In regards to the post on too many bathrooms...

T

tillard

Cathlete
I haven't posted my thoughts on the original thread...but I have been following it. The message behind it has gotten me thinking about my "middle America" type of consumerism. My DH and I are not in an income bracket to even allow us the opportunity to become accustomed to a house big enough to accomodate numerous bathrooms, but we do live comfortable enough wherein we both now utilize things in our day to day lives that we have deemed "essential", things that many in this country may deem a "luxury".

Take cable for example...I'm of the very self absorbed mindset that I would absolutely DIE without having the ability to choose from 500 some odd tv stations, coming through a digital box, and now with the "absolutely necessary" DVR capabilities...WUH????? Why do I feel I need to spend $160 per month on this nonsense?? Not to mention the "absolutely necessary" high speed internet, on my super charged computer.

We've also become very used to having a tv in every fricking room...what's up with that...why isn't one enough??? Not to mention the DVD player that's attached to every one of those darn tv's (outfitted with cable nonetheless). And what about that darn cell phone that I "have" to have, that I NEVER EVER use.

I'm sure I could come up with numerous other examples of my families disgusting addiction to consumerism, but I'm getting disgusted at myself with the few I mentioned above :7. While middle america in general can't necessarily afford 5 bathrooms, and most of us are baffled over the seemed necessity of such, I know that for me and my family our definition of "necessary" is most certainly alot different than that of previous generations. And when I stopped to think about it like that I became a bit embarrased with myself.

Deni
 
Too funny. I don't have 5 bathrooms, but my cable bill is 150 a month and i do have all the channels. I have a tv and dvd player in 6 rooms.I rarely use my cell but just about the time it goes i will need it.
You get used to the modern conviences and when the power goes out... WOOOOOW, insanity kicks in.
I think we just get spoiled and used to things. If you never had it you wouldn't miss it, but you have it so you don't want to do without it.
So, oh well. We are not going to take it with us so spend a little...
Anne
http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina
 
I cut my cable last year when the gas prices started climbing. I really thought I'd be lost without cable but I've actually found it liberating. No more paying Time Warner cable $50+ monthly and I have more free time to exercise, cook, play music, listen to music, read, clean my house, etc. I haven't even heard of Nip Tuck. I've also started taking more advantage of "free amusements" such as attending various interesting programs at the library or hiking. I have come to realize there is lots to do without spending my money.
 
OK I'm gonna shift this thread just a bit from cable (to which I confess I am addicted--I'm a single woman w/o a BF, WTH else would I do on Friday nights? :p ) to cell phones.

I remember, back in the day (yeah, like 10 whole years ago) when cell phones first came out. I resisted purchasing one b/c the bottom line is, if I'm not at home than I'm just not available. I gave in when my dad bought me one b/c he wanted me to have it in case of emergencies.

Nevertheless, I still leave my cell at home, esp. during the w/e, b/c I don't want to be bothered when I'm out doing errands, working out, etc. etc. I figure if there's an emergency the police and/or a payphone aren't that far away.

My gripe is w/people who have to bring them EVERYWHERE. What is so important that you have to be yakking on the phone in the grocery store, in the mall, in a restaurant/bar, walking down the street, waiting to pick up a prescription, {insert pretty much any other activity here}.

I have no doubt the majority of folks these days, if polled, would swear they could not survive w/o their cells. Well, most of us did until pretty recently, our parents did, our grandparents did, and so on.....what makes you think you can't? ("you" being used in the generic sense of course)

Put your cell phones down people! No one wants to hear your conversations, save them for the privacy of your own home! x(
 
I don't have cable. I never watch TV. I have one small TV and one DVD player that is used for working out and sometimes watching movies. I have an old cell phone that I only use for emergencies. My car has no power anything - manual locks, windows, etc. But it's paid for. Any electronic gadgets I have (iPod, digital camera) have been gifts. I would never spend money on those things for myself.

I often see people with big houses, and brand new cars every two years, and huge screen TVS and home theatres and wonder just how close to the edge of their means they're living?
 
So right LauraMax, and with my favorite refrain...

cells phones while driving.....you're not that important...put the phone away!!!! (singing badly)
 
We have cable and DVR, it's pretty expensive but we figure heck, we don't do anything else. We don't go to clubs or bars, we have no expensive hobbies and we don't eat out much since moving to the sticks. So, we have cable, read books, and get on the internet.

