Wants vs Needs

My best friend has described me perfectly, one paper away from being a hoarder! I keep everything!

Well spring is definitely in the air as proven by the Canadian Geese that have been flying overhead this weekend.  This is the time that even the hoarder in me is suppressed and wants to clean stuff out.  Mike and I have been watching videos about families who have gotten rid of everything and traveled around the country.  That is extreme cleaning!  As I looked around the house today, I saw all the "wants" and few of the "needs".  It actually started making me crazy. 

How do we find that fine line between keeping everything or only the things that we need?  How do we help our children distinguish between wants and needs?  What is the advantage of the complexity that we have created onto ourselves?

I read about a family that did not spend any money on anything new for a year (this did not include groceries, utilities, medications, etc).  I have been thinking about this for many months now.  Could our family do this for even a month?  Would this not be a great exercise in showing what really is a "want" verses a "need".  Maybe that will be one of my goals next year, better yet, I think I will try it this year.

See you at the kwoon!