The private school part is much more debatable.

On the elementary/middle/high school levels, private typically means smaller class sizes, more personalized attention, and more ability to teach to students' individual learning styles.

On the collegiate level, privates oftentimes give much more attractive financial aid packages (both need- and merit-based aid) than publics do. I'm currently going to a (higher-ranked) private for the same amount I'd be paying to go to a state school.

This is a bunch of crap. The second car? Let's see. I go north to work my wife goes south. We'd have to leave an hour earlier, put our son in day care longer, and spend a ton on gas.
How many people actually use Botox?
A good party for a child costs $250 or so. Not a lot of money and you know what? Sometimes you should make your kid happy.

The only thing I have on that list is a cell phone, which I need for work and get partially reimbursed for, and use for long distance calls. I gave up TV completely when my ex and I divorced (he was a TV addict, heaven help me if I ever hear the theme song to Roseanne again). Hate to think how broke I would really be if I considered any of the above "necessities."

@unpolloloco, pgh9fan: It's a generic list meant for the general public. More to the point, it's another list. Were you really expecting sage advice to come in a twelve bullet points?

How on Earth did pet grooming get into the list on nessecities?!

As for botox treatment, I think it's for those who can really afford it without having to save on anything. But for most part the list look reasonable, especially for cable TV and cell phones part.

@unpolloloco: I agree with you, especially in Cleveland. I want my kids to learn how to think, not how to pass a test.

As far as the rest of the list, I can't think of the last time I used any of these, except the second car. Though with conflicting schedules, it truly is a necessity.

The biggest money-saver is not having children. I think we should all start advocating that. I certainly do. Almost as much as I advocate never drinking coffee.

I don't know anyone getting Botox. For some people, private education is a must. I'm Orthodox Jewish, and public schools just don't offer the education that I want my kids to have (learning about Judaism, and about the Bible).

I've only got one of these "necessities" and it's basically a necessities because we don't have a home phone here.

Our cable is free because the cable company is too lazy to turn it off from the previous tenants. :)

@aishel: They teach the Bible at Orthodox Jewish schools now? I'd kinda figured they just taught the Tanakh.

What kind of fantasy world do you live in where you think people who visit this blog would consider botox to be a necessity.

@unpolloloco: There may be alternatives, like charter, home schooling, etc. While I'm not going to tell you how to raise your children, the article does make a good point. I live in DC, and while I would never send my children to a typical public school, I might consider some of the many charter academies here.

@bnpederson:

The Tanakh is a bible.

@fever: VHEMT

Thank goodness others chimed in about the botox.
What the hell?
On what planet is this a "necessity"?
Well, okay, Hollywood might be considered another planet, but for the rest of us, it's just "useless".

Useless list is useless. About the only thing on there that I could see applying to most people is Cable TV. Maybe cellphones, but where do they get those numbers? Most providers charge $10-$15 for an extra line, so long as your kid isn't a texting fiend, that's all the more you'll be paying.

Well, don't buy coffee, don't have a lawn, or kids, or a car. Or botox. Buy clothes probably once or twice a year (Juneish and Novemberish - apparently one needs to clear summer clothes before summer, ditto winter) Then again, with a paycheck of just under 200 bucks a week, I'm saving money, so maybe this list is right after all?

1. Daily Latte
I have been brewing my own coffee for years. I consider Starbucks a treat, not a part of my everyday existence.

2. Cable TV
Haven't had cable TV at home for years and years... And we never got the premium channels.

3. Manicure/Pedicure
I haven't had one of these in ... uh.. 6 years? It's called "cutting your own damn nails."

4. Botox
Somehow I never considered injecting poison into my face a necessity.

5. Bottled Water
I stopped drinking bottled water when I realized that New Orleans has no plastic recycling.

6. Second Car
I cannot afford one car, let alone another.

7. Cell Phone
Since I am the only child, and actually pay for both my line and my mother's, I think I can safely skip this one.

8. Lawn Service
Been mowing the lawn for 9 years now...

9. Clothes
OK, this one I am a little guilty of. I had to buy professional clothes for my internship, so they didn't think a hobo works here.

10. Private School
It's called a scholarship. That's how I made it through.

11. Childhood Parties
Wow, I didn't even think about this until now... I didn't have a birthday party from the time I was 7 or 8 to when I was 18.

12. Pet Grooming
Yeah, the dog's never been professionally groomed. He's tiny, I can handle it.

So yes, useless list IS useless, brainwav. I seriously have to wonder who decided these things are necessities, anyway....

Brew your own coffee? Seriously?

I thought it was all about mooching free coffee at work....

13. Give up weekly crack and hooker binge, save $15k a year.

Is there a real list somewhere for real people?

I take issue with #6. Second vehicle lowered my total insurance more than I pay in other maintance fees, gas excluded.

5. Bottled Water
If you feel ok about drinking tap water you can save $25-$40 a month, the average monthly delivery fee based on online averages.

Who gets cable for $55-$65?

