# What luxuries in your life have become necessities? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663 "2013-09-12T14:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/41 "2013-09-15T00:55:03Z")
**Hot water.** We had to replace the hot water heater recently. 3 days without hot water told us just how much we treat it as necessity vs luxury. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/42 "2013-09-15T01:51:22Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I dunno that I’d call internet access a luxury anymore - it’s more like having a utiliy now, I’d think, like having a phone or electricity once was. Started out as a luxury but has hit the saturation point where people are surprised if you don’t have it. I mean, c’mon - it’s free in McDonalds, Starbucks and a host of businesses. I drove thru Iowa once and the _rest stops_ had free wi-fi. Luxury in the sense that its used to do what? - to kill boredom for most people say about 90% of the total time people use it on facebook, YouTube, gaming, internet boards, porn websites etc, n about 10% for the more necessary stuff like online transactions, news, communication etc. It’s s luxury in that sense, agree? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/43 "2013-09-15T02:03:08Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Air conditioning. I can make it through the day without (albeit with a frown on my face). But I cannot go to sleep if I’m hot. I must be cold. I’ll second the A/C part, except I don’t like sweating while sitting still in the shade, so I have to have A/C. ---
**Author:** ![EvilMinion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@EvilMinion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilMinion)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/44 "2013-09-15T03:38:56Z")
Most of the things already mentioned, especially air conditioning and the internet, but I would add a take-away/to-go coffee from a cafe. I have one almost every morning; I can’t stomach instant coffee, and I’ve tried making my own using a plunger and store-brought grounds but I can’t get it right. I might fork out for my own espresso machine. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/45 "2013-09-15T06:25:06Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I dunno that I’d call internet access a luxury anymore - it’s more like having a utility now, I’d think, like having a phone or electricity once was. Started out as a luxury but has hit the saturation point where people are surprised if you don’t have it. I mean, c’mon - it’s free in McDonalds, Starbucks and a host of businesses. I drove thru Iowa once and the _rest stops_ had free wi-fi. Just because most people ( in the west ) have it doesn’t mean it’s not a luxury. Considering porn is one of the biggest uses, I’d say it’s only a necessity for those that need it for their work, and for most that use it, it’s just filling in the space between birth and death- more interesting than whittling wood. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/46 "2013-09-15T06:48:47Z")
Laptop with internet access; smartphone that includes Kindle app; air conditioning (damn, but especially NOW); microwave. I suppose it depends on the baseline definition of “luxury”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/47 "2013-09-15T07:18:16Z")
I’m thinking “luxuries that have become necessities” doesn’t include things that were always necessities (in my lifetime). Things like indoor plumbing, refrigeration and electricity. Central Air Computer/internet Cable TV/Tivo Microwave Power lawn mower Snow blower Medications (luxuries when I was relatively healthy; now they’re keeping me alive) My kitties ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/48 "2013-09-15T17:56:18Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Luxury in the sense that its used to do what? - to kill boredom for most people say about 90% of the total time people use it on facebook, YouTube, gaming, internet boards, porn websites etc, n about 10% for the more necessary stuff like online transactions, news, communication etc. > > It’s s luxury in that sense, agree? Only if we see the telephone as a luxury rather than a standard utility, as it serves a lot of the same functions in a more versatile form. The telephone was/could be just as big a time-waster with phone sex lines, psychic hot-lines, shopping networks and the like. Wasn’t there even a version of chat-room back in the day, where people called in to a party-line of some sort? A primitive form of social media before computers were common. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/49 "2013-09-15T21:11:22Z")
Living alone w/o a roommate Psychotherapy Central heating/cooling I’d give those things up, but only if I really had to. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/50 "2013-09-16T00:59:43Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Only if we see the telephone as a luxury rather than a standard utility, as it serves a lot of the same functions in a more versatile form. The telephone was/could be just as big a time-waster with phone sex lines, psychic hot-lines, shopping networks and the like. Wasn’t there even a version of chat-room back in the day, where people called in to a party-line of some sort? A primitive form of social media before computers were common. Sure. The differentiation is what percentage of people use it for sex lines, chat rooms etc, for what percentage of their total phone usage in hours and for how many hours daily. In that sense the telephone is not a luxury for most people, it would be put in the bracket of electricity, cooking gas or sanitation but not in bracket of internet. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/51 "2013-09-29T05:34:01Z")
I forgot the remote control for…whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/52 "2013-09-29T06:02:41Z")
I’ve worked from home for the past couple of years, which would not be possible without high-speed Internet. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/53 "2013-09-29T18:24:56Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Warm water to shower/bathe with. I have done my best to give it up but I can’t, it just makes me feel sick and ruins a lot of the day going cold. I don’t consider hot water a luxury, it is a necessity. Why on earth are you trying to “give it up”? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/54 "2013-09-29T18:35:47Z")
Privacy. I’ve lived for extended periods without any of the things previously mentioned, still live without quite a few of them – but I can’t live without privacy, the kind which comes with trees and grass and birdsong. However, indoor flush toilets are really, really nice. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/55 "2013-09-30T13:20:16Z")
My secondary and tertiary computers. For years, i thought a desktop was all i needed, then i got a laptop, then a smartphone, now an ipad. Having the Internet available within seconds at any location is now a part of my life. I use all four almost daily, and my desktop least of all. Insulated cups: i used to just use a mug or glass cups, but now i own about 4 i use daily, with two emergency spares. Im always on the lookout for more microwave safe cups. Thermometers: feeling hot or cold is mostly psychological. If you know the exact temp, your body compensates. Cologne: used it for 25 years now, feel naked without it. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/56 "2013-09-30T13:29:27Z")
Air conditioning. I can handle anything and everything else, so long as I have something to keep to damn heat off me 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/57 "2013-09-30T14:56:59Z")
absolutely. the reverse cycle kind. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/58 "2013-09-30T17:13:32Z")
GPS. I get horribly lost without it, but it wasn’t strictly a necessity before I had one. I would just hand-write directions before, and be incapable of rerouting. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/59 "2013-10-01T21:26:40Z")
> [@Reepicheep](#): > > **Hot water.** We had to replace the hot water heater recently. 3 days without hot water told us just how much we treat it as necessity vs luxury. THREE DAYS??? :eek: One of my luxury-now-necessities is being on first name basis with repairmen. Living in an old house that was poorly remodeled when I bought it, Ive had to have everything done over. Luxury is having things done pronto! Oh, and routine mani/pedis cos I end up doing a lot of repairs myself and it ruins mah nails! ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663/60 "2013-10-01T21:55:55Z")
Of all the little luxuries I’d prefer to never do without (electricity, hot water, toilet, automobile, etc.) I’d have to go with having a warm place to sleep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-luxuries-in-your-life-have-become-necessities/668663.md?page=4)