Minimalist Crew — Misc I aware you on Minimalism

[Ramy33]

i stopped at no pillow. ***** u crazy

Strong reading comprehension skills. Also: strong red.

[Lachdanan]

I live in Montreal too. This is taking it a bit far if you ask me, minimalism is about having "enough", not removing for the sake of removing. Personally though I always buy the 2L boxes because I live on my own and don’t drink that much milk. Don’t sweat the small stuff like that, if you need one you need one, nothing wrong with that.

I’m sure there are other areas of your life that you can take time decluttering and that will be much more valuable and beneficial to you!

lol bro I hear you. But sometimes this bothers me. Kind of though not similar to having a weight scale. I don't have one because I weigh myself when I am in a local grocery store, that way I can have 1 less item. IMO it's not good if you get a very specific item that you only use sometimes.

I am not sure if this is minimalism but for example when I bought cutlery, I didn't get the one that has the most intricate details but the simplest one, even though same price. Because not only simplicity is more elegant to me, but also easier to clean, etc. Also of people don't think about these but this is an important factor, be it appliances, cutlery, etc.

Also brahs what about new books that you spent say $1000 total? I bought some computer graphics programming books using my company's allowance, but I realized I use the digital ebooks more often. So my hardcovers are untouched. Any idea how to sell these close to the real value? I checked online but they literally offer 1/10th of the price or even less to buy new or like new books. I would love to get rid of them but not with those prices. Some of them are quite rare and expensive if you buy yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321515269

As you can see $130 for one book alone. So why would I sell it for $10.

[Smevans21]

lol bro I hear you. But sometimes this bothers me. Kind of though not similar to having a weight scale. I don't have one because I weigh myself when I am in a local grocery store, that way I can have 1 less item. IMO it's not good if you get a very specific item that you only use sometimes.

I am not sure if this is minimalism but for example when I bought cutlery, I didn't get the one that has the most intricate details but the simplest one, even though same price. Because not only simplicity is more elegant to me, but also easier to clean, etc. Also of people don't think about these but this is an important factor, be it appliances, cutlery, etc.

Also brahs what about new books that you spent say $1000 total? I bought some computer graphics programming books using my company's allowance, but I realized I use the digital ebooks more often. So my hardcovers are untouched. Any idea how to sell these close to the real value? I checked online but they literally offer 1/10th of the price or even less to buy new or like new books. I would love to get rid of them but not with those prices. Some of them are quite rare and expensive if you buy yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321515269

As you can see $130 for one book alone. So why would I sell it for $10.

Ebay is your best bet for books of value. I sold some of mine on there. For other, I sell on Amazon or donate.

[oVo]

lol bro I hear you. But sometimes this bothers me. Kind of though not similar to having a weight scale. I don't have one because I weigh myself when I am in a local grocery store, that way I can have 1 less item. IMO it's not good if you get a very specific item that you only use sometimes.

I am not sure if this is minimalism but for example when I bought cutlery, I didn't get the one that has the most intricate details but the simplest one, even though same price. Because not only simplicity is more elegant to me, but also easier to clean, etc. Also of people don't think about these but this is an important factor, be it appliances, cutlery, etc.

Also brahs what about new books that you spent say $1000 total? I bought some computer graphics programming books using my company's allowance, but I realized I use the digital ebooks more often. So my hardcovers are untouched. Any idea how to sell these close to the real value? I checked online but they literally offer 1/10th of the price or even less to buy new or like new books. I would love to get rid of them but not with those prices. Some of them are quite rare and expensive if you buy yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321515269

As you can see $130 for one book alone. So why would I sell it for $10.

Coworkers? They probably need those books too. I did a huge clean out a few years ago when I went "minimalist." There were 3 piles: Toss, Donate, Sell. Toss was easy, Donate was almost as easy, and Sell which was not that easy. I sold my major things (car, tv, etc.) but for the misc. electronics, books, odds and ends the sell pile quickly became the donate pile. If you really care about getting $ out of it, then write it off on your taxes. I didn't want to waste any more of my life trying to meet up with a random craigslist person to sell a $40 book to.

As for knives, I own 2 knifes. They are identical. They are kiwi knifes from a local asian store. I think paid $4 for each. They are 10x sharper than anything at a regular store. They are cheap and easily replaced. I do sharpen them and have had the 2 for over 3 years now.

[oVo]

I am a true minimalist.

Here's a write up I did a while ago about my plans to live the free life..


