What ordinary item don't you have by choice that most people do?

[Honeycombe8]

What ordinary item don't you have by choice that most people do?

I don't have or use electric can openers. I have one in the pantry (it was given to me used). But I don't see the need for them. I have a perfectly good and easy to use Kitchen-Aid manual can opener. It fits in a drawer. Someone told me I'm weird for not having an electric can opener.

Is there some ordinary item that YOU don't have, by choice, that other people do?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. An ice maker in my refrigerator.

No electric can opener, either.

[Honeycombe8]

3. Do they make large friges w/o ice makers these days? nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. They do make them, my dear Honeycombe8!

We have a large refrigerator, but no ice maker. I did not want one; they're always breaking down.

[Honeycombe8]

7. I'll look for that, then, when I buy my new fridge. I could do w/o the space hog, noisy

icemaker. And yeah, just another thing to break.

[southerncrone]

85. And leaking!

We had one ruin our hardwood floors because of a small leak that went undetected for weeks.
Never again. We just don't hook it up on the new one.

[Little Star]

102. We had to special order one without the icemaker.....

Those things are always breaking down and they take up way to much room in the freezer.

But, yes, they do still make them. Thank goodness.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Yes. I have one.

[RebelOne]

14. Yes, I have a fairly large refrigerator without an ice maker.

I only bought it last year, but it works for me since I do not use that much ice.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Me, either

or a DVR or even an HD TV. I even had a rotary dial phone till the late 1990s.

[blueamy66]

34. I'm with ya

no electric can opener or ice maker

[LynneSin]

88. I have 3 icemakers in my refrigerator

The 3rd one was from Ikea - one of those ice cube makers that makes long thin ice cubes you can put into bottled beverages.

[graywarrior]

2. A microwave

[tjwmason]

68. Same here

They're utterly hopeless for actual cooking.

[graywarrior]

70. I hate them

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. No ice makers or electric can openers for me, either!

We don't have an outdoor grill either.

[madmom]

5. I have no electric can opener or ice maker. I also don't

have a garage door opener, tivo or a doorbell. Oh I don't have an answering machine either.

[RebelOne]

15. I have an electric can opener only because it was on sale at Big Lots.

I did not open that many cans so just used a manual opener. I did have a garage door opener, but an electric problem shorted it o

[Ptah]

8. Cable TV

[Denninmi]

53. Me too.

Anytime I've stayed anywhere with cable, whether "basic" or "premium" it's just more channels of crap. Not better programming, just a wider selection of bad programming.

Heck, I hardly even watch broadcast tv anymore, it's all crap, too.

I think the only programming on broadcast tv I even watched routinely this past season was ... heck, I can't even think of anything.

It's a vast wasteland.

[GoCubsGo]

55. Ditto.

Except for the "vast wasteland" part. Loads of great stuff on PBS, especially now, with digital, they have 3 sub-channels. And, if you are lucky enough to live near a state border, like I do, you might get six channels. I barely miss having satellite.

[dixiegrrrrl]

61. No tv or radio., and no cell phone.

computer provides all the noise I want in my house.
well, that and the cats.
Do have a land line for calling out, but rarely pick up for incoming calls. The answering machine filters those.

[grasswire]

77. PTAH!

Is that a print, or a postcard, or what?

Cutest kitty image ever! My orange tabby loved watermelon.

[Frannyfannypack]

101. another one without cable

[Arkansas Granny]

104. I don't have cable, either. I wouldn't watch enough of the channels to justify the cost.

I also don't have electric can opener or an ice maker in my refrigerator. The only reason I have a cell phone is because my kids got it for me.

[Bertha Venation]

105. I envy you.

I regret to say that I need my TV. Especially during baseball season.

[Downwinder]

9. Car.

I could have one but I am not safe.

[Iggo]

42. Me, too.

I don't need a dependent.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. A reality T.V. habit

Useless drivil. Right up there with Free Republic.

[klook]

12. +1 (n/t)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

29. I could watch it, but I choose not too

I'm angry at the networks for giving publicity to crude, brainless narcissists.

[klook]

13. A car elevator.

Most people have those, don't they?

[Honeycombe8]

22. LOL! Very clever! nt

[hibbing]

26. hahahahaa

Hi,
Nice one! Thanks for the well needed laugh tonight!

Peace

[MountainLaurel]

16. Children n/t

[GoneOffShore]

17. Microwave and electric can opener and DVR

Hate microwaves - they are useless for actual cooking.

Bought a Kuhn Rikon can opener which is great!

Nothing on TV that I want to see, except Big Bang Theory and I'm too cheap for premium cable.

