Family luxuries?


Bini
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What luxuries does your family enjoy that aren't needs but solely wants? How do you keep things in check, maintaining humility, and not taking things for granted? How would the family cope or respond if these luxuries were taken away? Would the kids have withdrawals? Would the spouse? Would you?

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Bini, coming from the Philippines, my entire life in America is a luxury.  My kids spent time in the Philippines.  They know what life means over there.  So, if life in America was taken away, my kids will live the Filipino life.  They will hate it but I'm confident that they will learn to love it.  They're outdoorsy kids and there's a lot more things they can discover in the outdoors over there than over here.  I can just imagine the joy they will have when they realize they can have their own condo of fighting spiders...  My husband and I will not have problems adjusting.

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Satellite tv.  I don't need it but I like having it.

 

Most would say even internet is a luxury. For me it's a necessity as it's how I make my living.

 

I have very few luxuries in life.  Going to the theater to see a movie is a luxury to me.

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I feel my family is very blessed. We have a lot of luxuries today we didn't several years ago. There was a time where we lived off of ramen noodles and whatever else was cheap.

Babysitters for date nights is a luxury.

Dinner and a movie for date night.

Buying a brand new car with 0 miles on the speedometer, and being picky about the color, trim and features/package.

Buying myself a brand new dress and sweater last week, just because I liked it.

Family vacations to beaches and lakes for the entire family.

Flying back home to see friendsfriends or family just because...

Buying new nail polish just because I like the color.

Buying all organic food at the store. This shouldn't be a luxury, but it is and I feel so blessed.

Buying flowers to go in my garden.

Buying the kids things just because.

Amazon movie rentals. Bingeing on my favorite series.

So much more, I'm/we're so blessed to have. There was a time we had so little. Just eating really was a luxury!

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There's a Coke advertisement out there set in UAE where Coke made phone booths that run on Coke bottlecaps.  So, instead of putting a coin in the slot to make a call, you put in a Coke bottlecap.  Each bottlecap is 3 minutes of phone call to anywhere in the world.

 

It's very controversial as Americans see the conditions of workers in UAE as tantamount to slave labor so they're seeing Coke as exploiters of these horrible conditions.

 

Well, there are 2.3 Million OFWs (Overseas Filipino Worker) out of the 92 Million population of the Philippines.  The number of OFWs are more than the population of Houston - the 4th largest city by population in the USA.  Over 300,000 of these OFWs are working in UAE.  They make about $20/day.  Compared that to the $3/day minimum wage in the Philippines, that's a lot of money.  And comparing working conditions in the UAE with working conditions in the Philippines?  Hah!  So, Filipinos don't complain in UAE.

 

But, to call family in the Philippines from UAE costs $1.25/minute.  So, just being able to talk to Family is a luxury.  Buying a Coke is also a luxury as each Coke bottle costs 75 cents in UAE.  But, instead of spending $3.75 on a 3 minute phone call to talk to your wife and mother on Mother's Day, it would only cost 75 cents!  So, it is a luxury savings...

 

Unfortunately, the campaign ended in April... before Mother's Day...

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One of mine is having a clothes washer and dryer! You'd think this is mainstream most everywhere that isn't considered third-world but not true. I know many Hong Kong and Tokyo residents in the city don't have these appliances in their homes, and yet, they're both pretty techie cities. Diapers is another, it's so convenient, I'd really struggle without.

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One of mine is having a clothes washer and dryer! You'd think this is mainstream most everywhere that isn't considered third-world but not true. I know many Hong Kong and Tokyo residents in the city don't have these appliances in their homes, and yet, they're both pretty techie cities. Diapers is another, it's so convenient, I'd really struggle without.

 

Speaking of foreign cities... In New Delhi, apartments with a kitchen is a luxury!

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Anatess, you'll have to tell me more about the Philippines. My husband's biological father was born there. We've been wanting to find him, but he lives in America.

Speaking of luxuries, genealogy is another one.

 

I can tell you a lot about it!  Ask away... not here... in another thread maybe...

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My ball jointed dolls, they cost hundreds and don't really do anything but sit there/stand there lol

 

And what would you do if, say, something happens and you lose all of it?

