Personal finance blog that makes you save or earn a little at the time. Simple frugal living.
One of the biggest reasons I depart from my minimalist philosophy is reading. Specifically, reading about what others are doing. I read a blog post, or a magazine article, about someone doing something interesting: traveling, using a new productivity system, doing a new kind of workout, brewing artisinal coffee, making bread. And then I want […]
I read a post recently where a blogger and commenters were talking about how minimalism sucks, because owning nothing and traveling the world with nothing but a small suitcase means you’d never have savings or a safe home for your kids. Well. There are a couple issues here to discuss. First, the kind of minimalism […]
After I wrote my last post, things I don’t have that many do, someone asked, “What do you have that most people don’t?” It was a good question. I cut out a lot of what I found to be unnecessary (for me) to make room for what I find to be more important. So what […]
I’m not sharing this list to brag or imply that I’m superior in any way to people who have these things. However, I think such a list might serve as inspiration, to show that it’s possible to give up things we consider normal or necessary. Things I don’t have that many do: toaster microwave paper […]
One of the biggest reasons people buy so much, and are so discontent with their lives, is advertising. Advertising creates false needs — all of a sudden we need an iPhone or a new car or a diamond ring, just because an advertiser put the need in our heads. What is advertising? It’s a company […]
A website with the main purpose of having people read content would best serve its readers with almost nothing else but what’s needed for the reading experience. Strip a site of all its distraction, cruft, gimmicks, promotions, advertising, social sharing and more … and all you have is the pure reading experience. A minimalist website. […]
We all spend much of our lives in fantasies. I’m included in that observation: I fantasize about living a simple, minimalist life, I fantasize about traveling to foreign wonders, I fantasize about having a nice body, about being a great writer, about being the perfect father, and on and on. This is how we spend […]
These days, nearly everything we want to know is a few keystrokes away, almost instantly gratifying our desire to know something. What’s the weather like outside? Do a quick check of your weather app. Who the heck is Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Ask Wikipedia. Who is the lead boy actor in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom? Search […]
A lot of people don’t do minimalism because it doesn’t seem realistic for their lives. But what they often mean is that they don’t want others to think they’re weird. Wearing the same clothes every day might seem weird to your friends and co-workers. Having no car might make you seem like an oddball. Not […]
I believe I’m as happy as it is possible to be. I’m not crying out in ecstatic pleasure, or streaming tears of joy, but I am very happy. It’s not a peak of happiness, but a plateau of happiness that can go on for as long as I live. This is a happiness I wish […]