Enough, a little more or too much?

It seems popular to constantly drive towards more and more things these days, to want more, and when it comes to acquiring those things people often resort to credit because they either don't want to wait to save the funds or don't have the ability. It doesn't make sense to me mostly, especially with items that will depreciate in value, and due to the fact that along with money gained through credit comes interest repayments meaning people will pay more than the item is worth and due to depreciation are left with an item worth far less than the initial price. Maybe not a problem for some things people buy, but in today's throw-away society it's a problem...a look around the economies of the world and people's financial positions will demonstrate that.

This makes me think about what people want and what people need, usually two completely different things, and recently while wandering around a large 4x4 show this was clearly demonstrated. There were so many things available from one end of the money scale to the other and I was left wondering how many people will ever ask themselves whether they need or want the items they buy prior to spending the money.

I came across this cool little campervan, based on the Toyota Hiace, for instance; sure, it's not going to fit a huge family, but for a single or couple who want to get on the road touring around it seems to be pretty legit.

It has a little kitchen with sink, fridge, solar panels, inverter and deep cycle batteries to power the fridge and appliances, a table/dining area that converts to two single beds or one double bed, an outdoor awning and portable outdoor kitchen and the vehicle itself is 4x4 so it is able to handle some of the less rugged off-road tracks Australia will present it with. There's other things but you get the idea; it has some stuff, the basics, that will permit a couple or single to get out and about.

The price...well, it's not so small at $112,000 Australian dollars (some $73,500 USD) but considering that it's the transport and accommodation in one that's not too bad. When you consider it against something like the EarthCruiser some of which run up into one million dollars (AUD) mark it's certainly quite cheap. Yes, they are different things altogether, but I think the people who use them will have a nice time either way. It'd be great to own this Earthcruiser Explorer but if one doesn't need all the features, I mean truly need them then why have it?

That's my point really, I guess I see it as prudent for a person to determine what they need and work around that rather than what they want and then run the risk of over-buying which, of course, will be a costly error.

For me, the little Hiace campervan is not quite enough for my needs and the Earthcruiser Explorer as linked above, while I fucken love it and want it, is far more than I need. For me I'm looking for just enough...no, actually that's a lie, I need to have a little more than I need because I like to be prepared for the unexpected, so I weigh and measure my purchases against needs rather than wants.

What about you? Do you buy enough, a little more or too much?