Onetime necessities aren't necessary these days

[Bozita]

Source: USA Today

Onetime necessities aren't necessary these days
BY SHARON JAYSON • USA TODAY • APRIL 27, 2009


A few years back, the list of "gotta-haves" for many Americans included a car, TV, microwave, home air conditioning and dishwasher.

Now, not so much.

A Pew Research Center survey released last week finds that the recession changed Americans' minds about many items that were considered necessities.

"Societal conditions have changed," says James Burroughs, associate professor of commerce at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "In many ways, luxuries are learned in response to a changing environment."

The survey of 1,003 Americans conducted April 2-8 by telephone and cell phone finds that appliances such as a dishwasher or clothes dryer are considered more discretionary now. Just 21% (down from 35%) say a dishwasher is a necessity, and 66% say the same for a dryer (down from 83%). Still, the dryer ranked second on the necessity list in 2006 and 2009, following the car, which topped the list both years (91% in 2006, 88% today).

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20090427/FEATURES01/904270305

[Luminous Animal]

1. a car, TV, microwave, home air conditioning and dishwasher

I only have one of those things on that list.

[Buzz Clik]

2. How about a computer?

[Luminous Animal]

46. Not on the list...

but I do have one.

[mrcheerful]

3. I have all those things

though I admit air condition depends on SO's arms not being sore from using the hand fan and SO doesn't have dish water hands.

[RebelOne]

10. I have all of those "necessities" except for the dishwasher.

I really don't need a dishwasher because I live alone and usually throw stuff in the microwave. And I only have one meal at home during the week. But I could not live without my computer and the Internet.

[Luminous Animal]

47. My dishwasher is 19 years old.

When she leaves home, I'll be washing them myself.

[joeglow3]

17. I get to pull this out about every week now, it seems

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28694

[WriteDown]

21. That is AWESOME...

The fact that the story takes place in Chapel Hill makes it even better.

[Luminous Animal]

45. That's the only thing on that list that I do own...

but, I don't have cable. So there!

[AlbertCat]

22. air?

(I'm sorry....I couldn't resist.)

[flamin lib]

4. There are parts of the country where air conditioning is a necessity.

The South and Southwest kill people without air conditioning. Maybe we've become de-acclimated and maybe housing has evolved to make it necessary but when the temp reaches 104f with humidity at 70% people die.

[Retrograde]

16. maybe we should go back to building for the climate

People -not as many of them - lived in these places long before air conditioning. They built for the climate: thick adobe walls, overhangs to provide shade, awnings, porches, etc. There's a reason for the afternoon siesta: you work in the tolerable parts of the day and rest when it's too hot to be outdoors.

We need to stop trying to make every place look the same and start adapting to the climate. And stop trying to air-condition the outdoors (I'm looking at you, Phoenix).

Back to the original post: don't have air conditioning, but have the rest. We have a dishwasher mainly because one came with the house.

[AlbertCat]

24. They built for the climate

You mean...windows that open? No! You're kidding!

I have all those things, but the AC only comes on when it's really hot (I live in SE NC)because the house I live in was built in 1901 and has large windows, deep porches, transoms (amazing difference these make!), and shade trees around the house.

In the deserts all over the world, where it's really hot, people have been doing things like building fountains and pools in the center of Greek-like house floor plans for centuries.

Y'know, for most of human history we haven't had electricity.

[GentryDixon]

5. I use my dishwasher for storage.

I never did use it much for it's intended purpose.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. A dishwasher has always been a luxury.

A telephone is a nuisance, albeit a necessary one.
Air conditioning is nice, about 5 days a year. I could easily do without it, even here in NC.
I use the washer and dryer at the apartment laundry, and would be OK with a clothesline if the apartment permitted it.
I use my toaster oven far more than I do my microwave.

Of course, I was raised without any of those, at certain times.

