luxury vs. necessity: what do i really need?

a few weeks ago i took an online poll that i found on msn.com, about what the american people now see as luxuries or necessities in our society today. while i was aware before this that i had changed significantly in my two years here in agua prieta, i never would have imagined that everything "others" said were necessities, i would say were luxuries.

allow me to "explicate" myself a bit.

i grew up in a home that had everything-- washer, dryer, multiple cars, multiple television sets, dishwasher, dvd players, home computer, air conditioning, central heating-- just about everything a person could want, minus high-speed internet (oh well, it's a good lesson in patience, waiting on dial-up). yet hanging our clothes up on the clothesline on a sunny day was not uncommon, and actually washing the dishes by hand happened more often than not. little things like these, i learned from, no doubt. but air conditioning and (especially) heating? oh, baby. bring that stuff ooooon!

fast-forward some years to agua prieta, sonora, where i've considered "home" for the past two years, and i've lived without a clothes washer, clothes dryer, tv set, dishwasher, dvd player, air conditioning, heating, high-speed internet-- all of it, whether by choice or by lack of resources, i've lacked. yet i haven't necessarily missed it all. some examples:

heating-- oh man, heating, how i've begged for you and begged for you but have ended up just putting on another pair of socks, pants, sweatshirt, scarf to make up for you. but you've really been the only long-lost friend.
air conditioning-- it turns out that adjusting to desert heat is a lot easier without air conditioning, and it affects your body in a way that actually aids metabolism after you've lived off of ice water and fruit smoothies from such extreme heat for a time. i've even been known to survive a sonoran desert summer w/o a personal fan. a.c., you're a nice luxury, but i don't need you.
tv set-- i can hardly recall what one of these looks like, let alone how one uses it. while i had one in college, the only time i ever used it was to watch movies from my dvd player or to see an occasional chivas vs. america juego de futbol. and that was just when cable was offered to me for free at college. post-college, the set stayed at home, and i've been without ever since.
dishwasher-- mama taught me to wash those dishes. 'nuff said.

so, i suppose one could say that by not having these items, nor even desiring them anymore, i've been able to save a lot of energy in practice, and money as well. i feel i have a really good life, even, or perhaps especially, without such items that most usa households feel are must-haves.