The only two things from that list I pay for are:

Cable TV - Can't wait for a la carte programming; I watch only about five channels, but all of them are on basic extended cable. Once I can select my channel lineup, I'll be dropping the rest.

Cell phone - Some may consider me to be pretty stupid with my cell phone: I still pay month-to-month service after my contract expired over 2 years ago. In my defense, I'm still waiting for Verizon to start selling bar-shaped phones again. Anyway, I was strongly considering switching to prepaid phones, as the majority of calls I make is through Skype anyway.

It would be really hard to go without clothing for an entire year. The bottom line is that clothing wears out and needs to be replaced. I guess if I spent all of 2008 stocking up, I could skip purchases in 2009, but clothing is limited-use, regardless of changes in fashion.

This is especially true for those who work a professional job and are expected to look pristine.

Hey here's another idea, let's leave it up to the citizens to determine what school their education dollar goes to. That way if they think their local public schools suck, they aren't forced at gunpoint to keep plugging their money back into a failing system. If the public schools have to compete with a viable alternative, they'll either improve or fail!

Oh man, I'm so running with that idea. It'll revolutionize everything!

These numbers are useless! Additional lines on a cellphone family plan are about $10/month...$17 if you add unlimited texting and tax. I would need to defer to my daughters on the manicure/pedicure, but I think that these are more like $15-25 and it is something that they do for special occasions. Seriously, do people really pay $50-110 for this? Pet grooming SEEMS easy...watch the Flowbee commercials...but this is not a skill that I am about to pick up.

Here's a little known trick for cable TV:

I pay for cable internet, but not cable TV.

But the TV signal is still somewhat "active."

With an HDTV and an ATSC tuner, I can't get analog channels - but some digital signals still come through. I get free HD network channels, Discovery/TLC/etc, CNN / CNBC, some of the Comcast / Fox sports channels, all the Music Choice channels, and even some of my neighbors' on-demand selections every once in a while :)

Still, I hardly ever turn on the cable TV - only network channels every so often. Most of my video comes from online from hulu.com, Joost, and the network websites.

Okay, I'm letting my inner grump out to play:

"Since you're already paying for public school, why not use it?"

Because I do not want my children to get shot. Well, I don't have children. But that'd be the reason. And moving out to a suburb would increase gas costs and property tax costs more than enough to offset the private school cost, More and more of my friends who DO have kids are making that calculation.

"Do you really need the inflatable moon-walk, magician, clown, and pony-rides every year?"

These people actually need to get shot.

"3. Manicure/Pedicure
We don't have much experience"

Dude, you gotta get on that! Pedicures rule! (Manicures I'm eh on.)

@FatLynn: "The bottom line is that clothing wears out and needs to be replaced. ... This is especially true for those who work a professional job and are expected to look pristine."

If you buy high-quality items and take good care of them, they'll last for years and years. I don't think either of us (we're both lawyers) has bought a suit in two years or so, though my husband has cycled out some old shirts and bought new ones. (Partly because I've learned to tailor them.) There's more initial investment in buying high-quality items, but classic styles don't change much and you'll save money over the long run. It's not hard to learn to properly care for clothes and accessories, and it's time well spent. (Or time well hired from your tailor and cobbler.)

I've seen people run through shoes because THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO CLEAN AND CARE FOR LEATHER, not because there was anything wrong with the shoes but that they were dirty!

I have a relatively spendy Coach purse I've had since high school (before Coach went to teh suck), which takes 5 minutes of my time once a year or so and still looks like new. (And this was the good thing about Coach before they decided to suck -- their purses are made out of baseball-glove-type leather, so they a) look and feel nicer with age and b) are incredibly sturdy.)

If the public schools fail, then where do the kids whose parents can't afford private school go?

1. Daily Latte
Starbucks is an occasional treat. Definitely not a necessity.

2. Cable TV
I have Cable, I enjoy Cable,

5. Bottled Water
You know why I drink bottled water? I spend lots of time in hotel rooms and I hate their tap water. I'm not afraid of it, I just hate it. I like my water consistant-tasting. I don't care what's in it.

6. Second Car
Two people, two jobs, different schedules, no carpooling. Get over it.

7. Cell Phone
Company pays for mine. I pay for my wifes. Definitely not a major expense.

8. Lawn Service
Mow your own damn lawn. It ain't hard. So you get dirty -- you don't need to be afraid of the dirt that washes off.

9. Clothes
Wal-Mart has been my clothing designer for years, after I fired Target.

10. Private School
Save your money, get out of debt, and live in a good neighborhood with good schools.

11. Childhood Parties
Bake a few cakes, buy a bunch of candy and soda and hang streamers in the back yard.

12. Pet Grooming
Don't buy those silly little dogs that need to be professionally groomed. Buy a dog with straight fur that you can brush once a week.

OR,

Save your money, get out of debt, and buy whatever "non-necessities" that you want. I followed the Dave Ramsey plan before I ever even heard of him. Now, money ain't an issue, and it doesn't have to be for anybody else here, either.

@tkozikow: "I would need to defer to my daughters on the manicure/pedicure, but I think that these are more like $15-25 and it is something that they do for special occasions. Seriously, do people really pay $50-110 for this?"