I have a cell phone but could live without it. I have it for emergencies mostly. It's my MAC ibook G4 I can't live out. I really feel that if my computer were taken from me I would curl up in a fetal position and wither away....:D

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
I do admit to a TV w/satellite, VCR and DVD in both of the two rooms of my one bedroom apartment. (I watch a lot of cable, and the DVDs are necessary - how else can I do Cathe!)
I have my cell phone with me all the time, but only turn it on when I need to use it. I agree with the opinion of the previous poster as to people constantly talking on them at all times, everywhere. There is very little that is that important and I hate being in public and having other people's private conversations forced upon me. Manners are definitely going by the wayside as a result of this technological advancement.
I feel luxuries are fine, but they should be balanced. Like everything else in life, there is a limit beyond which things become too much.
 
Shelley... most of them!

That was my DH and I a few years ago. We had a brand new house and two brand new cars in the driveway. The bills were paid but there wasn't much left... then I lost my job. It took me 4 months to find one that paid what I made previously. It has taken us the last few years to recover from that time. Why? Because while we were not living beyond our means we were definitely living right on the edge.

Now I have a 4 year old home and two almost paid for cars in the driveway. I can answer my phone and am on the road to being able to take a vacation again.

I will still completely admit to my share of consumerism... TV in all rooms, all have cable, both have cell phones we use nearly daily, he has XM, I have an iPod. But at least now I know that if I should be laid off again it won't take me years to recover. :)
 
>I cut my cable last year when the gas prices started
>climbing. I really thought I'd be lost without cable but I've
>actually found it liberating. No more paying Time Warner
>cable $50+ monthly and I have more free time to exercise,
>cook, play music, listen to music, read, clean my house, etc.
>I haven't even heard of Nip Tuck. I've also started taking
>more advantage of "free amusements" such as attending various
>interesting programs at the library or hiking. I have come to
>realize there is lots to do without spending my money.
************************************************

Please don't take offense -- I just found humor that you stated you hadn't ever heard of "Nip Tuck", however I think you must have heard of it to mention it in your post. I swear I am not trying to be a smart a$$, just thought it was funny. I also have heard of it, however I have never seen it. The radio does have a lot of commercials for television programming.


:7

Monica
 
Monica,
I heard of Nip Tuck through seeing the thread on the message board. I didn't take any offense :D
 
I can't feel ill will towards anyone who enjoys luxuries. As long as they aren't sacrificing something necessary for their kids to have them, I say go for it if you can afford it!

I grew up on welfare. I watched my mother struggle every week with the grocery list. The four of us lived in a home my grandparents owned and we were one step away from the projects always. We survived, and I feel blessed and appreciative I can give my daughter a very different life than I had. I try not to abuse that privilege, and I don't feel angry or bitter at the way I grew up. It taught me valuable life lessons. I also don't feel envious of people who have more than I do. I have the greatest blessings of all in my DH and DD.

We all have cell phones - DH, DD and myself. She's had hers for two years and people thought I was nuts, but she has never abused that privilege and it gives me peace of mind knowing she has it with her. We have digital cable in this new home because the local reception is awful without cable. The digital is just because they were running a promotion. My daughter has her own computer because quite frankly I don't want her on mine - LOL! She has never abused that privilege either. We have a 2900 square foot home with 2-1/2 bathrooms, and that's plenty for three of us!! :p

Carol
:)
 
<snip>I often see people with big houses, and brand new cars every two years, and huge screen TVS and home theatres and wonder just how close to the edge of their means they're living?<snip>

Shelley - You hit the nail right on the head. There are a lot of people out there living at the edge and beyond what their means are. I can think offhand of at least a half dozen relatives and friends who've filed for bankruptcy because of uncontrollable spending/borrowing for luxury items like brand new cars every few years, motorcycles, ATV's, etc. Most, if not all, of bought on credit.

I worked for a large manufacturing company back in the late '80's and early '90's that paid very well for the area and had a credit union associated with it that lended pretty freely for anything under the sun - vacation loans, Christmas present loans, just wanna buy something loans. A lot of people there worked up a significant amount of debt. In '92, the company laid off a pretty significant chunk of its workforce. I was lucky...I was 22, single, had a healthy savings account, and only had car loan to pay off. A lot of my co-workers found themselves in some pretty desperate financial straits.

If someone can afford a luxury, then they should have it if they want it. Unfortunately, I think the vast majority are borrowing for things that they'll regret in the future.
 
I carry my cell phone with me every where. We don't have a land line so no bill to the phone company, just our cell company. Anyway, my phone goes with me everywhere. When I leave the house, my DH wants me driving my mini van because it is extremely reliable. However, if he has the kids and he needs to transport them in an emergency situation, I have the van and there is only one way to reach me.

My mom really needed my help Saturday morning and called me while I happened to be swinging by a coffee shop. Yes, I took a seat and helped my mother with her problem. I chose to sit still for the conversation instead of driving while talking on the phone.

