Comments on: Transform Needs Into WANTS

By: Best of Personal Finance: ‘Screw It, I’m Buying an Air Conditioner’ Edition |

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:03:17 +0000

[...] I don’t know, can you knit a functioning air conditioner? The Wisdom Journal offers some methods for turning your supposed "needs" into mere "wants." Like, I thought I needed a diamond necklace, but it turns out that I was simply delusional from the [...]

By: Jomama

Jomama — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:55:47 +0000

Interesting post. You are distinguishing between survival vs. striving to improve our condition.

I still think there is a place for the Needs over Wants, when trying to preserve limited resources, like time or money. However, since that particular thesis is so well explained in tons of other venues, I suppose we don’t need to belabor it here.

As a species, I agree that we are definitely better motivated by our wants, but it is important, I think, to distinguish between things that give is short-term immediate gratification (like a jelly donut), vs. longer-term goals that really will improve our lives (losing 10 lbs and exercising more to be healthier). I “want” to have both of them, but only one is really going to improve my life. Perhaps there is some way to distinguish between short-term wants vs. long-term wants?

By: Joshua @ Accountable Living

Joshua @ Accountable Living — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:44:04 +0000

Way to tuen the tables on the “wants and needs”. As you point out, many times our wants are really those things buried deep down within us that we layer over with “needs” based thinking….. and so we never get around to our wants.

Yes, it can sound selfish, but a “want” is not always a bad thing ( unless you are eyeing a Snickers in the grocery store checkout aisle….. ).

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:11:28 +0000

What a great way to turn common advice on it’s head – and make it better! Living with this attitute is a better way to live. Thanks for making me rethink some things today.

By: ray

ray — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:14:04 +0000

This is actually a brilliant observation. We always here about needs vs wants and that we should only focus on our needs (saving that “want” money for later needs) but when you put things into this perspective, it really makes alot of sense.