Which of these would you consider a luxury?

[randomfemthinker]

Curious question for discussion.

Which of these would you consider a luxury? Why or why not?

1. Having a gym membership
2. Owning your own home
3. Going on an overseas holiday
4. Having a pet with out goings such as a dog or a cat
5. Eating out at a sit down restaurant with full course and alcohol
6. Paying for internet access at home
7. Having children
8. Having a wedding
9. A night out drinking with friends
10. Being married
11. Ordering a takeaway
12. Owning a car
13. Having a cleaner
14. Having Netflix or some other extra extra TV channels beyond the basic
15. Buying tickets to go to a concert

Thoughts?

They are all luxuries, but 2, 3, 5, 6 and 13 are my essentials!

Because it's not an absolute necessity to live.

Internet access is available at libraries (appreciate a lot of those are closing/reducing their opening hours) and if you're in an employed position, you'd have access at work. Not having it would reduce work options in respect of working from home, but other work options would still be available.

All except being married, I guess.

For me now, none of those are luxuries. For me when I was 20 years old most of them would have been. When I was 30 some of them would have been. When........

@C152 I'm completely remote and the only office is in another country. For me, and many others, Internet is a necessity. The local libraries each have a weekday where they are closed, one has a very limited number of tables, and obviously they aren't ideal for taking a teams call. Working from a cafe would cost more than Internet access.

@C152 also for those of us that live commuting distance from the office and want to go in, it's a hot desk situation. The company doesn't have enough space for all of us. I'm sure other companies promote remote working too.

All are except 6,7 and 10.

Having a cleaner is the only one I view as a luxury. Unless you're elderly or disabled, then I'd view that as a necessity

Same here.

Totally get both your points @Hubblebubble. But my view is still that internet access is still a luxury. Yes, not having it may very well limit work options - being poor usually does.

• Having a gym membership. Yes
• Owning your own home. No
• Going on an overseas holiday. Yes
• Having a pet with out goings such as a dog or a cat. Yes
• Eating out at a sit down restaurant with full course and alcohol. Yes
• Paying for internet access at home. No
• Having children. No, up to 2
• Having a wedding. Depends, basic registry office/church no, fancy hotel and big reception yes
• A night out drinking with friends. Yes
• Being married. No
• Ordering a takeaway. Yes
• Owning a car. No - no public transport here
• Having a cleaner. Yes
• Having Netflix or some other extra extra TV channels beyond the basic. Yes
• Buying tickets to go to a concert Yes

@C152 I'm really sorry if this comes across as argumentative! But if the Internet means a person can access better paid remote work, isn't that a route out of poverty?

It doesn't at all. (I hope my answers don't come across that way either!)

Yes, accessing better work opportunities is one way out of poverty for some. But what do you do when you need to choose between the loaf of bread that's to last you and your two kids the entire week (which is what regularly happended in my house as a child) and paying for internet? That's why I say it's a luxury. When you can't cover the basics, it's really hard to actually improve your situation because, as you point out, it limits your choices.

Access alone also isn't enough in some situations - it needs to go with education and the knowledge of how to use these things to your best advantage.

So, while I still believe it is a luxury, I also think society (in respect of who we vote for and MPs we lobby for change) needs to consider how to give those at the bottom a leg up, which may indeed include internet access. (I know in the UK some providers offer a discounted 'basic' package, but when I think back to my own children, that would still be completely out of reach.)

Honestly? Only these:

• Having a gym membership
• Going on an overseas holiday
• Eating out at a sit down restaurant with full course and alcohol
• Ordering a takeaway
• Having a cleaner
• Buying tickets to go to a concert

Well they're all technically luxuries but only a few of them would feel like luxuries to me....the foreign holiday, nice meal out and cleaner. Everything else I just take for granted.

All except 2, 6 and 10.

2 - might be a luxury if it was a luxury property, but owning a house that meets your basic needs isn't a luxury.

6 - very hard to exist without internet in the modern world

10 - a big wedding is a luxury but simply getting married - register office and witnesses - is not.

I wouldn't class any of those as a luxury.