My plan is to live in a motorhome. It will take an initial investment of about $30,000 to buy the thing, but after that.. Life is sweet.

I will be 100% self contained. I've thought long and hard about how to do this, and here's some of the idea's I've come up with, to live outside of the norm.. Outside of the money trap.

1. Fuel - fuel is expensive, but not so much when you have a diesel engine. There are conversion kits to turn a diesel fuelled car into a 'waste oil' fuelled car. You can use any waste oil and have it converted into a fuel with a relatively simple conversion kit you can install yourself. All you need is waste oil, which can be obtained freely from fast food places, hotels, or anywhere that commercially make food (they usually pay companies to take barrels of oil off them so they'll happily give some to you for free).
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2. Energy - This one was simple... Solar power. 120watts is what I assume I'll need. There are packages on ebay that sell 120w solar panels along with a 110ah deep cycle battery for $500. Cheap as for free energy for the rest of your life.

3. Internet - I inevitably will need the internet to keep myself entertained. There are a couple of options here. Use a mobile phone's internet package to browse internet. This is a slow and costly service (phone's aren't free), so I've opted for a second choice; 'Borrowing' people's wireless internet. There are ways to crack someones WIFI password, which I wont go into, but it's out there on the web if you need it. Some may see this as morally wrong, but it wont hurt their pocket so I say why not.

3. Water - In a motorhome it's quite easy to obtain free water, in Australia at least. Tap water here is perfectly drinkable and obtainable at any park or petrol station for free.

4. Income - Inevitably you'll need some sort of income to keep yourself maintained for things like insurance and registration and whatever else you may undoubtably have the urge to buy. I haven't decided on a set plan here but cooking within the motorhome and selling snacks to people on the beach isn't a bad idea. Or you can just work here and there along the way doing odd jobs. Web Design was on my list too, I'm quite net savvy though, so this option probably isn't the best for a regular nomad.

So are you doing this or is this your plan? I would be interested in knowing. Right now my wife and I are about 1 year from not needing jobs to live the rest of our lives. We are going about it differently but it is always nice to hear success stories.

[Lachdanan]

Ebay is your best bet for books of value. I sold some of mine on there. For other, I sell on Amazon or donate.

Thanks I noticed amazon allows selling books from customers. I will see if I can do that.

Coworkers? They probably need those books too. I did a huge clean out a few years ago when I went "minimalist." There were 3 piles: Toss, Donate, Sell. Toss was easy, Donate was almost as easy, and Sell which was not that easy. I sold my major things (car, tv, etc.) but for the misc. electronics, books, odds and ends the sell pile quickly became the donate pile. If you really care about getting $ out of it, then write it off on your taxes. I didn't want to waste any more of my life trying to meet up with a random craigslist person to sell a $40 book to.

As for knives, I own 2 knifes. They are identical. They are kiwi knifes from a local asian store. I think paid $4 for each. They are 10x sharper than anything at a regular store. They are cheap and easily replaced. I do sharpen them and have had the 2 for over 3 years now.

No the company has shared library for all. But I bought this one using the company allowance. Some people bought other things like CDs, or even some hardware.

[Ramy33]

Thanks I noticed amazon allows selling books from customers. I will see if I can do that.

Did this in the past, Canada Post shipping fees will eat up all your profit. Hardly worth it unless you have really rare books or are able to charge a lot for them. What I ended up doing is just donating them to my local primary school.

[oVo]

Going to italy for 9 days with the wife. Here is what we are taking. We actually packed "heavy" for this trip because we plan on going out fancy a few nights. The backpack is practically empty other than our toiletries and cords for our phones.

[Lachdanan]

Did this in the past, Canada Post shipping fees will eat up all your profit. Hardly worth it unless you have really rare books or are able to charge a lot for them. What I ended up doing is just donating them to my local primary school.

