Minimalist Lifestyle

[RoyDalParticipant]

Full disclosure: I am hardly living in the lap of luxury, but I am far better off than the poet. I’m closer to his dad’s level of material comfort. I have heat in the winter, air-conditioning in the summer, and modern appliances year round. With all that, I live in a rural area with a low cost of living and very few social obligations.

Makings
by Gary Snyder

I watched my father’s friends
Roll cigarettes, when I was young
Leaning against our black tarpaper shack.
The wheatstraw grimy in their hands
Talking of cars and tools and jobs
Everybody out of work.
the quick flip back
And thin lick stick of the tongue,
And a twist, and a fingernail flare of match.
I watched and wished my overalls
Had hammer-slings like theirs.

The war and after the war
With jobs and money came,
My father lives in a big suburban home.
It seems like since the thirties
I’m the only one stayed poor.
It’s good to sit in the
Window of my shack,
Roll tan wheatstraw and tobacco
Round and smoke.

“Makings” by Gary Snyder from No Nature. © Pantheon Books 1992. Reprinted without permission.

Edit: The price of that chess set photographed for my avatar would feed a third world family for a month, or two, or three. It is a modern reproduction of the set that Bobby Fischer said was his favorite. By third world standards, I am living in the lap of luxury, minimalist by my standards though it may be.

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[UntamedParticipant]

When you make a list of what you need vs. what you want, you’ll find that the imbalance is atrociously eye-opening.
I adopted a minimalist lifestyle not only out of necessity after my divorce but mostly out of disgust for this society and also as a protest for the commercialization of our lives, and death of Humanity by unscrupulous feminism, corporations and Banks.
My buying habits concentrate on daily needs only. A treat once in a while will go a long way. And by “treat” I don’t mean buying a car.
There is not much I want anymore and that which I want I already have.
Every time I go to a store to browse novelties and see something I want, a little voice tells me “how much better is this trinket going to make your life?”. The answer is always ‘not much’ and I end up walking away.
My money stays at the bank or in investments. I’m building up, not tearing down.
Hemorrhaging money left and right defeats the purpose of self-reliance.

I will not participate in a society that wants to incarcerate me and kill me because I a man.

Don't let them Blame, Shame or Tame you!
Give 'em NOTHING, not even an answer!
#GenderSegragationNow!

[NotMyProblemParticipant 965]

Tenant pays the mortgage, and my car is 13 years old and paid off. Kill those 2 expenses and you’ve got it made.
No debts, no obligations, no responsibility.

I have this crazy dream of giving it all up and just walking the Earth with nothing other than what I can fit in a backpack. No destination, just walking.

I’m not ready to give up on technology yet though… I figure I could bring my laptop in a waterproof case with a solar charger. My smartphone can be used as a wifi hotspot…

Beans, rice, and some grass fed steaks here and there. What more does a Man really need?

Not my property... Not my problem

[Faust For ScienceParticipant 22521]

Untamed, that is sane approach to take.

There is no point to trying to build or save wealth that can be taken on a whim by others.

[RoyDalParticipant]

NotMyProblem wrote:

Beans, rice, and some grass fed steaks here and there. What more does a Man really need?

Vitamins. shelter from foul weather, clothing that is adaquate for the climate and social setting, and that’s about it
Edit:

Faust For Science wrote: There is no point to trying to build or save wealth that can be taken on a whim by others.

Whoo dogies, you got that right!

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[RoyDalParticipant]

Untamed wrote:

When you make a list of what you need vs. what you want, you’ll find that the imbalance is atrociously eye-opening.

Yep!

Untamed wrote:

I will not participate in a society that wants to incarcerate me and kill me because I a man.

Same here!

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[UntamedParticipant]

Faust For Science wrote:

Untamed, that is sane approach to take.

Thank you. Sometimes I think I’m totally nuts!

There is no point to trying to build or save wealth that can be taken on a whim by others.

Exactly.

Don't let them Blame, Shame or Tame you!
Give 'em NOTHING, not even an answer!
#GenderSegragationNow!

[Tiga KParticipant 1693]

I like K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple Stupid

[hmskl’dParticipant 6406]

I doubt if I could ever function with under 100 possessions, the goal of some ultra-minimalists. I do think it would be nice to strive for absolutely the fewest items possible. If I really culled everything not needed in my daily life for work and some entertainment .. I might be able to get down to several hundred items.

[Anonymous 1]

This lifestyle should be the norm for most of us, but sadly, too many people wants “s~~~”. Luckily for me, I grow up poor and have always been super cheap. I learn early on to save as much as possible and not wanting s~~~ to impress other people. I drive a 2004 civic that is pass down from my sister. While I was attending college I dropped/picked up my dad from work so I can use his car to get from school and back. I consider my myself to be very lucky to realized this early on and not get caught up with the rest of them. I am 27 and most people I know are buying new car and not having anything in the bank account at all. I have no debt and always pay my credit card in full. If it wasn’t for credit history I would not even have a cc. There is no way to build credit history without a cc so I am stuck with it.

[Jan SobieskiParticipant 28791]

If you live in a affluent area thrift stores are a gold mine. clothes, pots pans, books, etc…

Remember every dollar you spend today could be 5 dollars after time.