[prolesunited]

9. Properly used

a dishwasher is better for the enviornment. If you have an energy-efficient one and use environmentally friendly soap, you use less water and energy and don't pollute the environment. You also can set up a system to recycle your gray water.

[Unca Jim]

18. Now for me...

A dishwasher is more important than most things. I have a newer, high-quality dishwasher that actually works and uses very little water. As my wife, me, and the kid dirty dishes, we rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. When it's full, we do a load. No dishes sitting around, no need to OCD out after every meal. Dishes clean and sanitary every time.

Could I get by without it? Sure. But way more important to me than the other things on this list and other stuff that people would look at as essential like a lawn mower.

[shanti]

28. here in sacramento

AC is a MUST in the summer, as it often reaches 100+ degrees.

[Xithras]

37. A/C is not a "must" in the Central Valley

Humidity is very low in the summer, which makes the heat tolerable as long as you're indoors inside a reasonably well-insulated home.

I grew up in the Valley, and I didn't move into my first air conditioned place until I went to college. My 83 year old grandmother STILL lives in a house with no A/C...the same house she's lived in since the 1950's. Until sometime in the 1980's, central air was considered a luxury over here. Then the builders started including it as a standard item, and suddenly it became a necessity. Vast numbers of homes in the valley today are STILL cooled midsummer by little more than an open window and fan.

It's nice, and certainly more comfortable, but isn't a "necessity".

[shanti]

41. apparently not for YOU

but i don't tolerate temperature extremes at all. too hot/too cold, i get ill - it's happened several times - mostly when it's too hot. i grew up in the OC, and we never used AC there because of the temperate climate. when i moved up to nor cal, i couldn't believe the "dry" heat and how it affected me. on the other had, my sons LOVE the heat here and aren't bothered by it. YMMV

[Xithras]

49. It's all about acclimatization.

The problem nowadays is that the human body isn't designed to go from 74 to 104 degree temps in just a few minutes, and yet that's what we do every time we walk out of our air conditioned houses or cars. That shift makes us not feel well.

A couple of years ago I led a river cleanup group on the Merced River in July. The day before the trip, several people called to try and back out because the weatherbunny was predicting 104 degrees. I talked them all into staying, but asked them to meet me riverside at 6AM instead of the planned 9AM. All ended up staying through the day, pulling invasive weeds on the dry and dusty riverbank.

At the end of the day, I asked them how the temperature had been, and all responded that they were just happy that the weatherbunny was wrong and that it had been cooler than predicted. They were shocked when I pointed out that it had been 102 at the waters edge, in the shade, at one point. They ALL commented that it didn't "feel" that hot to them.

The difference was acclimatization. By being out there from sunup, their bodies were able to adapt to the temps as they climbed throughout the day and it didn't bother them. If they had simply showed up and stepped from an air conditioned car into those temps, the change would have been miserable.

The only other thing is to avoid direct sunlight. Even being acclimatized, you want to stay in the shade in those temps. Direct sunlight causes heatstroke far faster than indirect heating from the air in the shade.

I stand by my statement. If my octegenarian grandmother can live in this climate without air conditioning, anyone can.

[FirstLight]

7. You know how much CO2 pollution is released by appliances?

Maybe our grandparents had it right by hanging out their clothes, maybe washing dishes together can be a family bonding exercise, maybe the TV (fatscreen in every room) isn't needed every second of the day...air conditioning (well as said above it can be necessary for health purposes...but limit usage), and your car may not be viable for those 'little' trips you could bikeride or walk to...

turn it off, use your HANDS (& head) to get the job done, it's beter for the planet anyway!

(gorsh, I sure DO sound like I am a CA hippie girl!)

[northzax]

12. I consider three inventions to be the greatest things for women, historically

birth control pills
the vacuum
the washer/dryer.

any idea what life was like for women before vacuums and washing machines? ugly. google 'washerwoman's hands'

[llmart]

29. Yes, that "family bonding exercise".....

usually doesn't include the husband. He's bonding with the TV while the wife is washing the dishes:)

[northzax]

35. I never said anything about family bonding

I simply said that life without those inventions was significantly more brutal for most women.

