are you self-sufficient?

[Kazeryu]

Do you plant your own seeds? Do you spin your own cotton gin?

But seriously, I do it all because there is noone else to do it for me.

[garyg]

When I retired the first Monday I caught the lawn care guy & fired him. Next I went & picked up the last load of shirts from the laundry & told him he was being let go. Prior I had had exactly one pro shoeshine, outside the Camino Real .. I still see two of those guys around town, and still recommend them highly.

Now doing my own, lawn, shirts, shoes as ever .. not sure if self-sufficient is the term, what do you value your time at & how do you want to spend it?

[mdevine]

While I can iron my own shirts, it isn't very cost effective for me to do so. In the time it takes me to iron a weeks worth of shirts, I can make many times that amount at my job. I actually love my work, where as I don't love ironing clothes. It makes as much sense for me to do my ironing as it would for me to do the filing at my office. There are just more valuable uses of my time. For me, this makes it an easy decision.

Mike

[scottish steve]

No-one does my ironing, but the clothes I wear and the ambient humidity where I live at the moment is such that I don't have to. I'm never creased. I have a steamer for things like jackets etc.

[johnniegold]

For the most part, I shine my own shoes but not adverse to getting a shoe shine. Washing and ironing work shirts i haven't done since law school. They go to the dry cleaners (no starch). I do sew buttons back on shirts as well.

[john parker]

Shine my own shoes, wash my own clothes, get shirts that don't require ironing, and generally brush my suits, coats and trousers. Too much dry cleaning can ruin the fabric; brushing and airing is best.

[Go West Young Man]

I find this a symptom of baffling decadence and/or laziness.
I know there are apartments in New York which do not even have a kitchen as they are designed for those who consider cooking beneath them.
This is a sad state of affairs. A food culture is vital to the health of a soceity.

It's not laziness, NYC apartments are just really really tiny, there's no point in wasting space on a washer/dryer when there's a laudromat who'll pick up and deliver your clothes 24/7 on every block.

Same with kitchens - NYC has so many fantastic affordable restaurants on every street that it's easier and cheaper to eat out regularly than not. NYC has one of the best food cultures out there, it's just not a "cooking at home" culture.

[Go West Young Man]

While I can iron my own shirts, it isn't very cost effective for me to do so. In the time it takes me to iron a weeks worth of shirts, I can make many times that amount at my job. I actually love my work, where as I don't love ironing clothes. It makes as much sense for me to do my ironing as it would for me to do the filing at my office. There are just more valuable uses of my time. For me, this makes it an easy decision.

Mike

Add "spend time with the family" and I'll +1 that comment!

[Rushman2112]

It's not laziness, NYC apartments are just really really tiny, there's no point in wasting space on a washer/dryer when there's a laudromat who'll pick up and deliver your clothes 24/7 on every block.

Same with kitchens - NYC has so many fantastic affordable restaurants on every street that it's easier and cheaper to eat out regularly than not. NYC has one of the best food cultures out there, it's just not a "cooking at home" culture.

The locals' housing here have really tiny kitchens because they never need them: it's cheaper to go to the hawker cente and eat a $2 chicken rice.

[Bellac]

I do not do everything by myself simply because sometimes it makes more sense for me to pay somebody else to do it. For example my front yard, I lack the know how and the tools to take proper care of my yard (curse you HOA). For me to take care of my yard, I would have to spend a considerable amount of money on tools and I would probably spend all day doing a bad job on the yard. It makes more sense logically and economically for me to just pay somebody $50 to take care of it once a month.
There are things I rather much do by myself rather than pay somebody else to do it; shaving is one of them . I also iron my own clothes and polish my own shoes. I even clean and wash my own car.

Consider marginal cost and marginal utility as regards to my yard. To obtain my marginal utility of a trimmed clean yard, I would have to spend for a considerable marginal cost of investment in tools and time. For me, that cost exceeds my marginal utility and I am effectively overpaying, but if I pay somebody else to do it, I can still receive my marginal utility and my marginal cost is less. My car on the other hand, to obtain my marginal utility of a clean car, I would have to spend a marginal cost of time and resources of water, a sponge, soap, and a vacuum. To me that cost is very low for my utility so I am happy to pay for it. Hence, why I was my car, but not clean my yard.

Just because we choose one way or another does not mean we are lazy or hard working, old fashioned or young. It just sometimes makes more sense to get somebody else to do it.

[scottish steve]

It's not laziness, NYC apartments are just really really tiny, there's no point in wasting space on a washer/dryer when there's a laudromat who'll pick up and deliver your clothes 24/7 on every block.

Same with kitchens - NYC has so many fantastic affordable restaurants on every street that it's easier and cheaper to eat out regularly than not. NYC has one of the best food cultures out there, it's just not a "cooking at home" culture.

