Extreme Minimalist Retires at Age 40

[racy]

Looks like a loser who's rationalized his "loser-ness". Good for him (I guess)....

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejw93 No family, no mortgage, tons of disposable income... go figure. /<YAWN>

Tough crowd here.

Ha

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by racy Looks like a loser who's rationalized his "loser-ness".

Let"s review:

He is living his life on his own terms. He is not burdened by the demands of a boring job. He has friends. He lives in a nice part of the world. He is in good health and has no apparent addictions or similar problems. He is financially independent and is not a burden on society.

Some loser!

As Ha says, tough crowd here ...

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by racy Looks like a loser who's rationalized his "loser-ness". Good for him (I guess)....

This from the Dude

[Onward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR This from the Dude

The Dude abides.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha This man seems very happy and centered. He is not a hard sell to anyone else, merely trying to live the way that seems best to him. I think he deserves our respect. He is definitely strong and fit! Ha

+2. I enjoyed the video. We've decluttered significantly and continue to do so, and spend more time working on "the internal stuff" as we age. We don't feel deprived at all, to the contrary we feel liberated from stuff and appreciate time over money more and more. While we'll probably never reach that level of minimalism, I understand and respect his POV. Where he strikes the balance may seem extreme, but there seems to be an unhealthy focus on the other extreme (materialism) in western culture. YMMV

[Jay_Gatsby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack +2. I enjoyed the video. We've decluttered significantly and continue to do so, and spend more time working on "the internal stuff" as we age. We don't feel deprived at all, to the contrary we feel liberated from stuff and appreciate time over money more and more. While we'll probably never reach that level of minimalism, I understand and respect his POV. Where he strikes the balance may seem extreme, but there seems to be an unhealthy focus on the other extreme (materialism) in western culture. YMMV

There comes a time in many people's lives that they learn to let go of material things and cherish the things money can't buy. On the other hand, many people gain great happiness by collecting certain things. It all depends on what is important to you.

Personally, I can certainly see downsizing once my wife and I no longer need our house for the kids and entertaining friends/family.

[Live And Learn]

I am definitely happiest when I am just sitting outside, either in the back of the house or in a park, or gently riding my bicycle around the neighborhood. I would love to think I could live so minimally. My goal is to declutter significantly but I do like my small collections of knick knacks because they bring back very good memories. And as I said before, I would really miss my comfy bed. I think Peter has his priorities straight and enjoys the beauty of life itself. For me personally its an unobtainable nivana, but my goal is to move in that direction.

[photoguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Live And Learn And as I said before, I would really miss my comfy bed.

It may be that he actually finds it more comfortable to use a sleeping bag on the floor. My Dad, who was not raised in America prefers a bed that is rock hard and uses a wooden pillow. Not for me...

[Dawg52]

Well to each their own. I wonder why he didn't rent an efficiency apartment? Seems like a lot of wasted space for a minimalist. Perhaps he uses the empty rooms to jog around in.

[ChadR]

Thanks for sharing. Fiarcompanies releases some great vids.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREd I think that the concept of minimalism has been corrupted. Minimalism is not just about getting rid of junk and living cheaply. It's about prioritizing your life and only keeping the physical/emotional/spiritual elements that bring value to you. So if living in stunning but expensive northern California adds value to Peter's life, it is not incompatible with his minimalist lifestyle. He says "I consider myself extremely blessed to be living in this part of the world and enjoy the beauty nature has to offer". So his present location clearly brings a lot of value to him.

Agreed. I'm pretty surprised on how quick folks are to react negatively to the video.

[okapi]

He is my new idol.Except he forgot the fine wine part.

[Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milton Let"s review: He is living his life on his own terms. He is not burdened by the demands of a boring job. He has friends. He lives in a nice part of the world. He is in good health and has no apparent addictions or similar problems. He is financially independent and is not a burden on society. Some loser! As Ha says, tough crowd here ...

+1

[Koolau]

Sometimes the softest "sell" is the most effective. I found myself envying Peter, though I know I could never live his lifestyle. Still, I have moved in that direction. Watching Peter's joy of life might just accelerate the process (ask me in a year).

My 1000+ SF here in paradise with it's used hotel furniture brings me much more pleasure than my "decorated" 2700+ SF tri-level back in my previous life. I now find myself asking "how long will I need this item" prior to buying "things". I too try to set a limit on how long I keep something I have not used (though more like 5 years than 12 months - heh, heh).

I will say this: Being single would make such minimalist living more do-able. If I were to find myself single again, I can see divesting myself of a LOT of stuff. It's not so much that DW wants more stuff than I do, it's more that she wants DIFFERENT stuff than I want. So, with 2 people, stuff adds up quickly.

I think the most enticing point Peter made was that he could fit all his worldly possessions into his small car. That's a goal I'll probably never achieve, but I can see myself working in that direction. YMMV

[veremchuka]

I think that living in an apartment makes being a minimalist easier than when you own a house. A condo is probably more like an apartment since you don't have to and can't do things outside but inside you can so it's kinda in between. If I lived in an apartment and didn't even change my oil i could own nothing too. I bet he spends a lot of money because he can't do anything because he owns nothing other than a car (maybe?) he also pays someone to work on. It's appealing but impractical for me.

[imoldernu]

Existentialism... Sartre...

Can't speak for today, but this was Japan (Tokyo) in the 1970's when I was there...

The "norm" everywhere, though the appliances were "mini"... Four persons in a 200 s.f apartment. Screen dividers tatami mats two sets of clothing per person, one day of food. Not unusual, but the way people live(d) in crowded conditions.

Retirement? Hmmm... Ok with an income source, but a minor health problem with a required operation... easily $100,000. Will need more expertise on the instruments.

Excel from within? Possible in the days of Thoreau perhaps (though not the real story)...

Still, a fun thing to contemplate.

[NW-Bound]

Just watched the video. Here's a man who finds his own way to happiness by having as little material things as possible, and going against the trend of modern society. And he is not the only one. A while back, I posted a link to a Web site called "Tiny House Blog" that showcases many minimal housing arrangements with a lot less square footage than Peter's apartment.

I have been thinking about decluttering and getting rid of stuff, but I would not be happy to go that far. But who am I to say how someone else shouldn't be happy with a space so sparse? And then, same as another poster, I wonder if he could be in a smaller space, a studio for example? Or to be like people in the "Tiny House Blog" who tend to be out in the countryside to be a bit closer to nature than being inside the city? But there, I just commented on how I thought someone should do this or that with his life!

Ironically, it is only within modern society that Peter can live with such a spartan surrounding. In older times, a person living by himself in a log cabin would need a pile of wood to keep warm in the winter, storage of provisions as he cannot just buy the daily consumption from a neighborhood grocery store, some tools, weapons for hunting and self-defense, etc... Some clutter was always required back then, or a person would not survive for very long.