[Honeycombe8]

24. I use my microwave for heating things....

I keep dog's wet food in fridge, and heat it up in 20 sec. I also use it for cooking scrambled or sunny side up eggs, turkey bacon, heating soup, melting cheese (fondue stuff, or melt it on sandwich or top of soup), frozen dinners.

How do you get by w/o a microwave? Yikes!

Not that it's weird. I guess I'm just spoiled.

[GoneOffShore]

27. Used to have one at the office

I didn't like what it did to food. Dries it out, doesn't crisp things.

The broiler or the toaster oven works for melted cheese. If I do fondue, it's in a double boiler.

We have an electric kettle for coffee and tea.

And if I need to defrost stuff it goes into a big bowl of water on the counter top. Thirty to forty five minutes gets most things defrosted except for big chickens.

Some folks swear by microwaves. But I never learned to use one. If I had to, I guess I would. Though I'd probably kick and scream about it. I think I'd rather cook in my fireplace.

[pipi_k]

32. I can't even remember

what I did before I got a microwave.

I use mine all the time. I also have a small toaster/convection oven that I use frequently.

There are only the two of us here, and I find I don't have to use my regular oven. So it makes a good storage area for some pots and pans.

[LoveMyCali]

82. I'm with you

I don't have an electric can opener, it just seems like a waste when it's just as easy to use one of the hand ones but I'm afraid I'd starve to death without a microwave. I live alone so I always cook too much and the leftovers make several more meals throughout the week. How did I survive my childhood when everything was warmed up on the stove?

[Zavulon]

18. Like you, an electric can opener, but also

Cable TV (I can't afford it, so I don't know if that qualifies as 'by choice' or not), a hair dryer, and a microwave oven.

[ChazII]

19. 1) no clothes dryer

living in Phoenix - I use solar power aka clothes line

2) no cable

3) new refrigerator but it does not have the ice cube maker

I do have an electric can opener but that is because I lost my left handed manual can opener.

I guess not having a clothes dryer is what most people consider 'weird'.

[Art_from_Ark]

98. No clothes dryer here, either

Clothes dryers are very rare here in Japan. About the only place you'll seem them is at coin laundries.

I have super basic cable, just enough to receive 3 commercial Japanese networks, the 2 NHK channels, and the community cable channel.

No need for any type of can opener, really, because all of the canned goods sold here have pull-up pop tops, like Vienna sausage cans.

[crunch60]

20. Ten years free of the O' TEE VEE...

Forgot, no clothes dryer. Use my outside whirly bird..

[solara]

21. I don't have an electric can opener either - I also

don't have the following items

outdoor grill
ice maker
garage door opener
garage
tivo
doorbell
microwave
washer
dryer
dishwasher
cell phone
game system

I am sure there are many more things that could be added to this list

[Honeycombe8]

23. No washer? You mean you hand wash all your clothes?

Yikes!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. There's this invention called a "laundromat"

I don't own a washer or dryer either.

[Honeycombe8]

49. LOL! I forgot about those, tho I used 'em for years. Don't talk to strangers there!

When I used them after dark, in my apt complex, I'd carry my gun in my pocket. I didn't live in a safe area.

[solara]

39. haha I go to the laundromat

( edited for spelling)

[Honeycombe8]

46. Ohhhhhhh. I feel much better, now. I had a heart attack when I read your post! nt

[solara]

73. Hee hee you are so sweet

[femmocrat]

25. I don't have any of those new-fangled electronic gadgets.....

Like iPad, iPod, Blackberry, Nook, Kindle, Palm Pilot, whatever. (Does anyone still use Palm Pilots?)

I do have a cell phone, but it doesn't do much. I have it in the car in case of an emergency. I only turn it on when I am driving. LOL

[emilyg]

37. I don't either.

[Honeycombe8]

47. I'm sort of like you. Prepaid cell ph. No ipad,etc., except I got a Kindle.

I got one for a relative in a nursing home (she doesn't have access to books), so I got one for myself, too, so I could help her learn to use it.

It's pretty cool, as long as you stick to the books that are free.

[HappyMe]

67. No iphone, android, ipad, lap top.

I have a prepaid cell.

I really don't need any of the stuff.

[HeiressofBickworth]

31. No electric can opener,

just an ordinary call-in, call-out cell phone. But I do have an ice-maker in the freezer which we (family of 4) use quite a bit; had it for years and it's never had a problem (knocking on wood). The rest of the family is all teched-up with the do-all phones, several game systems, Netflix, on-line gaming, DVR, HDTV, etc. etc.

