What Are Luxuries And What Are Essentials?
Luxury or Necessity?
When I growing up I was led to understand that only water, food, and shelter were necessary, and that if we had more than that, then we’d been blessed with abundance.
I’ve since learned that it’s not so simple, and that the definition of what necessities are has changed drastically over time, and especially in western countries.
A hundred years ago indoor plumbing was most likely regarded as a luxury, but nowadays it’s a necessity.
Before World War One, a motor car was regarded as a luxury, because only rich people had them.
And just one hundred years ago servants were regarded as a necessity rather than a luxury.
You didn’t have to be rich to have servants and even a quite humble person, such a small shopkeeper say or a clerk, would be able to afford at least “a maid of all work”, known as ‘the girl’.
The better off you were then, then the more servants you’d have and almost nobody thought of doing without servants unless they were extremely poor.
Servants were almost a necessity then , whereas now, they’d be considered a major luxury!
So what do you think?
What’s important to teens?
According to a fairly recent (12th Sep 2008) American Harris Interactive study, second to clothing, teens say a cell phone tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.
With nearly four out of every five teens (17 million) now carrying a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004), it’s not surprising that six in ten teens (57%) credit mobility for improving their quality of life.
While there is no crystal ball to show what phones of the future will look like, the study found that teens are excited and open-minded about the wireless possibilities.
The survey found that teens’ ideal future mobile device would feature five applications:
Texting Replacing Talking
Another significant trend confirmed by the study is that texting is indeed replacing talking among teens and teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month.
Texting is so important to them that if texting was no longer an option, 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened, and especially among females (54% compared to 40% of males).
And around 47% of teens say that they can compose and send text with their eyes closed!
Necessities are things without which you will die, and everything else is luxury.
Yeah, I’d agree with Straight-Talker.
A necessity is something that you must have in order to live, or something that is essential to a task that you have to complete.
For example, water, oxygen, and sleep are necessities, but a warm bath, pure air, and a long sleep are luxuries.
Actually, you don’t have to worry about tomorrow.
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”.
Christ understood full well that temporary things bring temporary happiness!
You’re necessties will be provided and if something doesn’t come you’re way then you weren’t meant to get it.
But if you were, then you will!
In short, a necessity is an item or service that you simply cannot do without in your everyday life, and is something that is vital to your survival and situation.
A luxury is anything that is not a necessity; but it’s OK to enjoy a little luxury from time to time!
A few examples of necessities (or necessary expenditures) for people living in the first world would be:
* Food
* Rent/mortgage
* Auto insurance
* Home insurance
* Health insurance
* Gas
* Auto Maintenance
* Utilities: electricity, gas and phone
These are not all the present necessities in the world, and they’re different of course for everyone, but when you really think about it, true necessities are actually quite few in number, and many things that you think you need are in fact not that necessary.
A few common examples of luxuries might be:
* Entertainment – movies (at the theater, renting, or buying), music and/or books
* Cable or satellite
* Toys and games (video or non-video)
* More than one home phone line
* More than one computer (even one computer, might be considered a luxury in the majority of countries)
* High speed internet service
Let’s Look At Food
Even in one of the main necessities, "food", there are luxuries that aren’t necessary because necessary foods are foods that are uniquely vital for your health and continued existence.
And these are usually basic foods and staples that fill out your food pyramid and keep you in good health.
So any food that is not vital to your health and survival should be regarded as a luxury.
A few examples of luxury foods when you’re grocery shopping might be:
* Chips and other junk food
* Cookies and other sweets
* Gourmet cheeses
* Alcoholic drinks
* Soda and other bottled beverages
* Bakery goods
* Specialty breads i.e. foccacia
* Seasonal and tropical fruits
* Fancy meats (i.e. steaks)
* Pre-prepared and packaged foods (sandwiches, salads, sushi, cut fruit, etc.).
So, the first step in trying to figure out how to cut your expenditures is to go through your regular purchases (including services) and distinguish all luxuries from necessities.
Luxuries should not be regarded as "forbidden" however because it could turn into an obsession (the desirability might be blown out of proportion), but be aware that by choosing not to purchase these items, you are gaining an advantage.
Well if we’re looking at groceries and saving money, I can’t think of one condiment that can’t be cut out.
Catsup (ketchup) which makes eveything tast like ketchup and is definitely overused in the US and to a lesser extent in the UK as well, and no chef would like to see you put it on his food.
Peanut butter has some health value, but that’s ruined by adding jelly to it, and who eats it alone?
Barbecue Sauce, Hot Sauce, Mustard, Vinegar, Relish, Mayonnaise, Honey, Soy Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Teriyaki and Worcestershire Sauce can all add to a meal if used in moderation, but all of them can be added to the luxury list, since they’re relatively expensive and do nothing for you healthwise.
Well I have all those condiments in my pantry and don’t know anybody that doesn’t have them all plus a few more too.
You’ve really to have them if you want to bring out the tast of things!
Sorry but you’re food must be really bland!
America is known the world over for terrible food which is fattening and tasteless unless it’s swamped in ketchup or mustard etc.
I’m not talking about high-class restaurants in such places as NY and SF and some other places of course, because some of them are world class, but they don’t sell American food.
What are America’s signature foods? Hamburgers and hot dogs with fries, both covered in ketchup, mustard and mayonaise – the works!
The hot dogs and hambugers and made with meat that nobody would eat if they saw what it looked like before it was ground up.
You can of course by steak and have it ground for you, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Most of the hot dogs on sale are not even fit for dogs since they’re filled with salt and preservatives and maybe even coloring.
What can I tell you? Go to almost any place outside of the States and the food is tastier and generally much healthier.
And you’re unlikely to see foreigners covering their well prepared food with “the works”.
Without wanting to make this post a sort of anti-American diatribe, it perhaps needs to said what the world over thinks of when Americans and food are mentioned in the same sentence.
Obesity and yuk!
Images of huge people who can barely walk with fat hanging out of their clothes gorging on more food as they drive golf carts around supermarkets.
I do believe however that the trend is reversing though since many kids are less obese than they were a few years ago.
The trend in other countries though is for kids to be more obese than their parents which is a real bad sign.
I am learning to cook Japanese foods, and from what I have read tea and soy sauce have been included in the least of necessities, along with salt and potable water, and fuel to cook with. I think this carries over to other places as well. Condiments in most traditional cooking are necessities. I think you are correct about the mustard/relish claim, but wrong about condiments and seasonings overall.
American food can be awesome! It is lame to state otherwise. I have heard the same comments about English and German food. Again lame. Every country has its fast junky food. American cuisine can range from BBQ which can change from state to state. Maybe you should try the Gumbo or other Cajon dishes in Louisiana, Or the Mexican influenced food which also changes from California style to New Mexican to Texan. To venison and squash dishes. If all you look for in international cuisine is hamburger or schnitzel or fish and chips you get what you ask for. I also never put much stock in NY or SF resturants as they tend to have poor food with an elitist attitude for dessert. Open your pallet to the amazing variety of American cuisine and you will find new and wonderful food, at non luxury prices.
Accessories or any kind of item is only one’s people happiness. I rather spend my money with food rather than spending with all the items that are useless. The only people that always buy this kind of item are those who are so eager to show off their brand-new item with their friends.
Only a few could afford mobile phones before and it was a luxury, now we couldn’t even afford to lose our mobile phones from our hands.
Some items aren’t essentials but we think they are because everybody has them.