There is a difference between "need" and "want" and there isn't much that I need. Not getting a paycheck helps you understand the difference. In fact, I'm trying to get rid of quite a few things these days and take care of my needs. It's harder for me to get rid of my wants. There are some things that fall into a gray area. Do I want or need a home in Welch, Princeton, or Beckley, West Virginia? Do I want or need a cast-iron Dutch oven? This post is less about wants and more about needs, essentials, and the handy things that make life easier for us.
The idea for this post took off when a Facebook friend in Southwestern Virginia posted about the "Electric Lunch Box [Upgraded],60W High-power Food Heater,12V 24V 110V 3 in1 Portable microwave for Car/Truck/Home–Leak proof, Removable 304 Stainless Steel Container fork & spoon and Carry Bag" that she found on Amazon. She wrote the following:
ATTENTION: Blue-Collar spouses!
If your significant other works in an environment where he or she is unable to have a hot meal because they don’t have a microwave handy or they don’t have a place to heat up their food, then let me tell you about the best thing that I have ever purchased for Seth! It was originally supposed to be a Christmas present, but I just couldn’t wait to give it to him, seeing as the temperatures have dropped like they have. It’s soup season, ya know! He is used to having things that can be eaten cold, like sandwiches, or tuna, or things of that nature. Sometimes, the occasional leftovers from dinner, but his insulated stainless steel bowl can only do so much as far as retaining heat. I have been looking into electric lunchboxes for a while, but the ones that I had found at first were so expensive. So I gave up for a bit. And I was really skeptical about them anyway, but I figured, “Hey, it’s Christmas. I can splurge a little for a gift!” And I am doing “no crap for Christmas” this year, which means I am not giving things that I don’t think you can use or that I don’t think that you will love. So I went to Amazon. And sure enough I found a comparable lunchbox at a way cheaper price. Let me tell you that this lunch box has been a game changer. It’s the easiest to clean, it has a wall adapter and a car adapter, and it gets the food super hot! He told me that after using it the first night that he could not even eat his food at first. He had to let it cool before he could. This has opened up so many opportunities for us to put different things in his bucket. Safe to say, this has been one of the best purchases I’ve made. Also, this is not paid or a promise gift card review. This is just one blue collar wife, suggesting something to other blue-collar wives.
That got me to thinking about what is essential to my life as a working-class person and what my blue-collar and working-class friends think is essential for them.
One good friend in West Virginia said "I wear a John Deere hoodie as a coat in fall and spring. In winter if it’s below about 20, I wear a waterproof shell coat over it with a bright orange TEK hat that the Welch garbage collectors gave me and I’m plenty warm."
An old friend in Oregon said "My 35 year old Navy pea jacket. This thing keeps me warm in really cold weather, repels water and has a nice collar which really breaks the wind. Great picket line coat in cold weather."
One friend in Oregon sent the following list:
* Monster Maul. Steel handle with a 16 pound head for manually splitting fire wood. Works great, even on pecan and bodark. A word of caution: never use bodark as firewood although it makes for great house piers.
* Post hole digger. One of the tools of ignorance. I wore one out fencing in a portion of 30 acres; my “new” one is still serviceable.
* Manual t-post driver.
* Bib Overalls. An essential.
* Framing hammer. I prefer a 28 oz Estwing. Used extensively before nail guns became popular. Estwing also makes great hatchets.
A friend in Southwestern Virginia said "For us it is all about coffee. My husband has always carried a Stanley thermos full of coffee. I carry a nice, big travel mug. Some of my favorite work accessories have been coffee cups. I remember my Mom had a plastic mug that was white on the outside but black from her coffee on the inside. We love our coffee."
Perhaps the most touching response came from a union sister here in Oregon. She highlighted relationships with her neighbors as being essential. Other union friends highlighted donating to their union's hardship funds and one friend said loaning their truck to the cause "whatever the cause is."
