I was pondering this whilst reading posts on an American site (Grandma Donna, have you come across her?) She and her husband are quite elderly but getting more fed up with the modern way of living and have been researching and experimenting with life as it was lived in the 1940s. It's certainly food for thought.
Folk in the comments on her site were talking about people having new kitchens put in and all-new appliances too, but some people weren't bothering with dishwashers any more, as they didn't last very long - built in obsolescence I suppose. I have never had one, but Tam has. Not sure if it really helps with their "I hate washing up" as the really dirty things, greasy pans etc, and certain items still have to be washed by hand. Keith was my washer upper, now I have to do it all myself!
We made our washing machine last 17 years by Keith changing the brushes on it regularly. My latest one has a 10 year parts guarantee so hopefully it will last 10 years! A washing machine is an essential of course. My poor mum had to make do with the "copper" in the corner of the kitchen. She was thrilled to bits when she finally got a twin-tub! When I was first married, the first time (married twice, divorced once) I didn't have a washing machine and having a husband in the motor trade, can still remember having to take a stout nail brush and washing soap to try and scrub out the worst of the oil on his jeans. Drying was a pull-out stretchy drying rack over the bath . . .
Which brings me to tumble driers. Had one once, wouldn't bother again.
Fabric conditioner - don't bother. I haven't used it for nearly 50 years and have never missed it. Total waste of money, and it pongs something awful. NOT a natural just-washed-line-dried smell at all! Yuk. Febreeze comes under the same heading, along with plug-in air conditioners.
An electric blanket - only just started using mine again to take the chill off the bed, but I have returned to hot water bottles - my feet get cold and in winter, that's no fun. I have a daytime electric blanket to drape over me which costs very little to run but can just heat me rather than turning the central heating on to heat the whole house when it's cool rather than chilly.
Central heating - yes please! In a house with no fireplace, it's non-negotiable. I use it sparingly and have it on just 17 deg when I do have it on. It would be upped if snow/frost outside.
A kettle. Can manage without that. Until recently I heated just a mug full of water up in a pan on the hot ring of my stove, but then noticed that even the little bit of steam from heating that (and not turning the extractor fan on) had lifted the covering on the end of the wall cupboard beside it.)
A vacuum cleaner. Yes that's a must-have. When Keith and I first at Ynyswen, mine broke and our financial state was so parlous we couldn't afford to buy another. I remember having to go round the carpets with a stiff brush and dustpan. I do not recommend that for one room, let alone the entire house, especially when we had inherited awful nylon carpets with the house. The one in the living room had to go straight away because years of muddy farm boots from the cow-hand living there had "embellished" it!
A breadmaker. Useful as I can just bung the ingredients in, go out and 3 hours later I will have a loaf. I can of course still make bread by hand if I want to, but it's nice to be able to raise the dough reliably to ready to cook in the oven, to get a good crust. In a cold kitchen, you have to wait longer for it to rise.
A microwave - not essential. Handy for re-heating small portions (I recall putting leftover meals on plates, covering with a dish and steaming over a pan of boiling water to reheat them.)
A shower. I grew up with shallow wartime baths (still do that - WHAT a waste of water having a deep one and wallowing in it for ages). I get in, wash, and out again. It's good to have the shower hose/nozzle for washing hair, but I grew up washing mine in the kitchen sink, so it could be done again if no shower available.
A radio. I used to have it on all the time in the kitchen, listening to Radio 4, but since moving here I have gotten out of the habit. I prefer to listen to podcasts when I am working in the kitchen, or upstairs sewing.
TV is non-negotiable to me as it stops me being quite so lonely, and I watch all sorts of documentaries which keep my brain active. The first winter here on my own was so lonely, but I used to have Kate at The Last Homely House on regularly and she was like having a friend in the room, one who quilted! The subscription to Sky was the first thing I stopped, and then the subscriptions to Ancestry/Find my Past. I may just get a month's subscription in January which is a long house-bound month.
Books - another non-negotiable. I use our local library, and also look for good books on the charity bookcases in supermarkets. Rarely do I buy a new book from a shop/on line.
Computer and Internet - don't be daft! Another way of keeping touch, learning things, shopping etc. Saves me on the shopping as my nearest big towns aren't near at all!!
A car - an essential, on many levels.
Well, enough of me wittering on. I fear we have all gotten far too used to "having everything". Sometimes less is more.
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