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Message started by Rat Man on Sep 9th, 2019 at 4:44pm

Title: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 9th, 2019 at 4:44pm
    For me the most unnecessary appliance in the house is the dishwasher.  Yes, it's easy and I like it, but when it eventually breaks I probably won't fix or replace it.  Washing dishes by hand is easy and I do a better job than the dishwasher.
     My clothes dryer has been broken for a long time... over a year.  Mike replaced the old broken dryer with a new broken dryer... one that doesn't heat up at all.  Hanging clothes on a line is easy and the clothes smell better afterward.  Last year the clothes line served me well.  Only once during the Winter did I have to resort to going to the laundrymat to dry my clothes. I can pretty much live without a dryer. 
     Though very nice my central air unit is not a necessity.  Plus it's brutally expensive to run.  I use it just on the hottest of days.  When I was a kid our house didn't have air conditioning until I was in  my teens.  My grammar school and junior high school didn't have air conditioning.  The first house I owned in the 90s didn't have air conditioning.  We survived just fine. 
     There are other things I could live without if I really had to but I'd just as soon keep them.  I guess I could survive without any of them if I really had to.  But the title of the thread says "easily" live without. 
   So what don't you need? What appliance or convenience could you live without?

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Morphy on Sep 9th, 2019 at 6:57pm
TV. I would love the chance to live like the guy from "Alone in the Wilderness". Instead of TV and internet I would have to actually find interesting things to do in the real world.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by walter on Sep 9th, 2019 at 8:13pm
We don't have a dish washer, washing machine  dryer, tv or internet. We do have books (lots of books), hobbies/crafts and chores. We have had central heat for 25 years now. Air for five. I would not want to give up the air, but could easily go back to a wood stove for heat. The most convenient thing is hot and cold RUNNING WATER, refrigeration and indoor plumbing. The toaster can go anytime :)

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 9th, 2019 at 8:33pm

Morphy wrote on Sep 9th, 2019 at 6:57pm:
TV. I would love the chance to live like the guy from "Alone in the Wilderness". Instead of TV and internet I would have to actually find interesting things to do in the real world.

   Though it would take some adjustment, I could live without TV.  In fact I'd be better off without it.  I'd read books a lot more.  TV makes us mentally lazy.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Sep 10th, 2019 at 9:07am
First of all RM, it’s really easy to fix dryers that don’t heat. It’s almost always either a broken thermostat or a broken heating element. Sometimes you can take a nut, bolt, and two washers and clamp the washers around the spot where the heating element broke to get it working again. Sometimes this fix will go for years before you have to buy a new heating element. If you don’t see a physical break along the heating element, the thermostat is the next likely culprit, and those aren’t too expensive to replace.

Second, I can live without just about every modern convenience but the appliance that’s the worst to live without is my water heater. That has the biggest impact on my life when it goes out. It’s not just the cold showers that are inconvenient. It’s the fact that I have to heat water on the stove downstairs and then lug it up the stairs to bathe my children.  It’s exhausting and also dangerous because I risk spilling scalding hot water on myself or my children and/or tripping over my dog on the stairs. I guess the lesson here is that if I have to give up my water heater, I should also give up my staircase :)

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 11th, 2019 at 7:57pm

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Sep 10th, 2019 at 9:07am:
First of all RM, it’s really easy to fix dryers that don’t heat. It’s almost always either a broken thermostat or a broken heating element. Sometimes you can take a nut, bolt, and two washers and clamp the washers around the spot where the heating element broke to get it working again. Sometimes this fix will go for years before you have to buy a new heating element. If you don’t see a physical break along the heating element, the thermostat is the next likely culprit, and those aren’t too expensive to replace.

Second, I can live without just about every modern convenience but the appliance that’s the worst to live without is my water heater. That has the biggest impact on my life when it goes out. It’s not just the cold showers that are inconvenient. It’s the fact that I have to heat water on the stove downstairs and then lug it up the stairs to bathe my children.  It’s exhausting and also dangerous because I risk spilling scalding hot water on myself or my children and/or tripping over my dog on the stairs. I guess the lesson here is that if I have to give up my water heater, I should also give up my staircase :)

     Though certainly not necessary for my survival the water heater is second on my list of conveniences I'd like to give up the least. A hot shower is about more than getting clean.  It sets you up for the day.  It's a pleasure.  It's one of man's better inventions.  The appliance I could do without the least is the heater.  I prefer the cold to hot weather but there's a limit to that.  I'm still a warm blooded human being and I need some heat to survive.  I guess I could use a kerosene heater.  I've used them before. In an emergency they're OK but they're smelly and potentially dangerous.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Morphy on Sep 12th, 2019 at 10:16am
No hot water heater would be brutal for sure. Forgot about that one. Especially in winter. Just washing your hands in the ice cold water would not be fun, let alone bathing in it.

As for conveniences we could do without I'm surprised no one has mentioned the bane of modern existence, Social Media.