Hhhmm.
Tokyo has more and better restaurants than London and New York combined and the smallest, most expensive housing on the planet.
I'm not buying it.

[benvh]

So everyone in Tokyo has a washer and dryer in their apt and a chef's kitchen?

In NYC you sleep in your apt and live in the city. If I wanted to stay home every night, cook and do laundry I wouldn't be paying 3k a month to live in 500 sq ft.

There is obviously an inverse relationship between how much space you have and how much it costs vs. how much there is to do in your surrounding area.

I have no problem doing my own laundry, etc. It just doesn't make sense to do so here. $20 a week takes care of it and it's 1000% worth it to me.

Ben

[scottish steve]

[QUOTE] If I wanted to stay home every night, cook and do laundry I wouldn't be paying 3k a month to live in 500 sq ft. [QUOTE]

I refer you to my previous post! :-)
The apartments in Tokyo are of a smallness which beggars belief. Five hundred square feet is really quite large for a normal Tokyo worker. The Japanese measure their floor-space in terms of tatami mats, which are approx. 2.5 by 5.5 ft. My friend was ecstatic that she was able to get in quick on a deal on a place 15 mins from central Shinjuku. Including the shower, WC, washing machine, kitchen-area and living area, it was an 8 mat apartment. This was 10 years ago. I can only imagine the rent now

[benvh]

I still don't get it. Just because I can cram it in here I should?

I do roast my own coffee. Does that even it out?

Ben

[Go West Young Man]

Hhhmm.
Tokyo has more and better restaurants than London and New York combined and the smallest, most expensive housing on the planet.
I'm not buying it.

You don't have to buy it, it's just the way it is. NYC has been like that for 150 years, the patterns are long-established.
I'm guessing that 20-something Americans moving to the big city and living the fantastic life are culturally very different from the average working-class Japanese person, you know.

Edit- also, remember that they typical apartment building in NYC was built in the 20's or 30s, even having hot running water indoors was a big deal in those days. Kitchens and laundries were an afterthought, if put in at all. Most of Tokyo is far more recently built.

[scottish steve]

I am aware that's the way it is, but I do not accept the reasoning that it's due to lack of space. It's based on the having yet another daily task being done by somebody else for you, i.e. decadence. I am not in any way claiming that New Yorkers are work-shy. It is quite clear they do work hard. But they have different assumptions about many things and this is one of them. Of course you are right that Tokyo is very new compared to NYC. But living in New York doesn't automatically mean either you're rich or have a fantastic life. I for one would never even dream of living in a place without a kitchen or the ability to stick my undies or sheets in a washing machine. That would take away something from me, personally. Of course, not all New Yorkers live like this.

[Doc4]

Remember that each big city will have its own 'culture', that will greatly affect how its residents see the world and approach life. In some cities, "everyone takes the bus" ... in other cities, "everyone drives their own car" (LA) and so forth. Our friends in Edo may be able to fit a washer, drier, ironing board, and full kitchen into a Tardis-sized apartment, but that doesn't mean diddly to the price of cod on Fulton Street.

[saf]

The professional shoe shine is becoming more and more rare. If I can help to keep those stands open I gladly will. I do shine my own shoes, but when I come across one I will use if I didn't just do it myself. It's not expensive and they do a better job typically and I appreciate the service.

Laundry I would send out in a heart beat if my wife would let me. I just think there are better ways to spend our time. I hate laundry because it takes up too much time. I do iron all my shirts.

I think it is more important to have the skills if needed. On the other hand, if you have the skills and can afford to free up your time why not?

[gaseousclay]

The professional shoe shine is becoming more and more rare. If I can help to keep those stands open I gladly will. I do shine my own shoes, but when I come across one I will use if I didn't just do it myself. It's not expensive and they do a better job typically and I appreciate the service. Laundry I would send out in a heart beat if my wife would let me. I just think there are better ways to spend our time. I hate laundry because it takes up too much time. I do iron all my shirts.I think it is more important to have the skills if needed. On the other hand, if you have the skills and can afford to free up your time why not?

I would definitely consider allowing a professional shine my shoes, but only if they have a good reputation. I hate to say it but the thought of someone potentionally ruining my shell cordovans makes me cringe. if anyone's going to ruin my shoes it's gonna be me ;)

[ddillas]

Semi-self sufficient here.... When I wore a suit and tie every day I took my shirts to cleaners because of time constraints. Now as I only wear dress shirts occasionally I due most of my stuff at home... Same goes for casual and dress pants... Suits, sport coats / blazers and ties still go the dry cleaners as needed, though rare now.

For shoes, I'm a bit anal in the need for shined shoes (goes back to my years in the military) and always shine my own, try not to wear any more than one day between rests, keep cedar shoe trees in them and the nicest ones in cloth bags... kind of like shaving gear my wife wonders why I need so many colors of polish, brushes, rags, edge dressing and such... Except when she needs here shoes cleaned and shined up!