Yes, of course I could, but I would miss the microwave. Since I now live alone I cook more in it but also use it to reheat things cooked on or in the stove when I make larger amounts.

I have a half-size dishwasher that I use every other day. It does a great job, especially when I put it on "heavy wash."

The garbage disposal I could forget about, although I do use it. There are so many cautions in this building as to using it that it isn't much help.

I could live without any of them, but don know why I would. I cook in my microwave a lot, not just as a bread warmer or for leftovers. I also only run the dishwasher a couple times a week, for the two of us and wash pots and pans by hand. The one I seldom use is the disposal, but I wouldn't get rid of it.

Yes I could. It's just me so none of them get used much.

I could, but I would not like it. Why do the chores by hand, especially if the appliance is right there? If I didn't cook, then I probably wouldn't miss them, but I do cook and make large batches of soup to freeze. All three appliances are used well.

I could do without them but I sure wouldn't want to. I don't cook in the microwave but I use it a lot to reheat, defrost, make quick snacks, etc.

I could manage fine without the garbage disposal. I must have the microwave, I make Ovaltine in it every morning. I use it to cook steamed vegetables, melt butter, make white sauce and others, reheat since I lean towards cooking with leftovers in mind much of the time. And don't forget thaw....without it, I'd have to get organized and go to my freezer the night before or at least in the morning when dinner hasn't entered my thoughts yet.

I went too many years without a dishwasher in a tiny kitchen to ever be happy without one again. It's not that I mind washing dishes, but I do mind having to stop, fill a sink, wash, dry to keep the kitchen neat when I'm preparing several things. My dishwasher is a deal breaker, my kitchen will always have one.

I use my dishwasher almost every day and would hate to be without. I spent most of my life without a disposal although I have one now. I could without. The microwave gets used mostly to warm up my coffee.

I don't have a garbage disposal or a dishwasher so I can easily live without those. I "could" live without the microwave, but prefer to have it for heating food, heating a microwave heating pad, heating water for cocoa, etc.

My "garbage disposal" is a little stainless steel mesh drain insert I bought at the dollar store. Actually, I got two for a dollar; one of them could go in the bathroom sink if I wanted.

This strainer traps all the small particles so that I can empty them into the trash. Like Moni, I compost the big particles. ;-)

Only 2 of us and we have 2 microwaves. LOVE them!!!!! Would not want to be without either.

I use the trash can to dispose of garbage. Could do without a disposal.

We turn the dishwasher on once a week, when it's full, could do without it..

Yes, I could. Would I be happy? Probably not as I do use the microwave. The loss of the dishwasher would be the one I would handle the best. I like not having to deal with garbage.

I could, but prefer not to. I use the disposal minimally but do like having it for those little particles.

no, no, and no...

We don't cook or warm liquids with the microwave, we use it rarely. Other than a visual clue, certainly if it were taken away tomorrow, many days would pass before I might notice it missing.

The disposals (have 2) and the dishwasher are essential and non-negotiable.

Couldn't live without the dishwasher or microwave.
Seems there are always dishes that need washing.
And we eat a lot of leftovers; we use the microwave to warm them up.
Cindy uses the microwave for hot tea and hot chocolate.
I have never seen a garbage disposal and wouldn't know how to work one.
We do have Homer and he is always ready to eat a "snack".

Pooh Bear

I grew up without all 3 of those items, therefore, know I could do without all. However, that was then, not now. back then, I lived in the country on a farm and we had places to dispose of food items. Scrap food was either fed ot other animals or used as fertilizer and soil conditioner.

In the city with indoor plumbing, a disposer is essential for keeping kitchen sink drains free. Garbage collection comes only once a week, so in summer, a lot of stuff gets ground and flushed instead of reeking in the garbage can.

I can do without a dish washer. I don't have one. The space it would occupy is put to good use for hiding garbage containers and scrap paper products.

We probably use our microwave at least 20 times a day maybe even more. I would be lost without it! It's such a pain to heat up left overs without one. Who wants to turn on the oven just to heat up some food?

