Need, Want, WIBNi

I think we’ve all heard of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle but have you heard of Need, Want, WIBNi? I’ve been thinking about sustainable consumption. It occurred to me that recycling seems to have a hip, trendy, “in” image these days. I know that interest in being frugal has risen, what with the economic downturn ‘n all, but reducing consumption still sounds kinda negative in a way. It’s more about responsibility than FUN. Isn’t it? No doubt I’m ‘preaching to the converted’, but I thought I’d mention this Need, Want, WIBNi thing anyway.

What’s a Need, Want, WIBNi?

If you’ve ever done any kind of project that involves making a design and buying a bunch of materials, like doing a kitchen or bathroom remodel or building a house, you’ll be familiar with the idea of creeping featurism. It’s that desire to add just one more thing to your specification, after all you’re not going to be remodeling or building again in a while and you might as well get it the way you want. Right? When I get myself in this situation I whip out the Need, Want, WIBNi system.

Simply put, here’s how it works. Make a list of all the things you’ve thought of doing with your project. I’ll use the example of a bathroom:

• new toilet bowl
• new sink cabinet
• ceramic tiled floor
• ceramic tiled step-in shower cabinet
• new towels
• heated towel rail
• under-floor heat
• new oak-framed mirror

Mark Your List

I’m sure you get the idea. Now it’s your job to mark each item on the list with one of these words:

• Need – can’t do without. For instance if you don’t have a toilet bowl because the previous one broke then that is a need.
• Want – maybe the sink cabinet is still in working order, but you just are tired of it. You want a new one.
• WIBNi stands for “wouldn’t it be nice” – if you have perfectly functional towels then it just might be nice to have new ones, but that could wait because it’s not necessary to spend money on them at the time of refitting your bathroom; it just would be nice.

Use This For Frugal

Now, when you are looking at a home project the $$ to spend are one big chunk and I think most people do think about how to budget and control their spending. Do we use the same care for things like buying clothes, shoes, books, tools, furniture, food and toiletries? I can’t imagine that anyone reading this has 40-50 pairs of shoes in their wardrobe, but do correct me if I’m wrong. Really, how many pairs of shoes does a woman need? How about handbags? Do you have a secret handbag addiction by any chance?

Shoppers Guilt?

If I’m guilty of indulging then it’s on books, seeds, tools, and learning materials. If I think that’s more excusable than shoes or bags am I deluding myself? I try to be frugal – budgeting helps. I wrestle with having affiliate links up here on my blog. Does it look like I’m encouraging you to consume? I tell myself that I’m not responsible if someone comes here and spends on something they don’t really need at one of my links. After all, if you have shopping on your mind and I’m talking about being frugal won’t you just go shop somewhere else where the writer makes you feel GOOD about spending?

Well, I reckon I’ll leave the affiliate links for now. I choose them carefully. It would be nice to be able to buy my family a bag of potato chips, a chocolate cake, or some little indulgence from money generated by my writing. I’d enjoy the fruits of my writing labor if I earn enough to get a new fruit bush for my garden. I do wonder though, would it be better just to have a “donate here” button? What do you think?

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