[arikara]

48. Too true...

which is why the dishwasher is a necessity. Either that or a divorce.

[Hekate]

34. You are absolutely right about all three. Housework used to be an endless grind...

The temperature-controlled cookstove is a pretty good invention too. Part of the reason housework was such an endless grind was the amount of soot generated by heating and cooking appliances.

Hekate

[MISSDem]

42. A big Amen to that. Even with those appliances there is

so much drudgery that sometimes I think I cannot face it for the rest of my life. I remind myself of what he said in "Care of The Soul" about "homecaring is caring for the soul" but still...

[Deja Q]

8. For jobs, a computer is very necessary.

Indeed, otherwise viable candidates are thrown out because they don't use a smartphone/blackberry/et al. A person at a job placement center witness that event personally, when an employer looking for candidates went in one day and made a speech and took potential employees...

[OhioChick]

25. Yep. Without my computer, I wouldn't have a job. n/t

[swilton]

11. Microwave Ovens

Are a product of the food processing industry - If you think about it they're superfluous, unless of course you can subsist on a diet of popcorn. Even with popcorn, you wouldn't need a microwave - just use a skillet, a little oil and a lid.

Microwaves are responsible for America's obesity epidemic - as well as contribute to the landfill solid waste problem - so many food wrappers, most of which is plastic, so little space.

As for the other items on the list - I have but don't watch television - too much comercialisation. I get movies from netflix.

And the dishwasher - what a waste - takes up too much space in my galley kitchen. The dishes would be cleaner if I washed them by hand. If I had a choice, I would not have one.

The way our societies are logistically structured - distance from grocery stores, etc. I find I pretty much need a car although I would prefer to shop on my bicycle. Still now, my bike tire is flat and I'll use my car to get it fixed.

Furthermore, I grew all of my summer vegetables in my back yard garden last year. It's very time consuming but yet it is great exercise and the fresh produce tastes so much better than what you buy in the store. Because what you would buy in the 'fresh produce' containers in the store is not really fresh.

But we could all cut down on our consumerism and have healthier lifestyles...if amazes me what we define is necessities.

[Unca Jim]

14. Well...

I mostly use mine for reheating vegetables. I could do that on the stove and use a lot more energy and dirty a pot as well as the bowl I suppose. The microwave is a fine cooking tool, like the Foreman-style grill, that is better to use than the stove or oven for many things.

[AlbertCat]

26. Microwaves are responsible for America's obesity epidemic

Hot BALONEY in a microwave!

SUGAR is responsible for America's obesity epidemic. That and restaurant portions (imitated at home) where one serving is enough for 3.

[Quantess]

38. I highly agree about city planning designed for car travel.

After living in San Francisco for many years, I became accustomed to walking and biking everywhere. A car is a hassle for most San Franciscans, unless you have a place you reliably can park it. Car drivers have to hunt endlessly for a parking space and eventually rack up several expensive parking tickets.

Moving to the suburbs was a little depressing because I realized everything was so far apart and I would have to spend so much time sitting in a car. It took some getting used to.

[Chipper Chat]

13. Hmmmm. In 1947 we had:

1) An upright Philco radio. I remember sitting around after supper listening to "He steps on the scales....325 pounds....the Fat Man." Mom listened to "Oxydol's Old Ma Perkins" while she fixed lunch from..

2) An ice box. We had a card in the window to tell the ice truck how much ice we needed. He would bring it in with huge tongs and plop it in the refrigerator, er, I mean ice box.

3) If it got too hot & humid we would retreat to the basement where it was always nice & cool. Down there was :

4) An electric clothes washer. It had the wringer that slid out and you had to be careful not to get your hand caught in it or your arm would become a piece of flatbread.

