last night, i made a late run to giant eagle. we had run out of lots of our food staples, and i knew i’d have nothing to put in mia’s lunch if i didn’t get off my butt and go to the store. mia had already put herself to bed, so it was just louisa, soph and i. i asked them what we needed.

louisa said something (i don’t remember what it was) and sophia said, “that’s not a NEED! that’s a want”

i was so impressed. they both laughed and i continued to make my list. i had just over $100 to spend so i was trying to prepare as to avoid impulse buys (that i almost always make).

my list consisted of clementines (a HUGE staple in our house right now… we’ve gone through 5 crates of them in less than 2 weeks), deli ham (mia’s lunch), protein bars for mia (gfcf), pasta and a few pieces of meat for dinners, apples and granola bars(after school snacks). it was not an exciting list, and there were no ‘wants’ on it. i suppose you could argue that the protein bars and granola bars are wants, but if you are a starving child and need something to hold you til dinner, then you NEED something to eat!

not on the list (and not purchased) would be ice cream, bagels, cream cheese, go-gurts or any other ‘fun’ foods. sometimes i feel a bit like scrooge or the grinch because the girls don’t get much in the way of ‘fun’ food. i mean, they certainly are not eating like ethiopian orphans. but they don’t have the variety of snacks and treats that other kids have. when i go grocery shopping… it is almost always for our needs. every once in a while, i get throw in a want or two. those days are fun, to be sure!

also last night, louisa asked me to look up a toy for her online. it is a doll set (of the barbie type) that has skipper and chelsea with skateboards. when i finally located a set online, it was $35. now, if you have ever purchased a set like this in the store, then you know that is pretty high for two barbie dolls. louisa began asking what job she could get to buy that set. she said she would need to earn enough for shipping too (very perceptive!). i could tell this was definitely a WANT.

this morning i went online to locate that same doll set, just to see where else it might be for sale. well… that set we had found for $35 is gone. it had been on ebay. i should have known. now the only set i could find is $79! are you kidding me???? i am shocked! even if i had the money, i would never spend that kind of money for two dolls that are going to become part of the huge collection of mess that is louisa’s room. nope. nope. nope.

here is the doll set she wants:

i think miss louisa is going to learn a tough lesson about how wants often have to wait. she is going to be disappointed. i expect there might even be tears. but i think it is definitely a good lesson to learn….

wants vs. needs

those who don’t learn to understand those clearly are destined to all kinds of troubles…..