2008: My year of living smaller

Though this article isn't all that well written, it brings up what seems to be a (very good) trend lately: people exploring the idea of living with less.<p>I'm only a college student right now, and already have limited expenses, but I've been exploring the idea of reducing the amount of things I own; a more minimalist lifestyle. I've realized something that Jelliffe points out towards the end of his article:<p>"Simplicity is great if it is coupled with quality household goods, but terrible with commodity goods that bust all the time."<p>Most items you can get at Wal-Mart, Target, or any major chain store are not well made...and, well, crap. Yes, the nicer things are more expensive and more difficult to find, but they are worth it. Which makes more sense: owning one quality $100 knife for 30+ years, or going through 10 $20 knives over the course of 30 years?<p>That's just the beginning of living simpler, though. It isn't just about replacing your stuff with better stuff, but about reducing the overall amount of stuff you own. Do you really need X, Y, and Z, or can you do without Y and Z?<p>Relating this to my own experience, I like to see it as an interesting challenge. Since I fly back and forth from my school (and I don't own a car), everything I own has to be packed away in a storage unit at the end of the school year. Therefore, the less I own, the less I have to store, and the better off I am. I've been working to get rid of a lot of things I don't need (how much clothing do I really need? Electronics? Trinkets?) and avoiding buying new things. The major advantage this has is that it frees up a lot of money to spend on things I really want to <i>do</i>, such as a trip to Japan I have planned for this summer.<p>I wish this idea would go more mainstream, though, as I think the whole US could do with a little downsizing. Perhaps this current economy will help push us in that direction?

Does living smaller mean having to give up things (such as replacing socks with holes)?<p>The majority of Americans can take simpler steps. For example, buy larger containers. So, I'm a young post-college student trying to save as much money as I can and most of my friends make wages that are barely double the federal poverty line and we're in the Boston area. So, we buy as large a container as we can to save money. When I'm with people not of that demographic, I see the opposite. Those 8oz Poland Spring bottles abound - in the homes of environmentally conscious people. Saran wrap and plastic bags to be thrown away replace tupperware-style containers.<p>You don't need to decide that old, crappy, ripped socks need to be repaired. Buy that huge thing of soap to refill the one or two small containers you actually need. Get a nalgene or similar bottle to use for water or other liquids. If you want soda at work, get a 2-liter bottle and a reusable glass rather than constantly buying cans and 20-oz bottles. Don't get single meal wrapped stuff.<p>I love people living smaller, but I don't think most people will do what the author has done (but congrats to him for accomplishing it). Still, there are little things you can do that <i>don't</i> affect your quality of life that really do make a difference. It's not that hard to do it, the problem is that it's so easy not to do it. Buying a reusable glass and 2-liter bottles requires a tiny bit of planning and forethought when that vending machine is there with wonderfully easy, single serving containers.

<i>"I don't particularly feel I need my mobile, but my friends consider it unfriendly not to be at their beck and call"</i><p>I didn't own a wireless phone in 2008 and noticed the same thing. For example, nobody wants to arrange to meet at a specific place/time for a public event; they want you to call when you get there and walk toward them pointing out landmarks that betray your location.<p>I already knew that this is how meeting arrangements are now handled; what I didn't expect is that it's now considered rude to require a more specific commitment.

Live with less, but don't forget that time has inherent value as well. Opportunity cost. Ask yourself if your purchases are giving you less or more time to do what you actually want.<p>I also find that the best limiter for me is having a restricted living space. I spent a year and a half on the road as a software consultant, and my luggage got progressively smaller as time went on. By the end of my travel life last summer, I had managed to combine two weeks of business necessities with a camping mattress and stuff for the weekend, and hold it all in a single airline carry-on sized backpack. This didn't make me less of a consumer, though, it just directed the consumption in different ways. I consumed airline tickets, hotel rooms, restaurant food, etc. at a much higher rate than most people. But I enjoyed the lifestyle.<p>That being said, I would still really like to have a flat-screen TV and a couch of my own. Priorities, though...

