Washer/dryer, fridge/freezer and car, seeing as I live in a very car-based area. Out of curiosity, I looked up the nearest laundromat and it’s not too far for me - about a 20 min. walk - but the majority of the city doesn’t have one around. Laundromats were always something I saw in the movies, used by New Yorkers who have shoebox apartments.
Hmmm, on the list of stuff a lot of people would never think about, a block heater for the car. Theoretically, with today’s vehicles, you don’t need one but I still consider it a necessity.
Only things on that list I have are wifi and power windows on the car. I’d miss the wifi pretty fast, don’t care about the car windows.
Laptop, phone, car, fridge, cooker- that’s the extent of devices I’d automatically replace. I don’t have a washing machine, dishwasher, tv, smartphone or backscratcher.
and only the last I consider a necessity. I consider a bed of at least Queen size a necessity, I could live with wired internet access and, while I would miss cable TV, I guess I could live without it. As was mentioned upthread a house not designed with central air doesn’t really need it. Open the windows and turn on the fan in the hottest weather. I do reluctantly have a cell phone, which I hardly use, and it does only phone, no texting, no camera, no i-net access.
Other things I didn’t grow up having that I now consider a necessity include TV (barely), home computer (definitely), stereo system, automatic washer and dryer. oil heat.
To amplify the last two, we had a wringer washer and every spring, a day came that we took the clotheslines down from the basement and strung them in our back yard and every fall a day came that we reversed that. I grew up shoveling coal into the furnace and schlepping ashes down to the curb. Ugh! Although it beats freezing. Let me add car. We didn’t have one when I was growing up. On the other hand, there were so few cars in our neighborhood that we kids could play street games all afternoon and all summer not having to make way for cars more often than every 10-15 minutes. It was great!
I have a small panic attack if the internet goes out.
If cable goes out I have plenty of books to read after I’ve survived the cold turkey of missing MY shows.
I too have a dumb phone, it also serves as a time piece.
The dishwasher recently died, Hubby is not liking that but I’m okay.
We take the clothes to a laundry mat, only do laundry abut every other week, figure it’s cheaper than paying for the washer and dryer and water and electricity. And having had a washer and dryer in the house before I know that I do fewer loads.
Need my vehicle.
Microwave is convenient as I do not cook. (That’s Hubby’s job.)
I appreciate AC sometimes but can live without it. The fan works just fine.
Like my coffee maker but have a stove top pot that works just as well. (And has been tested over a campfire, just keep the handle out of the fire.)
Only recently bought ‘proper luggage’ still prefer a backpack or duffle.
Did four months camping cross country. I like my queen size bed but sleeping on the ground is doable.
And I miss hand crank windows and the little vent window. Everything is electronic and chipped these days. When it breaks it’s easy enough to have fixed or replace but it cost so damn much. Technicians don’t work for cheap.
Used to anybody could find the manual for a car and fix things themselves.
Central air conditioning–don’t have
King size bed–don’t have
iPad or other similar tablet–don’t have (but the kid has an iPad)
WiFi–my wife and kid use it, I’m hard wired
Smartphone–don’t have (I have no cell phone of any kind)
My Keurig coffee maker–My wife bought one, but it’s not a necessity
Water and ice through the door–don’t have
Power windows, locks and keyless ignition–don’t have
Bluetooth in the car–don’t have
Satellite radio–don’t have
Cable TV–on the one, small, CRT television in the house
Luggage with wheels
We also don’t have such “necessities” as a dish washer, food processor, Netflix, TiVo. . .
Buying our daughter an iPad for her 13th birthday was a major decision. We had one old tower and my wife’s four year old laptop. Our daughter was quite satisfied playing games on the Nintendo DS and using which ever other computer was free once in a while. We decided she needed more of a computer and decided she’d get many years use from an iPad. It’s the newest, highest-tech thing in the house.
I only have two of the things on your list. Interesting isn’t it, how we’re all the same but we all arrange our lives that little bit differently
If it disappeared / broke unfixably, I’d replace without delay:
car
washing machine
fridge
freezer
fireplace
oven
hot water bottle
The rest of my stuff I’d either replace eventually (after shopping around, budgeting, whatever), or just do without, but even though I technically could wash my clothes in the bath tub, I’m not going to, dammit! And yeah, I love baking, so forget stovetop cooking, I’m replacing that oven straight away.
I’ve had to downsize. I got rid of my cable, the bill was too overwhelming. I bought a converter for my analogue set and a pair of rabbit ears. That’s fine with me with the proliferation of digital subchannels. I can pick up MeTV and Antenna TV over the air and another station expects to add Cozi TV soon. I watch all kinds of old programs I loved as a kid and programs I just plain missed out on.
My list is long. What’s funny is some people don’t consider me materialistic. It makes me wonder if they’ve MET me.
Car, with air conditioning, automatic transmission (for the first time in my life), and power windows and doors. Oh, and cupholders. I want beautiful, big cupholders!
Central air.
My Kindle.
Internet.
Amazon. Bring me my goodies! Bring them to my door!
W/D in the apartment. Tried to consider doing without. Nearly fainted.
A spot to park. I suck at parallel parking the way the internet sucks at being filled with smart, reasonable people.
The only item in your list of necessities that I own is “luggage with wheels”.
I guess I’m living in the third world or something…
Seriously, my list of things that I can remember being luxuries, or not existing or not present at home and that I really wouldn’t want to do without now are :
-Phone
-Personnal computer
-Computer games
-Cell phone
-DVD player
-Internet
-Debit card
I think that’s about it. Although luggages with wheels are pretty convenient too, indeed.
I live in the Bay Area, where few people in older houses have central air. We would appreciate it maybe half a dozen days a year. Most days we open the back windows at night to cool down the house, then shut it when it gets warm. We don’t move fans - we have tons of thrift shop and ceiling fans.
Central air conditioning -> No. In Arizona yes.
King size bed -> No. We’d never get our dog off the bed with this. Anyhow I like sleeping within 50 meters of my wife.
iPad or other similar tablet -> Don’t have, don’t want.
WiFi -> Yes
Smartphone -> Yes
My Keurig coffee maker -> No. We drink too much coffee. We have a nice coffee maker/grinder combination, so we can use beans.
Water and ice through the door -> Nope.
Power windows, locks and keyless ignition -> My Prius came with keyless ignition, the other cars don’t have it. No trouble turning a key. Power doors and windows are standard now, hardly a luxury.
Bluetooth in the car -> Yick.
Satellite radio -> Had it once. Useless. CDs and regular radio are fine for the car, and I got my wife an internet radio.
Cable TV -> Satellite - but no on demand features or pay channels.
Luggage with wheels -> Nice, but try finding any without.
Others
Laptop.
Google Chromecast as soon as they’re in stock again.
Netflix.
DVD player.
All cheap, you notice. The one luxury I don’t have now is time.
I’m not proud of being a cheap lazy minimalist, I just AM one.
Out of the OP’s list I have Wifi, and a smartphone. But I just recently ended a 5-month long span on having no in-home internet, and got my first smartphone less than a year ago. I could easily do without either, though I like both.
I don’t necessarily need A/C in a house, because I can turn a fan on high. Whereas if I roll down the windows not only is the car sometimes less efficient, but I get sunburnt, not to mention still being hot when the car’s not moving fast enough.
If I ever live the sort of life that involves people coming over to my house regularly I would not be able to make to with less than 2 bathrooms.
