interesting! i only have five of those things. i could give up the dryer, easily. need: car, dishwasher, computer (or tv, one or the other, but we don't have a tv), and cell phone. the dishwasher seems a little self-indulgent but it's really nice to finally have one!

i haven't had a microwave since 2002. i gave up the tv, satellite, internet and landline within the past year.

The car, the computer and the High Speed Internet are the only true essentials for us--and that's one for the family--not per person!

I need my microwave. I DON'T need my stove.

A lot of these things double as each other as well. I just got a new blackberry and since getting it I seldom touch my computer or use my home internet, I use it as my main music player, and I haven't had a home phone for years because of cell phones. Similarly, home internet and a computer with a decent monitor could replace cable/satellite TV and a flat screen TV. Really, nowadays it's quite possible to get all the niceties listed in that survey by using just a fraction of the devices.

We keep trying to give up cable tv. When we moved a month ago we didn't have the cable hooked up right away because we were so busy moving. It was really nice! We could get all kinds of things done and we talked more. Then FearFest came on AMC and all of that went out the window. Hopefully this month we'll actually pull the plug!

We gave up our landline forever ago. I was never home to answer it and it was a waste of money.

Home air conditioning, though expensive, is a necessity in Oklahoma. Ungodly hot summers wouldn't be liveable without it.

Wow the only things I DON'T have are a microwave and air conditioning.

I use the landline and high speed internet for work but seeing as I just got a new job, I'm not going to need those things that much anymore.

I don't have many of the items listed.
No car, microwave, cable, dishwasher, dryer.

I live in the city so I can take buses and do my loads at a laundromat. I have a prepaid cellphones (save $$), a computer & dsl, a tv and mp3.

I don't see "elderly pug" listed...

all I know is that we all need a DOG -- especially if it's as expressive as the one in that picture!! HAHA :)

Havent' had a Landline, Microwave, AC, Dryer or a car in years (decades?) Never had a flatscreen TV (well, the screen is flat, but it's still a CRT)

I could live without a dishwasher and iPod - especially since I can play musing via the iPhone (does that count?)
...but the others seem pretty necessary.

I grew up in Miami, FL without AC. I know it can be done, but I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than live without it.

... We only have a car, a computer, and high speed internet. And the only reason I have High Speed is because we have home business that uses it.

My fiance has a cell phone, but I don't.

A dryer is a necessity around here. We have allergies. Clean bedding is important and not easy for us to hang dry.

The cable is getting a break after the end of this season's Mad Men.

Is this for real? Only 49% of people consider a cell phone a necessity? I'm curious who was polled for this survey? Or maybe people said things weren't a "necessity" even if they owned one...like "I could give up my _____, if I had to."

The main reason I got a microwave at all, and the only thing that keeps me hanging on to it, is: it's the only thing that'll heat my leg wax. I got the smallest one I could find. :o(

On the Wet Coast of BC, we NEED a clothes dryer, and having a baby and a dog in the city means a (tiny, fuel efficient) car is also a necessity. Other than that, I think life would be a lot less interesting without internets, but everything else is lose-able.

No i-Pod, no hi-speed internet, no cell phone, no flat screen or big screen TV. No BlackBerry, no MP3, no stereo, no portable DVR/DVD/CD player. No video game system, no HBO or Showtime (just have basic dish). No boat, no pool, no hot tub, no sauna, no laptop, no netbook, no iPhone, no Kindle, no Nook, no Ti-Vo, no bread machine, no expresso or latte machines. Hmm . . . maybe I'm deprived? Don't even have a dog.

I have are a cell phone, TV set, microwave, iPod, DSL and computer. The cell phone is necessary because I don't have a landline. The DSL and computer to be essential for work.

I could get rid of the TV, iPod, and probably the microwave and not miss them that much. But I'm not about to chuck out things that work just fine and which I couldn't sell for much money anyway. If the TV or microwave breaks, I probably won't replace them. But I'd definitely save up for a new iPod if mine meets an untimely demise.

Man, do I wish we could edit our comments. I meant to say, "I have a cell phone, TV set, microwave, iPod, DSL and computer. The cell phone is necessary because I don't have a landline. The DSL and computer are essential for work."

