car payments you would make over the same time period (based on the average new-car payment) add up to $109,200.
$218,400 if you have two cars...
And then, consider the value.
Piano lessons teach kids to express themselves.
To experience challenges, and the thrill of victory overcoming their toughest moments.
To reach the parts of their soul they never knew existed.
To experience the thrill of sharing music with others.
To have an outlet...some might call a friend...that is there during the best of times, worst of times, through thick and thin, in the lightest and darkest moments of their lives.
To grow up loving music enough to want to give their own kids music one day. The start of a musical family tree.
$38,000 seems kind of like a bargain now, doesn't it?
Especially compared to the $109,200 investments that will eventually end up in the landfill.