It depends on where you live. I found it an untenable expense in Chicago; in Peoria it's a inexpensive little luxury. I pay $30-$35 here for the "spa pedi." Paid about $25 in North Carolina; frequently saw it at $60-$80 in Chicago. You also have to decide if you're going to go to the Vietnamese-owned nail salon in the strip mall or to the stand-alone full-service spa. Big price differential!

@AD8BC: "Save your money, get out of debt, and live in a good neighborhood with good schools."

Moving out to the suburbs for good schools costs more, where I am, than living in a good urban neighborhood with BAD schools and sending the kids to private school. Also that would require living in a pretty soul-sucking McMansiony sidewalk-free cul-de-sac neighborhood with some kind of hideous HOA.

My neighborhood is actually anchored by a private Catholic elementary school; probably half the people here live here so their kids can walk to the school. Most of the other pockets of "good" neighborhoods in this area are also anchored by private schools.

@Skiffer: Wow - just realized by doing this I've recouped the purchase price of a 56-in HDTV in about 18 months.

And don't give me that - "What's the point of having an HDTV without full HD cable" - that's what a $150 Blu-ray drive for my PC and netflix are for.

Yeah, i lived with cable all my life, then i moved to the city and gave it up. Recently, my roommate got cable again but I dont pay for it. w00t. Cable is useless.

Also, the coffee thing is probably true.... but i have an hour long train ride and by the time i need the coffee, the coffee is cold... pointless.

If there was any way possible I would love to sent my kids to the best private school in sweden or norway or some other country the Britsh make fun of.

You don't need new clothes if you live in nudist apartment complex :)

As for pedicures and botox ... Where those guys are located, Hollywood? I don't know any ''average'' person who uses botox. And pedicures are mainly for summer...

Were you really expecting sage advice to come in a twelve bullet points?

1. There is no God
2. You only have this life
3. Only knowledge is portable.
4. Gold is not a hedge agianst inflation usless your economy runs off the AK
5. A badly managed govt can ruin all your paper money with inflation
6. A badly managed compnay can ruin your life.
7. A badly manged life is your fault.
8. Take persoanlly responsibility for everything and pursue your own best interests.
9. Personal discipline counts and works for saints and the wicked.
10. I cant spell

Most folks that choose to send their children to private school are either well enough off or have thought that decision out and chosen to make that financial sacrifice in order to give their kid the best possible schooling.

Most of the rest of the list makes me laugh though, seriously, bottled water, botox, latte...C'mon how many normal people believe a manicure is a necessity?

@Skiffer: I dropped cable 6 months after buying a 46" hdtv and haven't missed it one bit...thanks to bittorent and the local library's dvd catalog

I can't say any of these apply to me - except Cell Phone, I pay a bit too much for my iPhone. Oh, and remember people clowns are totally necessary for a children's party. burn that into your brain.

(full disclosure: I clown)

@strangeffect: Perhaps those coming from the sister site Jezebel might consider that line item to be an 'essential' :D

I think a few things on this list are endemic in the "Beat the Jones'" mentality in suburban America. Specifically:

3. Manicure/Pedicure
4. Botox
11. Childhood Parties

If you live in certain areas, there seems to be a sense of a need to out do your neighbors. I've driven by some children's parties that look like the Macy's Day Parade. Heck I watched on the news that some retarded family spent 2 years planning their daughter's 15 year old party, when it got crashed by some hooligans and people got stabbed. I think some people need to be pro-actively awarded a Darwin Award for the sake of humanity.

Is it me or have the reply buttons stopped working?

the only thing I have on that list is a cell phone and dog grooming. We didn't have cable for years, but now we have the basic basic service and it's still $60 a month. I love my comedy central, tho. Downloading stuff is just not the same, believe me I did it for a long time.

Personally I make my own tea in the morning. Even buying the fairly expensive brands I save money compared to buying it at a store. I also stock some loose leaf at work so I don't need to hit the vending machine.

@Rectilinear Propagation: Nope they work fine! Perhaps a shift+F5 refresh is in order, or maybe just open a new browser?

I don't agree with the school one. That depends a great deal on the quality of the schools in your area. The public schools where I grew up in CT sucked. My brother, two years older than me, skated by for three years without really learning anything. Some neighbors of ours who spoke French fluently (the father was French) would laugh hysterically at the pathetic attempts of the high school French teacher to actually speak the language. There were similar stories about science & math teachers, etc. My brother ended up going to a private school in Maine his senior year just so he could get into college. Because of what we saw when he went to public high school I ended up going to private schools for all of high school and I know it was a much better education that I would have gotten at the public schools.

#5 needs some adjustment.

"If you feel ok about drinking filtered tap water you can save $25-$40 a month, the average monthly delivery fee based on online averages."

Anyone who drinks their municiple water without filtering it first deserves to be either banned from government healthcare and services for life or shot (whichever is easier to enforce). They are just begging to develop some sort of expensive, long-term care issue.

Ha, botox. I don't even get my hair cut.