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I never thought I had more luxuries than not. Or in other words ~ more Wants than Needs.

 

I wanted flowers growing in the planters in front of the house.

To keep these flowers growing needed water easily available.

Landowner refused to turn on the outside water tap.

We hired plumbers and had taps put in branching off of the water line coming into our house, before going into the hot water heater. (haven't received a bill for that yet) The luxury is: two outside water taps (one on each side of the house), over $130.00 worth of mostly non-edible flowers. 

 

The non-luxury part of that:

  • Can now wash the spiders, dirt off the house & windows.
  • Can now wash the dirt, pollen off our cars. I am totally phobic about going through car washes and those that you do the washing - well when I did it the last time it cost me $12.00! 
  • Can now water all of those lovely flowers without hauling water from the house in 2.5 gallon watering containers (just for 5 pots it was 9 trips & one extra trip to the chiropractor)

Luxury is eating out two or three times a week. 

Luxury would be paying to have my house cleaned once a week.

 

Growing up we had the basics. Luxury back then was when Mom and Dad bought McDonald's Hamburgers to bring home on their second unloading of groceries. Back then each burger cost $0.15, an order of fries was $0.18. There were 6 kids eating them, so one order of fries per three kids. Mom & Grandma shared fries and Dad got his own. THIS was a big treat for us! 

 

Luxury was having a small glass of Soda on Christmas and New Years Eve's. At meals we drank milk and water. For treats we had Kool-Aide. Saturday nights, we had popcorn, an apple, orange, pear, or banana and Kool-Aide as we watched a movie on TV. 

 

Luxury was going to bed an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights. And during the summer. It may have been daylight still outside, and the neighborhood kids were still playing - but at our home, we were ALL in bed by 9:30 PM. Summer meant we had more daytime chores to do before we were set free to roam the neighborhood to play. Summer was when we wore the watches Mom, Dad or Grandma gave us for Christmas - because there were no streetlights that came on at 5 PM, when we had to be home. 

 

Luxury was having Strawberry Shortcake alone for dinner in the summer. When Mom bought several flats of them to make jam - we got Shortcake for dinner! 

 

Luxury was being allowed to eat your dinner outside during the summer. Fill your plate, then go outside to sit on a blanket in the back yard to eat. 

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This was posted by LDS Missionaries on facebook and I thought it was relevant.

 

"You can never get enough of what you don't need,
             because what you don't need won't satisfy you."

~ Elder Dalling H. Oaks

 

 

 

I think to answer your question Bini, the only luxury we really have is our big screen TV and Internet. If they were taken away, I think the kids might be bummed, but we would probably find more productive things to do.

 

This year we finally blocked our son from playing the Xbox and only allow it on the weekend. It hasn't been as effective as I would have hoped. He started spending his time on youtube watching videos of games being played. So we blocked that. Now he just waits around for the weekend to arrive. I take him running with me now which is one good thing and we have also started him on Piano lessons. I think after this summer we might start taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu together. Spending more time with my youngest is a luxury in and of itself.

 

I think people don't realize that now days being a stay at home mother or father is a luxury in many respects.

 

My future luxury and dream would be to live on the beach and have a place large enough to entertain guests. We also want a small farm.

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Luxury is eating out two or three times a week. 

Luxury would be paying to have my house cleaned once a week. 

 

It's funny how different people's experiences are.  I absolutely agree with the second -- SUCH a luxury!!  Though at this stage of life for me, I think I'd prefer the luxury of being able to hire a professional organizer to help me get my entire house in order, because then it would be much easier to clean.

 

The first, though...for me, luxury is eating out once a month.

 

 

I think people don't realize that now days being a stay at home mother or father is a luxury in many respects.

 

I definitely agree.  I stay home with my kids, but it's not just because I can.  My husband works and earns enough to support our family, but barely.  With debt we are paying off, and exorbitant local taxes, we're barely living paycheck to paycheck.  (I guess that's not entirely accurate...we're tucking away for a family vacation, but we have nothing leftover for small luxuries -- "good" ice cream, or going out to dinner, or a new skirt, just because, etc.)  In some ways, being a stay at home parent doesn't feel like a luxury.  It's stressful, financially.  But if I were to go to work, we wouldn't be any better off in that department, because we'd have to pay for childcare.

