There are wants, and then there are needs. We’d all like to give expensive gifts to our friends and family, but across-the-board belt-tightening will force most of us to cut back on our holiday largesse. So why not give your loved ones what they truly need?

Back in 1943, an American psychologist by the name of Abraham Maslow conceptualized a multilayered “hierarchy of human needs,” starting with the basic physical necessities and proceeding to the more esoteric areas of personal fulfillment. So while you might not be able to afford the pricier items on your wish lists, we offer instead an examination of Maslow’s model of needs, and how to meet them on the cheap. Grab your bus pass and let’s go shopping!

Physical

This category covers the elemental necessities. Minus these, you’d be pushing up the daisies. How better to say “you don’t totally repulse me” than by addressing the basic needs of folks on your list?

Air: Take a deep breath—the dust in your office contains mold, viruses, bug parts and co-workers’ dead skin, and the average American unwittingly ingests almost three tablespoons a day. Buy your loved ones some respite with a vehicle sticker for a year’s admission to Wisconsin’s pristine parks, forests and wildlife areas, available from the DNR office (corner of North Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive) for just $25. These are vehicle specific, so jot down the make and license number before you head over.

Food: If you forget to eat and sleep and pray, you could blame it on your youth like trumpeter Chet Baker. Then again, he got his teeth punched in, so look where that can get you. Avoiding punches and getting proper nutrition is the first step in keeping your chompers a cohesive unit. Give an ownership stake in Outpost Natural Foods for just $25, and let the lucky recipient reap the benefits at this progressive co-op.

Water: Refreshing stuff, this, but in social situations even J.C. Himself would flick his wrist and transform the flavorless liquid into a nice jug of pinot. Stop into Dee’s Wine Stop (2327 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), where owner Deanne Wecker offers a huge selection of bottles priced at $10.99. Wecker’s wine rack is indeed impressive, and the veteran sommelier will be happy to help you select the perfect vintage.

Sleep: Do the offerings at the multiplex strike you as boring, unoriginal and a ticket to snoresville? Get the film buff on your list a $30 gift pass to the Times Cinema (5906 W. Vliet St.), where they offer a variety of documentaries and other offerings not readily found elsewhere. The pass, also valid at the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse (6823 W. North Ave.), gets the recipient five admissions and three tubs of popcorn, to boot.

Sex: Well, there’s no sex here, so you can probably relate. Every kiss might begin with Kay, but you’re not going to receive anything else unless you sweeten the pot. Try for an unprecedented second date by getting her tickets to the Skylight’s performance of I Do! I Do! playing at the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway) from Jan. 30 through Feb. 15, 2009. Gallery seats in this ornate, intimate space start at just $22.

Waste: There’s really no other word for the product on the field at Lambeau these days. For the many disgruntled fans on your list, click on www.zazzle.com and order one of the immensely popular “Fire Ted” T-shirts ($18), available in several attractive designs, to let Mr. Thompson know exactly where he stands in the historic Packer pantheon.

Security

Now that we’ve addressed the basics, we can turn to the arena of security to protect those on your list from physical and emotional harm. Leave the nunchucks on the shelf and consider these other security options.

Of Body: Offering a full range of classes, from beginner’s levels to more advanced techniques, YamaYoga (231 E. Buffalo St.) can set your loved ones on a path to a more toned, balanced self. Serenity is now available for as little as $55 for a private, one-onone therapeutic yoga session. This is a workout that will leave people exhausted, limber and feeling very good about themselves afterward.

Of Employment: Your lady friend might have an impressive rsum, but she’s not going to get hired if she’s wearing sackcloth and sweatpants to interviews.

Luci, the swank, bargain boutique for women, has two locations (532 N. Water St. and 4405 N. Oakland Ave.) full of trendy, tasteful gal garb. Guys, be very, very careful here—unless you know her exact size, a gift certificate is the way to go.

Of Morality: For a feel-good gift, duck into Four Corners of the World Fair Trade Store (5401 W. Vliet St.). The not-for-profit boutique offers handmade toys, instruments, pottery, artwork and kids’ winter hats and mittens, with little or no markup, made by indigenous peoples from around the globe. And the money is returned directly to the artists.

Of Family: Nothing beats quality time with the family unit. Get your clan a membership at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum (929 E. Wisconsin Ave.), which has interactive and educational activities for even the smallest kids. The initial $65 price, divided over multiple visits in a year’s time, works out in your financial favor, and the continual rotation of exhibits offers something new with each trip.

Of Health: Last year, my sensei gave me a copy of Lisa Delaney’s Secrets of a Former Fat Girl: How to Drop Two, Four (or More!) Dress Sizes—and Find Yourself Along the Way. Nobody likes a gift with a message, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do. For the chain-smoker on your list, stop into any area drugstore and pick up a box of Nicorette stop-smoking gum. The larger quantity goes for about $50, but it’s significantly cheaper than chemotherapy.

Of Property: My mom is always mixing up the tags on gifts, which has led to a new rule at our house: If you open it, you get to keep it. So it was that my sister-in-law, who cures bacon in her garage, got the weekend in Cabo meant for me, and I got a First Alert Smoke Alarm ($22 at area Ace Hardware stores). Not the most glamorous item, perhaps, but one can’t have enough of these potentially life-saving devices in one’s domicile.