Ahem...forums are fine. But Facebook, Twitter and others get wild. Too much drama for me! Thanks but no thanks!

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by vetryan15 on Sep 12th, 2019 at 12:22pm
We have been living without most of those for the last year. I believe we are for the better for it. We wash and dry our clohes outside , during winter will go to the laundry mat. We use a camp shower bag during spring, summer and fall. Do hot bathes during winter, hest up water on the wood stove,  as thats our only heat.  Not hooked up to anything. Our only power are a couple small hiking solar panels to charge our battery packs. We charge the tablet , and our vapes. The tablet is our entertainment for YouTube,  emails, and phone calls. We use a cooler for our food, so we go through a bunch of ice, but winter everything freezes.  We really like that

We both dont have social media,  except Instagram.  And we areon a few different forum's.  Just to discuss ideas anc information.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 12th, 2019 at 4:07pm

Morphy wrote on Sep 12th, 2019 at 10:16am:
No hot water heater would be brutal for sure. Forgot about that one. Especially in winter. Just washing your hands in the ice cold water would not be fun, let alone bathing in it.

As for conveniences we could do without I'm surprised no one has mentioned the bane of modern existence, Social Media.

Ahem...forums are fine. But Facebook, Twitter and others get wild. Too much drama for me! Thanks but no thanks!


No trolling tRump?  I'd lose my identity. I'd go mad.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 12th, 2019 at 4:20pm
    Once many moons ago (sometime in the 80s) my late wife and I vacationed with friends in a log cabin in Vermont.  It was completely off the grid.  There was an icy spring fed stream that ran just down the hill from the cabin. It was loaded with Brook Trout.  They piped water from that into a bathtub in the kitchen for a lot of their refrigeration.  They also had a fridge that somehow ran on ammonia. Hurricane lamps provided the lighting, there was an outhouse (of course), and they had their truck rigged to charge two batteries at once.  One was for the truck and the other was brought into the house at night for TV, radio, or whatever they needed electricity for.  They raised some farm animals.  Right before we arrived they butchered a corn fed pig they'd raised.  We ate the thickest center cut pork chops we ever had and the sausage was to die for.  We hated to leave and go back to our crappy suburban apartment and crappy suburban lives.  I could have easily spent the rest of my days there.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Curious Aardvark on Sep 16th, 2019 at 8:49am
ready meals and junkfood in general.
pre-chopped vegetables.
If you can't chop a carrot, you've got problems !

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by perpetualstudent on Sep 17th, 2019 at 8:11am
electric beaters. I find it a hassle to haul it out and use it and wash it. I found an old gear driven egg beater and I wind up using that most of the time. Every once in a while I'm doing some sort of baking that requires electric beater (merangues) but otherwise, a fork, whisk, or mechanical egg beater does the job.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 17th, 2019 at 12:16pm

perpetualstudent wrote on Sep 17th, 2019 at 8:11am:
electric beaters. I find it a hassle to haul it out and use it and wash it. I found an old gear driven egg beater and I wind up using that most of the time. Every once in a while I'm doing some sort of baking that requires electric beater (merangues) but otherwise, a fork, whisk, or mechanical egg beater does the job.

   
    You can include electric carving knives with that.  Maybe I'm old school but there's no way an electric knife can do a better job than a razor sharp fillet knife. 

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by perpetualstudent on Sep 17th, 2019 at 3:37pm
Amen. I really hate what electric knives do to meat.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Rat Man on Sep 17th, 2019 at 9:11pm
I see people fillet fish with them.  It's sad.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Sep 18th, 2019 at 9:15pm
I can understand why people use electric knives if they’ve never used a sharpener before. If you’re trying to cut meat with a butter knife, it might as well be an electric butter knife ;D

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Jauke on Sep 19th, 2019 at 12:27pm
What is an electric knife?

Wait nevermind I don't need to know

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Sep 19th, 2019 at 8:57pm
It’s a knife with a blade that moves up and down automatically so that you can cut by pulling the trigger.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by slingbadger on Sep 20th, 2019 at 6:17am
I don't have a blender or a food processor. I can cut up my own food. Also, I( don't play video games, so no huge gaming system.

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by Curious Aardvark on Sep 20th, 2019 at 7:01am
soup makers (heated blender).
I use a saucepan and a stick blender :-)
And yes badger you DO need to blend soup, Otherwise it's just hot water with vegetables floating in it.  :-)

Title: Re: Appliances/Modern Conveniences You Could Easily Live Without
Post by perpetualstudent on Sep 20th, 2019 at 3:29pm
I'd be sad to not play video games anymore but good heavens do I not miss social media.

Unfortunately, in the opposite direction, my wife and I just broke down to get smartphones. Grumble. Harder to do things without it, everyone wants you to use an app for stupid crap. We had difficulties returning a uhaul last year because you were supposed to use an app.

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