Need or want? (Money matter) Part I
Sometimes we mistake wanting for needing. Often we want things we don’t really need and need things we don’t really want.
We need advice but we don’t want one.
We need to take care of our health but we don’t want to exercise or cut down on food intake.
We want to buy the latest gadget but we really don’t need it.
We want drama (and often make one) when we don’t really have to.
Why is it important to know what we need from what we just want?
Wanting something and getting it when we really don’t need it eventually becomes a waste.
For example:
I want an ipod although I really don’t listen to music that much and a small radio can actually satisfy my thirst for some melody but everyone has one so I have to have it. I don’t want to be left out. Once I get it, I’d be overjoyed about it for a week and then the excitement of “getting what I want” slowly ebbs away and the ipod slowly slips into oblivion, somewhere in the house.
Waste of money (Then you need to buy something important that you really need but have spent it already on that something you just want)
Waste of energy (Trying to get one, bidding and searching the malls)
Waste of space (Because now you have added junk in your house).
Needing something we don’t want but still getting it because we have to on the other hand is thinking long term.
For example:
I need a stove (because it’s cheaper and healthier to cook than to buy food from the mall) but I want a new pair of expensive shoes. Thinking long term, I get the stove first.
I save money (Because it’s cheaper to cook, I’d save the extra I would’ve spent on buying food from the restaurants. In time I’ll have enough to get a new pair of shoes. So eventually I’ll have both what I need and want)
I save energy (Going out to buy food)
It’s not a sin to ‘want’ but we should prioritize what we need, especially when it comes to spending because once you’ve spent it, consider it gone.
So whenever you’re faced with a decision whether to buy something or not, maybe you can ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I really need it or I just want to have one?
2. Is it a necessity?
3. Once I buy it, am I going to use it a lot and for long?
4. Does a part of my life depend on it (like your work, happiness, self improvement)?
But we say, “We’ve worked hard for our money so we deserve to get what we want.” Yes, there’s truth to that but also think, we’ve worked hard for our money so we should also have something in the end – maybe some savings in the bank and not just junk piling up in one corner of the house, rusting away. Let’s not only be wise when it comes to matters of the heart but in our finances too.
We need advice but we don’t want one.
We need to take care of our health but we don’t want to exercise or cut down on food intake.
We want to buy the latest gadget but we really don’t need it.
We want drama (and often make one) when we don’t really have to.
Why is it important to know what we need from what we just want?
Wanting something and getting it when we really don’t need it eventually becomes a waste.
For example:
I want an ipod although I really don’t listen to music that much and a small radio can actually satisfy my thirst for some melody but everyone has one so I have to have it. I don’t want to be left out. Once I get it, I’d be overjoyed about it for a week and then the excitement of “getting what I want” slowly ebbs away and the ipod slowly slips into oblivion, somewhere in the house.
Waste of money (Then you need to buy something important that you really need but have spent it already on that something you just want)
Waste of energy (Trying to get one, bidding and searching the malls)
Waste of space (Because now you have added junk in your house).
Needing something we don’t want but still getting it because we have to on the other hand is thinking long term.
For example:
I need a stove (because it’s cheaper and healthier to cook than to buy food from the mall) but I want a new pair of expensive shoes. Thinking long term, I get the stove first.
I save money (Because it’s cheaper to cook, I’d save the extra I would’ve spent on buying food from the restaurants. In time I’ll have enough to get a new pair of shoes. So eventually I’ll have both what I need and want)
I save energy (Going out to buy food)
It’s not a sin to ‘want’ but we should prioritize what we need, especially when it comes to spending because once you’ve spent it, consider it gone.
So whenever you’re faced with a decision whether to buy something or not, maybe you can ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I really need it or I just want to have one?
2. Is it a necessity?
3. Once I buy it, am I going to use it a lot and for long?
4. Does a part of my life depend on it (like your work, happiness, self improvement)?
But we say, “We’ve worked hard for our money so we deserve to get what we want.” Yes, there’s truth to that but also think, we’ve worked hard for our money so we should also have something in the end – maybe some savings in the bank and not just junk piling up in one corner of the house, rusting away. Let’s not only be wise when it comes to matters of the heart but in our finances too.
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