How to distinguish a Want from a Need

The other day at college we were talking about what children need and this little pyramid from the psychologist Maslov was mentioned.

It's known as his Hierarchy of Needs and I think it is very helpful in allowing us 'frugal folk' to distinguish a Need from a Want when we are trying to cut our spending.

Yesterday I was sorely tempted to go into town and mooch around the charity shops. I had the time and could justify the trip to town because the library books needed changing. However, thinking about this little pyramid helped me to change my mind. I realised that even though I was only going to look in the charity shops it was really a 'shopping as leisure' activity and was therefore definitely not a need. I could renew the library books on online and read the free ebooks I had downloaded until I had another reason to go into town later this week.

The desired trip to town was not going to be to meet a physical or safety need. It was not going to help me achieve a feeling of being loved or belonging. It was not going to improve my self-esteem and certainly was not going to contribute to my self-actualisation. I could stay home and do some journal writing for college instead !

Thinking about the 5 layers of needs which Maslov identified my real need to save money by staying home and saving the petrol money for a trustee trip to Nottingham later in the week ! Volunteering is something I value far above having a look around the shops !