Needs vs wants

Steel_2

My needs are overpaying the mortgage and broadband.

My wants are craft and interior design books, and fabric.

cydney65

Hi guys, what a good question

My needs:

• Internet is an absolute must. It's entertainment and a lifeline as we are rural and disabled.

• The motability car is a need too, even though it eats up the £180 a month from DLA.
  
• Central heating, as we spend a lot of our time at home, and...

• Dishwasher

My given up wants:

• [strike]Chocolate[/strike] well apart from value chocolate, does that count?
• Cake
• Ikea things
• Jewellery, I love gems and glittery sparkly jewellery

CydneyX

debrag

internet, mobile are a must

Lalaladybird

I'm really enjoying reading all your needs and wants....

anyone else?

beanielou

My needs :~Mine are similar to cydney's.
I want lots of things but having just been to the DFW Meet Im now skint.:rotfl: :rotfl:

Snow_White_5

Yep, it's fascinating reading other peoples's!

Ok, mine are:

Needs: Internet (for EVERYTHING!), landline (for overseas calls), healthy food, rent, utilities, make-up, holidays (well my doctor told me today I needed one ), trips to see family/friends, DVDs (usually borrowed/ b'day pressies)

I got rid of my TV, exercise at home, have a PAYG, don't run a car, smoke, drink or have any pets... so I reckon I can justify lots of hols

lilian1977

I've stopped buying books and DVDs unless it's something I've been waiting for (*cough* High School Musical *cough* ), and just utilise free DVD rental trials and the library.

I take advantage of the 3 for £1 magazine subscription trials - as well as being cheap you get different magazines throughout the year and don't get bored. I then stockpile them for long journeys which was the only time I really read them anyway, they don't really go out of date within a few months (always flick through for competitions though!)

I have given up my yearly mobile upgrade and switched to SIM only which has saved at least £20 per month. I have kept the insurance though as then if anything goes wrong at least I can get a brand new handset (same model but I'm happy with it and I don't have any other insurance as I rent and I have nothing of worth!)

I no longer buy Boots Meal Deals - they seemed like a bargain but I can make a sandwich/salad for much less, and I buy a big bottle of fresh juice from Tesco at the start of the week and fill up an Innocent Smoothie bottle every day. I also bring in my own fruit salad using the Aldi Super 6 choices.

Loved reading everyone elses! Keep em coming!

Fire_Fox

According to my spreadsheet my essentials are service charge (even tho I don't actually pay as it's in dispute!), ground rent, buildings and contents insurance, council tax, electricity, water bills, TV license, charity contribution, public transport, car insurance (OH named on my parents' car, cheaper than occasional hire), food and cleaning products.

Under non-essentials I have mobile phone, internet, sports supplements, books and CDs (student and fitness instructor), courses and workshops, professional journals, magazine subscriptions, household purchases, consumables (ink and bulbs), clothing (undies and trainers), socialising, gifts, toiletries, haircuts. :eek:

The idea is that the essentials are budgeted at £4k a year, and the non-essentials don't exceed that. Supposedly the essentials list is pretty strict as I intended it to be just what is necessary to be healthy and not receive a court summons!

I haven't really given up anything completely - Mr. Fire Fox pays for all takeaways, I am always going to have a holiday "next year", I refuse to buy bigger clothes, am using up past make up excesses, didn't have my heating on at all for my first two winters here, and we are now managing two weeks instead of ten days with the supermarket shop.

Sharon87

Well essentials to me:

Internet, some sort of phone (preferably with free calls), TV (I'm trying to work in it) all the bills, public transport, food, work clothes, decent toiletries.

Non essentials:
magazines, chocolate, fast food/shop sandwiches (boots, pret.etc), non work clothes, dvd rental (unless its free trial of course ), alcohol!

These are things I can cut out buying, and will have to do for a few more weeks/months! Saying that I probably will still buy a few things lol.

Zelie

I don't go out that much but I consider seeing my friends as a need and not just a want. So we do lots of cheap things like spinning a coffee out for an hour and they oblige me by letting me pick restaurants where vouchers can be used.

I don't have a TV as I don't consider that particularly essential. I do consider internet to be essential though so I kill two birds with one stone by using the TV companies' online viewing. No need for a TV or a licence but getting free entertainment out of my normal internet charge. I also do a lot of reading online so I save a fair bit on books too (another 'need' for me).

Clothes I consider a want. I get uniform provided at work and outside of that I usually wear jeans. I'm not actually planning on buying any clothes this year unless there is some sort of dire emergency and all my jeans fall to bits.