Don’t go cheap on guns or ammo.

Is this a need or a want.

Attachments lead to unhappiness. Stuff can be stolen.

Everything I need can fit in my car and go. I can always get new books or silverware at my next destination.

A big truck is nice but it is expensive and I only need it once a year. I rent one when needed and I’m better off in the long run. Same for snowmobiles, jet skis, etc.

Love is just alimony waiting to happen. Visit mgtow.com.

[MattNYCParticipant 2329]

Anonymous wrote:

There is no way to build credit history without a cc so I am stuck with it.

One thought – you may be able to use this to your advantage. There are a one or two credit cards that actually do 2% cash back on every purchase (not just specific categories of purchases that change every quarter). So you can build your credit history & save a few bucks per year.

This is one of the things i love about credit cards – i pay mine in full every month, it’s more convenient that carrying cash, safer than a debit card***, and the people who pay interest are basically subsidizing my 2% cash back per month.

***I call out credit cards as safer than debit cards for the following reason. Say there’s a fraudulent charge of $100 on your card. You call to dispute. All credit cards will suspend the $100 charge while they investigate, so you don’t have to pay. This happens immediately. If it’s a debit card the bank may not refund that $100 back in to your account while they investigate.

[Anonymous 18]

My version of minimalist lifestyle is cottage life decked with luxury.
Any penny spent on her items is a penny wasted.
I minimalist a woman’s purchase power not directly financed from her bank accounts.

[RedDawnParticipant 1391]

As Dr. Dre once said:

‘You can’t put a price on peace of mind’.

Also I’ll be creating my own little paradise in Fallout 4 😀 hehe

Courage is the key to life itself - Morgan Freeman

[SnakeSpectator 2080]

Bros, you only *need* 5 things. A knife, a metal canteen, a good jacket, a firestarter, and some cordage. This is common survivalist knowledge.

Don’t buy anything if you don’t need to. Sew up torn clothes. I only use scissors to cut my hair and beard. Start adding rice, beans, and oats to your diet. Learn to cook. My boots are almost 20 years old, I have a field jacket that is 35 years old.

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

I’ve been attempting to approach minimalism for about a month now. So far, so good. I’ve made about $200 off of the stuff I’ve sold, and I’m finding even more things to part with. I’ve used the money to pay off one loan that’s been hitting me monthly for a year, and now I’m saving for a bike to ride to work. It would give me exercise AND it only would take 30 minutes to get there according to Google Maps.

I get all organic vegetables from an organic store right next to where I live (they’re grown by local farmers), and I get my fish from the local fish market the next city over. Strangely enough, despite it being “fancier” food, it comes out cheaper than buying it from a big name grocery store! (My guess is because it’s not being as transported and packaged by other people.)

Once I am finally “minimal” it’s going to feel great. I’m already losing stuff less than when I had a lot of things and everything would go “missing.”

[onmywayParticipant 502]

I became a minimalist a year ago and got rid of 70-80% of my stuff. Have never missed any of it.
Feels amazing to be free. I live comfortably in a REALLY small room. People feel sorry for me when they see the size of my room – I feel sorry for them when I hear the amount of money they spend on rent 🙂
Funny side note – I did a freelance gig as a stage assistant today, and they asked me if I could wear black jeans during the concert. I answered that I only had blue jeans. They asked if I had any blue jeans in dark shades, or black khakis or anything. I answered back with a smile: “I’m sorry if I didn’t make myself clear. I only have one pair of jeans. One pair of trousers. Those are the blue jeans I’m wearing right now. And I think I look great in them!”. They laughed and looked shocked at the same time – they couldn’t believe that I only owned one pair of trousers 😀

[hollowtipsParticipant 681]

I think it’s important to embrace a minimalist lifestyle to make you realize what you actually need in life. Especially as a young adult, it will minimize expenses and help you save and get ahead of greedy people who in the long run will fall miles behind you.

[MalfunctionNeedInputParticipant 257]

This is some very good information. I really appreciate it.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. --Einstein

[Won'tGetFooledAgainParticipant 3293]

Since my divorce I have led a minimalist lifestyle and I have to say I am much happier with as few possessions as possible. I left my marital home with two bags of clothes, my laptop, mobile phone and passport and I have not really bought anything new in the last two years.

Instead of wasting money on junk I don’t need I have been saving that money instead. I have to say it gives me a much warmer feeling seeing that money in the bank than having the latest Car, Phone or Laptop. In the past I was so bored with my life that I looked to gaining new material possessions as I thought this would make me happy and make life more exciting. What I found was I did lots of research and got excited about my potential now possession, but once I had purchased it I got massive buyers remorse and ended up either never using it or selling it on eBay for a loss.

Think of all those idiots out there who think there life will be complete if they trade in their 3 year old BMW to get a brand new one, or have an iPhone 6 instead of an iPhone 5. Once the novelty wears off they will be exactly as happy as they were before, but with the financial burdon of paying for their new toy. How many idiots are there out there who are going to work to pay the payments on their car which they use to get to work?

I see money as giving you the freedom to do what you want to do. Most people see money as enabling you to acquire possessions, unfortunately the more possessions you own, the less free you actually are.

For women, everything eventually boils down to Alpha Fucks, Beta Bucks.

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