What can you live without, and what can't you live without?

[Hjaltlander]

Hi all,

Been thinking again, (bad sign that!) and I wonder what you folks out there consider essential for long term living and comfort? Now I am not meaning a weekend in the woods type gear, more like life type gear, if that makes sense?

I will start the ball rolling with...

I can live without,

TV,I don't own one, and have hardly watched one in 3 to 4 years, and to be honest, I don't feel the need to own one any time soon.

Telephone, I am so fed up with being woken by some poor fellow in Mumbai, trying to sell me something, A mobile is handy, but it could go too I suppose?

Mains Electric, I could probably live without, but only if I could generate my own, somehow?

I can't live without,

A shower and proper toilet, well I could in the short term, but eventually you really want a nice shower.

Soft toilet roll, well if I have a toilet, I may as well have proper toilet roll!

I'm not sure if I can live without,

My computer and the Internet, well I probably could manage to train myself to forget it is there like I have with TV, but I get most of my enjoyment from it at the moment! Sad i know!!! Also how else would I be able to view this wonderful site?

Anyway, what do you fine folks feel is essential for comfortable life? please try and add arguments for or against your choices.

Hjaltlander

 

[leon-b]

i can go with out a mobile, i have one but it never gets taken out with me or used
leon

 

[bent-stick]

Can live without:
TV
Plumbing (The idea of concentrating waste in factories is a real anathema to me)
Phone

Can't live without:
Radio 4
Sweet, Milky Twinings Chai tea
Cake
Sharp shiny things
Dry socks
Kelly kettle
Barts green curry paste
ok probably my broadband connection...
I hope you didn't expect sensible answers...

 

[fred gordon]

The older I gt the more I recognise the statement 'Know more, carry less'.
I could live without;
TV, Mobile phones, cars, computers (then I'd miss BCUK), soft toilet paper(try sphagnum moss!), Credit cards.

I couldn't live without;
Friends (Mrs included here!), books, dogs,my outdoor kit, my bicycle,my house, visits to the woods and seashore.
I'm sure I could go on!

 

[Hjaltlander]

Hi all,

Any answer is better than no answer at all I think?

Fridge or Freezer, I think would be a must have, but for this one needs electric, I would think

I suppose if I could find enough things to occupy my mind, hands with, the Computer and Internet could go???

Hjaltlander

 

[gregorach]

I have lived without:

Mains electricity
Refridgeration (in Australia, no less)
TV
Phone of any kind
Flushing toilet
Running hot water
Mains water supply
Computer / Internet

The main "luxury" item I really don't fancy living without is tobacco... Oh, and tea - but then tea isn't a luxury, is it?

 

[huntersforge]

Boy have you got me thinking !!!
Great post. :You_Rock_ :You_Rock_

 

[moko]

I would love to live without politics....oh..and tesco's.
Couldnt live without my kids.

 

[QDanT]

Hi all,

Any answer is better than no answer at all I think?

Fridge or Freezer, I think would be a must have, but for this one needs electric, I would think

I suppose if I could find enough things to occupy my mind, hands with, the Computer and Internet could go???

Hjaltlander

cheers

 

[Hjaltlander]

A well stocked fridge, hmmm now i'm thirsty :You_Rock_

 

[Shambling Shaman]

cheers

How long did it stay like that???

Have gone with out electricity for two weeks - did not miss it?

Could not live with out a good book & Coffeeeeeeee

 

[ilan]

Think i would miss cheap? energy most no light to read with or heat on demand
some years ago when expenditure started to exceed income on the birth of our daughter . we used to use wood for heating in a wood burner , although the wood was free it used to take a day a week just to cut it up with a bow saw and this had to be done every week , Due to the small size of our back yard we could not store enough for more than a week as we burnt 4 weelbarrow fulls a day ?

 

[bent-stick]

Think i would miss cheap? energy most no light to read with or heat on demand
some years ago when expenditure started to exceed income on the birth of our daughter . we used to use wood for heating in a wood burner , although the wood was free it used to take a day a week just to cut it up with a bow saw and this had to be done every week , Due to the small size of our back yard we could not store enough for more than a week as we burnt 4 weelbarrow fulls a day ?

It's said that a wood fire keeps you warm twice...

 

[gregorach]

Three times: Collecting it, chopping it, burning it.

Although 4 wheelbarrow loads a day seems a heck of a lot...

 

[bambodoggy]

4 wheelbarrows does seem a heck of a lot....we heat our whole house with one woodburning stove and a single wheel barrow lasts about 2 days (Well it does when I'm feeding it....somewhat less when the wife starts gettign involved! lol).

I can live without most things and from time to time have.

The two I'd miss most are fags and coffee..... this is the only aspect of next years WEISS course that I'm not looking forward too and I've already been experimenting with a home made "Charger" to hide some baccy and papers in

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[ilan]

It was a reasonably big stove , i think the main problem was we burnt old window frames and lacked the heavy logs required to keep it in . It made me realise how reliant we are on cheap instant fuel ilan

 

[redflex]

For me,

Apart for food etc.......one thing I like to have is my small world radio, without it when I had no internet or phone or Tv I felt very cut off and isolated but with it I know what is happening in outside world and it is nice.

would miss my books , but could not live without my family. (well some of them one or two may not be missed)