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We don't eat out much. Our newest vehicle is 10 years old. We don't own a smartphone. We don't have cable, satellite or a home phone. We rarely buy new clothes; we shop at consignment and thrift stores. And that's just off the top of my head, lol.
I can get by just fine with a laundry washing machine. I don't need to burn electricity on a dryer, and my clothes will be just as clean without one.
I completely agree with you. I bought a new front load compact washer for my apt 4 years ago (no dryer) and I use one rack and hangers for drying. I just can't justify buying a dryer and the electricity to run it. Plus they do take a toll on your clothes.
Cheap junk that you have to replace regularly. I'll gladly pay more money for an item that is build to last. Sorry Target shoppers.
My car is 10 years old and that's fine but ONLY because it's in beautiful condition and runs great. If it was a beater I would not keep it around because I would not be happy sitting in it. If this is about me "living well" then I need a nice, clean car that isn't rattling or missing parts. And almost all my old cars started out new so I can't be bragging on how I don't need a new car...because they usually started out that way.
I have done without a navigation system for 55 years and I actually love maps, but I can no longer see or read them well enough to use them in the car in the dark and don't want to fumble with my smartphone, so next vehicle will probably have one.
Speaking of smartphones, it's cheap to have one on a prepaid plan if you don't use a lot of data (or any at all) and it's a hand me down. I've used hand me down iphones for years. There is really no reason for me to have one, but there is no reason not to have one either. And it's fun sometimes which helps with the whole "living well" thing.
I could do without cable tv since there are other, less costly, avenues. But I need a fast internet.
Since I can't imagine anything more boring and time consuming and messy than hanging up all my laundry somewhere to dry I do need my clothes dryer. It's an older model and I'm fine with that but it was new at one time and at some point I'll get another new one.
I don't really like shopping so I'm naturally frugal and don't need to worry about stuff. I will seek out used and older things when I know they are better quality and/or just as good as $$ new things. I can't do that with everything though. At this point in my life I'm in "replace as needed" mode. LOL.
Things I could do without, or things I do do without?
I could do without expensive cable TV/smart phone... but I have expensive cable TV and smartphone. I could do without a new car... but I just bought a new car. I could do without eating out... but I eat out. Those are all luxuries that I do enjoy but could do without and still be happy. As happy? No. That's why I have them.
I'm single, make pretty good money. A lot of those things I didn't have when I made less. I was perfectly fine with my old Honda (and no car, although I need one now for work), no cable. I guess I really don't do a lot of shopping, which is kind of a middle-class right of passage. I just don't enjoy it so it isn't like I'm doing without. There's nothing particularly fancy about my new car. It's no BMW, but I drive 30k/yr and it's getting 50+ mpg and is more comfortable/quite than my old car and has a back seat that I can put a car seat in if I have my niece or not feel bad about sticking clients in. I like those things so I have a new car.
I don't do the high end TV packages, DVR's etc. Bought our TV during Black friday but really don't use it much.
We do have an SUV, but we have to have 4WD. So we drive a Escape Hybrid. Buy most clothes at second hand stores, and furniture as well. We are building a new house but will use many repurposed materials.
I do without a car at all. I bike everywhere, and take mass transit only if necessary. New cars are expensive on insurance and depreciation. Old cars are expensive on maintenance and gas mileage. Much better to do without completely.
Same here, no automobiles. I walk & take public transit, but I just bought a bike to start cycling (again) and avoid public transit. The muni bus & train adult fees are going up to $2.25 in September, and the adult fast passes are going to be $80 a month, so the bike will save me money after it pays for itself. The health benefits of cycling could even help save on any otherwise possible medical bills (provided I don't get hit by a car, but I think the rates of pedestrians getting hit by automobiles might be higher than cyclists, so maybe it's safer to cycle).
Some things I already do without:
A cellphone. I never owned a cellphone (because I never wanted one).
High-speed internet. I just have cheap, low-speed DSL ($19.95 + $2.88 surcharge), and the speed is satisfactory to me.
Cable & satellite TV. The local free broadcast digital TV stations, the internet and books are more than enough entertainment for me. I'd get bored with the repeats on cable anyway.
Dating. I'm asexual anyway.
Fashion. Who needs it.
A barber shop. I cut my own hair (and it shows, heh). I prefer my hair to look wild & messy anyway.
