I'm with you on AC, but not the pool. That's an expensive, time-consuming luxury. (Or even more expensive, if you pay someone else to maintain it.) The occasional pool-party could be had elsewhere (community pool? neighbor's pool?), or even at the beach instead.

If you kept on that line of logic, a PlayStation 5 and an espresso machine are also "not material goods" and are ways to create experiences, and I can't actually tell where that line of thought stops.

A Playstation 5 and an espresso machine I wouldn't consider "material goods" in the classic sense. For PS5 it's kind of obvious why, since it competes with cinemas.

For the espresso machine, it's an "experience machine" if you're a espresso aficionado. If you're getting it to show off and barely use it, it's a "material good".

I'd draw the line like this: if it makes you personally feel good many times, through your interaction with the thing, it's worth buying. If it's just/primarily to show off, then it's a "material good". Unless you have some sort of personality disorder where you feel good by showing your stuff off repeatedly to acquaintances.

> Not having AC absolutely sucks when the weather's over 30

Only if you are used to air conditioning. Otherwise it’s just a hot day.

Not having a pool means you do a barbeque party instead. Not that you have no party at all.

Western Europe has a mild climate. Aircon is only required for < 7 days a year and those days are still tolerable without aircon if there's proper insulation.