|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
The Difference Between Wants & Needs
So you want to become wealthy? While there is no single road to getting there, it's a sure bet that one principle is in place for those who keep their wealth over a lifetime. Live beneath your means. Spend less than you make. Don't spend more than you can afford. It doesn't come any simpler than this. If you want to create wealth, you have to learn to do this. It doesn't matter if you make $10,000 a year or $1 million, if you don't learn how to master the step of spending less than you earn, you'll never create lasting wealth. While the concept is simple, chances are you are not following it. In all likelihood, you are living paycheck to paycheck, treading water. No matter how hard you try, you never seem to get ahead. Even when the raises come, the money still disappears just as fast. If this sounds like your situation, you probably have not mastered the difference between needs and wants. First, it's important to realize that wants and needs are not the same. When you read that sentence, you probably said to yourself, "Of course, everyone knows that." Again, while everyone may know this intellectually, it is a good bet that you aren't completely honest with yourself when it comes to the things you purchase. How many times have you heard (or for that matter said yourself) "I absolutely need (fill in the blank)" when in reality the meaning was "I really want (fill in the blank)?" I can't live without those shoes...I will die if I can't have that ring...I simply have to have that car...the list can go on and on. Please don't get me wrong. These are phrases that we all use. That is why it's important to step back and remember that wants and needs are not the same. It's important at this point to make clear that taking the time to critically look at your current lifestyle and what are the true needs versus those things that are convenient wants will go a long way in saving you money and enabling you to spend less than you make. Let's take an example of your TV. Is your TV a need or a want? Although I can hear the arguments already rationalizing why a TV is a necessary part of your life, the truth is that it is more than likely a want. In most cases, it is probably an affordable want (The exception may be if you decided you had to have that 50 inch state of the art plasma television with the price tag of a small car). The question is whether the digital cable TV, 6 premium channels, satellite dish, the on demand movies, the DVD player with movie selection, etc are all also affordable wants? Here is a list. Take a few moments to jot down what is a need and what is a want. Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not completely black and white. What may be a want for one person may be a necessity for another person. For example, let's take a look at a computer. If you make your livelihood on the computer, then a computer is a necessity for you. If you only use a computer to play the latest online games, then it isn't. Knowing this, we can still make some pretty good guesses as to what are wants and what are needs from the above list for most people. Shoes (and clothing in general), water, bed, car, lunch, medicine and furnishings are good bets to be needs. Now that doesn't mean that the latest model, 4 wheel drive sport utility vehicle with all the extras counts as a need for most people, but basic transportation to make a living does. A large apartment, computer and cellular phone may or may not qualify as a need depending on your particular circumstances while a designer suit, ice-cream, lottery tickets, entertainment center, club membership, concert tickets, trip to Hawaii, necklace, daily espresso and golf clubs all probably fall into the want section. If you can take the time to start being honest with yourself, you will find that a lot of the things which you assumed were an absolute necessity until now are in reality nothing more than wants. Once you distinguish between the two and look at these issues objectively, you have placed yourself in the position to live within your means by simply asking yourself whether or not an item or service you are about to purchase is a need or merely a want. Copyright (c) 2004, by Jeffrey Strain This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information and an active link (where possible) are included. A complimentary copy of any newsletter or a link to the site where the article is posted would be greatly appreciated. About The Author Jeffrey Strain has published hundreds of money saving articles and the creator of the Daily Money Saving Challenge Program. He is the co-owner of http://www.savingadvice.com -- a website dedicated to saving you money. savingadvice@gmail.