Are these Necessities?

Are these Necessities? (Full Version)

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[Poll]

Clothes Dryer

10% (40)

Air Conditioner

13% (51)

T.V.

6% (26)

Microwave

8% (30)

Dishwasher

4% (17)

iPod

1% (5)

High Speed Internet

7% (29)

Home Computer

15% (56)

Cell Phone

9% (36)

Car

22% (83)

Total Votes : 373

(last vote on : 8/9/2009 11:08:05 PM)
(Poll will run till: -- )

Message

crankius -> Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 11:37:25 AM)
Luxury or Necessity? If you think something is a necessity in the poll, click it. A recent poll by Pew Research Center shows that people are changing their minds about what is necessary in life. quote: No longer do substantial majorities of the public say a microwave oven, a television set or even home air conditioning is a necessity. Instead, nearly half or more now see each of these items as a luxury. Similarly, the proportion that considers a dishwasher or a clothes dryer to be essential has dropped sharply since 2006. Discuss luxuries vs. necessities. Have your views of luxuries and necessities changed over time?

PastorPatricia -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 11:51:37 AM)
I choose a clothes dryer because the winters in Northern Saskatchewan Canada are brutal, a computer because I use the internet a lot for research for sermons etc. and a car because we live 30 minutes from the nearest city and there is no public transportation. The rest we could live without.

Auben -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 12:02:25 PM)
I think in some parts of the United States a car is probably a necessity, but the rest are just nice to have...especially the dish washer.

Miss Giggles -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 12:08:34 PM)
Clothes Dryer - yes in the winter or in an apartment - many provide the stackable ones now or full size washers and dryers. Homeowners Associations' don't let you hang your clothes out to dry. Air Conditioner - I could do without but others can't T.V. - TV yes, cable is optional Microwave - I tried, I use it occasionally. Dishwasher - depends on the size of the family iPod -no but they aren't that expensive. Budget for it. High Speed Internet - In my area its 19.95 for basic DSL. They were charging 21.95 for AOL to get them to move onto DSL. Some people need it to work from home. If you have AT&T you are no longer required to have a landline. Home Computer - yes (but I work in IT) - could do without it temporarily but sometimes need it for work. I store programs on it like Quicken so "going to the library" to use a pc isn't an option. Car - no public transportation in the suburbs, its Michigan, go figure. Lobbyists. Luxury car, no. Cell phone - this will prob get a lot of debate. I have a cell phone, I do not have a landline. You need a phone so it depends on your home/work situation. and yes no one stops to help if your car breaks down (esp in the middle of winter) All the pay phones have been removed.

coolfamily6 -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 12:31:21 PM)
Clothes dryer: Yes because our HOA does not allow us to hang our laundry. In this generation who has time to hang laundry? A/C: I live in FL it is 84 degrees today. We keep our A/C on 80 during the day and use fans then drop it to 78 at night. During the heat of the summer we drop it to 77 during the hottest point of the day 2-3 hours at the most. TV: not a necessity but nice to have. Microwave: could live w/o if I had to. Dishwasher: could live w/o if I had to. I do like handwashing dishes. iPod: definately not a necessity. High Speed Internet: Great to have but would be the first thing to go if we lose our business. Home Computer: Necessity because several of my children's classes only have books online. No hard copy. Car: Live in area with very poor public transportation so for us yes. Cell Phone: not a necessity but REALLY nice to have. DH swears this is necessary.

kernsfamily -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 12:38:12 PM)
Clothes Dryer - yes... Air Conditioner - here in Texas, when it's 110+ Degrees in the summer, you better believe it's a 'necessity'....now, we didn't have AC in the house i grew up in...because i grew up in detroit... T.V. - TV yes, cable/satellite is VERY optional.... (VERY optional....i don't have it...)....unless, that is, you live in a VERY rural area, and the antenna doesn't pick up much of anything. Microwave - you COULD get by without it...but, they are SO affordable today, why go without? Dishwasher - for a family of 5? absolute necessity. better things to do with our time. iPod - absolute "luxury" item, regardless of price. the only reason I have one is because I won it at a trade show a few years back. High Speed Internet - absolute "luxury" (unless you do alot of work from home)....WE have dial-up.... Home Computer - it's getting to be a 'necessity'....the kids need it to type up papers for school, I do "consulting/freelance" work on weekends and such.... Car - absolute necessity...unless you live in a place like New York City.... Cell phone - kind of mixed on this one. We have "pay as you go" cell phones. So, the school can call my wife on hers while she's out grocery shopping and doing errands. i have one because I drive 70 miles/roundtrip each day, and travel on business from time to time...BUT, in a typical month, I usually use 100 minutes.....I don't "live on it" like many other people do.

Auben -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 12:44:41 PM)
quote: Clothes dryer: Yes because our HOA does not allow us to hang our laundry. In this generation who has time to hang laundry? I do.

stellaluna -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 1:05:38 PM)
Nope, not a single one.

