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Necessity or Luxury?
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KollelWife3




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:25 pm
Do you view these things as a necessity or luxury?

1. Paper Goods

To me, it's a necessity.

2. Cleaning Help

To me, it's a luxury.

3. A Couch

To me, it's a necessity.


Paper goods is a must have. Limits the dish washing to a minimum. (For my husband I only serve in China. It's a way I express my respect for him.)

Cleaning help I view as a luxury. I'll admit that my husband helps me out a lot domestically, hence my opinion.

As a nursing mom, I spend a lot of couch time. After my first child was born, we took some of our wedding money and purchased a couch. Best investment ever.

What's your take?
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amother


 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:31 pm
KollelWife3 wrote:
Do you view these things as a necessity or luxury?

1. Paper Goods

To me, it's a necessity.

2. Cleaning Help

To me, it's a luxury.

3. A Couch

To me, it's a necessity.


Paper goods is a must have. Limits the dish washing to a minimum. (For my husband I only serve in China. It's a way I express my respect for him.)

Cleaning help I view as a luxury. I'll admit that my husband helps me out a lot domestically, hence my opinion.

As a nursing mom, I spend a lot of couch time. After my first child was born, we took some of our wedding money and purchased a couch. Best investment ever.

What's your take?

Paper goods are a necessity because DH likes them.
Cleaning help us a necessity because DH has high standards of cleanliness.

Couch is a necessity. I never considered a home without a couch.
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tigerwife




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:31 pm
For me, cleaning help is a necessity as I am a terrible housekeeper. I'd work if only to afford cleaning help!

Although, currently I am somewhat surviving without one since I cannot find help anywhere! You may be slightly horrified at the state of my house. I definitely think it's worth the money.

I use tons of paper goods but I could probably do without (which means washing loads of more dishes) if I needed to cut down.

I think a couch is a luxury, only because I've lived without one. I do have one now and enjoy it very much.
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causemommysaid




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:40 pm
paper goods- luxury.

cleaning help- luxury.

couch- necessity.
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Frenchfry




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:42 pm
All necesities with the possible exception of the paper goods.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:57 pm
causemommysaid wrote:
paper goods- luxury.

cleaning help- luxury.

couch- necessity.

Ditto
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mommydearest




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 6:58 pm
paper goods - luxury (but probably a necessity when have kids)

cleaning help - necessity

couch - luxury - lived without one and it was fine (definitely better when you have, but can do without)
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Volunteer




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 7:02 pm
As always, it depends on your circumstances.

I consider them all luxuries.
I have not purchased paper plates or plastic cutlery in years, although I do use a few on occasion.
I have never used cleaning help, and neither did my parents.
I have not had a couch in my own home, although I do have 2 large upholstered chairs.

Then again, I have a small family, work part time, live in an apartment, and have never had much extra money to spend on things.

For a large family, or 2 full-time working parents, those things might just be considered necessities, because the time they save and comfort they give are so well-spent. For example, if both parents work full time, at lucrative jobs, the relative pittance they spend on a cleaning lady once or twice a week is more than made up for by allowing them the time to work more hours, and spend time with their kids when they get home. Time is money, too.
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morah




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 7:02 pm
They're all necessities in the sense that I would not go without any of them unless I really, really had to. Of course, the fact that it is possible to go without them means they're not necessities by strict definition of the term.
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joy613




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 7:15 pm
Just want to pipe in to say that I can not imagine life without a couch!
I guess that makes it a necessity to me.

Paper goods and cleaning help I consider luxuries, although I use paper goods all the time.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 8:14 pm
I also didn't have a couch for a while in my home, and let me tell you that pregnant and needing to rest/lie down in the middle of a seudah was very hard; at least when I had a couch, I was able to be near enough to the table that my husband didn't feel like I abandoned him! At this point in my life, my kids need to snuggle next to me while I read to them, one likes to read next to me and have his back scratched....without a couch, my back would hurt way too much to sit on the floor every time I had to do a reading session.
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amother


 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 8:16 pm
paper goods- luxury.

cleaning help- necessity

couch- luxury

Interesting to see everyone's opinions on this Very Happy
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 8:25 pm
Technically, I could survive without any of them, so I guess they're all luxuries. But, aside from the cheap paper plates we use under our dishes in the microwave (so that if the tops are covered, we can use it for meat or dairy), I could go more easily without paper goods or a couch than withoit cleaning help.

Outside of education, medical, and food, the cleaning may be our biggest expense -- and worth every penny!
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 10:17 pm
they are all luxuries

paper plates are a waste of trees
cleaning lady you can always clean yourself
couches well you can sit anywhere ~ a bed could be just as cozy
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oliveoil




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:04 pm
I consider them all luxuries, but a couch is a luxury I would prioritize above many others.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:16 pm
greenfire wrote:
they are all luxuries

paper plates are a waste of trees
cleaning lady you can always clean yourself
couches well you can sit anywhere ~ a bed could be just as cozy


Agreed.

Necessities are things like a roof over your head, food, heat, electricity, and running water.

A comfy bed is even a luxury for me. I remember a time when I had an apartment with no furniture. My bed was all of my clothes laid out on the floor, and I slept on top of them, with my coat for a blanket. When I had to get dressed for work, I tore up my bed to see what was the least wrinkled.

Good times - NOT!
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:17 pm
All luxuries though all may be raised to necessities in certain circumstances.
And even though they're luxuries, I am defining luxury as "not necessity," not that I consider them a "luxury item" like a designer handbag. Although I do not consider my lifestyle luxurious in general, I have used most of these things at some point:
couch we picked up used and enjoyed for a while, but got rid of it when it died and have not replaced, choosing to have more floor space and storage unit instead. To me, having a place to put your clothes is more of a necessity than a couch. We did get a somewhat comfortable chair that serves some of the couch function, though it's not nearly a recliner. People wishing to sit someplace presentable use regular chairs. People wishing to sit someplace comfortable may perch on a bed.
Disposable dishes - definitely not a necessity the first few years of marriage, even with both of us working/schooling full time and no dishwasher/cleaning lady. We just didn't go through that many that you couldn't just wash them. Now that we have a couple of kids and if I go a day without a half-hour or more of dishwashing our entire set (plus add-ons) will be in the sink, and still no dishwasher or cleaning lady, and still working/schooling many hours, well let's just say I've gotten a little lazy on this one. I still don't say necessity because I have run out of disposables on numerous occasions and survived just fine, but it definitely makes life less of a pain in the neck.
Cleaning help I believe I really need at this point, partly due to my, um, lacking cleaning habits personally. If I were more of a balabusta I COULD do it myself but I don't, so I need a cleaning lady. But even though I budgeted for one I never did manage to find one who was recommended, available, AND showed up when she said she was available. So although this ranks high on my wish list right now, I still can't say it's a necessity because despite trying I have never actually had one and am still alive, a bit grimy but not buried in dirt either.
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cookiejar




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:18 pm
Cleaning help above all in my book - above food and running water even Smile
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Peanut2




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:32 pm
How on earth do you live without a couch? Where do you sit????
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IMHopinion




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 25 2015, 11:35 pm
Paper goods- luxury
Cleaning help- hmmm not sure
Couch- luxury


You'll get different answers from everyone.
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