WANTS and NEEDS are 2 very separate things, but in an affluent society we often become confused. If you are going to take your family finances seriously you will need to decide which category the majority of your purchases fall under and start to prioritise.
Here is an example:
It is 45 degrees celsius here today (again). We have looked at all of our air conditioning options and decided the cost is too great for us at this point. I hate the heat, it is awful. However, I get through the hot days using strategies, as do the rest of my family. None of us have health conditions that will be adversely affected by the heat, and none of us are yet elderly. Air conditioning is a WANT not a NEED. Millions of people in the world get along just fine without it, so can we.
When you have done your spending analysis it is very obvious what you have to do. If you’re overspending, cut back on or eliminate the WANTS. Once all of the NEEDS are payed for, then you can see what is leftover for the WANTS.
This also helps to simplify your life and organise your home. Consider every purchase carefully so that you don’t end up with useless clutter or things that are hardly used.
…yes and we all survived for centuries without air con…but must admit i do like mine and can be more productive in a cooler environment…but financially i’m very careful and only buy what i can pay for…