Mrs.X -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 1:26:19 PM)
I chose A/C and car. In the place we live, it doesn't have fuel efficient windows or doors, so it gets miserably hot (and cold) inside. The afternoon sun goes right into our living room window, and the kids' bedrooms. I don't live in a town with public transportation, so I picked car too. If I lived in the city, I wouldn't have picked that though. So, I'd say those two things are necessary for not being absolutely miserable where I live. Everything else on the list just makes life a little easier. I've got everything on the list though. Well, I don't have the iPod, but I've got a Philips MP3 player my mom got me for Christmas. Prior to that I listened to my CDs and the radio. And, my dad put me on his family share plan for Mother's Day. If he wouldn't have, I'd be using Skype still. And, the dishwasher came with our place. If it didn't, not sure if I'd go buy one.

APZR -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 1:37:16 PM)
In my biz, all are necessary except the iPod. What may not be necessary is the most expensive model, but I can't make my living without the tools I use in my real estate practice.

Sideways -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 1:40:00 PM)
I also need a car because of where we live. I also live in the South, and our house would become dangerous hot for my children without AC. I'm going to put a cell phone down, too, for emergencies only (so a prepaid cheap one would be fine). And honestly, we use our computer all the time for so many things, I can't even list.

Ariella... -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 8:21:45 PM)
Clothes Dryer - Don't have one right now and don't need it. Would be nice but not a necessity for us. Air Conditioner - We just use a fan. T.V. - I have to say no. If you have a computer it's a lot easier to not have a t.v. than you think. Microwave - Not required but nice to heat up food. Dishwasher - If I had a huge family then it would be good. But I don't so it's not needed. iPod- No. I listen music mainly in the car or at home. Good for working out though but not needed. High Speed Internet - Most internet these days no matter what kind are fast enough. Home Computer- I would say yes for me. I use it to research for a possible business, communicating and for educating. I want to one day swap it for a lap top though so I can take the internet and other uses with me to the beach. [:D] Car - Technically we could live without one but I still think it's needed for groceries and to haul larger things. Cell phone - Yes cause we don't have a land line and good for emergencies.

WhiteRoseBlessings -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 8:25:46 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: stellaluna Nope, not a single one. This is my post, as well.

creationtalk -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 8:52:50 PM)
I put: Air conditioner cell phone car I live in south Mississippi. Yes, we can survive in the summer heat with out A/C...Katrina proved that. However, if you want to get much done when the days are 90+ degrees w/ 90+% humidity...and the nights are only slightly better because the temperature drops to the mid-80's... I lived for years in New Mexico with no A/C--but in NM there was a 30-40 degree shift in temperature between night and day and hot doesn't feel so bad when there is no humidity. Cell phone--it could be more correctly listed as "phone" However, if given the choice between land-line and cell (could only have one) I'd probably go with the cell. It is more versatile. And again, this one is "necessary" because of my lifestyle/job and personal situation. car (or in my case truck)--again, this is not really "necessary" unless you care about details like getting to work, church, store, etc. I could, in theory, ride the horses, but parking for horses is in very short supply these days...and to get to church at 6:00 pm on Saturday evening we'd have to start riding that way just after lunch...and we'd get home sometime around 4:00 am. And this of course presumes that I can find a road that I can legally take the horses on that has a bridge across the river and it's not that much further on that road than it is on the interstate.

Ps103 -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/24/2009 10:13:33 PM)
I could live without all of them, if I had to. Some of them I do not use as it is. But, I can see how, depending on where you live and what you do for a living, that in some cases some of them could be necessities. But for most people, they are luxuries. And people all over the world live perfectly happy lives without them. An interesting aside: In Haiti when there were only landlines, it took years to get a phone line installed. You had to pay the right bribes and kiss up to the right people. Cell phones put a stop to that[8D] They were a great equalizer.

OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 1:51:00 AM)
I don't even have an ipod. For some people, air conditioning is a necessity...there are old people who have died from heat because of no a/c. We live in a dessert climate with really bad air quality at times..I'm in central CA and we get the smog from LA and SanFrancisco[:@]...a lot of us literally get sick in midsummer without a/c, myself included (I mean we have one but if we forget to turn it on)...so yeah, HERE a/c is a necessity... Clothes dryer....no...I hang a lot of my clothes up on hangers to dry right after the dryer (but still iron them after that)..I am VERY picky with my clothes (want them to last)..so no, clothes dryer is not a necessity. Cell phone....not a necessity, but good for emergencies.....I've had 2, don't have one now, but plan to buy one soon... TV, NO... dishwasher, no, but it does spare the skin on the hands[;)] high speed internet, NO Car.....if you need it to get to your job, yes. In NYC, no... I actually didn't drive for 10 yrs. and I got around town ok.(rides, bike, rollerblades, bus-which only runs every 1/2 hr.)..but I'm glad I drive again now..still haven't driven out of town much, but I would like to. microwave, no...but I'm pretty used to it computer...yes and no....perhaps for school...but kids were educated for generations without them.