I'd rather have a dishwasher than not but I wouldn't miss it that much. A GD is handy but not that big of a deal. If I didn't have a GD, I would put the veggie scraps in compost. Meat has to sit in the freezer until trash day anyway so there's no difference there.

Yes we could live without 2 of the 3. Dishwasher is very very helpful in our house. disposal we never use for garbage but try to run at least once a day with cold water. Microwave is a convenience we would not miss. Ok maybe a little. My husband uses ours more than I ever did. I would prefer to use the stove to heat leftovers.
Mary

I use the microwave daily to take the chill off the canned cat food and for warming leftovers. I cook so that we deliberately have leftovers and the micro is perfect for that.

Never have had a desire for a garbage disposal. They are rare in Canada, unlike the U.S. Like Susan and Moni I have the little strainer in my sink to catch any goop rinsing dishes and when draining the sink. It's a blessing to not have extra crap going down the sink.

I do have a dishwasher......hubby does the dishes.
No need or desire for a machine.

I use the microwave daily to take the chill off the canned cat food and for warming leftovers. I cook so that we deliberately have leftovers and the micro is perfect for that.

Never have had a desire for a garbage disposal. They are rare in Canada, unlike the U.S. Like Susan and Moni I have the little strainer in my sink to catch any goop rinsing dishes and when draining the sink. It's a blessing to not have extra crap going down the sink.

Scraps get put in the green bin or to my composting worms.

I do have a dishwasher......hubby does the dishes.
No need or desire for a machine.

This post was edited by jasdip on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 11:00

I do like the microwave, but I guess I could live without it.

I have been without a disposal for years and years now.

I could NOT live without a dishwasher. I consider it a disinfecting machine, my opinion :)

I could not live without my tv. I tried. I just can't do it. Not knowing about inclement weather, where it was, what was happening, etc. drove me crazy! It is also our recreation, often.

I use my microwave for heating leftovers. I could live without it if I had to.
I don't have a garbage disposal
I use my dishwater at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
With just the 2 of us, we don't have a lot of dishes

I have all 3 and use all of them. If I had to choose one to not have it would be the garbage disposal, especially now that I have chickens to eat the scraps. I use all 3 of them every day.

Sue

Microwave - can do without....use it only for fast thawing food and heating up my 30 oz coffee cup in the morning.
Haven't had a garbage disposal in the past 7 years - would be nice, but I don't really miss it.
Have a dishwasher, but for 2 people, but I don't like the idea of dirty dishes waiting 2-3 days for a full load....I can wash the dishes in faster time, and better, top. For holiday dinners- I will NOT put Wedgewood bone china in a dishwasher to get hit by a force of a small fire hose.

Dishwasher - a total necessity
Microwave - convenient but could do without
Disposal - don't need at all

I've never had a garbage disposal. I think I would like to have one, my 2 sisters have them and use them a lot. It would be nice to get rid of smelly food scraps right away.

I have a dishwasher and run it maybe, once a week. But I'm glad I have it for when there's a lot of dishes or when I don't feel like washing them by hand. I'm like Monica, don't like the thought of dirty dishes sitting in the dishwasher waiting for a full load.

I would not want to be without my microwave, but of course I COULD live without it.

Love the microwave. I cook large batches and re-heat, and I've perfected the timing on making rice in my favorite casserole dish. If it stopped working I'd replace it immediately.

I've never had a disposal. We compost, and give meat scraps to the pets.

When the heating element in my last DW burned out, I briefly considered ditching it, and installing roll-out shelves for a dish drainer and dish pan, similar to OklaMoni's set-up. Instead, I replaced it. I use it almost every day, but I could give it up.

I have lived without all three. Hand washing dishes is no biggie, neither is scraping plates and putting stuff in the garbage. But I need my microwave, even if it's just to heat up some leftovers. When mine broke recently, I immediately went out to an appliance store at 8 am the next day and bought a replacement.

It's just me, so I don't use my dishwasher in the "normal" sense. If someone broke in and carted that dishwasher away, I'd just have to find someplace else to store all my plastic/glass microwavable containers!