But don't you charge for shipping too? Anyway I listed the books on the Canadian site where the books are in the price range of $175+ each. If it sells, great. If not, then one day I will check them out and implement some of the algorithms for fun (:

[spacecowboy00]

just went through this entire thread. fascinating, inspiring stuff, as i've often tried to live as minimalistic as possible. haven't completely gotten there yet, but i've definitely made some headway. gonna go home today and start throwing out chit in my room that i don't need. from now on, it's gonna be just living with the bare essentials along with some entertainment (basically just my macbook, smartphone and ereader), and saving as much money as i can. as a South Asian, i'm still being made to live with my parents lol, which i don't mind because i'm saving a load of cash on rent. my girlfriend and i try to spend as little as possible, opting for picnics and home cooked meals as opposed to eating out. we only do that once a month and only spend a reasonable amount.

goal for today is gonna be to minimize my clothing items. i have a crapload of stuff in my closet i never wear, so i'm gonna try and either sell them or give them away

i noticed a lot of people arguing about the merits of smartphones in the context of minimalism. personally, i feel like it's a benefit. it's helped me get rid of physical things like notebooks, calenders, flashlight, maps etc etc. if anything, i've become more productive with it. not everyone does become like that though, due to social media.

which brings me to my next point: i do have existing ********, twitter and instagram accounts. twitter and instagram is barely used, if at all. twitter i will most likely get rid of altogether, but i like taking pictures of scenery and natural beauty whenever i come across it, and sometimes i just have to my phone to do it with, so instagram can help in that regard. ******** i only use for about 15-20 minutes a day to keep in touch with friends. i don't even bother going through the main page because most of it is useless, banal stuff.

gonna slowly integrate more of the minimalism lifestyle as i go along from here on in. best of luck to all of you misc bros!

[Joseph1990]

In 4 later.

[Ramy33]

Also, if you wanna read further and interact with more people interested in the subject, Reddit has a pretty active subreddit about minimalism: http://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism — check it out also!

[Camaro68]

I'll contribute...

In the last year and a half I have started a new job, fresh out of college doing very well (one of the lucky ones, there are plenty of recent grads job searching or living with mom and dad....these are the days we live in) I wont go into details but im comfortably over 6 figures...

All the guys I work with have half million dollar homes, new vehicles for them and the wife, a boat or multiple, sleds, "the harley" etc and most also a cabin up north...in one year I have paid off my student loans (were $48,000) and have a very very comfortable nest egg..I max my 401k, have a side IRA maxed and max my HSA as well as setting aside funds for some special interests in investing...it's a hobby I guess you could say, and interest...In Warren Buffets book "Snowball" he discusses how he would not view an object as say $200....he would view it as say $800 with the idea that he could gain 7% interest on that money over the next 20 years. Now what if you could contribute even $500 a month and get a optimistic return (i know i know) of 7% over 20 years? it turns into $262,482.69....now the fact that an average of 7% is irrelevant...use 5% doesnt matter, the point I'm trying to make is the view he had of money...he valued the math of the money saved more than the object he could purchase now, immediately...

This changed my entire perspective...honestly if I was making 30k a year I dont think I would think this way, I would be to busy trying to pay for basics to think I had enough to worry about where to put and be responsible with....here is the weird thing I have found, the more I made the more I valued doing something intelligently with it! I always said if I was a millionaire nobody would ever know it, I dont need a new truck every year or every other (currently drive 1996 Buick Regal I have had all through college, bought for $2500 and has now 125k miles on it, I am meticulous with my maintenance, it has its quirks but its just a car) I got rid of a ton of stuff. I kind of have the mindset from the movie heat "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." Im not running from the cops, but it helps me think if I really need something or if in essence I'm keeping up with the joneses.

It has helped me de-stress, I take comfort knowing that I'm working toward a secure retirement that will be significant hopefully...and guess what here is the kicker, if I retired with say 4 million or so, my lifestyle wouldnt change because I'm so used to living simply, I actually wouldnt even need to money (enter philanthropy). Guys at work give me crap all the time for living simply, but thats fine, I'm not scrambling to pay for things or worried about bills...I also dont have a family so it's easy for me to do now, I dont know that someone could live the way I do with a family and I wouldnt expect them too, this is just an advantage I have right now so I am making the most of it.

Also, I own 4 houses, that I have rented out and draw income from, the irony is that I own them providing very nice homes for families yet I myself live "like a hobo" as some say, thats fine I dont need a 5000sq ft house...what would I do with it...

The simpler I live the happier I get, I have noticed that I appreciate things alot more, quiet fishing with a friend on a friday night, a bonfire, conversation, reading (I read a ton on everything, have alot of interests) I also try and take one good trip a year to someplace exciting and cultural to benefit from time away and continue to be the most well rounded I can experiencing other peoples lives/views etc.

I dont know that I will live like this for the rest of my life, but I know I will never get caught up in the trap that is consumerism. The weird thing is that the more simple I live the more I save and it compounds and the wealth grows, the more I realize I dont need it, Im happy and it has nothing to do with money. And if the market crashes and I lose it all and the houses are worth nothing, thats fine, I can hunt and can veggies and live like I do now in a camper or van if it gets that bad...essentially I am not worried about anything...even another depression...WE"RE ALL GONNA MAKE IT!

