Luxury V Essential, ive pasted this from another thread, but would quite like to know what everyone else thinks but PLEASE, be nice

[MadCreamLady]

Ah, i can see this has moved on to necessity v luxury. That is really interesting.

Anna has said about computors and internet not being a luxury and actually, i tend to agree - we use ours for our business, such as it is, but we still need it. Then of course there is mumsnet , an evil necessity.

Car? I guess it depends where you live, if you can get to work on public transport, but yes, in some circs a luxury.

Dishwasher?? Are you MAD? absolute essential.

Sky or broadband? For me, a total luxury, ive never had either, dont want either really so my attitude towards that comes out of my not really wanting it. Some might, but i still think its a luxury.

Washing machine - nuff said

Tumble dryer - luxury, ours broke, we manage, although DP is nagging that we need one, im determined not to cave in. They are cheap enough to buy but too dear to run.

Central heating/adequate heating - essential

decent shoes for the children - essential, i only buy startrite/clarks or equivalent, even though sometimes i have to borrow to do so.

New clothing - luxury, i buy from charity shops and quite enjoy the challenge (its like my little hobby).

Holidays, hmmmm, now this is one i hesitate on - i was going to say luxury, but im not so sure actually. We have had our problems, finances nearly caused us both to break down - we did a SUN holiday (thankyou again chippy) and i try believe it saved our relationship, things have been so much better between us since then - so, no, not a luxury actually - it of course depends on the holiday.

Activities for the children - somewhere in between luxury and essential i think. My DD does ballet and adores it, i was really loathe to start it but she enjoys it so much - I don't think i would do anything else though.

Computor games - luxury (or are they?)

TV?? Id rather do without this than my computor, but Silent Witness is finished and i feel bereft, i got two doses of eye candy for the price of one there. Fecking crap story lines though

Meals out - luxury (we do this too much)

Take away - luxury, although they are never really that nice so its weird referring to them as a luxury

Nice bubble bath - essential for my sanity

hair cuts - luxury

oh and the list goes on and on....

one car - essential 2 wasteful.I am up tommorow for work at 3am, try catching a bus at that time.
Trolley for shopping - essential
My whole life holidays have had to be essential - to keep my sanity, get away from my smothering mother & marry me off dad. See family all over the world, Aunt in Spain saving me from parents, have adventures to cope with grey winters of London. Not be a boring fart to my son, lovely wasteful youth on trains & interrail. Camping (this Summer in the rain not essential.) with friends.

Clothes- essential to cover up. New clothes luxury.
Make-up - luxury depending on time of day. I don't have time in the mornings or before going out only before going to bed.

hi

if you wanted to economise on body lotion, ime aqueous cream is the best moisturiser you can get and it costs about £2 for a big tub in superdrug.

oh duh meant to say it won't hurt your skin - it not coloured or scented.

aqueous cream smells like poster paint and reminds me of old relatives leg ulcers - makes my skin crawl. could not face the world smelling like that, and confidence + feeling good in my skin = essential

Computer and internet - essential

Car- essential/luxury

Dishwasher- luxury, would make DH do wahing up

Sky - luxury

Washing machine - fairly essential

Tumble dryer - luxury, never had one and won't get one

Microwave - luxury

Central heating/adequate heating - essential

Shoes/clothing - essential

Expensive clothing - luxury

Decent food - essetial (not meaning organic, etc, just real fruit and veg, etc and not junk/ready-made)

Holidays - luxury, but cheap ones essential

Activities for the children - somewhere in between luxury and essential

Computer/Nintendo games - luxury

TV - luxury, but pretty essential

Meals out - luxury

Take away - luxury

Hair cuts - essential, but can diy if necessary

Books- absolutely essential!