But the microwave is a keeper -- for heating frozen portions of cook-ahead food or of frozen dinners. And sometimes popcorn!

I have lived with and without all three appliances. Now that I have all three, when one goes south it gets replaced immediately. Life is easier and better with them than without.

Could I live?...yes...but do I want to?...no!
It is only me, but I use them all every day.
What I could do without....coffee pot. What I could not....TV !

I don't miss a disposal. I would miss a M/W and my Dishdrawer.

We use a M/W throughout the day: Warming a half-cup of milk for my coffee; making instant oatmeal; re-warming coffee from the thermos; warming frozen muffins; heating soup for lunch; warming left-overs for lunch; warming frozen chocolate chip cookies at teatime; cooking frozen vegetables at dinner; defrosting meat or chicken for dinner; heating water for a hot drink when I'm awake and stuffy in the middle of the night.

When we built, I had my double sink set up for a disposal, should a future buyer want one. I seldom used the one in a prior home. I have a pull-out on one side of my sink with places for garbage and for recycling. (I'm not a 'scratch' cook. We could go a month without putting out a garbage pail -- but we don't.) There is a disposal at the Maui condo; use it rarely, and mostly just because it's here. Garbage goes out every evening anyway.

We run our top dishdrawer after dinner. DH is the Designated Unloader. I rarely need the lower drawer. I only hand-wash knives, larger pots and pans, delicate items. I don't want the clutter of dishes in the sinks or on counters, awaiting hand washing. I don't want to be constantly washing little batches of things. I don't want to waste the water. I don't need the extra stress on my arthritic hands.

Perhaps the disposal and the *big* dishwasher were more useful when there were more moms at home, more 'scratch' cooking, and larger families?

I've never owned a disposal, so that's a non-essential!
I'd miss my dishwasher and the microwave, but I could do without either of them. That's not to say that I'm not thankful for them! LOL

What I would give for a dishwasher (not built in), my most detested chore is washing dishes and when I cook I seem to use way too many dishes. Never did have a dishwasher so yes I can live without it but I really want one.

Garbage disposal, never had one but my friends and family who have one do like to use it.

I was without a microwave for a few months and I kept finding myself going to use it to reheat my coffee or tea and it wasn't there so I would miss it. I cook fish in the microwave. melt butter and chocolate for baking, steaming frozen veggies or sweet potatoes and reheating leftovers when I have them. Cheaper than reheating in the oven or using the stove especially now with time of use electricity billing which I really detest. I have a friend though who refuses to eat or drink anything that is microwaved because she thinks it is really bad for you, so when she has dinner at my house I have to remember that along with her other forbidden food and oil issues.

We disposed of the microwave several years ago because it just sat around without being used. Don't have a garbage disposal and don't need one because most food scraps can go on the compost pile. The dishwasher, I would miss. Pots and pans are usually washed by hand, but it's so convenient to have the dishwasher to help clean up all the extra dishes from cooking for and serving company.

Must have: Garbage disposal. Microwave: Convenient and cheaper than using the oven for frozen meals. Dishwasher: Never use it. Just something to Windex.

Use the microwave quite a bit.

Never had a garbage disposal ... imagine how much less need there'd be for the cities' sewage handling all of that extra water and food waste if most families kept those scraps for composting - some cities have a green box for compost goods alongside the one for garbage and recycling ... and the gardeners can come to get the compost.

I carry my dishwashers with me wherever I go ... they've even been known to help deal with the dishes in houses where I've been a guest, on occasion - but the host has to provide the water and soap.

ole joyful

I need all three! If I had to choose only 1, it's the microwave that I'd miss the most.

While I do compost, I don't throw just anything on the heap and do use the garbage disposal as someone else mentioned, to keep the garbage can from reeking!
Microwave gets used multiple times every day.
I like the dishwasher for disinfecting and holiday cleanup.

I can live without all three, and have done so at times in the past. I think I was one of the last persons to get a microwave! But I love my microwave and it would be a bit of a hardship to get along without one now.

