Need vs. Want

Katie: This bag was on sale, and I needed a new bag, so I bought it.
Mom: You need a new bag like you need a hole in the head.

She’s right. I have a wooden chest, plastic tub, and a heap of bags in my bedroom in her house… 900 miles away. I’ve got my share of bags here too. They’re my biggest shopping weakness.

In January, I packed everything I could fit into my little car and moved across the country. The items shoved into my car included a dresser, clothing and shoes for all occasions from a job interview to a tennis match, a Wii fit, kitchen supplied, wall decor, bedding, Dad…

I’ve never been a minimalist, but when I moved, I was forced to live minimally. Since I couldn’t afford to buy what I didn’t have, I made do without it.

Now I’m financially stable again (this week), so I’ve started to make a list of things I need.  Or do I want them?

This is my struggle: Are these needs or wants? Where is the line between the two?

Do I want new shoes or do I need them? How many days in a row is it appropriate to wear the same pair of shoes?
Do I need that cute accessory or do I want it? How varied should one’s wardrobe be?
How many colors of eye shadow and how many shades of lipstick does one girl really need?

If you’re looking for a defined answer, you’ve come to the wrong place.

I took photos of my collections of all of these things in hopes that you guys would tell me I need more.

But I’m not posting them.

Because I have enough.

Sure, my wardrobe may not be as varied as my co-workers. I may wear the same shoes four days a week. And that dress has gone to a lot of weddings.

But I have enough.

I wear every item in my closet. (We won’t talk about the items in my closet at my parents’ house 900 miles away). Sure, my wardrobe is not perfect for every event, but I’m learning to make it work.

I have enough.

Yes, there are still things I want. Simple things that I can afford, that would expand my fashion horizons, and that would be more flattering than the 2003 confirmation dress that still fits.

If you, like me, can wear a different outfit every day of the week, we are more fortunate than most of the world. Never mind having a work outfit and an after-work wardrobe.

If you, like me, wish you had a pair of brown dress shoes because the black dress shoes, tennis shoes, sandals, etc, won’t work with the brown slacks, we need to remember that we are blessed just to have a single pair of shoes.

I am blessed. I have enough. Yet I will always want more.

How do you balance want versus need? When do you allow yourself to say you have enough? I need all the help I can get, what’s your fashion secret to building a wardrobe?

Photo cc by Signature SugarArt on Flickr.