what kinds of things do you consider a luxury? how do you compare your luxuries with your necessities?
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what kinds of things do you consider a luxury? how do you compare your luxuries with your necessities?
starbucks is a luxury (and often disappointing)
coffee is a necessity...
In my gut, as it were, I consider good food a necessity and new clothing (even a $3 T-shirt) a luxury.
I consider tools for all sorts of things a necessity and toys solely for entertainment a luxury.
Food(not eating out), water, shelter(and the upkeep), a job (if you need one for $), clothes( if the shit you have is all stained and falling off your body), and some kind of transportation are necessities.
Everything else is a luxury I think.
Every past generation (as a whole) lived by cheaper means than today.
I know from the old people that I deal with...Not only are they amazed by what we spend on entertainment, they also are totally amazed at how much shit we just throw out and buy new. They are floored that we don't really refurbish much.
I think ajax summed it up best.
Amelia is correct with tools as well, but there are a vast quantity of things that constitute a tool, and many (most) of them are luxuries.
I generally compare the two pragmatically by what I can and cannot go without to maintain my standard of living. That almost always shifts things from luxuries to necessities, but it also helps to balance out the accumulation of too many luxuries. Of course this is a subjective viewpoint and it may vary drastically from someone else's situation, but I'm just being honest and I think that is how most people deal with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morning Glory
Totally. I think people vary wildly in what they feel is vital and what they feel is optional. Different people genuinely do have different needs.
I think this is where the problem with welfare and healthcare and all of that comes in. One person might think fixing a broken tooth was a necessity, while another might either live with the pain or go the cheaper route of getting it pulled out to afford new boots. One person might be feel desperately unhappy and off going without organic food and another might be totally hearty and fine eating ramen every day. One person might live in a building with vermin and go hungry to afford art supplies and another might think food was a lot more important than paintbrushes.
Basically, I think Morning Glory's point about luxury being really subjective is very very true. One person's crisis is another person's take it or leave it luxury.
Bull to the shit. I'd go hungry as long as I could wipe my ass with the cushy stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by allah
Sleeping a full 8 hours is a luxury! I only need 5 hours ... but 8 feels like a real day off :)
For me necessities are tobacco, reasonably healthy food and money for socializing.
My luxury is candy, crappy food and alcohol. I'm a simple guy :(
Food, water, shelter, some clothing, and at least a couple good friends are necessities. Everything else, like Ajax said, are luxuries. I've lived out of a Jeep CJ8 with no top in the dead of winter in NW Indiana. Like Johnny, I've gone long times with nothing more to eat than one MRE for an entire day (though, he's definately had to do it for much longer than me), and have gone multiple days with no food at all and just water. Very, very hot water that was sitting out in the sun in Iraq during July with no other options.
It would suck, but I can live without my computer, my ipod, all my technology, expensive clothes, all that stuff.
Wait, hold on. In the military, a deck of cards and a package of bones are a must have, for when power and all technology does go out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nathanmbailey
package of bones....Smokes?
Dominos actually. One small way to stay sane. Along with hearts, spades, and asshole.
I would trade bones for chess.
Unfortunately, other soldiers who know how to play chess, is a luxury I don't have.
everything's a luxury if you do it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nathanmbailey
::drum roll and symbol clash::
Ok. That's different from when I served. Chess was next popular game to the cards. I guess that's national psychology.
We're Americans, Olix. We're lucky that we know how to play checkers.Quote:
Originally Posted by OliX
checkers is effing lame.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ajax Knucklebones
To me all that shit's lame, except for poker.Quote:
Originally Posted by VoltaireBlue
electricity is a luxury, so are flush toilets, glass windows, and smelted metal...............in fact there really isn't any point to the human race except to achieve higher levels of luxury
My luxury is:
-Hot bath (ideally hot tub but dont have one...) because I train for fighting so often I am all sore and in pain
-Super cozy and soft blankets
-Bubble tea (it dont exist in my city. So I only get it when I'm out of city)
My necessities is:
Home cook food- I cook everything from scratch. I was raised on that so I dont like anything that is from can, can just be thrown in oven, or whatever. I don't even like to use microwave at all either.
Other items I consider as luxury and dont own or want are:
Vehicle of any type- I think people are WAY too dependent on their cars that it is extremely unhealthy.
Television- I think television is the major reason so many people have no life and are lazy as hell! So I hate them and will never allows any in my house!!!
AMEN BROTHER! Halleluja... my good man...Quote:
Originally Posted by nathanmbailey
"I got 3 and a P... what do you have?"
dominoesQuote:
Originally Posted by Ajax Knucklebones
Right now, I'm going for null.
I used to live in luxury, but I found it wasn't necessary.
I'll buy something if it's justifiable (business needs, investment, replacement, etc.) but actively avoid "things for the sake of things". I've spent millions over my lifetime, but I'm no better off in terms of the value of the stuff in the house today for having done it, and I like fixing things - especially the stuff they didn't intend you to be able to fix.
I wouldn't want to live naked in the woods, but almost everything is a luxury to some extent, to most people. You can live without a house, but you prefer not to. Apart from the thinner people amongst us, you can forget food for at least a month, and the plumper people can push it to a year, so a daily organic guava smoothie is in no possible way "necessary". If you don't want to pay taxes, then don't - and as a byproduct you'll get free clothes and lodging. The 80s "greed is good" lifestyle just isn't cool anymore.
(btw: chess is for people too dumb at math to play backgammon)
maslow's hierarchy of needs:
http://www.ruralhealth.utas.edu.au/c...ds-Pyramid.jpg
That pyramid is built on a land mass labeled, "Quilted toilet paper."Quote:
Originally Posted by jonny.illuminati
Blow and hookers are necessities, booze a luxury?Quote:
Originally Posted by OliX
Anyway, the distinction strikes me as rather arbitrary. I work with what I have to make the most out of it; there isn't a single point that I consider to be the difference between universal success and universal failure, and necessity cannot be ascribed without naming a purpose.
well that sux. I just typed out this big long post and my phone ate it. lame. i'll try it again later when I'm not so irritated.