Funny how many say microwaves are a luxury. They are cheaper to run than ordinary ovens. If you bake a potato it will take approx 15 mins and costs approx 11p. In an electric oven it takes an hour and costs 60p. So I wouldn't throw them out just yet. Obviously a conventional oven tastes better. So I guess this is the luxury.

computer +broadband =essential
car = essential
Sky =luxury dont have it
washing mashine = could hardly live without
micro wawe = luxury
dish washer = luxury
Tumble dryer = luxury
central eating = essential
Decent shoes = essential but do not need to be startrite/clarke...
new clothuing = luxury
holiday = luxury
activity for childdren = essential
computer games = absolute waste of time
tv = almost essential but coulds manage withouty
meals out/take away/hair cut... = luxury

Internet = essential
car = luxury. We live in central London, we could manage without one
Sky = dh would say essential. I could manage happily without
washing mashine = essential (though there is a launderette at the end of the road we could use)
micro wawe = luxury
dish washer = luxury, depending on how bad things were. I do luurve it.
freezer - essential
Tumble dryer = luxury - have one but almost never use it
central eating = essential. Our house is freezing
Decent shoes = essential
new clothing = luxury
holiday = luxury, though some form of break is pretty essential even if just staying with family
activity for children = luxury, but would try hard to let them carry on doing it
computer games = luxury, don't have any
tv = hmm. Am tempted to say we could live without one if we had broadband
meals out/take away/hair cut... = luxury

your list in my household:_
computer +broadband =essential
I'm adding a third category of 'unnecessary' for stuff that we don't have and don't want/miss either.

car - Unnecessary
Sky =Unnecessary (but we do have a package of some TV channels that's included with landline & broadband)
washing mashine = Necessity
micro wawe = Necessity. I freexe half of most things I cook so need to defrost stuff quickly.
dish washer = Unnecessary. There's only me & DS and we don't make enough washing up to bother doing it more than every other day.
Tumble dryer = Well, washing machine includes one but I don't use it/
central heating = Necessity. House is a Victorian terrace and to heat it with plug in electric fires would be way too expensive.
Decent shoes = For DS, necessity, I wear stuff from Shoesave/charity shops (and old boots that I have had for years)
new clothing = For DS. necessity (it's quite hard to find 4 year old boy stuff in charity shops) and he outgrows his clothes. I rarely buy new things for myself and when I do they are 2nd hand (though my mother buys me clothes at birthday/xmas).
holiday = I never really bothered with 'holidays' as such before DS, weekends away camping with mates for parties/business trips that involve an extra night somewhere being about what I did and still do. But then I have never had money for holidays.
activity for children = DS doesn't do any paid-for actvities but he's only 4
computer games Unecessary
tv =Necessity Cbeebies has done wonders for DS education
meals out/take away/hair cut... = luxury. I do sometimes crave a nice dinner somewhere or even an additive-filled Chinese.

But then I spend my surplus cash (well, when I have any) on nights out/beer/books - or random treats for DS though he doesn't need or want much stuff yet.

6 of us at home and I still think dish washer is unnecessary.

computer +broadband =essential - used for work and often is my only adult contact when dh away
car = essential. We live in the sticks.
Sky =luxury, we manage fine with a freeview box
washing mashine = essential - no time for hand washing
micro wawe = luxury, but we have one. It is barely used these days
dish washer = luxury, we don't have one
Tumble dryer = luxury, we don't have one
central eating = luxury, we have it and use it (small modernish house so bills not as horrendous as some) but I grew up in a house without it and lived to tell the tale
Decent shoes = essential but do not need to be startrite/clarke...
new clothuing = luxury, we use ebay a lot
holiday = a week away as a family is a luxury, but we often visit family for a weekend which is essential
activity for childdren = doesn't have to cost anything so paid for activities a luxury
computer games = the very few we have in this house are untouched!!
tv = luxury
meals out/take away/hair cut... = luxury - mate cuts my hair, I cut dd's. We have the odd takeaway or meal out but it's the first thing to go in a tight month

Find this so fascinating. We live in an affluent area much affected by the current financial climate - it is interesting when out and about to see how people in my neck of the woods are behaving/shopping differently. Lots more people taking healthy walks in the woods with their kids and far fewer in Pizza Express on a Saturday!

computer & internet - luxury - you can always go to the library

Car - luxury for me, living in central London, but essential if you are not in a big urban are with transport so awful

Dishwasher?? - luxury, although it would be last thing I'd give up!

Sky or broadband? - absolute luxury. And a doubled edged sword - the more crap channels you have, the more tv your family watches, in my experience. We have it and I often wish we didn't.

Washing machine - essential, if you don't have a car to get to launderette. Would imagine a cheap one pays for itself anyway, if you are comparing it with launderette.

