08 Feb 08 Real Needs vs Perceived Needs

I was reading this article at Home Economics 101

I so agree with Heather’s comments. We’d bought many of those gadgets over time, and when we moved we sold many of them on eBay, and we’ve not replaced them. Some people would probably say that some things go into the “cant live without” category, but we really didn’t use them, when we bought them before!

• Electric Popcorn Maker
• Deep Fat Fryer
• Ice Cream Maker

Sure, everyone’s mileage varies, but, for us, these were items that seemed such a good idea at the time, but rarely ever got used.

Regarding everyday cleaning items. We’ve reduced our use of bleach containing products which really aren’t good for the environment, and instead we have one of those spray bottles, that we fill with a 3% peroxide solution. You can use this for so many things from sterilizing counter tops, to using it on cuts. You can’t do the latter with that bleach-containing spray cleaner. You can use it in the washing machine too, instead of bleach, it’s kinder to fabrics.

We keep oil in a spray bottle too, and although we don’t fry a great deal of food, it’s great for using a minimal amount when we do shallow fry, and it’s good on the grill too.

I tend to “turn off” with advertising. I seldom watch TV, but if I do, within an hour, I could possibly be convinced that I need at least two new pills to alleviate the symptoms of the illness I didn’t know I had until now. I should also be eager to reach old age, so I can take advantage of that too good to be true reverse mortgage offer.

Talking about too good to be true, cynical and skeptical me says if it’s too good to be true, it almost certainly is!

Tags: bleach, counter tops, fabrics, gadgets, good idea at the time, heather, home economics, many things, mileage, peroxide, pills, popcorn maker, reverse mortgage, shallow fry, spray bottle, spray bottles, washing machine