What's your difference between need and want?

FatVonD

Need is food/shelter and travel to work. Anything else is a want.

What's in my personal grey area at the moment is a pair of sandals from the sales (I bought them online in the sales but could still return them for another couple of weeks.) I usually wear flip flops all summer but I need a better-paying job so need to smarten up a bit. The thing is they were expensive but they are truly the only sandals I've seen in the last God knows how many years that are *exactly* what I want but I'm still finding it hard spending that much on myself

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Need, other than absolutes such as warmth, shelter, food and water, entails things that improve and enhance your life significantly, so that if they were not there, your life would be far less pleasurable.

A want, in comparison, is something that does not improve your life. A want, if not met, does not diminish your life. You're fine without it.



If there is too much Stuff, there comes a point when having it is actually detrimental to your life - you can't keep the house clean, you trip up over things, people avoid coming to see you because they're frightened of getting buried under it all, you lose things, forget you already have three of them, that kind of thing, it's a want that is harmful.



If you've surrounded yourself by things that 'represent something else' - the person you would like to be, the Nigella with a Kitchen Mixer on the counter gathering dust whilst you buy a Mr Kipling apple pie pack once a year, the posh books really for other people to see you have them, the shelves of them to convey to others and yourself that you're a smart, bookish person, the nylon handbags with plastic monkeys dangling from them to show you're a fun person that's part of the brand 'family', or because it's a distraction away from painful, upsetting, difficult emotions to go 'look! Shiny! Shiny! New! New!' everytime you see something, then it's a want. A want for distraction. A want for illusion.


And if there is something advertised that promises a solution to a problem you never knew you had, then believe me, you do not need it.



So, if anyone struggles with Stuff, look at it and think 'what does this bring to my life?'. If the answer is 'I'm worth it', 'It's expensive', 'It's posh', 'I'll get around to using it', 'I might need it someday' or 'I don't know, but it's mine', then all of those things are likely to be unnecessary and potentially harmful.



Personally, I don't need musical instruments, but they make me happy, I play them and I've made a small amount of money (and had a great time) using them. My life would be worse were they taken away.

I need a means of cooking my dinner, I want a fantastic brand with beautiful design and many functions, but I don't need it, so I compromise with one that looks OK, does the things I actually need it to do (ie, cook my dinner) but also has a good reputation for durability. It doesn't represent how I see myself, it doesn't send a message to other people about me (other than the fact I don't want to live solely on takeaways), it's an essential, it's not Stuff.

Lovelyjoolz

TheConways wrote: »

100 years ago, nobody really wore deodorant. Then advertising campaigns tried to create demand for deodorant, telling ladies that they might not be aware that they smell... No woman wants that! Now, fast forward 100 years, and almost everyone wears deodorant - it's gone from a "want" to a "need". You wouldn't think twice about picking some up in the supermarket if you were running low.

I LOVE this

I also found out last night ( by watching QI ) that Halitosis was invented by Listerine to sell us mouthwash!!

Can you believe that? There was no such thing as Halitosis until Listerine made a mouthwash and had to create a need for it. Shocking! And we fell for it!!!! <facepalm>

My Needs have always included handbags. I'm trying to wean myself off that now. I have way too many of them (some would say). I also NEED really good mascara and usually spend £20 on it. But I justify that because I feel so good when the mascara works the way I want it to that I usually don't wear any other makeup so I'm saving money there......

I'm working through a vast collection of toiletries at the moment. I haven't bought any new since before Christmas and I'm determined to declutter the cupboards and only have what I really need.

And I need to declutter my wardrobes too. Do I really need those size 10 501's from 1992? Err, no. I'm probably never going to get my !!!! back into them again!

I'm finding it really hard to let go though!

TheConways

If we didn't have wants, we wouldn't have progress. Necessity is the mother of invention.. If no-one had wondered "Wouldn't it be great to be able to do everything with a handheld device," we wouldn't have smartphones.

(That said: the question could easily have been "Wouldn't it be great to have something I can surf the web on and review pictures of cats?":cool: )

Robin_TBW

victory wrote: »

The decluttering is going to take a while because of me and my shopping habits, none of it is expensive or designer etc but there's a lot of stuff.

I'm a sucker for 'this is in the sale, it's so cheap, it might come in handy one day':D

You sound like my Mum and she frustrates the crap out of me.

If it's not going to be used then it's not a bargain, it's a waste of time and money.

notakid

I wonder if I'm your mom robin....

I'm terrible. I'll buy a bargain even if I don't like it half as much as the item at full price, I'm trying to stop myself. But its hard.

I would like nicer things. Like a nice denby set but I know i'll just be upset when I break a piece, its much better having cheap stuff cos there is no attachment.

I do pride myself for not getting suckered into labels and such, but I'd be a liar if I didn't admit advertising had an effect on me.

juliebunny

I spent a year back packing in my youth, lived out of a rucksac the whole time, just bought food, bus tickets, a night in a hostel and a fair amount of booze. I never wanted for anything, best year of my life!! Now I have a house full of 'stuff' and it's suffocating me. Yet still I trawl the sales for bargains and love the car boot sales.

Worst stuff is that which you inherit - very very laden with guilt - how on earth do you get rid of that? I took a load of stuff to a charity I support - don't have a loft, thank goodness. What to do with other stuff, stuff my loved ones loved but I can't stand.....I've told my family that if anything happens to me I don't give a monkeys about anything of mine except my pets, which they must take care of.

victory

jojo thanks for your answer, very insightful, thank you:D

moneyistooshorttomention

FatVonD wrote: »

Need is food/shelter and travel to work. Anything else is a want.

What's in my personal grey area at the moment is a pair of sandals from the sales (I bought them online in the sales but could still return them for another couple of weeks.) I usually wear flip flops all summer but I need a better-paying job so need to smarten up a bit. The thing is they were expensive but they are truly the only sandals I've seen in the last God knows how many years that are *exactly* what I want but I'm still finding it hard spending that much on myself

I would say those sandals count as "investment spending" - you have to speculate to accummulate in those circumstances:)

Kaz2904

notakid wrote: »

I would like nicer things. Like a nice denby set but I know i'll just be upset when I break a piece, its much better having cheap stuff cos there is no attachment.

I have the beginnings of a Denby dinner set. I started it 3 years ago. We have lost one plate due to DS not paying attention but it's replaceable. I would count them as an investment rather than a frippery. They are multi purpose and will definitely outlive a cheap brand version. (Sorry for wandering OT ).
Need vs want...
I got new boots for Christmas because I needed some. My others are letting in water. I got Fly London ones because I wanted them!