The severity of this recession has radically changed Americans' opinions about what they truly can't live without. Increasingly, Americans see standard household appliances as luxuries rather than necessities, according to a 2009 Pew Research consumer survey (.pdf file). In fact, only three of about a dozen items on Pew's list actually scored higher in the "necessity" column than they did in 2006, the last time Pew conducted the survey.

Survey results are based on 1,003 telephone interviews conducted between April 2 and April 8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Continued: A set of wheels

Blame the recession or better public transportation; either way, slightly fewer respondents consider the car a staple of the American dream. A vehicle, however, is still seen by the vast majority of Americans as a must-have, with 88% of respondents calling a car essential.

Continued: Doing the laundry

More Americans are willing to save money -- and energy -- by hanging the laundry on clotheslines. According to the study, the number of Americans who think a clothes dryer is a necessity has dropped 17 percentage points since 2006.

If you're willing to dry clothes the old-fashioned way, you can deposit your quarters into a piggy bank. In addition to costing several hundred dollars, electric clothes dryers add about $85 to your power bill each year, according to the California Energy Commission.

Still, about 66% of Americans surveyed say a dryer is a household necessity.

Continued: Keeping your cool

Air conditioners are another example of Americans' cooling attitude toward consumption. The number of Americans who believe that an air conditioner is a luxury climbed 16 percentage points. A majority of Americans, however, still say they can't get through summer without one. Nearly 55% still say it's an essential.

For those willing to forgo cooled air, there are other ways to turn down the heat. Turning off household appliances, planting trees and upgrading insulation can all help keep homes cooler. Here's a list of other cheap ways to keep the house from heating up.

Continued: Meals in a hurry

Nuking it has lost its power over consumers. The microwave oven posted the largest decrease in the number of Americans who see it as a necessity, with 47% of Americans saying it is a must-have, down 21 percentage points from 2006. The new opinion of the microwave is a stark change from a decade ago, when even the poorest Americans often shelled out for this kitchen staple.

Despite the recession, nearly half of Americans still say the microwave is a needed kitchen appliance. How else, after all, can folks easily warm up budget-friendly leftovers?

Continued: The boob tube

Just like the nightly news, a television is seen by fewer people as a living-room staple. The television declined 12 percentage points on the necessity scale from 2006, with just 52% of respondents agreeing that TV is a modern-day necessity. The ability to watch favorite shows online is one reason Americans view the so-called idiot box as less important.

Continued: Going online

About half of Americans believe they need a home computer. That's about the same as in 2006.

The results may reflect the ability of many workers to use computers and access the Internet at work. Just more than 60% of adults use the Internet at work, according to a September 2008 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Continued: Doing the dishes

Only about 21% of Americans believe a dishwasher is a necessity. That's down 14 percentage points from 2006. The average dishwasher costs between $30 and $50 a year to operate, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Continued: Dozens of channels to watch

The cable guy won't want to hear this, but fewer people think cable or satellite television is a necessity these days. In fact, with only 23% of Americans polled saying cable or satellite TV is a must-have (down from 33% in 2006), these services rank low on the list of necessities. Of the dozen or so consumer goods in Pew Research's survey, only flat-screen TVs, dishwashers and iPods ranked lower.

Continued: Faster downloads

High-speed Internet access was one of the few items on Pew Research's list that more respondents considered essential now than in 2006. About 31% of Americans say they need high-speed Internet service. That edged up 2 percentage points from 2006.

Broadband users' monthly bills have dropped nearly 16% from 2006, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Broadband service cost an average $34.50 per month last year, according to Pew. Monthly DSL charges dropped from $32 to $31.50, according to Pew.

The number of people who believe high-speed Internet is essential is no surprise given that Internet access can enable so many other spending cuts. A high-speed online connection can allow Web-savvy users to forgo cable TV service -- providing they're willing to watch popular TV shows after their initial air dates -- and comparison shop for, say, the cheapest dishwasher.

Continued: A phone on the go

The recession hasn't changed Americans' opinions about cellular phones. About 49% see cell phones as necessary, roughly the same as in 2006. In fact, there's evidence that the cell phone has replaced the home phone as the essential communication device for people under 30. Less than half of adults aged 18 to 29 say a land-line phone is a necessity, compared with 84% of folks 65 and older. More than 60% of young adults say cell phones are a necessity, however. That compares with just 38% of people age 65 and over who feel the same way.

Continued: The newest kind of TV

Despite declining incomes and concern for job security, more respondents see flat-screen televisions as essential than in 2006. Flat-screen TVs gained 3 percentage points, with 8% calling them necessities.

Talk back: The secret luxury you wouldn't dare live without