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Steve Martin once delivered an opening monologue for Saturday Night Live in which he answered the age-old question "How can I be a millionaire?" His answer was fairly simple and straightforward, "First? get a million dollars." If at this point you can't help but feel that Mr. Martin performed an extraordinary feet of oversimplification that night, then I urge you to read on, and hopefully, by the time you finish this essay, you'll be convinced that becoming a millionaire isn't nearly as difficult as everyone makes it out to be. Through a simple three-step process which I will lay out clearly, the keys to the millionaire's club will be shown to be available to anyone willing to merely reach out and grab them. The TRAP Behind Websites With INSTANT Searches for Unclaimed Money There is no questioning that the amount of unclaimed money or property being held by both State and Federal agencies is staggering and growing each year ? current estimate is believed to be in excess of $40 BILLION. Understanding the Three Different Types of Income Part of learning to become financially free is to begin to understand that there are three different types of income. They are: capital gains, passive income, and earned income. They are the three types of ways to make money, and are very easy to understand. How To Be A Millionaire - The Top Secret Of Wealth Creation Have you any idea how many people search Google every single day for terms such as, "make fast money" or "get rich quick"? You Can`t Cheat An Honest Man Author: James WalshISBN: 1563431696: Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing Wealth Management, Wealth Protection, and Tax Planning U.S. Supreme Justice Louis D. Brandeis Wealth And Your Net Worth Most people know it's important to keep and organize all of your vital financial information. But knowing you should and knowing how are two different things! Who Else Is Tired of Life Punching Them in the Face? Remember the bloodied face of Randall "Tex" Cobb? Profit from Your Own Information Empire! Would you like to profit from your own informationempire? Here are a few ways of doing so. I Dont Need A Financial Coach To Help Me! You've been thinking that your financial life could probably be better, right? Maybe you think, "If I could just stick to a budget everything will be fine?", or how about "When I get that next raise or promotion, I'll have enough money to pay off my debts and save some money?" You may even be thinking,"I can do this on my own!" Dont Leave Your Financial Success To Chance Recently I was reading a book called The Millionaire Mind. The book offers an intriguing look into the minds of those that have attained over one million dollars in net worth (there's far more to it then this, but I won't get that in depth for the purposes of this commentary)... Re-discovering the Fundamentals of Financial Planning To lose weight in the 80's, we went on low-calorie diets. In the 90's, we switched to low-fat diets, and now, in the 21st Century, we are completely convinced that it's all about the low-carb diet. What ever happened to just eating healthy? Could a Roth IRA be Better Than a 401(k)? Very few people whom I know are familiar with the benefits of the Roth IRA. It was named for the late Senator William Roth of Rhode Island, who proposed it. It is similar to a traditional IRA except contributions are never tax-deductible. Contributions to traditional IRAs are sometimes deductible or partially deductible, depending on your income and whether or not you have a retirement plan like a 401(k) at work. With Roth IRAs, individuals are limited to incomes of $95,000 ($150,000 for couples) to be eligible for full contribution amounts. Retirement ? Can You Afford It? Every day you work is one day closer to your retirement. But can you afford to stop work? If you were unable to go to work for 6 months due to illness or injury, would you still have enough income to support yourself and your family? Even if you kept working, would you have enough money put aside to comfortably retire after a hard lifetime of work? If you kept working or doing as you're doing today, for the next 10 years, would you be in a better position to retire? Have you ever calculated whether your superannuation or the pension is going to be enough for you to retire on? Russ Whitney - Building Wealth Through Real Estate When Building Wealth by Russ Whitney was released a few years ago it sent shockwaves through the real estate industry and uncovered some amazing insights into Real Estate and Russ Whitney. It also opened the door for many people to get involved in the Real Estate Training Investing Training World. Endowments and Endowment Shortfalls - What You Need To Know Endowments and endowment mortgages have received a lot of bad press in recent years, amid concerns over falling policy values and accusations of endowment miss-selling. Who Else Wants To Know Oprahs Secrets To Wealth & Success? Before I had a lot of money, I was really quite happy," said Oprah Winfrey. "And I will tell you this--you may not believe it--I never would have gotten the money if I wasn't happy to begin with. I never would have gotten it." A Completely New Way To Get Rich Rapidly This new way is catching on around the world. People are compounding money rapidly for themselves. Starting With Smaller Goals First And Work Your Way Up Until You Achieve Financial Freedom While you need to have a lot of positive-thought and confidence in order to be self-motivated, there are a few things that you can do which will help you to achieve all three things. These steps are generally pretty easy to do - and since they're simple steps, they may seem a little less daunting at first than having to figure out how to be positive-thinking and confident right out of the blue. The 11 Best Money Saving Ideas of All Time - Part 3 At any time in history, no matter what the current state of the economy, no matter what the current trends, no matter what the unemployment rate is or where interest rates lurk, some money-saving ideas stay true.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
