Wants and Needs

Okay, Brenda from the Family Revised posted the other day and a few commenter's were like I should post my thoughts on that too! So Brenda set up Mr. Linki so here is my post to link to Brenda's posting!

I feel like in this day and age those things get so intertwined and swirled into one large untrue, greedy lump! Wants and Needs are two very different things, VERY different. I need food, but I need a healthy balanced diet or fruits, veggies, meats, dairy and grains. I do not need Rema Noodle soup everyday or to learn to exist on hot dogs out of necessity because of finances. We might get to that place (we have many times!) but truly the NEED in the food area consist of the healthy food groups! I need shelter, but I do not need a 2500sq foot house with a double garage, a swimming pool and a massively built in surround sound system? I need a roof over my head, I need "enough" room for everyone to be mildly comfortable and a clean atmosphere (this includes a safe atmosphere as well) and I need to be able to make the mortgage payment without putting everything else I "need" on a credit card. I need transportation (let me clarify) the breadwinner of the home needs transportation (MOMMY could stay home), I don't need to be a two car household. I need a phone ( I believe with children and being home that this is a need for safety reasons -just lay off the call waiting and long distance and extras they throw in. I do not Need a cell phone (It is a wonderful thing to have but there are cheaper ways to go about it if you feel this is a need). I need clothes (trust me, you don't want to see me in the birthday suit!) but I can shop wisely and not spend very much or have less items and just in general be wise about it.

So Needs and Wants are sometimes squeezed until they look like one! This is not true. My kids have of course wanted things. But I don't think they are like most children (in this I have been blessed greatly). Of course selfishness rears it's ugly head and we deal. WE teach them to save up for, or to work for it or just plain forget about it that because "that is so not happening". Whatever the situation calls for!

I on the other hand I am the problem in our family. I love to buy things, I think nothing of it sometimes, I plan a budget and go over it a million times, sometimes there is of course a reason (an actual need arose) but mostly it is just plain ol' me! I do stick to the budget a lot of time (lest you think me completely irresponsible and I might add we pay in cash 100% for everything)

Brenda talked about perspective and it is true. We don't want things until we know they exist sometimes! Isn't that like saying the place you found something is the last place you looked??? DUH. Of course we wouldn't want it till we knew it existed so how do combat this? How do we not want after we see? How do we stop the "Gimmies"???

I think number one, we shop less! Number 2 we memorize self control verses and teach them to our children and out of our heart will come self control verses reminding us whether or not we NEED that item. Finally number 3 I think we allow our self the once want every once in a while because we are allowed to enjoy our self and we are allowed to have fun and as long as our heart is right and our pocketbook allows buying something you want every once in awhile shouldn't hurt anyone!

But there are times and seasons for everything. There have been seasons that we lived on rema noodle soup and the phone was turned off, and we didtn buy anything, and we didn't go on vacation and we didn't do much of anything. But we Made it! We didn't die! We did hurt our self. We survived and we will again- whatever God sends our way we can survive it because He gives up strength and wisdom to do so.

I just have to listen to his Voice, I have stated I need to do that more right!

Thanks Brenda for bringing up this subject, it puts me in the frame of mind that I should be in, remembering need not want! I really needed that!