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 I think after this summer we might start taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu together. Spending more time with my youngest is a luxury in and of itself.

 

Go to a Gracie Barra one!  They're the best!

 

 

 

 My future luxury and dream would be to live on the beach and have a place large enough to entertain guests. We also want a small farm.

 

You know what's really funny... my mom's childhood home is this poor fishing village in the Philippines.  Their house was across the street from the beach and it was fairly large because it was handed down for generations and each generation adds a room to it.  But, it was a poor home with an "out house" for a bathroom and indoor plumbing only in the kitchen that is fed from a water tank that you have to manually pump to fill.  The lot was fairly large (also handed down for generations) and so my grandmother has a small farm and a coconut "grove" (dunno if that's the right word).

 

My mom, left her poor childhood home to seek her fortune and she ended up moving to the big city in the next island over and is like a celebrity back home for her success.  People would flock to grandma's house when my mom comes to visit.

 

The funny thing is... as my mom got older, she wants to retire to a house on the beach... well... there's grandma's house - which now has an indoor bathroom with plumbing and electricity for the pump... so the house she left to seek her fortune actually ended up to be her dream home.

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It's funny how different people's experiences are.  I absolutely agree with the second -- SUCH a luxury!!  Though at this stage of life for me, I think I'd prefer the luxury of being able to hire a professional organizer to help me get my entire house in order, because then it would be much easier to clean.

 

The first, though...for me, luxury is eating out once a month.

 

 

 

I definitely agree.  I stay home with my kids, but it's not just because I can.  My husband works and earns enough to support our family, but barely.  With debt we are paying off, and exorbitant local taxes, we're barely living paycheck to paycheck.  (I guess that's not entirely accurate...we're tucking away for a family vacation, but we have nothing leftover for small luxuries -- "good" ice cream, or going out to dinner, or a new skirt, just because, etc.)  In some ways, being a stay at home parent doesn't feel like a luxury.  It's stressful, financially.  But if I were to go to work, we wouldn't be any better off in that department, because we'd have to pay for childcare.

In our area (and more and more others, I'm finding on oarenting forums over the last 10 years)...

Most families with a stay at home parent are NOT staying home as a luxury.

They're staying home because they have to.

Because childcare costs more than what they would make.

It's $1600 per month per child for McChildcare in our area.

"Better" childcare costs $2,000+ per month per child.

Even 1 kid means blue collar workers can't afford to work.

But 2 or 3?

The only people who can afford that are the 6 figure professionals.

Q

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Our computers would be our biggest luxury.  Every person in our household has their own laptop.  Granted, most of the computers were not new when purchased, but used ones that my husband reconditioned.  We would all have withdrawals if our computers were taken away.  I have to admit, it isn't the computer so much, but access to the internet that would bring me withdrawals.

 

To me, every modern day convenience I have, I consider a luxury.  I love my mixer, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, toaster, griddle, toilets, showers/tubs, clean running water, soap/shampoo, food from the grocery store, internet, rototiller, pickup/car, ready made clothing, towels, quilts/blankets, etc.

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Husband and I are sushi addicts.

 

We eat sushi almost weekly. 

 

Though, to be honest, I pay for this by donating plasma. It's how we justify the expense.

 

Yes, I think we would go through sushi withdrawals.

 

We also have an X-Box (used to have Live accounts).  I would say we have internet and Netflix 'cept those are paid for by my grandmother...

 

All those little niceities, though, I honestly think I could live without if I had to.  I've lived with American-standard basics and I'm okay with them.

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Wait I am supposed to offset the dolls by giving? I have nothing to give lol

 

Yes.  Tithe.  10%.  That would be an arm.  Or maybe a leg.  Lakumi would still look good without either one.

 

:D

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Our home and yard are a bit of a luxury, but not fancy by many's standards, and we've worked for years to set things up so that we can afford it without being totally house poor. (Of course with DH starting a business, our house is pretty much all we have to enjoy right now. LOL But we sure enjoy it.)

 

Health insurance would be a luxury, if we had it. LOL

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