The small enjoyable things in life are what makes us all equal, playing with my buddies kids, good friends, good conversations, nature, beauty etc...if your bank account has 7 figures or 2....it doesnt matter, you will not appreciate them more or less...either you do or you do not.

Better living through simplicity, its been very eye opening for me and has changed my entire view on life. I grew up with a single mom, she worked three part time jobs and we lived in subsidized housing my entire life, put myself through college (as stated above) and came out wanting to get a decent job and start climbing the ladder, I wanted the big house, cars, toys etc.. I never would have expected this to happen 5 years ago even, instead I got out and hit the jackpot landing this job, probably 3X what I would have been happy with for a yearly salary and my views completely changed.

To end this I will say, the one thing I have never had in my life that I am envious of you cannot buy, and thats a close family, or any family at all...I see my best friend growing up is now married and has 2 little kids, I go over and play with them and he has a happy nice wife they have a simple house and live paycheck to paycheck, I dont think he thinks about retirement at all, straight up blue collar guy (nothing wrong with that I am myself) and I would trade places with him for an instant. millionaire or poor guy if you come home at the end of the day and your kids yell DADDY! and run up and give you a hug....your equal....and rich. You cant go buy a loving wife you trust, I suppose you could buy/adopt a kid but its not the same...maybe someday I'll be there...until then I'll keep going this way, certainly could be worse and Im not complaining Im the happiest I have ever been in my life....just saying of all the joys in life, the special things, the things that matter when your laying there at 85-90 in the hospital bed....money is dead last, I try and remember this at all times, really helps keep priorities straight and not sweat the small stuff

[Camaro68]

oh also one more thing....I read an awesome article and I cant find the link now, but basically it described the way that some of us live that have posted here...and it said that although nowdays people think of us as "frugal", "cheap" or living like a bum, tight with your money, simple etc...our grandparents generation would have never thought anything of it...IT WAS NORMAL...they were resourceful! valued saving and hard work, didnt need the newest, latest and greatest!

This is our economy, our culture, marketing etc and it's tough to not get sucked in when your bombarded with it everywhere you go and when you turn on the TV...if your living simply keep it up! if not slowly make some changes and see how your values change, it's great! I feel so bad for the stockbrokers etc who threw themselves off building etc when markets crashed...your dollar amount does not determine your self worth, again...its the little things in life (i know cliche) that are most valuable and cant be taken away, you wont lose them if the dollar is worth nothing and the markets crash

[kfcbrah]

Also, if you wanna read further and interact with more people interested in the subject, Reddit has a pretty active subreddit about minimalism: http://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism — check it out also!

Found this one: http://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/c...s_to_flourish/
It's what the title says: "Reduce entertainment. Allow ideas to flourish."

[oVo]

Found this one: http://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/c...s_to_flourish/
It's what the title says: "Reduce entertainment. Allow ideas to flourish."

I agree with their concept that how minimal the minimalism is will be subjective to the person. I consider myself a moderate minimalist. I have no desire to be an extreme minimalist. I have a few small vices.

[3alaRase]

The idea behind asceticism is not merely a physical approach, but the greater form requires minimalism on both the physical and spiritual level.

One can be a minimalist by physically owning less, but if is heart still desires what other people have then he is no better off because as long as he has that desire in his heart - he is a slave to his wants. Only by freeing the heart from wants does one become truly free.

I know religion is frowned upon in this forum, but here's a quote to give you better insight to what I mean.

Ibn al-Qayim: Asceticism is to place the World in your hands and not in your heart.

Meaning being a minimalist doesn't mean you own nothing or merely the bare minimum, but rather that none of these own you (ie. you're not attached to them mentally/psychologically). So someone can be an ascetic even if he owns a nice car and house, but the key is that his heart remains free from being attached to such material.

