How Savvy are you?

I think many forget about as they start working and trying to make more money. It's interesting isn't it how we lived prior to college, in college and how we live now, post college. It almost seems like we have to make enough to sustain our lifestyles and the more we make the bigger our demands. At least that's what it seems like, you can tell me what you think. But here's an excerpt which really touched home for me, since it seems like my personality of separating your 'wants' from your 'needs' and the whole idea of simplifying my life.

Here's an excerpt from the U.S. News (link above on title):
"These days with the tight economy, you hear so much in the media about economizing. But that's almost always about "how to get more for less" ... how to clip a coupon or find a bargain. But I think we're missing what could be the golden epiphany of these hard times: We shouldn't be asking ourselves "How can we afford it?" We should instead be asking, "Do we really need it?" There's lots of social science that shows that once you're above poverty level, more money and more stuff doesn't contribute to happiness. I believe that most Americans would be happier, and the quality of their lives would increase, if they would only spend and consume less. If you believe as I do, I think there will be a lot of upsides to the current recession in the long run."

Now back to my ways of simplifying my life.