And the dishwasher cuts down on clutter, as someone else posted. I have quite a few things I don't put in the dishwasher, so am often washing those by hand, but I'm sure glad I don't also have to wash plates, bowls and mugs as well!

I have to have a microwave for heating coffee and leftovers.
I like my dishwasher.
I thought I needed a garbage disposal but after I got it I could live without it.

My heart would not cease to pump blood, nor would I commit suicide without these 3 items so obviously I *could* live (and have lived) without them. In fact, I've lived all but 1 year of my life without a disposal. Strike that, it was less than that since the disposal didn't work the whole time I was there. Took a month or two to get it fixed when we noticed it wasn't working. Had a dishwasher a total of 2-3 years of my life. I'm still pumping blood.

I guess I must be doing something right too. I've lived my entire life in the city, (with indoor plumbing too!) and managed to keep kitchen sink drains free without a disposal. Maybe I know a secret or two that helps.

Microwave? Bought my first one in the 70s. Used sporadically over the decades. At one point I did a LOT of cooking in it but that died off as life and lifestyle changed. I will say that the more crippled I get, the more it becomes the "cripple cooker". I have never warmed coffee in one, can't see myself ever doing it. I make it in a coffeemaker, transfer to a vacuum bottle to keep it hot and normally finish it before it gets cold. I don't feel bad dumping a cup down the open drain if it gets that cold, or I might pour it into the "thermos" to mix with the hot and pour another cup. But I drink less coffee these days now anyway. If I need several cups of water hotter than the water heater provides I usually use the coffeemaker. It's usually faster than a microwave.

What tweaks my interest is if the ones whose lives will end without these would also die if, for instance, there was a power outage??? Or a breakdown? Or are they reincarnated when power or appliance is restored? Enquiring minds want to know. :)

Of course, electric light, indoor plumbing and central heating rank above these *conveniences*. I like radio, TV, the telephone and the internet too. The train, car and truck are mostly good. A real luxury is having affordable raspberries (from Chile) in our winter, thanks to the airplane. I wouldn't travel to Maui once a year without that plane either.

I'd miss the M/W more than the little Dishdrawer, and don't miss a disposal at all.

I haven't had a dishwasher since 1973....don't want one.

I have never had a garbage disposal....don't know what I'd want one for.

I have a microwave that I use for heating things up, but I could definitely do without it. I had one for years that I only used for melting butter and chocolate and my daughter used it for popcorn.

Assuming, of course, that the OP's terminology is a figure of speech and not literal (by the way, welcome back, Cynic ...), I don't have a garbage disposal now. I've had one in other houses. I really don't miss it.

I like having a dishwasher a lot (although I don't like my current dishwasher at all), and I like having a microwave. I have never, ever cooked anything in the microwave. I just use it for heating things up.

I can live w/o a microwave- hardly use it

I can live w/0 a disposal- I compost

I can but would not want to live without a dishwasher. Plus my son loads it and I can't imagine how the dishes would turn out if he hand washed.

I lived without all those things as a child. If I lost them all today, I would miss them. But I could live without them.

Could I live?...yes...but do I want to?...no!
It is only me, but I use them all every day.
What I could do without....coffee pot. What I could not....TV !

a microwave? Yes but I use mine often

... a garbage disposal? Don't have ine as they are nit recommended for septic systems
... a dishwasher? of course I could but I don't really enjoy doing dishes and I have a top of the line Sears so I like knowing the dishes are really clean.

Question for those who has a house without these items.... Aren't homes in your area built with a dishwasher and garage disposal? A dishwasher is a "must" for a house to sell in my area. I was surprised to see how many of you do not have one in your home.

Could I? Yes. Would I want to? No.

We use our microwave quite a bit for warming up leftovers, heating water for tea, steaming veggies, etc.

The disposal is handy and I like having it, but it wouldn't be a really big deal if we didn't have one. We didn't have one in our first house.

Not having a dishwasher would be a big deal for me. We mostly cook at home and have quite a few dishes. I simply don't have time now to get the things done I need to in a day. I'm all for any appliance that will make my life easier and lessen my time spent cleaning.