Came across this interesting visual on the web, as part of the article: The Fading Glory of the Television and Telephone.
Via but props go out to Musings of an Adbstract Aucklander for leading me to Living Well on Less.
Go to my blog and take the survey at the top!
I think a lot of people get necessity and luxury confused.
Necessity, if you want to be really technical about it, is: basic shelter, clothing, food & water and warmth.
Everything else, is a necessity, even if we don’t think it is.
That being said, here are my answers:
- Green & Bold = Necessity
- Red = Unnecessary
- Blue = On the Fence
Here we go!
- Home Computer = I suppose I could do without, but I rather enjoy having my own laptop
- Microwave = I could use the oven instead, but that’s just an inefficient use of energy
- High-Speed Internet = Goes with the computer. Alternative would be to go to the library
- Car = Only for now, because I can’t get to the client site otherwise, unless I pay a cab to & fro
- Cellphone = Could always move to Skype/Google Voice and stick to email instead
- Landline Phone = I have a cellphone instead
- Clothes Dryer = Definitely unnecessary for me. I wash everything & then let it dry on its own
- Air Conditioning = Uncomfortable, but unnecessary for me. I don’t live in Florida 😛
- Dishwasher = Not necessary, but BF would like one if possible, as he hates doing dishes
- Cable/Satellite TV = Again, too many channels and choices, not enough content I want to watch
- TV Set = Have a hotel TV now & I have to THINK to turn it on, and then I get frustrated trying to find a show
- Flatscreen TV = Same as above, I have it in the hotel, I just don’t use it
Well that wasn’t so bad.
I only consider my computer, high-speed internet and microwave as “necessities”, but even I am sure that I could do without them, by going to internet cafes or using the library.
I could even get rid of the car if I could find clients that had bus stops and subway stops near them!
I know I could always bike to work instead, but it’s quite a trek, and I am not comfortable with in-city biking, because I’ve seen the way cars treat bikes on the road.
If they had dedicated bike lanes, I’d bike for 50% of the year, and take public transport during wintertime (which can typically be 6 months, here).
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Interesting post, FB, and I agree with a lot of your responses. Missed your poll but still wanted to chime in here. Computer, internet, microwave, definitely necessities. I'd add in cell phone too though…especially since there is no landline.
Car is definitely a luxury if you live and work in a city. Mine sits in the (painfully expensive) garage 6 out of 7 days. I'm with you on the cable tv – don't have it nor need it…friends think we're nuts. TV…computers now def can serve as TV's especially if one has a converter box. Dishwasher…hmm, haven't had one of those in years. Dryer…good ole clothesline or hangers in the bathroom can do : )
In the UK one can live without a car, but access to a car is important for access to cheaper food bought in bulk and there are places where public transport doesn’t go; public transport late at night can be unpleasant if not actually dangerous. I only need a landline for my internet service, else I wouldn’t care. A phone of some sort I would say was necessary for safety. I could easily live without my cellphone and rarely use my dryer. I don’t own a dishwasher. I could live without my TV, especially because of BBC iPlayer. The internet has become my main means of communication with the world. If I had to do without my computer and broadband I could use the library. As I get older I would count some sort of AC as necessary in a hot climate because of heat related deaths in the elderly. I’m happy with a ‘swamp cooler’ in SLC, but of course here in England AC is the last thing we need!
That\’s a good point. All the good places are usually in cheap (read: faraway) areas.
In a post-9/11 world, I'd say a cell phone is a necessity. You need one with you for emergency situations, so that you can contact help, or so that you can be reached by loved ones. I have a friend who led people out of a subway tunnel by the light of his cell phone during a blackout a few years ago. It's just an indispensable tool. Especially with Smart Phones on the rise, that have GPS capabilities and can keep you from getting lost. It's like an electronic version of a Swiss Army Knife.
I personally require my computer and high-speed internet. I'm sure I COULD survive without them, but I really don't want to.
My version of "cooking" is really "defrosting", so I need the microwave.
I could live without air conditioning, except that I DO live in Florida. To save money, I didn't pump up the air conditioning when I came to visit my place for a weekend over the summer, but just left it regulating around 80 to prevent mold. I did just fine by using fans and wearing light clothing. So I'm pretty sure that if I didn't live in Florida where mold is an issue, I wouldn't need air conditioning.
The rest I can do without.
Oo good point. Forgot about 9/11.
I don't see any of those as a necessity, though life would definitely be different without wheels: our public transport system isn't the best in the world.
I agree with you. Public transport is sorely lacking in many cities. If we had better systems, perhaps more people would take transportation instead. I know I would.
Well, I recognize that none of those are absolute necessities. I could survive without any of them, but I'd have to make some big changes to my life.
The closest to a true necessity for me would be the AC since I am in Florida and in an area without an ocean breeze to cool things off. I know people who go without it, but I'm particularly heat sensitive despite years of trying to acclimate myself (i.e., since birth).
My other "necessities" included a home computer, a cell phone, and a car.
If I didn't have a car, I'd probably have to move to a different part of town and give up some activities because the bus lines, though at least existent, are designed with the college students in mind. My husband and I share the car and though he has a work vehicle for his main job, he'd be unable to continue his side job without a way to get around, so that makes it even more of a necessity for us as a couple. Sadly, it does not currently have AC, but that's just one reason I try to drive as little as possible.
A phone of some sort is pretty much a necessity these days. It's very hard to get a job, keep up with clients, or schedule doctor appointments without one. Yes, there's email, but many people still want to be able to contact you through phone and will not use email. I chose a cell phone because that's what I have and prefer, but it could be a land line. I see a land line as more of a luxury these days just because prepaid cell phones are now pretty cheap.
I'd definitely miss my home computer. I use it for school and work, for keeping up with friends, for entertainment, to learn all sorts of things, to find recipes… if I lived closer to a library I could use the computer there during open hours, but it wouldn't be the same.
High speed internet almost made it into the necessity category, but I've lived with dial-up and it's not the end of the world.
I could live without a microwave. I'd use a toaster oven instead, though, if I had one. If I didn't have either, then I'd cook more on the stove top.
I air dry almost everything already, so doing without a clothes dryer would just mean putting up large clothesline for the big items.
I could live without a dishwasher, too. Been there, done that.
T.v., cable, etc. — no problem, I do that now. Would be harder without high speed internet, but I can read and borrow DVDs from the library.
Thanks for the shoutout! I thought you might like that – it's right up your alley.
There was a great post on Bundle by a freelance journo about the downsides of relying on Skype, etc. http://www.bundle.com/everybodysmoney/dumb-phone-…
I'm all for it, but sometimes you just need a reliable phone.
Email is my first love, but there are times it's quicker to hash something out in a proper conversation. Gah.
Any time! I am thanking YOU for being so nice and linking to my blogs 😀