[rrneck]

33. Garbage disposal

dishwasher
Oven
Air conditioner (truck or home)
Dryer (belt broke, maybe I'll fix it some day)
Television or cable
Radio (or one of those ithingies)

[Honeycombe8]

48. No garbage disposal, either. nt

[grasswire]

79. I do wish I had a garbage disposal

I know they aren't great for the environment, though. But I love having one and wish I did!

[rrneck]

81. That one's easy for me to give up

My culenary skills leave a lot to be desired.

[Honeycombe8]

111. They're bad for your pipes. nt

[Rambis]

86. Got rid of it

I asked a plumber/sewer guy when he was reaming out my mother in laws do you have one of these? He said these things keep me in business but I would never have one in my house.

[hunter]

91. Our garbage disposal broke years ago...

... we didn't have any money to buy a new one so I removed it and replaced it with an ordinary drain.

The kitchen sink hasn't clogged since.

We don't eat anything we can't compost.

We have a television, but no satellite or cable. 95% of our television watching is movies on DVD.

I'm a complete Luddite, there are a lot of things I could do without, but my wife does not agree.

On my own I'd probably be like my great grandma who had two forty watt electric lamps and a radio. The only reason she let the Rural Electrification people onto her property was her husband's bad radio habit. Batteries for tube radios were expensive. I remember her scolding my mom's cousin as a spendthrift who'd someday lose the family homestead because he and his wife installed an electric pump and indoor plumbing in the "new" house. They bought the pump on credit from Sears. My great grandma lived in the "old" house, a little two room cabin, built in the 1870's. She fetched her own water and heated it on the wood stove, and she used an outdoor privy.

Staying with my great grandma was like going back in time. Not so bad in the summer, but in the winter you'd wake up and have to pee, and then you'd have to decide which was worse, trekking outside through the snow to use the outhouse or using great grandma's chamber pot.

[mykpart]

35. No ice maker, no electric can opener,

no garbage disposer, no dishwasher. I have a hair dryer, but I rarely use it.

[pipi_k]

36. No

doorbell

No garage. Well, it's sort of a garage, but more like a barn. Stuff of all sorts is in the barn-garage and vehicles are under a metal carport thing.

No electric can opener. I like the kind that opens cans along the seam so there are no sharp edges. Mine is a hand operated one...pretty red color.

Kitchen table and chairs. I have a counter with bar stools.

[csziggy]

38. A hair dryer

My hair is baby fine and hair dryers make it brittle and prone to breakage. I owned one in my adult life - I threw it away about ten years after it was recalled because it contained asbestos. I had forgotten I even owned it!

I do have an electric can opener which gets used about once a month. I had a manual one but when I got trigger thumb (couldn't bend my thumb very much at all) I had to get an electric one to open the cat food cans. Now the cat gets pop top canned food and my thumb is better, but I keep the electric one just in case.

[GoCubsGo]

59. I have one, but I rarely use it.

I usually let my hair air dry. The only time I use it is if I am going out to dinner right after I go to they gym. Or, if I need to go out somewhere right away, and it's really cold outside. I don't like going out in the cold with damp hair.

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. i don't have a toaster or elect can opener. got tired of lots of small appliances taking up

counter space. took them to good will. even the george forman grill.

I have one toaster oven that can be used to toast bread or grill.

[Iggo]

41. Automobile.

[Populist_Prole]

43. Flat screen TV.

Still have an old tube type TV. It's only on 2-3 hours a week, and the day it breaks and I have to buy a replacement; it would break my heart.

[SoDesuKa]

44. Color Printer

I have an HP 1012 that prints black and white. It won't print directly from the Internet because of the Vista operating system, but I can cut and paste into some program that will print. The 1012 goes forever without needing a new cartridge, unlike color printers (from what I hear).

HP 1012 - takes a lickin' keeps on tickin'

[sendero]

45. Electric can openers..

... are kind of silly IMHO. It just really is not that much work to open a can.

On the other hand, an icemaker is indispensible if you live in the south

[dixiegrrrrl]

62. Electric can openers are a boon to folks with hand/gripping issues.

[HopeHoops]

50. Anything with the "AS SEEN ON TV" label on it.

[GoCubsGo]

57. The only thing I have in that regard are Shamwows.

I use them to soak up sweat. Better than a towel if you are outside all day, as they are lighter and easier to pack in a knapsack. The small ones fit fine in one's pocket, and are far more absorbent than a bandana.

[dixiegrrrrl]

63. Wow..I had not thought of that use.

They really work, huh?

