Necessary Luxuries: An Oxymoron or Reality?

I don't know one person who isn't worried about money these days. Everyone is cutting back and trying to do without things they maybe took for granted before things were as bleak as they are right now. But, we've all got things we can't imagine doing without. What's a luxury to one, is a total necessity to another.

This got me thinking about the things in my life I would rather go out kicking and screaming to keep than get rid of. I'm a big fan of lists, so once again I've come up with my all-time top-five luxuries I can't live without.

1. My DVR, cable and Internet. That may seem like three things, but since I pay for them all together, I'm counting them as one. I write about TV for the Cape Cod Times, but I admit, even if I didn't I couldn't live without my cable. And now that I've had a DVR I could never go back to taping shows I might miss. And the Internet, well, as a freelance writer it's how I transmit my work, and the thought of going back to an IMDB -less world gives me hives.

2. I don't get coffee every day, but it's a couple of times a week treat. Going out for coffee is not just tasty, it's a social event as well, and for someone who works from home it also keeps insanity from creeping in. So it's medicinal as well!

3. Movies. I will go to matinees to get a cheaper ticket, but I won't stop going to movies. I do always contend however that if the movie industry dropped the price to $5 or $6 I would go a lot more often. Maybe if we didn't pay actors like Will Smith and Tom Cruise $20 million or so per picture they could drop the price. Just a thought.

4. Getting my hair professionally cut and highlighted. I may not do it as often, but after a couple of costly home-coloring disasters I will not try putting the blond in my hair myself. Nor will I go to Pro-Cuts because the last time I did that my hair looked like I was attacked with hedge clippers.

5. Make-up. I'm not talking department store items, I'm talking pretty basic CVS items, but there's no way I'm going without lip gloss and mascara no matter how dire the economy is.

There are many more things I can think of. Music - I don't buy a lot of tunes, but sometimes I just new something new to put me in a good mood. And magazines. And books. Wow. I think the only solution is to start making a heck of a lot more money because it's looking like there's a lot of things I can't do without. Bills. that's something I could do without. But, we can't always get what we want. Apparently though, according to the Rolling Stones we get what we need. I just apparently happen to need a lot.