C'mon confess.What sinful luxury do you hold on to?

[Up-the-Creek]

I like having running water,..it don't have to be hot, but I like it to be. It is easier that way. Electricity,..gotta have it. Can do without it, but who the he-- wants to??? TV,..Netflix, Internet, my MP3 player,Fridge,microwave,washer,dryer,....indoor toilet is a must! Oh and Godfather's Pizza,...

From: Good Housekeeping Magazine...... May 2,1885 (1st issue)

DON'T DO UNNECESSARY WORK BECAUSE YOUR GRANDMOTHER DID.
THERE WAS NOT HALF SO MUCH TO BE DONE IN HER DAY.

This is from a Chapter of Household Don'ts,...they were way ahead of their time I think,...125 yrs ago!

 

[Beekissed]

I think every generation feels like they work harder and have more to do than the last generation.

How in the world did they imagine that their grandmother's had less to do than they.....still had to cook, clean, preserve foods, take care of babies and animals, crops and harvest, wood to burn and lard to render!

I don't know....I kinda liked living with no electricity. It definitely has a few upsides, as well as down.

If I had my druthers, I would generate my own electricity. I found out yesterday that there is still a working mill in town that used to provide electricity for the whole town! It is still functioning and it still provides electricity to the house and mill.

Now, THAT would be ideal.....no big windmill to erect, just a hydro setup. I know nothing about that but it seems it would be less stressful to buy and maintain than a windmill.

 

[FarmerChick]

I bet nowadays you can't just put up a water wheel just anywhere in a flowing river....the epa people would jump ya probably...LOL

every generations life is complicated. when grandma didn't have things she had to do the work herself and time is a big factor. now we can flip a switch for electricity (which I love and would never give up...lol)

The minute both spouses go to work the workload seems doubled in a home. You work so how can we cram in tons of fun and chores into life when we don't have a minute to spare...UGH

Alot of times "we" complicate and cram too much into our own lives and it is our own faults actually. I find myself doing that one..LOL

 

[Dace]

Aside from what many of us consider basic necessities, electricity, frig, hot running water and appliances.....my biggest indulgence is my iphone. I didn't buy it either! My 16 yr old saved her money (when she was still 15) to buy it and after a short time dropped it and the glass broke. For her 16th Bday she got a new one....so Hubby rehabbed her phone for me. I had gone years without one so it is a real luxury.

 

[ZohBug]

I think that good quality food is my biggest indulgence. My kids won't eat "store eggs" or "store meat" or "store dairy" and we're fortunate to have "connections" such that we haven't had to resort to getting those things from the store for quite some time and have been able to get 100% grassfed meats and dairy since we've been in WI. I was afraid that our egg sources had disappeared with the turn in the weather, but lo and behold we found another one and have been able to stay away from "store eggs" and my kids are happy little campers. I make our soft cheeses and bake our breads and crackers and do a lot of "from scratch" cooking that my mother never did and I manage to homeschool and work from home which I also consider a luxury.

I've gone without a lot of stuff and have gone through the "losing it all" and "putting it all back together again" and have had to do without things like electricity and been creative about it so the kids didn't figure it out (ha!) and I've hand washed clothes and hung them to dry. We don't need cable tv or dvd players and only have a 13" tv which I could also live without (honestly!) and I drive a 13yo minivan that I got on craigslist. I barter for a lot of things and we shop at Savers and Gooodwill and have a good amount of hand me downs.

I say we're in good stead to have everything we need and a few extras. A couple of good friends and lots of love. It's good... really it is even when it doesn't always feel like it.

 

[me&thegals]

Welcome, zohbug!! Are you from WI, too?

I love your great attitude, and Savers is a favorite of mine, too.

 

[ZohBug]

Hi me&thegals! Yep, we're in The Dairy State with all the snow! Thanks for the welcome!

We especially love the sales at Savers. My 7yo dd used to get all upset because her friends' parents were spending $4k (literally!) on their name brand clothes and they were wearing all of these fancy things and I showed her how we could get so much more stuff for SO much less and often the same brands at Savers and Goodwill and personalize them and now she's all the better for it. I've heard good things about Dig & Save but haven't been there yet.

 

[me&thegals]

WHAT?!? I would have to try pretty hard to spend that kind of money on our family of 4! That is absolutely insane!

Yep, Savers I sometimes worry that people will think I actually bought my things new, like my Calvin Klein jeans, for example. Like reverse snobbery.

This snow is crazy and great. Not great for the farmers but a blast for those of us who xx-ski, sled and snowshoe.

Sorry, I'm majorly hijacking the thread. I will agree with zohbug if I haven't already on this thread. I don't cut corners for food. I don't buy lobster or crab, for example, but if I'm buying lettuce in winter it's going to be the spring greens organic variety. If it's exorbitant, then I'm going to grow it--like free-range chickens and berries.

 

[ducks4you]

Fresh, grind-my-own coffee beans!!! TOTALLY YUMMMY, MAKE LOVE TO IN THE MORNING SIN!!!