[GoCubsGo]

66. Yeah, they're pretty absorptive, believe it or not.

I sweat buckets, and they suck it right up. The large, yellow ones are roughly the the equivalent to a bath towel as far as what they can absorb. Maybe a little more so. They also make great insulation. When I was doing summer field work here in the hot, humid South, I would freeze a 1 liter bottle of water and wrap it in one of the big Shamwows. Even after sitting in a hot truck all day, there was usually at least some ice left in them by the time I got back to drink it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

69. Adding a couple to the grocery list, with thanks.

Mr. dixie spends all day outside in this heat, he can use some of those.
I like the ice water suggestion, too.

[GoCubsGo]

71. You can get one of the knock-offs at some grocery stores.

I think they're made by 3M, and they work about as well, although the ones I got were small in size--good for carrying around. They're a good way to give these things a try without buying a whole big box of Shamwows. Not that the Shamwows are all that expensive these days. You'll find them with the all the other cleaning supplies. Just be sure that if you get a knock-off that they're German-made (or US-made, if there is such a thing). I don't know if the Chinese knock-offs are any good.

[HopeHoops]

72. You can get the same thing at the Dollar Tree.

[Myrina]

51. Doorbell, Ice Maker, GPS, Cable TV, Leaf Blower, Laptop/ipad

Flat Screen Tv, home-printer, coffee maker ... I'm kind-of a simple gal.

[GoCubsGo]

56. I don't have about half of those, either.

No GPS, cable, leaf blower, flat screen TV or iPad. I do have a laptop, but it's ancient, as is my printer, which is a necessity, as I print out a lot of my grocery coupons and the occasional job application. (Yes. There are still a few places that don't take applications electronically.) I do have a shop vac that reverses into a blower, however. And, I do use it on occasion to clear my garage, driveway and porch of the stuff the broom just doesn't sweep away.

[Shadowflash]

52. No cell phone

Don't need one. Don't want one.

[grilled onions]

54. interesting question

we don't have cable,dish nor a black box. No ice maker(no ice either). We only have landline phone service. No cell phone. One old pick up truck. No electric can opener.Our luxury is our computer,DVD's and take out once in awhile.

[cbayer]

58. Toilet connected to a sewerage system, dryer sheets, hair dryer, hair conditioner, alarm clock

Dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, toaster, toaster oven, standing blender, unlimited water, unlimited electricity, decent internet access, cable or satellite TV, a physical address, watch.

What I have that most people don't - solar panels, water maker, the ability to move my entire house for free, no mortgage, no rent (most of the time), no utility bills.

[Motown_Johnny]

60. Cable TV

I hate Comcast and won't give them another dime so long as I live. A couple years ago I moved and the neighbor's trees block a satellite signal so I just dropped the service.


I still get local channels and watch MSNBC online. Then there is Hulu and places like Comedycentral.com and CBS.com.


Besides that I just do without. It isn't that big a deal.

[Honeycombe8]

96. But can you watch the MSNBC shows on the same day they air? So that you

get the latest Tweety & Big Ed and such?

I thought I wanted to watch Tweety online one day, and I could find only little clips of the show that had aired earlier that day. Not a video of the whole show. Just the interview with so-and-so, and a clip of such and such, and that was it. And they weren't dated, so I wasn't sure the date, I think?

I'm thinking more and more of dropping my satellite. It's just gotten so expensive. But the main shows I watch are news shows, and those are the hardest to access without satellite or cable.

[Motown_Johnny]

108. You can watch the live feed.

http://www.livetvcenter.com/msnbc_1547.asp




Go to the link and click on the big arrow.

[Phentex]

64. Lawnmower, garbage disposal, electric can opener...

there are probably others but I can't think of them now.

[Shrek]

65. Facebook account

I don't understand the appeal.

[texanwitch]

74. I don't have a clothes dryer but a clothes iine.

I don't have dish washer, old kitchen.

I do not miss either one.

[Kennah]

75. Vibrator

[Honeycombe8]

93. LOL! That's a good one. nt

[Kennah]

99. I'm told they can be

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

76. Microwave, DVD player

cell phone, dishwasher................ and yes I do have electricity!

[grasswire]

78. CAR

Haven't really needed one -- it's been nine years since my last Volvo conked out and I sold it on eBay for $35. Ha! It had 250,000 miles on it. If I need a car for something I'll rent one. Public transportation here is top notch, and getting even better with light rail.

Also

no microwave (I have one in storage tho)
no smart phone
no flat TV
no laptop
no icemaker
lots of no's

[MADem]

80. I have an electric can opener but I do not use it. I use the crank one. Works well.

The electric can opener is stuffed in the back of a cabinet.

