How to Distinguish Our Wants From Our Needs

I might say that this is true. There are times that we live beyond our means because we sometimes fail to know the difference between our wants and needs. There are times that we feel the fancy to buy for something that we think we need. It might be because of often pressure from friends, family and the dictates of visible society that brings this desire. And when we realize that we only want it - not really need it, we feel sad for what we had spent for.

A need is something that is necessary for a person to live a healthy life. Need can be objective and physical, such as food. In a broader sense, needs are the basic requirements for a person to be able to live and survive. These needs are food, clothing, and a house to live in. A want is something that is desired or something that a person would like to have.

We need food to give energy to our body so we can work. We need clothes to wear at home, in school or in the office. We need a place to sleep in. Other basic needs include transportation, education, health protection, life insurance and some form of leisure times to balance our life existence.

Without these needs make our lives more difficult and not worth living. We can imagine ourselves like those people who live in the streets and barely have nothing to eat, clean and decent clothes to wear and a house to take shelter in.

To make it simple, based from the above definitions and descriptions, we can say that needs are the things needed for survival while wants are the things intended for luxury.

To expand them, I will say “I will build a house even if it is made out from nipa leaves and bamboo trees where I can live and sleep in.” It signals about survival. And the money I will spend for building it should come from my active income.

But if I said “I will build a house and it should be made out of gold and silver where I can live and sleep in.” It signals about luxury I had desired. And the money I will spend for building it should come from my passive income.

Hit Triond, Write and Get Paid 

My Other articles are available at The Filipino Diaspora and at My Article Photo Blog.