They’re actually pretty useful - also for herbs. I can live without mine, but I do like it.
I make salads for lunch every work date. Five big salads - that’s a lot of lettuce to dry with papertowels. I hate hate hate soggy drippy lettuce so I like my salad spinner.
Trash compactor. We bought two houses with them; I still don’t get them.
Ice makers. It takes less time to grab them out of the ice tray.
OTOH, I’ve been wireless for years, and we plan to go hot-spot cell phone for internet access soon.
I don’t have a TV, a toaster or a microwave. I heat my coffee water in a saucepan, the CD player in my car failed months ago and I haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet. I’d have to dig deeper into my closet than I’m willing before I could tell you if I have a tie.
Sports tickets. I occasionally take in a game because my wife is a rabid fan, but all pro sports could disappear overnight and I wouldn’t even notice.
Okay, I’ll admit these are above and beyond “normal” things, but I also have no need for manicures, pedicures, or any spa stuff.
I have never had any desire to own a hot tub, although it’s nice when we’re on vacation and the hotel has one. I would probably never use it and it would turn into an algae swamp.
I’d really like a range hood, but can’t get one in my apartment.
A toaster oven. I grew up without one, have never owned one, and don’t know what I would do with it if someone gave it to me.
Manicures. I do my hands/nails myself, keep everything short and neat. Most of my friends/female relatives have those artificial “French” manicures and even the same style pedicures, but I hate the way they look, and it’s an awful lot of money for nothing.
Oh, I thought of another one. Professional haircuts. I cut everyone’s hair in the household, including my own (with spouse/motherinlaw help at the back). Started doing this about 20 years ago as a money saving measure while a poor student, and never got out of the habit.
This was amusing a few years ago when a local tax agent started running advertisements for their services which went - “You don’t cut your own hair - so why do your own tax?”
(no, I don’t use a tax agent either)
Ice - that’s a good one. I don’t care for ice; I have no ice cube trays in the freezer and no ice-maker on the fridge. Guests in my house get beverages from the fridge at fridge temperature or nothing.
I’ve had a manicure and a pedicure, and it was nice and all, but I may have another one once or twice in my life, and that will be plenty. They just don’t do much for me.
Smart phone. Agree with the ice. An oven. (My apartment just didn’t come with one, and I pretty much don’t cook/bake.)
Shaving cream. I shave my legs in the shower, and as long as I use soap beforehand and the water’s nice and hot, I can’t tell the difference in the shave.
A kitchen. I’d need a refrigerator but everything else is pretty much unnecessary. If I don’t eat out or get take out/order in, the most I’m willing to do food prep-wise is open a container of yogurt.
Photographs. It’s odd because I really like the work of professional photographers (Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe etc.) but photographs of vacations, family gatherings, birthdays, pets etc? Don’t take them, don’t have them and don’t want them. Too much clutter.
Music.
Yeah, it’s fun to listen to, sometimes, but if all music were to disappear, I wouldn’t really mind.
…God, my dad is spinning in his grave right now, even though he’s not even dead.
OK, I generally enjoy your posts and all, but if I ever come to visit you, I’m bringing a bag of ice! My 10YO almost never uses ice (she might put one in a cup of water, but that’s it). But between me and my sister, we have to empty and re-fill five trays of ice, twice a day. On weekends, when hubby’s home, I usually end up buying ice to supplement, because those ten trays a day aren’t enough! :eek:
I do really enjoy a pedicure, and last time I was pregnant, I treated myself to one every month following my OB/GYN appointment. But mostly, I do my own nails (fingers and toes). However, if we ever get around to actually going on a cruise (we keep talking about it), I’ll probably get at least a professional pedicure, so I can walk all around the ship barefoot or in Birks without being embarrassed by the condition of my feet/toenails!
To the list, I’ll second toaster oven! We had one for years, but I can’t really think of anything you can do with it that can’t be handled by a toaster (which we have right on the counter; a toaster oven makes crappy toast!) and our regular oven or microwave. I mean, yeah, a toaster oven is good for cooking a small quantity of something that’s much better off oven-cooked than nuked. But seriously, how often does that situation come up? Not much.
I’m another one who really doesn’t use ice. I dutifully kept some ice trays around after my divorce, filling them up on occasion when the ice would sublimate away, but never actually using the ice. Eventually, the trays got tossed.
I don’t use my toasters. Then again, I don’t really keep toastable bread around, either. My everyday bread is the far more versatile tortilla, and when I need fluffy bread for sandwiches, I’ll get or make Italian or French bread loaves.
Like valleyofthedolls, I don’t really photograph friends/girlfriends/pets/vacations/myself, nor do I have photographs around. I have pictures on Facebook only because of friends tagging me within their own albums.
I haven’t had a lamp in my living room for the last few years, and find I don’t miss having one. There’s usually enough ambient light to do whatever I need, and light-intensive activities like reading tend to be done in other rooms.
A lot of birthday and Christmas presents. For many years I went without; there were some years when I would get a present or two from a friend, some years the office Christmas gift swap presents were all I got, and there were a couple of years there when I got no Christmas presents at all. My friends would send cards for my birthday but I had no one close enough to me to give me presents. When I met my boyfriend who later became my husband, it seemed significant to me that he cared enough about me to put thought into things I might like and to make my life easier. Having a lot of things to open made me feel good and secure.
But I don’t need a lot of things anymore. A couple of CDs is good, and a cookbook because he knows I like them. We give each other things like going to a concert together or remodeling the bathroom. It’s nice to have something to open, but I never wanted diamond earrings.
I’ll admit I like and/or have lots of things that are mentioned in this thread, but not all (I always thought a salad spinner was something of a joke, for instance). But plenty of people on this board have raved about their rice cooker, and I just can’t see the point. My rice cooks just fine in a pot I’m also able to use for countless other things; why would I need a dedicated device for something so mundane as rice? Ridiculous.
I am the same way. I get why someoene would want said services, for some they’re relaxing and it’s easier to get someone else to do them.
But I get bored during manicures when I’ve had them, and I’m so ticklish pedicures are the furthest thing from relaxing. Plus it takes less time for me to do them from home, I don’t have to go anywhere. I find it more relaxing to stay home for this stuff.
Also, the microwave. Ours broke about 2 months ago, and since we’re moving we didn’t bother replacing it. I haven’t missed it at all.
Because my rice cooker also has hot fresh steel cut oatmeal waiting for me when I wake up in the morning. 