I don't have an iPhone or an iPad. I do have a tracfone and a cheap laptop.

I don't have a DVR or TIVO or any of that stuff.

I don't have airbags in my car (my car was made BA--before airbags).

[LibertyLover]

83. At first I thought I had pretty much everything

then I started reading posts and realized that I don't have an electric can opener, an ice maker in the freezer, a working refrigerator in the kitchen (we have a small one on the porch for perishables and use the sub-par working one in the kitchen for bread and stuff like that, its freezer still works though), a dish washer, a sink disposal unit, a garage and therefore a garage door opener, and a clothes dryer I can use when the air temp is ove 90 degrees. The house we rent sucks.

[hifiguy]

84. No ice maker or electric can opener here either.

I do wish I had a microwave just for reheating things and a small outdoor grill. Burgers, brats, hotdogs and steak taste best cooked over coals. No game console, DVR or smart phone either.

[southerncrone]

87. No electric can opener or ice maker or

smart phone or
Kindle or
doorbell or
blender.

I do have a cell phone which I'd LOVE to be rid of, but hubby insists.

I can understand how an electric can opener can be helpful to those w/arthritis; that would not be a luxury, but perhaps a necessity.

[Jamaal510]

89. A car and a drivers license.

I have already had 2 cars totaled (because of people sliding into my house on rainy days) and 1 stolen, and I need to buy yet another car to practice my driving. I'm 22, and I still don't have a license. I really want to learn how to drive, so I can get from Point A to Point B without having to always take the bus and also be able to go out on my own at night. But I just get so nervous when behind the wheel...there's so much stuff to remember like periodically checking the speedometer, constantly scanning the road for accidents, and pulling over to the side of the road to let tailgaters pass.

[Honeycombe8]

94. You may need to get a license to vote. nt

[CBGLuthier]

90. I do not have an ice maker, electric can opener, microwave or cable tv.

I can fill ice trays, use a manual opener, cook real food, and find better entertainment value.

[laundry_queen]

92. Geez, I have everything.

Although a few months ago I could have said, "Coffee Maker". Then my mom gave me one (and thus started me on my addiction).
I guess I don't have an ice maker, just trays (BTW, those skinny ice 'cube' trays are the BEST for water bottles that have small openings - I reuse water bottles)
I don't have an iPad or eReader/Kindle, but several iPods (I have 4 kids, and their dad buys them lots of tech things). That's not really by choice though. I'd love to have those things.
I don't have a manual can opener, LOL. When I was going through my divorce, I left without a lot of things. My mom gave me her electric can opener (she uses a nice manual one) and I never got around to buying a manual one. I do have a bottle opener/can piercer thingy so if the world came to an end I could still get into my canned food, LOL, but no actual manual can opener. When the electric one dies I'll buy a nice manual one.

[Honeycombe8]

95. I have one of those old fashioned bottle opener/piercer tools, too.

I have one with a magnet on it, so I can stick it to the fridge. I was always losing those, and the last time I needed to replace it, it was hard to find one! The only one I found had a magnet, and I've found it comes in handy, so I don't lose it.

A manual can opener would come in handy if your power ever goes out.

[fishwax]

97. a microwave -- I don't have an electric can opener either, but

that never struck me as strange because nobody in my family never had one when I was growing up either.

[yardwork]

100. I don't have a TV.

No ice maker in the refrigerator either.

[backtoblue]

103. cable, facebook account, city water

(use well)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

106. An elevator for my cars

Doesn't everyone else have one in the garage?

[sinkingfeeling]

107. No Iphone, no Facebook, no electric can opener, and no garage.

[HopeHoops]

109. An 8" glow-in-the-dark dildo. No, wait. We have one of those. Never mind.

[Neoma]

110. No plastic bags!

I have 8 cloth bags. They're made out of hemp, and they're wonderful. It's a complete waste otherwise.

[Honeycombe8]

112. Wow, man. I see colors. No, wait...that was a different decade.

But seriously, I use plastic bags for doggie pooper bags.

[Neoma]

113. If we get some, we recycle them.

We only have cats, and there's such a thing as flushable litter. Also such a thing as biodegradable dog poop bags...

[Honeycombe8]

114. Nothing degrades in a landfill. Everything is crushed together w/o air.

When I had a cat, I never flushed the litter. Bad for the pipes, and clogging risk.

[Neoma]

115. They make the litter for flushing...

[Honeycombe8]

116. I know. I was responding to your comment about flushable litter. Clogging risk....

bad for the pipes. I have an old house.