'-ish' Appliances

[Muddypause]

Given that the nature of this forum is 'ish', then I suppose that most of us are content to use some modern appliances and technology in our lifestyles, rather than try to be hard-core self sufficient. I'm wondering what would be the most indespensible appliances for an -ish lifestyle. All of these things could be dispensed with, but in practical, everyday terms, what would you be able give up?

I find there is a distressingly long list of things that I would prefer not to do without.

Top of the list, I would suggest, would be

Cooker
Fridge
Freezer

and almost certainly

Radio
Record/CD/MP3/etc. Player.

Probably also

Phone
Washing Machine
Vacuum Cleaner.

And I suppose there are things like

Hot Water
(Central) Heating
Electric Light.

Eminently dispensible may be things like

TV (as if)
Video/DVD/etc.

What about these

Computer + Internet
Microwave Oven
Bread maker/Juicer/Espresso/George-Foreman-Lean-Mean-Fat-Reducing-Grilling-Machine/etc.

What couldn't you live without?

[greenbean]

Hi Stew, 'less is more' as is the fashionable thing to say. I do have electricity and gas now, and am lucky enough to have an aga. I have lived in situations for quite some time where I have had only wood as a fuel and the less you have you more you will quickly beome self reliant.

[wulf]

Given my social context (21st Century London) I find my computer and broadband connection invaluable. I've got some of the other gadgets you listed, such as a breadmaker, etc - I could live without it but have found it an eminently useful tool (of course, what I really want is a breadmaker that I can program via my computer...).

I'm sure most of it could be taken away without affecting my ability to live happily but doing without, say, an oven, would prevent a lot of things I enjoy at present. On the other hand, it might open new opportunities. For example, contrary to the vast majority of the population, I've never owned a telly and have no idea how I'd fit one into my lifestyle while a lot of people probably feel that they'd be lost without it!

Wulf

[Andy Hamilton]

I think wulf has raised a good point it is all down to context, sure you can do without a vacuum cleaner if you have no carpets, I have lived without one before as with a video, Tv, Computer. Never that bothered about a microwave or a dishwasher.

When we go on holiday in a tent we do away with most of what you mention.

[Wombat]

From my experience we can do away with or substitute a lot of the list, but cooling is definitely difficult! Nothing works quite like the old fridge and freezer

Nev

[alcina]

Wulf..I'm sure you can run Linux on that breadmaker!

As my job is sysadmin a computer and a broadband connection are vital (we are talking "ish" here so I'm assuming that one still has to earn a crust to pay the bills!). Ideally though I'd like to have a solar roof to power all the electrical stuff.

I know they're wasteful on water and leccy but I still think the washing machine was one of the greatest inventions! And yes, the fridge and freezer: though of course these have made us become lazy about chosing our veggie varieties and growing habitats It doesn't matter if we have a veggie glut now we can freeze them. The relevance of needing early, late early, early late and late peas has all but gone

The cooker is an interesting one. After I moved in I managed with just a portable gas hob for ages, and I do have a BBQ in the garden. I *could* do without (actually I really like cooking over a proper campfire), but in London I'd have to be using smokeless fuel (which stinks) and even if smoke wasn't a problem, collecting enough firewood in the vicinity would be!

TV/DVD/VCR....I am a big film fan, and I have a vast collection of films, but I could do without. Certainly I rarely watch live TV!

Obviously we *can* do without all of these things - make our own knife out of obsidian and hunt wild animals (tad more difficult in London this...those pesky squirrels duck when I throw things at them!) but in the 21st Century just finding land to camp on for free is virtually impossible so you do need an income of some sort. It's a sad indictment that you can't be self-sufficient without money behind you.

Alcina

[wulf]

Wulf..I'm sure you can run Linux on that breadmaker!

I'm not a hardware whizz, so that would be stretching me a bit. I could write it a nice web page though

Wulf

[Magpie]

This has been a topic in our house of late, so it's good to see it come up here!

If you have an Aga or similar, it can so so many jobs, without electricity... heating rooms via radiators, hot water, cooking... so seems very SS, not even ish! Especially if you have your own trees...

Like Nev, our biggest thing is refrigeration, I would like to hear others' thoughts on this, especially with limited power. Koolgardi safe, anyone?

Our washing machine is a Fisher and Paykel Smart Drive, which uses way less power than other washing mashines.

An interesting thing comes up in articles, if you google "Smart Drive", someone is doing really interesting things with them. I shouldn't be so lazy, and should post a link for it!http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/new ... vation.asp There it is!

[Wombat]

I'll send Andy an article that I did a while back on evaporative cooling using the coolgardie safe and pot-in-pot system and see what you reckon!