Tumble dryer - luxury

Central heating/adequate heating - essential

decent shoes for the children - essential

New clothing - luxury. Charity shops, ebay, clothes swaps all good enough.

Holidays - I think going away is a luxury, but having some time all together as a family a couple of times a year is essential, even if you stay at home.

Activities for the children - mine are lucky and do almost everything they want to do in school, but I suppose I consider it almost essential. There are a lot of other things I would give up before I cut back on the things they love.

Computer games - luxury

TV - luxury

Meals out - luxury

Take away - luxury, and as the OP said, so often disappointing. We have one very very rarely (but lucky to have tesco round the corner with Finest ready meals!)

Personal grooming stuff - tough one, as if you go out to work (and even if you don't, just for your own sanity) everyone needs to look clean and tidy. I suppose I'd say that basic stuff is essential (soap, shampoo, plain moisturiser) is essential and anything else is a luxury

Books and newspapers - I could say that you could go to a library and they are a luxury but I'd be lying - considered essential in my house and up there with the kid's activities in the 'last things to go' list.

Reading these, what strikes me is that many of us could live much simpler lives, and probably would be just as happy ...?

Im thinking back to a time when I got by with bare minimum and still survived and was very happy...when I was a student!
I had no...computer
car
sky
washing machine
dishwasher
tumble drier
holidays

And very few....new clothes
haircuts
meals out

We once went without heating/hotwater for 3 months during winter too !

My essentials at that time were...fags and lager!

Heating is the only essential imo and then only of you have children.

Internet = essential
car = luxury really but I would find it very hard without one. DHb doesn't drive though
Sky = essential for me as NZ TV is SHIT
dishwasher = luxury, we don't have one and I don't think I'll bother
washing mashine = essential
microwawe = essential for us
Tumble dryer = luxury BUT I recently got one and it has made my life much nicer
central eating = we don't have it. not unusual for NZ though
Decent shoes = essential
new clothing = luxury
holiday = luxury, def
activity for children = luxury
computer games = luxury
tv = essential
meals out = luxury
take away = luxury but we do have them
nice bubble bath = luxury and actually can't remember the last time I had a bath rather than a shower
hair cut = luxury (although I do shell out $19 (peanuts frankly) every few months now because it is just pathetic to cut your own hairly (badly) at 34

er that would be central HEATING, not eating

Am amazed at all of the things people consider essential.

Me too, twinset
TV,microwave, sky, internet- useful bot def not essential imo

Maybe I am old, can I just say thought that fabulous clothes are essential so you can all stop ignoring my plus size fashion top picks

Car - 1 car essential, 2 would be luxury (and don't need)

Dishwasher - luxury (my parents have never had one and I appreciate ours every day!)

sky or cable - luxury

broadband - luxury (but one of the more important luxuries!)

Washing machine - essential

microwave - luxury

fridge/freezer - essential

Tumble dryer - luxury - have never wanted or had one

Central heating - luxury - really appreciate it having lived in places with inadequate heating in the past.

decent shoes for the children - essential

New clothing - essential (although sometimes buy some secondhand stuff)

Holidays - luxury (luckily we can afford them)

Activities for the children - luxury (my children do loads but if we were really hard up they would just play more at home)

Computer games - luxury (and not one I am in favour of)

TV - luxury (people depend on them too much)

Meals out - luxury

Take away - luxury (but yummy!)

Nice bubble bath - luxury

hair cuts - essential - could not live with my husband if he had long hair and I would be hopeless at cutting it.

The latest kitchen/ bathroom - luxury..people waste too much many updating these too often

last line should have read..waste too much money (not many!)

computer +broadband =essential
car = essential
Sky = luxury
washing mashine = essential
microwave = luxury
dish washer = non-existent
Tumble dryer = non-existent
central eating = essential
Decent shoes = essential
new clothuing = luxury
holiday = luxury
activity for children = luxury but is one of the v last things to go
computer games = luxury
tv = luxury
meals out/take away/hair cut... = luxury

my Eth hath gone, i can't type with my eth??? wtf i that all about? And FWIW i think it come into the realm of eeential!!!!

Eth ith motht definitely eththenthial.

lol at MadCreamLady

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turn your keyboard upside down and tap it to dislodge the crumbs. works in our house