Dear consuelo: I'll bet a vacuum cleaner was a close second choice after the washer. I still remember the horrible job of beating rugs on a line out doors. And I still remember how wonderful it was to get a refrigerator, so that milk didn't get sour on the second day. The big galvanized icebox became a repository for woolens and furred coats. And how often do you see a man today with a handkerchief in his coat breast pocket? Or a handkerchief anywhere else? And neckties are a stupid anachronism.I've got a million of them.