Do you remember being in Kindergarten and making a collage of pictures that represented wants and needs? As a Kindergarten teacher I often had a hard time deciding whether or not to send a student back to the magazines to find another picture. Some examples:
Fast food
Soda
Phones -especially SmartPhones
What about a truck?-more specifically a very tricked out truck.
And the little girl with a very difficult home life who has a picture of a teddy bear?
Some students had fairly good arguments about the pictures:
“But a happy meal has food and we need that”
“We have to have something to drink”
“Everyone has a phone”
“My Daddy hauls hay with his truck”
“Teddy bears are just toys, we don’t need them”
You can imagine how this could quickly turn into a heart wrenching activity for me. For the sake of time, I would usually accept pictures of items similar to the first 4 listed above with an explanation of how we need food, shelter, communication, tools for our jobs, but that basic models will do. Then there’s the teddy bear. How could I explain to 20 Kindergartners that some children need a teddy bear because it gives them comfort during a rough time? I just tried my very best on that one.
When I thought of the collage activity recently I was reminded that with all the latest and greatest versions of our favorite foods/cars/toys that we often get sucked into the world of bigger and better things. It’s not that we’re trying to keep up with the Jones’, but it’s just that everyone has them and the shelves are inundated with them to the point that it’s difficult to find simple things. Many times the simple will suffice with the same results, virtually the same amount of time, and a smidgen of the money spent.
We also have to recognize that there are times when we just need a teddy bear to get through the day. We all are striving to save our families money and to be more efficient in our homes, yet sometimes we need something that’s not frugal just to get through the day. The lines between wants and needs are different for everyone. Your outlet may be date night with your loved one or a cappuccino while reading a book. Your neighbor’s outlet may be a fast food drink or hiring a sitter for a couple of hours to visit a friend. Let’s try to evaluate the true wants and needs in our lives this week. I am looking for things in my own life that I am willing to cut back on as well as looking at the areas where I can cut myself some slack.
I’m going to have to come back and read this again. I absolutely love this!