[lesmore49]

In these tough times of pandemic, social distancing, etc...I thought I'd come up a topic that could be a bit of fun for some and get our minds off of things for awhile anyways.

There used to be an auto show on TV with a car tester/ presenter who would after testing some exotic car would discuss how while he really wanted ....say...the Ferrari...he just reviewed...he realized it was just that...a want....and he could get by with a need. Can't recall the show or presenter, but it always got me thinking...about need vs want.


A need might be something like a basic station wagon, or an entry level SUV...a vehicle that will take the family members to their places of work, clubs, trips...pick up groceries, etc. , but probably not be the vehicle of their dreams...which would be their 'vehicle 'want' in life.

Back in the days when my kids were young....I wanted a Pentax LX, or better yet a Pentax 6 X 7. This was in the early '90's, the budget was tight, family was young...so the old K1000 was the 'need' and did all that I wanted it to, much more cheaply then my 'wants'...the LX or 6X7.

I'm sure, many of us have dealt with the old want vs what do we really need and in many instances, the 'need' product will get us by, just fine. Whether it's cameras, cars, camping equipment, tools, ...whatever in life.

How have you dealt with this age old question...balancing what you want...with what you need...and what you can afford ? How did it work out ? Did you have regrets, did you ever get that 'want' and when you did, how did you regard that want...now that you finally had it ?

Need vs want...how have you dealt with it ?

[timb64]

Best I can AFFORD,end of...

[Parallax]

There's a fine line between justification and rationalization, isn't there?

If I find myself going back and forth about buying something I step back and look at whether I'm trying to talk myself into buying it or out of buying it. If I'm talking myself out of it I take that to mean I truly do want it so if there's anything that pushes to the "justification" side of the line that's the tiebreaker and I generally buy it. If I find I'm trying to talk myself into it, I usually won't buy it.

The exception to the above is if the internal debate is about what level of quality tool of some sort to buy, i.e. I've decided to buy a <insert tool here> I will buy the best that I can reasonably afford. I have never bought a really good tool and later thought "damn. I wish I'd bought flimsy, cheap junk instead." The reverse, OTOH, has happened several times.

[mkgd1]

I often find myself wondering if I should rent a piece of equipment or tool, or just buy one. About 20 years ago, I was about to put a steel workshop in my back yard. The quote to grade to ground was $5,000. I bought a used tractor with a front loader bucket and a landscaping box for $7,000 and did it myself. The want over need cost me $2,000. The upside is that I still have the tractor and now I've moved to a bigger lot, I find I use it quite a lot.
I have a steel workshop on my new place full of similar "investments"

[Parallax]

The want over need cost me $2,000.

In the short term, yes.
Overall it has likely saved you money.
In addition, it still has value.

[aslyfox]

want vs. need

my spouse has helped me with that issue from time to time

[35mmfilmfan]

My Ebay watch list has three categories - Want, Need, Can't Live Without. Anything that stays merely in the Want category for over a month gets removed.

[Kerrowdown]

I tend to have three criteria that I work on...

Value add basis i.e. what does it bring to the table?

Is it an investment, hence being cheaper in the long run.

Will it earn it's place in terms of revenue generation.

[robgski]

I want a lot of things, but now that I've been in my house for possible the longest uninterrupted time in the last several years, I realize how little of the things cluttering my space are really needed.

My Ebay watch list has three categories - Want, Need, Can't Live Without. Anything that stays merely in the Want category for over a month gets removed.

I have a similar, though more primitive method. I write down high ticket items and their price in a notebook, where I forget most of them, but I acknowledged my desire for them, and that seems to satisfy the urge. At Christmas, anniversary, or birthday times, I open the book, and see if there is anything I still want, and mention it, if the price is not too high.

Renting versus buying is also a good way to satisfy an urge, it can be more economical depending on cost and time used. For example, I have owned a lovely Ford Mustang for almost a decade. I've only put 45,000 miles on it since it is my fair weather fun car, not a daily driver, and I am away on business too often to really make use of it.. For what I paid, even for it's current resale value, I could have rented a similar model many times over for the limited amount of time I've actually driven this car. An expensive lesson to learn about needs versus wants.

I think my only real need right now is to sell off what I don't need or want for whatever money I can get, then use that money to rent a dumpster to throw away the stuff no one was willing to buy.

[photolady95]

My wants and needs are in the same category. If I want it, I can convince myself I need it. Like my Jeep, I wanted it and convinced myself I needed it. Right now I can't drive it after only a year of having it, it sits in my driveway waiting for me to get time to sell it.

[Wasp]

After looking at my growing collection of manual focus primes, I have come to conclusion that I need want a 100mm macro lens. There seems to be a gap there. I already have the SMC Pentax A 50mm f/2.8 macro. A 100mm would not give me a whole lot of new, except for a longer working distance. And less depth of field, but that is not really a good thing for close up work. The thing is, I don't do a lot of macro photography. Perhaps that should change.

Which lens will scratch the itch? It would have to be an A to match the fifty. They come in two flavors - f/2.8 and f/4. The first seem to be more highly regarded but the second is cheaper. There was an f/4 on sale before the lockdown at a reasonable(ish) price. If it reappears, who knows if the urge can be resisted? The reality is that money will be tight, but perhaps the seller is open to offers.

[photolady95]

The 2.8 is 1:1 macro while the f4 is 1:2, get the newer one if you can afford it. I just bought a Tamron 90mm AF Di lens and it's 1:1. I sold my old Adaptall 2, well, not sold, traded it for a K-5. The Adaptall 2 was only

PK adapter.


The Tamron was a need, but I also bought a K1000 in good shape from bertwert that was a want.

[reeftool]

Reality is, most of us have to compromise and and get what we can afford. Whether it's cars, camera gear, and even the homes we live in. We have always been able to get by. My cars or trucks have always been practical and fuel efficient. My house isn't the biggest on the block but it's less than a year away from being paid off. My camera gear has always been a compromise but, by shopping for used stuff and continuing to use my manual lenses I have accumulated through the years, I have always been able to shoot what I needed to.

One thing I have always tried to do is buy quality products. I hate buying stuff that breaks or wears out quickly and when I do have issues, I tend to completely stay away from that brand. I still have a Spotmatic that works. Most of my vehicles run to somewhere between 200 - 300 thousand miles before I replace them. Buying quality, durable stuff isn't the usually the most expensive but not always the cheapest, either.

[mkgd1]

My wants and needs are in the same category. If I want it, I can convince myself I need it. Like my Jeep, I wanted it and convinced myself I needed it. Right now I can't drive it after only a year of having it, it sits in my driveway waiting for me to get time to sell it.

A jeep is surely classed as essential. At least that's my excuse for having one.

[Benz3ne]

I don't need 90% of the lenses I own. I did want them. In reality, I could own 2-3 lenses and cover all aspects of the photography (hobby) that I take.

However, I do now own them, so that's that.