Delayed Gratification ??

I'm curious what my blog readers think on this issue and how they practice their want's? Or do you not?
A few things I have been mulling over are:
1) Is it possible to delay some of the things we would like to have now in exchange for doing something now we need to do now? And Can I choose to be happy with out those things?
2) Is it the concept of "high cost of living" or "the high cost of the way we choose to live".
3) Allowance for children, do you give it? Perhaps, we should ask our children if they would like their allowance now or to wait a week? (If they wait the week why not give them more money for waiting?)
4) Do you have a wish list and how do you prioritize?
5) Maybe, we need to shift our thinking...it's not about what we can't afford it's about what we choose to afford.
6) How do you gage the cost of your hobbies?
Of course people are more important than our wants. But, I think it goes with out saying that those wants can be all consuming sometimes and what do we do about that? Especially when you are having a rough day and that "thing" sure seems like it would wash the "roughness" away. Or if this room just had a..? Because, all of the choices we make today affect our families lives and future. What is a Mama to do??