The quest for socks

By knitting iris

When the first cold front hit last fall, I pulled out my favorite pair of socks (they have snowflakes on them) and was disappointed to discover a sizable hole in one. I was bummed, to say the least. On the heels (ha!) of this crushing disappointment, I decided I needed more socks to get through the winter. And so began the quest. Over the next several weeks I hit various stores looking for socks I liked. I'm sort of picky and nothing I saw really struck my fancy. I resolved to keep looking.

I was folding laundry this morning when it hit me. I never bought any new socks and despite record low temperatures, my toes have stayed nice and warm. I didn't need new socks. I was disappointed about losing my favorite pair and assigned a "need" to something that was really a want. I WANTED a new pair of favorite socks. But obviously, I didn't NEED them. ...and looking back, I'm glad I didn't spend the money.

It's got me thinking today about other things I convince myself I need that are really just wants dressed up to look more important than they are. I was planning to order business cards this week and now I'm wondering if I  need to order pre-printed cards or if there's a different solution. Check out the creative idea that Gena (aka Verdant Violet) came up with for this very problem. It's part of what got me thinking too.

So what "needs" do you have that are just wants in disguise?