Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind”
~ Henry David Thoreau

“It is impossible to overdo luxury”
~ French Proverb

“It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn’t hear the barbarians coming.”
~Garrison Keillor (writer and broadcaster)

“Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, opulence is when you have three – and paradise is when you have none.”
~Doug Larson (middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, 1902-1981)

“The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.”
~Charlie Chaplin

wine.jpgSo what is Luxury? According to the facts of the dictionary it is the following:
1. Something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
2. The quality possessed by something that is excessively expensive
3. Wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living

Of course if you ask any persona on the street you get not just definitions but images of luxury. Some will say a Hummer is a luxury, while others may feel any car is a luxury. It will vary with each person you come across. I think the only thing they will agree on is that a luxury is not a necessity of life.

Actually, I’m going to back out of that statement above, a luxury CAN be a necessity, such as clean water or food to eat that many people around the world don’t receive. Perhaps a luxury should instead be defined as something inaccessible to the general population that its price increases based on the demand.

Based on that we can have anything be a luxury, if desire outweighs production of the item, it becomes a luxury. If China were to shut down its borders and not ship anything to the U.S, how might clothes, toys or other materials affect our idea of a luxury? I think we would cherish what little we did have, a bit more. Making sure it lasted as long as possible.

I believe it is viewing our possessions around us in that light that can answer the question of “why be frugal?” If I am always looking at the items I have as necessities, I will never appreciate the luxuries I may receive as fully as I probably could. If I look around my home and let the thought pass through my mind that the item I was looking at could not be replaced, how much more careful would I be to take care of it? How much more interested would I be to get quality? And how much more strict would I be about where my money went?