There are people out there that can actually function without a microwave?! Wow! Granted, I only use the microwave for rice, but I eat A LOT of rice and a microwave is the only way to reheat rice. I tried several different methods before I broke down and got a microwave a few months later. If I gave up rice, I wouldn't need a microwave however.

The only other things I need off that list are a computer and the internet because I would not be able to do my job and make money to pay for rent and food. Everything else, I can live without. I would still need a clothes dryer, but I don't have to own it. Laundromats are fine. Where I live, it's very easy to live without a car.

Something missing from that list is a garbage disposal. It's doable to live without one, but man it's a pain. I just stop eating at home, which becomes expensive. It's more economical to own one.

I'm not usually a fan of pugs, but that dog's face expression is priceless.
Looks like he can't live without his microwave.

Essentials: car, clothes dryer (we live in upstate NY in the mountains), land line phone (we only recently got cell phone reception). My husband was given a Blackberry by his employers; I have a cheap cell phone for emergencies and the occasional check-in with the babysitter.

No "channel" TV, cable or satellite, but we occasionally watch movies on a TV (not a flat screen).

No iPod, although my daughter has an iTouch voice output communication device-- this is probably the most essential piece of technology in the house.

I love my home computer, high speed internet and the dishwasher.

We could easily do with out the AC we pop in a window for a month out of the year. I suppose we could also do without the microwave which is primarily used by my husband to reheat his tea.

Microwave, Schmicrowave, but I'll take that rockin' pug!

I don't have a cell phone, microwave, AC, or TV currently, and we're about to move to a house without a dryer or dishwasher, either. If I didn't have access to a beach house three hours away, I'd probably also ditch the car.

Which is not to say I don't have devices I can't live without! For me it's the pressure cooker, the radio, and high-speed internet.

you can reheat rice on the stove. put in a little water, put the flame on low, and cover it. let the steam cook to warm and desired consistency. the trick with it is to take it off the stove and keep the lid off so the steam doesn't over cook it. although i'll eat over or undercooked. don't much care.

i've never had a microwave or a cellphone and everyone hates me.

I'm a young, poor share houser, so living without much of this stuff seems normal to me. Haven't had a microwave, dishwasher, landline or a/c for some time. Was without an mp3 player for years and did fine, but now I have an iPhone I am really happy to have that functionality back. Have never had cable TV, do not want. Watch much of my movies and tv on my laptop, so don't really care about having a large tv when I live alone - we just scored a free one though, and it's nice to be able to watch stuff with roommates. CAN NOT live without hispeed net. Just can't.

Grew up in Brisbane, Australia without AC - yes, it's hot. You live. When I've been in a position to use air con in share houses, I have never turned it on. I don't need those kind of power bills, and I really hate the feeling of sitting in a refrigerator all day. Same goes for the clothes dryer - it rarely rains enough here to disrupt my laundry doing needs, and electricity is way too expensive for that luxury. We're also lucky enough here to scarcely need heating. I just have a cheap portable oil heater which I switch on a few weeks out of the year. One of the awesome things about living in the temperate zone, I guess. Also, insulation rocks - in my childhood home we literally stopped needing a heater at all, ever, once we installed it.

I live without air conditioning, but live in the Bay Area and it rarely gets hot. I also don't use my heater because I get direct sun and I tend to "run hot." I don't have a microwave and I line dry all my wash. I have a dishwasher but could go without as I only use it once a week at the most. I COULD NOT live without an ipod. I commute on public transport and it is necessary. Also, cell phone is the only phone but I do need it.

I don't have a dryer or a tv but I do have a pug! What a great picture of Roscoe.

We rent and our stove is pretty old and basically crap. If I want to cook anything, even just reheat food, it will take me at least 10 mins. In the microweave it takes 2-3 mins. So it not only saves a lot of time but also energy (and money).

I once owned a microwave and ONLY ever used it for heating depilatory wax :-)
I don't have a landline, have never owned a dryer, air conditioning (not that anyone would actually need anything of the sort in Belgium!) or a dishwasher. I actually enjoy doing the dishes by hand... I find it quite zen.
However, I could not live without my laptop and internet connection.

The cellphone... bah... I could do without it. I seriously don't like the idea of being permanently available. There's Skype whenever it's needed and it's a hell of a lot cheaper!