Health checkups by a doctor. I prefer to avoid hospitals.
Dentists. My last visit to a dentist was in 1983, yet, other than some crooked teeth, my teeth are doing fine and I still have them all. Who needs dentists.
Credit cards. Never had any. Visa-compatible debit cards & cash suffice for purchases.
Vacations. I don't have to travel far for entertaining things to do.
Restaurants. Having Celiac and being vegan limits my selection of restaurants anyway.
Smart phones, especially having the latest iPhone. Nothing against Apple but where I live there is an entire generation who stand in line for the latest iPhone and have the data plans that go with them. I guess if you need to have an iPhone you could purchase a used one, there must be millions out there. But then can you use it on a prepaid plan? I have a prepaid, no data dumb phone and it works great for what I need...a phone for emergencies and an occasional picture to compare something on sale. I can usually find the nearest gas station or whatever simply by looking around or down the nearest main street.
A car payment...never in my life have I had a car payment. Every car has been payed for cash and bought used. Do the regular oil changes and other maintenance and they will run for over 200,000 miles.
Cable tv...really? Isn't there enough on 6-10 antenna stations to keep you entertained? I know some co-workers have it for the sports channels. Don't know what to say about that.
Mac computer...why do you pay twice what it costs for a PC? The Mac doesn't last any longer.
Replacing anything that isn't completely dead/useless...appliances, clothing, computers, phones, tv (and do you need more than one?), furniture. When we do shop to replace dead items we always check Craigslist and Freecycle first. We tell our friends what we are looking for and go to garage sales. It's amazing what you can find for free or almost free. I don't have designer furniture but our home is nicely furnished and nothing except the mattresses and box springs was bought new or at full retail. We have one tv in the house and we got it for 75% off because it was a floor model without a box. cha-ching! Our furniture is from people who were downsizing/moving and didn't want to pay to have it hauled to the dump even though there is nothing wrong with it and perfectly fashionable. Our daughter goes to grad school where there is not only 2 colleges but also 5 military bases. She has furnished an entire apartment and has lots of clothing and appliances just by going to the dumpster. The best finds are usually at the end of the month when leases expire. The military guys and families have pretty high incomes for the area, come in and rent really fancy apartments, and then just abandon everything they can't carry with them when they move to their next duty station where they buy new stuff again. She has found bags of women's clothig, though it doesn't fit her, she takes it to the re-sale shop where they give her cash for the good, designer stuff. Whatever they won't take she drops off at Goodwill and usually gets a coupon to use for her next purchase.
Lots of cleaning products...I have vinegar, bleach, baking soda, and soap. We make our own laundry detergent. But due to the water where we live i do splurge on brand name dishwasher detergent.
We hang most of our clothes to dry most of the year. We live in a really dry climate so if I do two loads per day on the weekends and one load on Friday night, everything is washed and dryed by Monday. During the week I'll do a load of throw rugs, or sheets, etc after work and they are dry in the morning for me to take down and bring in before leaving for work.
Brand name groceries. Even at Costco prices they are not a bargain. Buy generic, there is no difference. I don't buy anything organic that you are going to peel (bananas, pineapple, avocado) except for potatoes as they are filled with pesticides and on the dirty dozen list every year.
Shoes...I have co-workers that pay $50-100's for shoes. What's up with that? I might spend a bit more on a really good handbag (have done that once in my life and still own it) or a good backpack because I carry that every day instead of a handbag, but shoes?
Eating out...just flushing money down the drain. And I used to work in the local medical lab where they bring in the health department inspection samples of countertop swabs and food samples to be analyzed for bacteria and the restaurant workers have their tb tests done at the lab...I really rather prefer not to let someone else prepare my food in a kitchen that I can't see. My husband acquired a nasty gi bug while we were on vacation one year and he spent the whole week not being able to leave the hotel room/bathroom and it included a trip to the ER. If you walk into a place and it isn't sparkling clean or they bring you dingy silverware...run.
I will not give up annual doctor visits (but no thanks I really don't need any prescription meds for my allergies, the generics work just fine, but do you have any free samples of my blood pressure med?) or my twice yearly dental cleanings. All of these are free on my health insurance plan. If you are skipping your free preventative flu shots, colonoscopy, mammogram, yearly wellness visit then you are a fool. I've been in the medical field all my life and have a front row seat to everything that could have been prevented.
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