This article will refer to them as necessities and luxuries.
Necessity: noun. an indispensable thing.
[indispensable is an adjective meaning absolutely necessary].
Luxury: noun. an inessential, desirable thing.
[inessential is an adjective meaning not absolutely necessary].
Many would say there are only four basic necessities of life (air, water, food, shelter), but that only applies to Tarzan.
Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan; TomSoter.com
After all of an hour thinking about this, the following is my list of necessities in our day (in no particular order after the first nine):
- God [for many of us, but you have the freedom to not believe if you so choose]
- clean air
- clean water
- food
- clothing
- shelter
- love
- knowledge
- wisdom
- energy/fuel
- companionship/family/friends
- basic tools for building, repair & maintenance
- patience
- means of supporting one's family or one's self
- gumption
Acquiring these necessities are as varied as there are people. And I'm sure some of your necessities are different than mine, but most are indisputable.
Examples of luxuries (in no particular order, and there are MANY more than these):
- manicure and/or pedicure
- shopping at a convenience store
- eating and/or drinking out
- beauty or barber shop visit
- retail shopping
- entertaining in or out
- liquor, cigarettes
- vacation
- lawn service
- a new anything
- bottled water
- processed foods; precut fruits and vegetables
- gym membership
- exercise equipment
- landscaped yard and lots of grass that needs watering
- a bigger house than one can afford
- more vehicle(s) than one can afford
- a university degree with huge loan debt
- impatience
- financing anything with a credit card or payday loan
- buying something unnecessary only because it was on sale
Examples of wrong priorities:
- Overheard in the workplace how broke someone was, then seeing that same person eating out with her children
- Choosing to spend a paycheck to pay for their child's birthday gifts and a party in a restaurant for her and her friends instead of getting their car back on the road by renewing its license and inspection sticker
- Impatiently applying for a $40,000 home improvement loan at an interest rate of 15%*
- Skipping out on the first three weeks of school to earn money for an expensive pair of tennis shoes to wear to school
- Paying more for a vehicle than the mobile home one lives in*
- Not using a budget and hoping for the best at the end of the month*
- A father re-selling a new refrigerator donated to his family so he could take them camping one weekend
- Spending money on entertainment instead of the rent or utility bills
- Getting one's nails done and hair frosted instead of buying tennis shoes for one's child so he could play sports at recess without getting blisters on his feet
- A divorced mother trying to maintain the same previous lifestyle for her sons, and losing their house in the process
- Paying on student loans for months instead of the mortgage payments
A precious lady who's gone on to be with the Lord some years ago told us about her husband selling their ranch unbeknownst to her, and they found him dead of natural causes the day he received payment for it. Unfortunately, they never found the money, and she was left penniless. Those tragedies would completely devastate and paralyze just about anyone, but not her. She found a job as a dorm mother at a college, where she worked for years to support herself and her son. She was the poster lady for 'where there's a will, there's a way.'
When the finances are good, we don't have to spend as much time questioning if something is a necessity or luxury as long as we are living within our means. I'm grateful to have family and friends who would help me out if I found myself in dire straits, but I also have a plan to downsize to living in a camper trailer if I find myself unable to earn enough money to support myself in a regular house. Or I can do what Elizabeth did and find a job that provides room and board. But the most important necessity I have will shelter me in the shadow of His wings, and that's the best place for me to be.
*Personal experience
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