Funny...so many people gripe about people driving while talking on there cell phone...and then gripe when they are using there cell phone in public. Well, if they are not using it while they are driving or while in public...then they are at home or hiding in a tree.

I think cell phones are an absolute blessing! I don't know how many times I have been able to reach my DH (in what would have been an unreachable situation 10 years ago) so that he could help tend to an emergency situation involving myself or our kids.
 
I've been reading this and the other associated thread.

Noone should feel guilty about being rich or having nice things; just as noone should be made to feel inferior because they have less.

I'm not one who really cares about owning a lot of "stuff". I believe it isn't important as to what we have or don't have, but rather what we "do" with our lives.
 
My only expensive hobby is Cathe!!!

So I guess I don't have a problem with our satellite dish/DVR. Especially since there are days that DH can't get out of bed because of his disabilities. He also has vision problems, so long-term reading is out.
 
Laura, I'm like you and get weary of being subject to other's 'blah, blah, blah, I this and I that'...' prattling on cell phone's out in public. I just heard an interesting piece on CBC Radio (Canada's public radio) on the changes in how phones are used as a means of communication and the content of calls. There has been a shift away from actual phone conversations. The days of exchanging ideas, catching up on each other's recent experiences are giving way to a very here and now 'I' centred running commentary and the stuff that drives me nuts 'I'm shopping and it's busy and I need to get drink and then I, I, I, I, I.........'x(

I thought the radio piece had a real ring of truth to it (pun intended);-)

I am pretty low tech in my life and that's the way I like it. I'm with Shelley, I don't have a lot of fancy stuff but it's ALL paid for.

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
Cellphones can actually save lives. I have school-aged children with allergies/asthma. The school nurse called me last school year to say my DS was having an attack, but the medication in the inhaler had run out. I had a spare one in my purse.

We may have lived without cellphones, but I can remember at several instances when I'd wished I'd had one (like when my tire blew out at 12:30 AM on a freeway. I had to sit and wait until a patrol car pulled over because I was petrified to get out of my car.)

****

I see things this way - time is money.

If I didn't have DSL, I'd be waiting a loooooooooooooooong time for pictures and such to load.

If I didn't have my DVR I'd be sitting through commercials - I can now watch a 60 minute show in 42 minutes. DH can watch a 3 hour football game in a little over an hour.

I could probably live without these things, but why? I LOVE the wonders of modern technology!

But, 2 bathrooms, a 1600 sq. ft house and 2 paid-for older cars are enough for me!
 
>I carry my cell phone with me every where. We don't have a
>land line so no bill to the phone company, just our cell
>company. Anyway, my phone goes with me everywhere. When I
>leave the house, my DH wants me driving my mini van because it
>is extremely reliable. However, if he has the kids and he
>needs to transport them in an emergency situation, I have the
>van and there is only one way to reach me.
>
>My mom really needed my help Saturday morning and called me
>while I happened to be swinging by a coffee shop. Yes, I took
>a seat and helped my mother with her problem. I chose to sit
>still for the conversation instead of driving while talking on
>the phone.
>
>Funny...so many people gripe about people driving while
>talking on there cell phone...and then gripe when they are
>using there cell phone in public. Well, if they are not using
>it while they are driving or while in public...then they are
>at home or hiding in a tree.
>
>I think cell phones are an absolute blessing! I don't know
>how many times I have been able to reach my DH (in what would
>have been an unreachable situation 10 years ago) so that he
>could help tend to an emergency situation involving myself or
>our kids.

Thanks for this different perspective. I too love having a cell phone. Try to find a working payphone these days. I work in the phone industry, they are getting to be far and inbetween. Also, if you are driving rural roads 3-4 times a day with kids, believe me, you want to have a cell.

I agree that people should curb how they use the phones in public, but honestly, I have stood behind two people in a line loudly having a conversation or sat in a restaurent while people talk loudly, and it can be just as rude. Rude people will abuse whatever devises they have or do not have.

The rest of the gizmos in my life....TV I could live without. I have DVR, and DVR shows and then never have time to watch or forget. I use TV for videos more than anything else. Don't take away my computer or cable modem, I would be a bit lost. I like to read as one of my most favorite activities, so I would adjust. But try living without a washer or dryer, microwave, oven, dishwasher(that I have before, not awful), car, it would be hard. I could live without TV, sattelite dish(myDH would have a tough time with that), and the cell phone(all though I like it, I never use even 1/10th of my minutes).

A couple of years ago a storm came through with hurricane force winds, and it took 3 days to get the power back on. We played a lot of board games!
 
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