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Thread: The "Do I Even Need This?" Thread

  1. #1
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    The "Do I Even Need This?" Thread

    I used to spray all my clothing with Static Guard every single day because I can't stand static cling. I forget what prompted it, but a couple of years ago, I decided to skip it on cotton clothing and fabrics less prone to static, and then I also realized static wasn't really an issue most seasons of the year. I'm now at a point where I hardly even use it at all.
    Fabric softener dryer sheets - I know these are controversial, but I have continued to use them, only cutting them in half. The past few months I have experimented with skipping them completely and hang-drying things like fleece that are the most static prone (apparently the dryer promotes static?). I'm finding I really don't need to use these very much at all.
    Perfume - about a year ago, I was running low on my favorite perfume, and realized it was getting harder to find and more expensive. I went from "I need to buy perfume" to "hell, no one EVER needs perfume," which both simplified my life and helped my budget.
    Similarly, they keep discontinuing the colors of nail polish I like, and I've decided clear polish is the way to go, simple, seems to dry faster, and I actually get compliments on my nails, so I think the important thing is to have clean, well-groomed nails.
    Has anyone else found that something they thought was needed isn't really needed at all?

  2. #2
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    Trash service.

    it’s been >9 months and I am not missing trash service.

    i used someone else’s static guard once on a skirt before an interview, and I have used nail polish a few times in my life. I might use nail polish again some time, but I wouldn’t consider it a need.

    I’m managing ok without a home printer, although I confess to printing a few personal items at work. As I provided the printer and current ink that is in my classroom (by accepting them free from someone else and taking them in), I don’t feel guilty about that. also, dh cancelled netflix, but that wasn’t really a need either.

  3. #3
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Great topic.

    I agree with you on Static Guard and dryer sheets. I haven't used Static Guard since I stopped wearing nylon slips, which was decades ago. I never use dryer sheets. I heat most of my wet clothes for about 3 minutes in the dryer and then I hang them up. And if a dry a load completely, I don't care if a sock clings to a towel, and I certainly don't need the fake fragrance.

    Things I've learned I don't really need:
    --hair dye. I've gone natural
    --deodorant. I do wear deodorant when I'm going out in public for security, but if it's winter, and I'm at home, and I take a shower, come on. How much am I apt to perspire?
    --electric can opener. Forget it. Never had one.
    --coasters. My furniture can stand up to wet beverages. If not, I use a napkin or scrap paper.
    --commercial window cleaner. I've switched to vinegar and water. I use vinegar and water for a lot of cleaning, but I have to admit, I've gotten hooked on Mrs. Meyers for cleaning the kitchen.
    --Keurig. I had one for a while, but got rid of it. I'm back to a drip pot.

    I'm interested in hearing what others say.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    Agreed on static guard and dryer sheets. I also rarely use fabric softener in the washer - I substitute vinegar.
    The dryer itself...I hang outdoors for the most part.
    An iron. I've got wrinkle free clothing and don't need too much pressing. It's been years since I've used the iron. I do have a refresh cycle in the dryer, but I think it's only been used a handful of times too.
    Agreed with perfume, and also body spray. I used to get some scents from bath and body that were nice, but I've let them go.
    Antibacterial hand soap. I believe them when they say it's counterproductive and kills the good. Also proper hand washing technique gets rid of the germs.

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    Several of the items mentioned, I just don't use to begin with - perfume, nail polish, body spray. Kids have a blow dryer in the bathroom that they use, but when they go - it will go. LOL. I still own but have not used (boxed up on a pantry shelf) a food processor. I always hated the cleaning of all the parts, etc. Anymore I just grab a knife and/or the hand shredder. We keep a roll of paper towel on top of the fridge, but they don't get used often and a roll usually lasts over a month. Cloth towels and rags are used instead. Same goes with napkins - cloth over paper. This is an interesting thread as I've been sitting here trying to think of what I actually have but don't need/use. I can't think of anything else and am happy that my decluttering seems to be working!!
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

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    All those fragrances you have stopped using - very smart. Fragrances irritate those with asthma and allergies - and they are increasingly linked with hormone disruption and cancers.

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    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    What about that stuff I spray daily on my fiberglass tub surround? I'm not convinced that it's actually doing anything of benefit.

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    Nope, you don’t need it. Wipe it off when you think it needs it with your cleaner of choice (I vote for water and white vinegar) and you will save time and money. (If the substance has been creating a “sheeting action” and you have hard water, you may see some slight “water spot” marks on the surface after the tub dries - if that torments you, wipe with a damp microfiber cloth, but really, does it matter?)

    and i I will thank you for consuming less plastic (packaging) and not putting whatever that is in our water.

    my dh is the king of “do you need this.” I asked him if we could get a pretty mat to go under the dogs’ water dishes and he said “the dogs are here about ten days a year and we would have to store it. Can’t you just put an old towel down?”

    so far i’m feeling pretty good about my choices - I do use my dryer too much, and want to put my clothes line back up. Also I need to keep the iron because when I need it, I do need it.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Sad Eyed Lady's Avatar
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    I was a faithful fabric softener user until a board on here made me think about the dangers of using it. I went cold turkey and never looked back. That was maybe 10 years ago. About a year ago I quit coloring my hair, and found I really like my dark with silver blend and have gotten many compliments on it. This summer when I had several weeks of pure torture dealing with allergies or some reaction from deodorant, I no longer use the stuff. I use cornstarch and like Catherine said, if I am clean and mostly at home, not working up a sweat why do I need it? I imagine there are many things we have gone through life thinking we "need" because somewhere an advertising strategy convinced us we did. Oh and another one, a different product to clean different parts of the house. Baking soda, vinegar, ammonia, etc. clean most things. Remember Mop & Glo? Thought I had to use that to mop the floor. lol! That was many years ago.
    "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Leonard Cohen

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Stuff I had that I don't need (and have gotten rid of):
    - most cleaning chemicals. Vinegar, Bon Ami, and water; that's what I use. There still are some specialty cleaning chemicals in the house (Simple Green for real crud-cutting, borax, melamine-foam sponges, etc.). But all the rest? History.
    - slow-cooker liners. They always seemed to leak, so they didn't save me from cleaning the crock anyway. And I wasn't comfortable with that plastic sitting there cooking for hours on end. So now I either use an oil spray or wipe oil on the crock. Or -- more frequently -- I don't use the crockpot since I'm tiring of the "all-one-texture" results.
    - hand vacuum. Yeah, it's more of a hassle to haul out the upright, but it doesn't take much longer and I don't have to keep track of the hand vac.
    - a watch (actually, I had two). My phone fits in my pocket and does the job.
    - my wok (actually this still is around but). I find I'm using my 12" skillet far more often because the flat bottom heats more food faster. I'm stirring anyway. The wok still has some sentimental value, so I'm not up to getting rid of it yet.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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