That was about it. No computer, no air conditioner, no dishwasher, no hair dryer, no electric razor, no microwave, no electric vibrators or massaging chairs, no electric toothbrushes, no electric typewriters (oh, wait).

[B3Nut]

15. Philco!

I have my late great uncle's old Philco upright. It still plays, too...though the controls and switches are in dire need of a DeOxIt bath. I'll pull the chassis one o' these years and give it a good going over...tube circuits are easier to service than this newfangled solid-state stuff. Do watch out for the B+ plate voltage though...those filter capacitors hold a charge for a good while. It'll git ya! :D

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[Chipper Chat]

36. Yeah, I learned about capacitors from an old Wurlitzer jukebox.

Famous last words:
"Dont worry, it's unplugged". :rofl:

[B3Nut]

44. Yup, gotta discharge the caps first...hehehehe

Grizzled old electronics techs back in the day used to break in new colleagues by charging up a capacitor, then waiting until said colleague was preoccupied...then they'd yell "CATCH!" and toss the cap at the startled tech. People would go apeshit at a prank like that nowadays... :D

[llmart]

30. Hey, now......

don't you go messing with my electric vibrator:) That's a necessity!

[phillyindependent]

19. I would be interested...

...to see what the numbers on computers would be. It is one of the major pushes in the stimulus package, to get broadband to every that is....

Not surprised to see car on top, as the economy tanked and people had to find new jobs, it tough to sell your house, so you have to drive.

[Mnemosyne]

33. And a car can make a decent enough home for a bit

when or if it gets bad enough.

Been there, done that... :)

I have an electric mower. :woohoo:

Toaster ovens are great when single cooking. Mine just died. :(

Use my tv mostly to view films and grandson's game.

Wouldn't take a new dishwasher when was offered, hand washing always feels safer to me.

I could survive without these things, but lived a long time, many years ago, with nothing but my car and am very grateful for my home now.


Welcome to DU, phillyindependent! :hi:

[carlyhippy]

20. sorry, those are still necessaties at my house....

I could live without the microwave, it would mean I would use the oven more, end up wasting more energy...the dishwasher, I didn't have one for many years, and since getting one it has definitely changed our eating habits, before I used as few pots/pans as I could, we now eat more courses, because I don't have to worry about washing the huge pile of pots/pans by hand that I used. haha.

[raccoon]

23. Home air conditioning is a necessity if you live in the Sunbelt. Trust me, you

don't want to go through a summer there without AC.

[Akoto]

27. Air conditioning is still a necessity for me!

I already sweat enough from my chronic pain. Throw in the Florida heat and I'd keel over!

[shanti]

31. use it up, wear it out

make do, or do without. anyone remember that little ditty? seems very apropos now...

[Better Believe It]

32. As the crisis grows and our living standards less things become necessities.

At some point food and any kind of roof over your head become a necessity for millions.

This is not something to look forward to.

[Quantess]

40. It's because of continually lowered expectations.

And no, it isn't something to look forward to.

[superconnected]

39. I don't need the tv, but the microwave has to stay. I'll give up the stove though. Never used it.

Dishwasher can go too - never used it. I don't do dishes either. I prefer to eat off paper and plastic so I can throw them away. It took a bit to convince my mom that way but now she won't go back either. She doesn't need to be doing dishes.

The washer is a necessity imo. But the dryer is not. I use both though. Car - necessity. I'm not riding a bike. I live in the Seattle area for pete sakes. I love the rain. But I'm not riding a bike anywhere.

[goclark]

43. My Cleaning Bill has been cut at least 85%

Things I used to have cleaned are now washed if that is what the label says.

I did mess up one garment, even though it said to wash -- it didn't come out well.

[alarimer]

50. An air conditioner and a car are most definitely necessities.

The bus systems in most places are atrocious and take forever to get anywhere. And in our suburban sprawl we have to drive everywhere.

And no a/c in the summer is not possible the way most houses are constructed these days.