“Needs first before Wants”

In this world, we humans need something for survival. Some are the foods we eat, clothes to wear, house to live in, and the air to breathe. But in the reality of life, people are beings who are not easily contended by the things that they have.

Here come the wants. Wants are different from needs. From its word “wants”, it is something that you have a desire to possess or do (something), or it is something that you wish for.

As we aged and grow, our perspective in life changes as well, our needs and wants too. If before, you just want a barbie doll or a toy car, now everything changes. You may want more, something that you might not have as a kid. If you're wealthy and possess a lot of money, well you might get all that you desired.

As a mom raising my two little buddies, I teach my kid to be practical. “Needs first before wants”. Truthfully, we're not rich, but I'm happy that we can eat complete meals thrice a day, and wear decent clothes. As my eldest son is still young, I wanted to instill in him the importance of saving money, the importance of being practical. For me, being practical isn't being tight for yourself, but it is knowing first your priorities particularly in things that you need instead of choosing unnecessary desires.

I never spoiled my son in material things, though his grandparents, uncles, and aunts do it, I never spoiled him. Whenever I want to buy him some toys, it is in a form of rewards. I can see that he is happier to receive his rewards and he values it more than the other toys or things that have his desires first. As soon as he knows how to count, I teach him how to handle money. I never teach him to beg money from other people.

As I said, we're not rich financially, budgeting, and sustaining our day to day is essential. That's why distinguishing needs and wants is very important to know how to balance your needs with your wants.

I consider understanding your needs to be a core part of simple living. Trying to reduce what you want is a great way to remove desire and temptation in your life. The less you want, the more content in life you can be.

However, it is normal to want things, and it’s not a bad thing after all. In our case, when we have and identify our needs our wants will be distinguished easier. Just like in my son, though I thought him of choosing wants first, it doesn't mean that I won't let him have desires. His simple desires and wants are commonly simple things, and useful especially for his learnings, such as colors, papers, and other drawing & school supplies. Then, these wants became needs too, she grows he needs to study and learn and these materials are needed for his improvement.

I believe that knowing his wants and needs can help and build his choices as he grows. It'll help him to have better choices, and a good outlook on life.

Here are the simple ways to distinguish your wants and your needs.

Be happy with what you have. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy life and have a good time. If you're happy with what you have, you'll be learning contentment and gratitude for all the good that you do have may it be material things or not, and appreciating the bad that you don’t have in life.

Don’t let your needs turn into wants. This may happen if we hardly understand the difference between needs and wants. And there'll be instances that sometimes our needs can cause us to spend more than we should.

Think before you buy. My partner and I always do this. If we buy something, we stop and think about whether the item is a want or a need.

Do we need this to survive?

Why do we need or want this item?

Do we already have something similar?

Think twice if you're in doubt. If you're buying something and you're in doubt about spending some ounces, you should think twice first. Identify first if it is worth to spend your money with. Or maybe there are similar items that much cheaper. That's the time being practical comes in.

As you define and fully understand your needs and wants, you'll live a more stress-free life. Less spending, and full of contentment in life. Though living a simple life could be happier for me. On the other hand, a want is everything else. Wants are there to make life a little more enjoyable. But it's important to set your priorities first, especially if you don't have much financially to support such desires.

Here are some quotes to ponder:

“Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.” – Alan Cohen

“Make peace with your now moment. Live in this very moment and be happy with what you have. Joy enters when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have. And be aware, you have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.” – Angie Karan

Spending on your wants and desires are okay. Nonetheless, it’s all about being realistic with your spending and your financial status. If you know your priorities, such as needs first before wants you will learn to make better choices in life and determine differences between wants and needs. It will enable you to stay out of unnecessary expenses and will reach financial freedom sooner as you age. That's why teaching your children and yourself to contrast needs and wants is very important.

All Images from Unsplash 🖼️

@eommaZel ✍🏻