[ThundaHorz]

very pertinent

[kfcbrah]

Bump 4 minimalistic misc brahs

[kids.got.soul]

Posting so I can come back to read this later

[kfcbrah]

Found a great minimalistic site on living minimalistic: http://mnmlist.com

[Thread Bomber]

Recycle, Reduce, Re-use

[oVo]

Found a great minimalistic site on iving minimalistic: http://mnmlist.com

I like Leo Babauta's posts. I have been keeping a blog (more of a journal since its not live) for a few years now about my experiences with minimalism. I re-read through them a few months ago and was thinking of doing a blog for people to see but it was too centered around me. I am developing some blog like articles about minimalism and really getting myself out of the picture. Hopefully completely non-existant. I see how much that can destroy websites/blogs like theminimalists.com which went from pretty cool and informative to a bunch of self-centered things such as personal accomplishments. And I will definitely not try to monetize it by selling ebooks etc.

[didaskalos]

bump

brb thought i was a minimalist already, was awared that i am not

[bmlkiddo]

minimalist crew checkin.... oh wait. Wrong minimal.

[MasterFool]

Have any of you gone too far with your minimalism? I mean things that you had and gave away / sold / dumped which you actually really needed later.

It makes more sense to me to be optimal rather than minimal pe rse.

But I have been working on reducing my stuff, and though there's loads still, it feels kind of liberating. But a man who throws out his blankets and just keeps one sheet in the summer will bitterly regret his decision come the winter, you know what I mean?

Stuff is a form of ability multiplier, but too much is constrictive. Not only too much but the wrong kind of stuff.

I'm just musing, what do you guys think in your own cases?

[MasterFool]

Found a great minimalistic site on living minimalistic: http://mnmlist.com

That site is not good.

Carbon footprint? Carbon issue is a giant scam that will be used to beat everyone in the West into poverty.
alanwattsentientsentinel.eu

Veganism as a way of life promoted for everyone? Um, how about no.

Giving up all private ownership on home, clothing, ect. um... no.. again NO.


I believe overwatched by the rulers of the world - they had their consumerism phase with Edward L Bernays and all that when it was useful and now that it has served it's function they want "us" to quit using up "their" resources. This at the moment is a time of transition but that is where it is headed, nay, piloted.

It's a clever but totally expected move. The feeling - the sentiment of a lot of good people is that we are tired of being manipulated into purchasing things we don't need to satisfy phantom wants. And other things which are more or less individually motivated - but, and this is important, the rulers co-opt that sentiment and take it into a different direction which seems similar but is not the same, and it just so happens to be one which suits their own agenda of getting everyone crammed into the cities, using little material things, using little energy, eating vegan (by necessity as meat will become so expensive, you'll see) and so-on.

For reference peruse "Agenda 21" now renamed "sustainable development" set out by the UN which is a front organisation for the rulers.

If you want to see extreme minimalism go see many homeless people - it is no way to live. I caution you all to be very wary of where and how far you let this "movement" take your mind, as it has been in large part co-opted by people who don't give a damn about you or the environment or any of that, and these people are obscenely wealthy. If you knew the full agenda you would spit your post workout drink all over your keyboard.

A minimalist apartment isn't yours (rent only as per UN agenda)
A minimalist apartment is one room (ditto)
A minimalist apartment is tiny (ditto)
A minimalist diet is vegan and of that is GMO (no organic) (ditto)
A minimalist life uses very little resources and you wont be allowed to travel outside of your "zone" (see the UN "Agenda 21")
And on and on and on.

For the few who will berate me and get annoyed - why? If you honestly think I am lying go ahead and research these things yourself and then you can see for yourself. And to the few who will neg me or reply with some garbage - there is nothing to say to the dead.

The rest of you, I urge you to think about things, for yourselves. I know how condescending that sounds, but do a double take, how much of what we think is really our own thoughts compared to how much is just thoughts and views that we have adopted and absorbed from others around us? We are being used and abused. But again - this isn't a bash at minimalism - it is a note of caution that the minimalism sentiment has been hijacked by perfidious and powerful groups for ulterior motives. That is why I prefer to think of it as optimalism, although any ideology can become a tyranny through the use of dogma and inflexibility, so even that is suspect.

[-Kal-El-]

In on this.

I recently cleaned out my room and closet. I got rid of unused clothes, sold my bed, entertainment center, tv, desk, etc. All that is left in my room is a pallet that I sleep on, workout equipment, clothes, and one box of the things I chose to keep. I am also currently trying to sale my motorcycle. Feels really good. I've also made the decision to not go clothes shopping like I used to and only get the things I need. Also thrift shops will be utilized when this occurs. Fight club, as cliche as that may sound, and other things are what influenced my decision to ditch all of the superfluous things. The minimalist lifestyle is definitely for me.

[TheMinimalist]

in.

[Ramy33]

bahmp