I think that this is a good overview of working-class and blue-collar life right now. No one mentioned drugs, guns or alarms, or monster trucks. We like building and repairing, planting, writing, staying warm, staying safe, staying caffeinated, eating warm meals. And we do like our privacy and safety, but we also value our neighbors and friends. Or maybe I just know some the best people there are.
If your significant other works in an environment where he or she is unable to have a hot meal because they don’t have a microwave handy or they don’t have a place to heat up their food, then let me tell you about the best thing that I have ever purchased for Seth! It was originally supposed to be a Christmas present, but I just couldn’t wait to give it to him, seeing as the temperatures have dropped like they have. It’s soup season, ya know! He is used to having things that can be eaten cold, like sandwiches, or tuna, or things of that nature. Sometimes, the occasional leftovers from dinner, but his insulated stainless steel bowl can only do so much as far as retaining heat. I have been looking into electric lunchboxes for a while, but the ones that I had found at first were so expensive. So I gave up for a bit. And I was really skeptical about them anyway, but I figured, “Hey, it’s Christmas. I can splurge a little for a gift!” And I am doing “no crap for Christmas” this year, which means I am not giving things that I don’t think you can use or that I don’t think that you will love. So I went to Amazon. And sure enough I found a comparable lunchbox at a way cheaper price. Let me tell you that this lunch box has been a game changer. It’s the easiest to clean, it has a wall adapter and a car adapter, and it gets the food super hot! He told me that after using it the first night that he could not even eat his food at first. He had to let it cool before he could. This has opened up so many opportunities for us to put different things in his bucket. Safe to say, this has been one of the best purchases I’ve made. Also, this is not paid or a promise gift card review. This is just one blue collar wife, suggesting something to other blue-collar wives.
That got me to thinking about what is essential to my life as a working-class person and what my blue-collar and working-class friends think is essential for them.
One good friend in West Virginia said "I wear a John Deere hoodie as a coat in fall and spring. In winter if it’s below about 20, I wear a waterproof shell coat over it with a bright orange TEK hat that the Welch garbage collectors gave me and I’m plenty warm."
An old friend in Oregon said "My 35 year old Navy pea jacket. This thing keeps me warm in really cold weather, repels water and has a nice collar which really breaks the wind. Great picket line coat in cold weather."
People dropped me lines that listed duct tape, Sugru glue, a nutcracker, a laptop, a stove, Melitta Coffee Filters, Seattle's Best Coffee 6th Avenue Bistro Blend, daycare, a notepad and pen, Zoom, and the lock on a front door.
The Polaris Cordless Cap Lamp, the Wisdom Wiselite2 Cordless Cap Lamp and charger, and the Matterhorn Men's 15" Internal MetGuard Mine Boot made the list.
The Polaris Cordless Cap Lamp, the Wisdom Wiselite2 Cordless Cap Lamp and charger, and the Matterhorn Men's 15" Internal MetGuard Mine Boot made the list.
One friend in Oregon sent the following list:
* Monster Maul. Steel handle with a 16 pound head for manually splitting fire wood. Works great, even on pecan and bodark. A word of caution: never use bodark as firewood although it makes for great house piers.
* Post hole digger. One of the tools of ignorance. I wore one out fencing in a portion of 30 acres; my “new” one is still serviceable.
* Manual t-post driver.
* Bib Overalls. An essential.
* Framing hammer. I prefer a 28 oz Estwing. Used extensively before nail guns became popular. Estwing also makes great hatchets.
A friend in Southwestern Virginia said "For us it is all about coffee. My husband has always carried a Stanley thermos full of coffee. I carry a nice, big travel mug. Some of my favorite work accessories have been coffee cups. I remember my Mom had a plastic mug that was white on the outside but black from her coffee on the inside. We love our coffee."
Perhaps the most touching response came from a union sister here in Oregon. She highlighted relationships with her neighbors as being essential. Other union friends highlighted donating to their union's hardship funds and one friend said loaning their truck to the cause "whatever the cause is."
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