The last time I used my clothes dryer was (strangely enough) last June, when we had a three-week stretch of rainy weather. It was too humid to use my basement clothesline. If it broke, I wouldn't replace it. I'd be hard pressed to part with my dishwasher, though. It vastly improves my quality of life!

The only thing I *need* on that list is my cell phone (no landline, so it's the only phone I have) and my car (if we didn't have it, we would have to move to a more walkable neighborhood).

The microwave, home computer, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and internet aren't necessary, but sure make life easier.

The rest of it is fun, but I could part with if I had to.

Ostendaise - there's nothing that says that you have to leave your cell phone on all the time or answer all of your calls. I know there's perception that if you have a cell, especially as your primary phone, that you have to answer it all the time, no matter what...but you don't. Granted, it took me having to repeatedly explain this to several friends who could not understand that not answering just meant I was otherwise occupied, not that I was avoiding them.

Now, on to the question at hand, my parents got rid of cable when I was 3 so it's something I'm totally comfortable living without. I have a BlackBerry for quick internet queries at home, but after sitting at a computer all day at work, I'm normally ready to log off when I'm at home. If I really need the 'net when I'm not working, I can simply take my laptop to the coffeeshop down the block (which is actually more effective for getting things done quickly). Sadly, I'm stuck with my car for the time-being as I work about 20 miles from my home with no good public transit options (and since I'm a reporter, I end up having to do a lot driving to get interviews for stories).

I use a microwave when it won't affect taste because it saves energy----you even had an article about this on apt therapy.

I haven't had a microwave since the beginning of the year. My new kitchen was too small and I value counterspace more than anything else. I have realized everything I used to use a microwave for can all be done with the stove/oven for just a few minutes more.

currently living without a car for about 5 months. i tend to park it in the summer as i love walking to work, however, i think many cities (especially mine) could have vastly improved planning making it easier for pedestrians/public transit users.

lived without a tv for 12 months and honestly did not miss it much. the internet can show me anything i really wanted to see (daily show, 30 rock, lost, jimmy) and it gave me more time to read and i slept better.

haven't had a landline, a/c, or dishwasher for ages.

the one thing i could 100% not live without would be my 120G IPOD. it would be like cutting of my arm.

A landline is necessary if you have a lot of power outages in your area; the cell towers will go down and you'll be incommunicado...

Looking at the list I only really need two of them, computer and Internet, but I have 12 of the 13, And I would love a flat screen TV. It would save alot of space from what we have now. It is all stuff that I don't need but as a family we do use. I don't like talking on telephones.

For work I'm required to have a car because I travel all around the state. For the same reasons, I love but could live without (and did for much longer than most of my friends) an Ipod.

My laptop is my 'home computer' and since my home is often my car as a I travel for work, yes it is a necessity (that work provides for me.) Being without high speed internet at home would drive me crazy. Likewise, my cell (blackberry) is needed for travels and I love having a blackberry so I always have directions and keep up with emails during travel days.

Dishwasher I could do without- would much rather have a dryer though not sure I'd call it a necessity.

I lived this summer in DC without AC and it was brutal and am not really willing to do that by choice again.

A microwave is a definite luxury but since I easily found one at a yard sale for $15 it is one I'd like to have around. Don't leave it plugged it and its not such an energy hog.

Necessity: car, AC, cell, computer & high speed internet
Want: ipod, microwave
Eh: dishwasher, TV (but if I'm going to have it, I want cable)

In the 3 California cities I've lived in, I've only had AC in one of probably a dozen apartments.

Need for job and sanity: cell, laptop, hs Internet, car, iPod.

Really appreciate: microwave

Wish I owned: washer and dryer. My personal version of the impossible dream.

interesting stats

if clutter in a kitchen space was an issue, i guess i can see the microwave being removed.

i do like your reheating idea using a steamer to reheat food.

don't use the landline phone, but do keep it with minimum service as redundancy in the event that cell service is disrupted ... about six or eight months ago, when we had satellite TV, our TV signal was disrupted for several hours by "solar activity" according to the message on the screen during the 'service blackout.'

don't have a dishwasher.

again, interesting study. thanks for hooking us up, Kyle!