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What do you think of as luxuries?

(111 Posts)
Whitewavemark2 Tue 29-Oct-19 19:14:40

I’m with maw on the sheets.

I change mine weekly, in fact tonight they are clean, crisp and fresh - bliss

The other luxury would be lots of lovely fresh flowers - native to the U.K. if I could get them, not hot house but with a lovely scent. Changed as frequently as necessary.

MamaCaz Tue 29-Oct-19 19:14:32

We've only had central heating for ten years, cornishclio, and the house was so cold in winter before that that I still almost consider it a luxury - the crazy thing is that heating the whole house with central heating costs us less than heating just a small part of it did before it was installed!

Scribbles Tue 29-Oct-19 19:12:25

Someone else to clean my house
A taxi home instead of the bus
Putting on the CH instead of an extra cardigan
A shower or bath every day; twice if I want to
Spending as long as I want to chatting on the phone and a landline extension in every room - no more hasty conversations in a draughty hall
Buying a new coat because I saw it and liked it, not because I need it and it's the only one I can afford

Marilla Tue 29-Oct-19 19:07:36

I think I may have misread the thread! ?

Marilla Tue 29-Oct-19 19:05:59

A rather nice car with a chauffeur who would drive me all over the UK when I fancied a trip.

cornishclio Tue 29-Oct-19 19:02:03

I think a car is a necessity in some locations if you work, have kids to get to school and public transport is not good. I also think for an older person who is housebound a TV is a lifeline and not a luxury so it all depends on circumstances.

I would not call central heating or a phone (either landline or mobile) a luxury for anyone and they are both necessities now whereas I suppose years ago many people didn't have central heating or phones so they would then have been luxuries.

If we were living at subsistence level the only things I would call necessities would be food, a roof over our head, a bed and a means of cooking food. I could do without TV, phone, car, washing machine but life would not be very pleasant.

My only gripe with some is that many say a holiday is a necessity but I firmly believe it is a luxury. Same goes for cable TV and whilst I like my laptop and mobile phone they are luxuries and not necessities.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 29-Oct-19 18:59:57

I’m with MawB fresh clean & ironed sheets every day with someone else facilitating the deed.

Business/first class travel.

Scentia Tue 29-Oct-19 18:54:47

When I was young, fresh fruit was a luxury as was a tea that didn’t include meat, 2 veg and gravy!
I remember a special tea would be a triple sandwich with a burger in and salad and cheese, or a round of bread and butter a banana, dairy Lea triangle and some crisps!

Now they are all everyday food.

GabriellaG54 Tue 29-Oct-19 18:53:37

LIFE...yes, in capital letters. Wonderful. ??

MawB Tue 29-Oct-19 18:50:35

Fresh sheets every day (with somebody else responsible for ironing them and changing the bed )would be my idea of heaven.

MamaCaz Tue 29-Oct-19 18:47:47

Yesterday, there was disagreement on another thread about whether a car is a luxury in modern life.

It got me thinking, and I thought it would be interesting to see what things were generally considered luxuries when you were younger, and whether you still think of them as luxuries, or if you now see them as necessities, or at least in some cases, depending on individual circumstances.

For instance, as well as cars, do you still think of central heating, washing machines, a phone in the home, a TV set and vacuum cleaners as luxuries, and why (not)? Feel free to add to that list - it's just to set the ball rolling.

And what sort of things do you now think of as luxuries that might not even have existed when you were younger?