Your little sister needs a new Frozen backpack. And let's face it: you need a new iPhone. (You cracked the screen two days into owning it, and you're sick of the "spider app" look, as you call it.)

But you know as well as we do that those aren't actually needs.

 

The ultimate battle.

It should be pretty simple: needs are the things that keep you alive, and wants are…everything else. You need a place to live. You need food and water. You need clothes—and boots if you live near a possible Snowmaggedon city. You want an unlimited data plan. You want dessert. You want that sick new drone on the market.

The problem? It can sometimes be tricky to figure out the difference.

• Do you need an iPhone? Generally, no. But what if you're unexpectedly stuck somewhere late at night and need to contact your family to come pick you up? Then it starts bordering on need. Even not having access to the same apps as your classmates can put you back a bit in school…so where does that fall?
• You need to eat to survive, but is pizza—gooey, delicious pepperoni pizza—a need or a want? If you have the stuff to make sandwiches at home without ordering in, you might be looking at a want.
• Your parents may need a car to get to work (assuming there's no public transportation where you are), but they probably have the choice between an old Ford Taurus and a brand-new Lexus that costs more than your apartment. Where's the line?

Bottom line: it's not always clear cut. This chart can help you start to figure things out, but you'll always need to take things with a grain of salt. Or a grain of pink Hawaiian sea salt, if you're going the want route.

But wait a sec. Why do you even need to know this?

Well, you probably only have a limited amount of money to spend, right?

Maybe your parents keep the fridge stocked and pay for your clothes, but you still have things you need for school—and only an allowance or job earnings or birthday money to pay for it.

Knowing the difference between something you need (like lunch at school) and something you want (tickets to Fast and Furious 17) can help you make better choices. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with a growling stomach at study period because you spent all your cash on game credits. Sure, one day like that isn't the end of the world—but try not eating for a week.