Generic advice like "cut small treats" skips the real skill. The real skill is telling needs and wants apart consistently — even for costs much bigger than a coffee. Without a clear test, "need" quietly turns into "anything I don't want to give up," which defeats the purpose.
Most costs aren't purely one or the other — they're a need at a base cost, with a want added on top. The real question isn't "need or want." It's "how much of this cost is which."
A car in a city with poor public transport can be a real need — you need it to get to work. The specific car is where "want" enters: a reliable, affordable model covers the need. Financing something well beyond that is the want on top.
Subscriptions, phone plans, and delivery apps live in the same gray zone — often a small need (staying reachable, eating) inflated by a much bigger want (the premium plan, the convenience fee). Naming that split honestly, instead of filing the whole cost under one label, is what makes this framework useful instead of just another guilt trip.
Transport shows this split well. In Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the metro and public transport can cover the real need of getting to work. Outside those areas, a car is often closer to a real need because of limited coverage. Either way, the model, the financing, and the extras on top of "getting there reliably" are the want worth looking at separately.