Funny, I was starting to think along these lines as well during last year. Maybe it's something in the air. I sure hope so. <i>caugh</i> consumption fatigue <i>caugh</i><p>My new mantra: From now on I will have FEWER, SMALLER, and BETTER things.<p>This usually applies to gadgets, such as my laptop but also subscriptions etc: I aim to have as few recurring payments as possible. This includes avoiding to own a car (Hello Zipcar) and mortgage (not that I can afford it at this point, but still). I can recommend everyone to do a cleanup in that area every now and then.<p>I live in NYC and managed to get a little office within walking distance so I can be "subway independent". Sure I save a few dollars on walking to work, but the biggest gain is to miss out on the frequent delays and floodings! Yay!

"How can better vision not be at the top of my to-do list?" (to quote comedian Brian Regan).

As long as it's a personal choice, it's fine.<p>The problem with this 'movement' is when it tries to impose its choices on others.

I remember reading that when Einstein moves, the most important things he brought with him were some paper, his pipe, and his violin.<p>Paul Erdos probably was an even lighter traveller.<p>It all depends on what defines you.

As people slowly learn that having too much stuff can be more hassle than it's worth, I'm seeing a quiet trend towards simplified consumption. It is my expectation that rapidly developing regions like China will go through a period of outrageous consumption, but it is my hope that they will learn quickly from the American trailblazers in that area and settle into prefering quality and simplicity over conspicuous quantity.

When buying material goods, I think it we may be mistaken and shortsighted to only consider the purchase price and the satisfaction it will add to our own lives.<p>What about negative externalities, like the future cost of having fewer resources to use for more important purposes, environmental degradation and rehabilitation, and the cost of dumping/recycling after use? These are all real costs of every purchase you make, but often not "included" in the price.<p>Living on less leaves more scarce resources for use by others whether now or in the future, and sends less crap to landfills. Label me a moralizer if you like, but I think it is smart for society to encourage individuals to think beyond themselves. That capitalism has proven incredibly effective at driving innovation and efficiency does not mean we should defend its weaknesses as well as its strengths (better to work hard at mitigating them, to minimize the total overhead of the system).

I love how some people can 'experiment' with living smaller while many in this country and the rest of the world have no other choice.<p>This experiment would have meant more in 2004 when everyone was living high on the hog.

Why such extremism? Without it, one could get most of the benefits without most of the hassles.

I have trouble applying this to where I live in New York City.

i like making stuff. consuming less actually helps me be more creative, feel more satisfied, live more customized, and earn practical skills.

I read this essay yesterday (thanks, HN! my addiction pays off!) and got to thinking.<p>I used to live in a prosperous, expensive, beautiful, poorly kept up 1900s suburb of Washington DC called Takoma Park. I had downsized to a 500 sq ft apartment that I fell in love with -- it had such great design, craftmanship, and big trees outside every window, so idyllic (sigh). My wooden deck, out in the trees, was far bigger than my bedroom, and that was a plus too. It felt wonderfully like home.<p>I had to go shopping all the time for various things and spent a ridiculous amount of time in the car because everything was about 20-30 minutes away, the roads were bad, and the traffic was incredible.<p>I lived there just over a year. Then I moved to Vienna, Austria.<p>Now I live in an apartment in an Altbau (old building), built in the late 1800s and renovated last in the 1970s. And the 1970s here were a lot less prosperous than in the US. It's got an ancient pull-chain toilet. It's got a totally 70s custom wood built-in kitchen with large tile countertops and a broken built-in fridge, replaced with a standalone on the end of the countertop. It's got door handles that pull off, sagging floors (they're like 110 years old) that need refinishing, a couple ancient windows that barely open/close, and lots of 30- to 120-year-old furniture, courtesy my new husband.<p>This should drive me nuts.<p>I read this essay and I thought: I haven't really bought any <i>thing</i> in nearly 2 months, with the exception of books (Kindle) and small xmas presents. I've bought lots of food, and I've bought some experiences (museums, etc.), but not... <i>stuff</i>.<p>It wasn't on purpose. It doesn't really feel strange. I walk by lots of stores every day. We even go grocery shopping every day or two, because the stores are every few blocks and the daily bread is real, without preservatives.<p>My feeling of "needing" to go shopping just sort of slipped away, even though some things about the apartment irritate me &#38; could be fixed with a trip to IKEA. Getting to IKEA is a fair amount of work since we don't have a car, but that's not really why I haven't done it. I just don't care. And I used to be a person who, once she entered a store, would take 3 times the amount she intended because shiny things caught her eye.<p>It's very strange, but also nice. I didn't set out to be like this, it just happened. I welcome it, but I don't entirely understand it.