Knowing what we want from what we need

We go out shopping and we almost never seem to recognize what we want versus what we need. It is as absurd to buy a sterling teapot set when you never drink tea or to own designer croc-skin shoes when everything in your closet is made by H&M; it is obnoxious to buy a stole made of Marten fur when your friends can’t tell what sable looks like; and it is ridiculous spend your whole paycheck on owning one item of luxury when you have to eat noodles for the next two weeks.

NEED:

You must not misunderstand me. It is nothing wrong with wanting to have the ultimate luxury but when it comes to shopping for needs you’re not follow your heart but your head. I always follow my 7 days rules:

1^st Go through your wardrobe, closet, armoire and make a list of what you need;

2^nd Set a budget of how much you can afford, so when you are looking for your luxury you can only look at things inside your price range;

3^rd go shopping during early hours of stores opening when it is clearly empty and sales people are full of energy to help. Or even go few days before hand and have the items you want on hold until sale day;

4^th never shop with your friends. There might be resentment about how you may look better in a dress or how you purchased the last bowl, or even how you bought the same curtains. You have trouble deciding on the style and color no need for a human being’s unhappy eyes;

5^th ignore advertisements. Most retailers put up advertisement of sales they want to get rid of quickly. Only look for the things you came in for;

6^th always get a salesperson to help you. It will save you time and energy for the next item you might be looking for. And think of it this way, meeting a new person might make you a new friend (mmmh, employee discounts!);

7^th always learn of the return policies. If you are unsatisfied or change your mind make sure you can at least get store credit. It makes no sense to keep it even if it was 90% off if you are never going to have a use for it.

WANT:

This is the funny part where I can relate to everyone else the most. I really want things that are pretty and have very little use in my everyday life. Each item needs to be a piece of art in its own, from the box where tea is stored to the spoon used for sugar to the cup it is poured in—mind you I almost never make tea. However I do believe that when I am home I must have the best of luxuries because home is one place comfort should rain. So how do I shop for my wants? I think of the four seasons:

1^st summer: I find that perfect piece of furniture or a fur coat or a watch. It gets me so excited that I can’t wait to purchase it. But I realize how it is out of my budget and how I have things that are similar. So I promise myself to wait for it to go on sale.

2^nd autumn: I realize how these pieces are numbered and very few in supply and are not going to go on sale or can be acquired by other means. I try to bargain to see if possibly I can get some sort of discount from the retailer or designer.

3^rd winter: with no luck I am told I can only get it at full price. So I look into my collection and figure out the items I can part with—so I can sell them to get some money.

4^th spring: now with money in cash form I go back to the retailers willing to pay the MSRP however before I do I haggle with the salesperson a little more. When they realize you are serious with money, how very few people will pay these absurd amount, and have a sales quota to fill they might just give you a discount. Or might suggest to have the item mailed so you don’t have to pay tax.

At the end of the day the road to learning the difference between needs and wants is by evaluating your surroundings, affiliation, social status, and economical status. Always be true to your heart because the first time you saw that piece of watch or shoe you knew you’d love it forever, and that's what you'll do. You don't know what it does to you with a clue nor do you know what it would be like to have thing on you…don’t worry about what people think, its hard to get the big picture when they have such a small screen. For their insignificant comments we will not call them stupid, we’ll just say they’re possessed by a retarded ghost.