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

I'll send Andy an article that I did a while back on evaporative cooling using the coolgardie safe and pot-in-pot system and see what you reckon!

Nev

sounds good mate

[cheap&cheerful]

We are just about to move to France with the sole intention of TRYING to live as self sufficiant as possible.
We've spent two years planning it and collecting stuff. 90% of the stuff we will be using has come from the local dump. Bathroom suite, kitchen units, the list is endless. The latest find is an old twin tub which I will need to use with our solar panels. We've been given 4 large solar water panels and John got me a cheap polytunnel frame.

He's a bit of a Tom Good is my old man, not backward about coming forward.

Driving along he saw some solar water panels, knocked on the chaps house to talk about how they worked, ended being given them because he didn't want them. All John had to do was disconnect them and make good the garden. Lucky or what! Same for the polytunnel, frame just sat there going rusty John goes in "excuse me, do you want to sell your frame" again chap didn't want it, didn't think it was worth selling, for a cheap price not only did we get the frame the bloke fished around and underneath an overgrown pile was all the drip feed water system.

The positive thing about this is John MAKES things happen, the negative is he can be SO EMBARRASING to go out with.

We are very lucky that we are starting from basics. And I mean basics, weve got to live in a caravan for 6 months.

Some of the things we plan to do to be self sufficiant,

Grow our own veg and meat
Solar for our water and electric
Solar oven for the summer---hay box in the winter
Log burner for heat and back boiler for water in the winter
Also will do most of my cooking casseroles etc on it as well
Compost loo to save water..will have a fosse too for visitors!

We will have an inverter for 24 volt but a lot of the stuff will run on 12volt

I think it's going to take a lot of adjusting to, and I'm sure when it's my turn to do the dishes I will think fondly of my dishwasher.

We're coming up to our 60's and it feels as if all the experience that we've gained over the years with our allotment, chickens, ducks etc has been leading us towards this. Also if we don't go for our dream now we never will.


Jill..

[Wombat]

Good Luck Jill,

sounds like a fascinating adventure, I hope that it goes well for you and that you keep us informed on how you go with it! An old friend of mine knew some people who moved to the country to farm when they were 60, but they came back to to town when it got a bit hard for them.............20 years later!

Nev

[Magpie]

I would be really interested in how things go for you, Jill, we have teetered on the same decision, of living in a caravan while we build, but with 3 young children, it seems a whole different kettle of fish... we may build a shed first, instead. What do you mean to do with your grey-water?

[ina]

For example, contrary to the vast majority of the population, I've never owned a telly and have no idea how I'd fit one into my lifestyle while a lot of people probably feel that they'd be lost without it!

Glad to see somebody else is as "mad" as that... I always get funny look when I tell people that I've never had one and don't ever want one.

I've never had a dishwasher, either; nor breadmaker, microwave or any of those other gadgets. I got a freezer last year, as it can be a bit difficult here at times - no shop round the corner, and my little car is no good when we get any snow, so extra milk and veg/fruit in the freezer is a good thing to have. Fridge, cooker, washing machine are the most important; so is some kind of heating. (A friend of mine runs heating, hot water and cooker on her aga. But then they have an unlimited supply of firewood.)

My cd player is rarely used, my radio is, though. (I've always wanted to get one of those wind-up ones!) BT has just told me they have to charge me less, as I use the phone so little... I do have a mobile, pay-as-you-go, but only for emergencies like break down in the middle of nowhere. (And then I'd probably find I've left the bloody thing at home, or it's not been charged for a while.)

And I still don't have my own PC - I'm using the one at work... (Don't tell anybody! Well, we are allowed to use them, privately. Just don't think they had in mind anybody using them quite as much as I do. In my own time, of course... )

That reminds me, better get back to work...

Ina

[hay331]

Its a funny thing we Brits have about asking for things that look as if they have been dumped/not in use! I have a sister who lives in Amsterdam and it is quite"normal" to take things off the street that have been put out for collection, it doesn't have to be done in the dead of night! I got a washing machine off the street last night, all it needs is a waste hose and the springs tightening 8) . Got some funny looks off the neighbours though
I had been doing without my washing machine for weeks since it gave up the ghost. No problem for me but my offspring were complaining A LOT (they are responsible for their own washing)! I don't have a television and I too get funny looks about this. The lady next door said "but what do you do with yourself all day and night" I said "well after I've finished all the work things I sit and think", judging by the look she gave me I reckon she thought I'd lost my marbles . I only occasionally listen to music via the PC. I would miss my 6 ring hob, bread machine and Internet/PC the most. I would dearly love a proper cool pantry with a marble slab like my Granny had!