3cappuccinosmom -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 5:34:10 AM)
Frankly, they're all luxuries. Even in extreme climates, people have learned to survive without a/c (and forced air heat). And cars. [:)] I think chosen lifestyle might make some of them a necessity, at least in order to maintain the lifestyle. And most of them are convenient and make life a whole lot easier. But if they all just disappeared one day, the human race would survive. So...luxuries.

Consecrated2God -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 9:27:11 AM)
Technically, none of them are necessities, because all of them were invented pretty much within the last century and people lived without them for thousands of years. If we didn't have them, we'd find a way to survive. I've lived without all of them on that list except for the car. But I do need some of the things on that list. I might not need them in the same way that I need oxygen, but I still need them. They have become so useful to me that living without them isn't an option I am willing to consider. The items I checked were a car, a computer, and a cell phone.

Ps103 -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 12:12:14 PM)
I agree that they are all technically luxuries and none of them are really required to live, since human beings did nicely without them for centuries. What I meant was that some things are necessities for one's job. Now, if one requires certain things for a job, does that make it a necessity or mean the person should look for other work if they cannot afford to say, maintain and automoblile? Not sure. But if I was unable to afford a car on what the job paid me, I would definitley be looking for a new one. I do remember a cleaning crew we once hired. It was a family, and they wanted one week off to move, so we said okay. Three weeks later they were demanding more money because they had moved farther away and it took more time and gas to get there[sm=aside.gif] (They had moved a considerable distance away, but we didn't tell them to move. So we got a different cleaning crew....

relady -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 1:45:17 PM)
quote: In my biz, all are necessary except the iPod. What may not be necessary is the most expensive model, but I can't make my living without the tools I use in my real estate practice. Same here. I do happen to have an iPod, but it is certainly not a necessity. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to do real estate and make a living without a computer, high speed internet, cell phone, car at least. Many of those other things may not be true "necessities" but they make my life easier so I CAN go spend the necessary time on my business. So yes, for me they are necessities. quote: And people all over the world live perfectly happy lives without them. Well, they live without them. I'm not convinced of the happy part.

rhippie -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 1:55:48 PM)
Since I own the company and travel quite extensively visiting my clients I need to have: 1. A cell phone so that I can call my clients 2. High speed internet so that we can exchange large files easily 3. A car so that I can visit my clients when necessary

his_chosen -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 3:00:38 PM)
Clothes dryer--I still hang laundry in the summer, and my workout clothes year 'round. But, there are times when it is a must. AC--this is the first house where we've had central air. We would used it when we hosted bible study, no other time. I don't think we used it at all the past two summers. YES, it gets hot here. Do chores in the early morning. Rest/head to the lake in the afternoon. With fans it really isn't that bad. TV--when we've had power outages, we survive without it. However, it's a nice to have. We just got cable within the last year. Meh... microwave--nice to have. We have survived without one. Dishwasher--this is the first house where we've had one. And when it goes on the fritz, it really isn't that big of a deal to wash by hand. A load after lunch, another after dinner, and it's really not that bad. iPod--never had one. high speed 'net--nice to have, but we survived with dial-up. Or, when that went out, I'd go to the library. computer--nice to have. I use it mostly for the 'net. My training log (triathlon training) is online. cell phone--nice to have. I carry it with me when I run and ride. I've never needed it, but it's nice to have. It's also nice to be able to call my coach from the finish line, rather than have to wait until I get home to call him. car--where we live now, it's a must. There is no public transportation here in the 'burbs. I can walk to the nearest grocery store if needed. Anything else, you have to drive. I was in my 30's before I learned to drive. I was able to walk just about everywhere at the old house.

Consecrated2God -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 4:34:46 PM)
quote: Well, they live without them. I'm not convinced of the happy part. I doubt the lack of modern technology causes people to be unhappy. After all, Jesus lived in the days before cell phones and computers and I'm sure He was happy. [:)] quote: What I meant was that some things are necessities for one's job. I agree. And the things I will need for what I do are different from the things other people will need. Some things I need aren't even on the list.

danas_mom -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 6:10:39 PM)
I voted: Air Conditioner - we live in the South, and the few times that I've visited houses without AC in the summer, I spent all my time sitting in front of the fan with sweat pouring off me. I won't live like that, sorry. Home Computer - the information we get off the internet is necessary, so yes. Cell Phone - this one is borderline luxury, but hubby is so far from home every day with no means of contact other than a cell phone so I consider it necessary. Car - we're 20 miles from the nearest small town and 40 miles from the nearest major town.

OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Are these Necessities? (4/25/2009 7:04:44 PM)
quote: I hang a lot of my clothes up on hangers to dry right after the dryer I meant right after the washer, lol.

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