OT: Tiny house/minimalist living

[Louis]

Some of us are a few more standard deviations from the mean than others. It usually makes for a better or more interesting world. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's just harmlessly weird.

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Someone else following a somewhat similar path...but maybe a bit more manageable for more folks.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

There was a good piece about this guy in the New Yorker.

He is committed, but not crazy was my take-away.

[fuzzalow]

Follow up to my earlier comment on the link given for http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

I didn't do much more than skim a few of the writings and he does seem to espouse the right constructive awareness in the handling of one's own personal finance matters.

He lost me where I think he said he was retired at 30 years old. That struck me as more pretentious and braggadocios because, to me, most guys at 30, no matter how smart, don't yet know a whole lotta anything about life and responsibilities other than where they might next get their next gratification.

Nobody can say they think they're pretty hot damn because they've managed to make it to 30 unscathed. There's a whole lotta life yet to live which will test the mettle of anybody so I am not the least bit impressed that he thinks he's got the world all figured out at 30 years old.

Work through all the expansive financial responsibilities of life: building a marriage, buying a home, building a business, building a career, becoming a parent (if desired) and educating them through college, retirement savings, etc etc etc. Doing all that takes money. Lots of money. He thinks it's an accomplishment to not buy lunch once a week at McDonald's. Yes it is, as a small step. But even the most inexpensive tuition at a public university will be ~$7k/year. That soon adds up to amount to real money that most 30 year olds know very little about or even have to deal with at 30 years old..

Look, I got nuthin' against some guy who wants to help somebody make headway in matters of simple personal finance. I think this guy hasn't really been through enough to truly know what he is up against. And in giving advice to others, his blind spot then becomes his reader's blind spot.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by paredown

There was a good piece about this guy in the New Yorker.

He is committed, but not crazy was my take-away.

That's where I heard of him first. His POV certainly isn't for everyone. Actually, it's probably for a rather small %. That said, given all the explicit and implied messages we see everyday to consume, his small counterbalance is kind of refreshing and at the very least offers an alternative, thought-provoking take.

[Chris]

I've followed several minimalist blogs for some time now. I've incorporated a lot of it into my lifestyle. Of course I have a wife and two daughters who have other ideas but it's been rewarding to me both personally and financially to live a much more mindful life in regard to expenses and possessions. This has been particularly true in my cycling purchases as well. I've had the same bike for the last five years which is the longest I've ever had one main bike. It's been pretty great actually.

[William]

It's not a tiny house though it is only 18' wide it seems much larger. I like the somewhat minimalist approach and the use of space and light in this home.

Seattle architect builds simple home inspired by own bio

Architect George Suyama wonders if his early years in a Japanese American internment camp led to his love for simplicity. “My theory is that we had nothing there so I became obsessed with little things. I was at a camp in Idaho called Minidoka and it was a tarpaper barracks. They were long shed buildings, I don’t know how many families lived in them, you had one window and a stove area and there were curtains that separated one family from another. Maybe because there was nothing there that I wanted to make everything as simple as I could.“

For five years, he and his wife lived in a tiny 500-square-foot fishing shack in West Seattle. When they bought the narrow lot next door, they wanted to recapture that simplicity.

Determined not to remove a single tree, Suyama designed a home 18-feet-wide. To reduce the visual noise of the home the walls, roof, ceiling, floor are all one color (matching the surrounding trees). The only exception is a white box that runs nearly the length of the home which houses the service elements- kitchen, bathroom, stairs and bedroom- and a loft.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTN6jzEHICQ

William

[astrov]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

something tells me he might have an odd odor about him.

Someone get this guy some knee pads!

[nicrump]

Originally Posted by William

It's not a tiny house though it is only 18' wide it seems much larger. I like the somewhat minimalist approach and the use of space and light in this home.


William

Thanks for sharing that William. That is a fantastic house. I spent last summer designing and building a single bed, single bath, 847'sqr home for my wife and I and while it's quite a bit different than this example, I had similar goals(just not his budget).

We started with a 460' design and it kept growing on paper to ensure we'd want to stay a while. Now that we've been in it for 6 months, we know our limits as a couple.

If I ever get the exterior porches and decks done, I'll get some good shots to share.

[54ny77]

what an awesome house.

Originally Posted by William

It's not a tiny house though it is only 18' wide it seems much larger. I like the somewhat minimalist approach and the use of space and light in this home.










William

[benb]

Funny thing about these minimalism guys, from what I've seen from reading some of their books and/or watching documentaries:

- They never get very far from their $5000 collection of the latest Apple iPhone + iPad + MacBook Pro.

A lot of them are getting through life with not much as their entire life is online.

The whole thing is definitely romantic for me though because stuff is a PITA. More of it is more of a PITA.

But minimizing it requires the right partner if you're not going through life by yourself.

I also got the impression none of the people mentioned in the books/shows/movies I've watched have even a single kid.

[54ny77]

don't forget, minimalism = 1 bike.

oh the horror!

Originally Posted by benb

Funny thing about these minimalism guys, from what I've seen from reading some of their books and/or watching documentaries:

- They never get very far from their $5000 collection of the latest Apple iPhone + iPad + MacBook Pro.

A lot of them are getting through life with not much as their entire life is online.

The whole thing is definitely romantic for me though because stuff is a PITA. More of it is more of a PITA.

But minimizing it requires the right partner if you're not going through life by yourself.

I also got the impression none of the people mentioned in the books/shows/movies I've watched have even a single kid.

[buddybikes]

We are moving into 920sqf house now. Took all the choice pieces from current house (1450) and have plenty of room....then again now I have full basement, 3 outdoor storage sheds totalling 500 ft to take care of 5 kayaks and mix of bikes.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

don't forget, minimalism = 1 bike.

oh the horror!

Most likely a fixie...

Just kidding. But one bike does has a certain appeal, as comes up every week or so on here.

One of the best books I've read on such is: "Early Retirement Extreme" by Jacob Lund Fisker (available on Amazon). Sad thing is, I read it 5 years ago, and if I'd done what it said, I'd be "retired" now...

I've enjoyed the last few years of my life though, and aside from hoarding bikes and spending way too much on editing fancy vegan food outside my house, we aren't going that crazy in daily life with the spending.

I am getting itchy to cash out our house and do some things differently though. We've stayed in Air BNB tiny-houses and small spaces a few times, and that's where we want to go long term - but it'd be with one for living, another for art/writing, a barn for bikes, and a greenhouse - so, more modular living I guess. Which seems much more sustainable long term. We've lived in 500 sqft condos, and it wasn't the space that was the problem, it was the being 20 stories up with no trees outside and only one wall of windows. That same size would feel entirely different in the woods - as we've learned on a number of vacations.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by benb

Funny thing about these minimalism guys, from what I've seen from reading some of their books and/or watching documentaries:

- They never get very far from their $5000 collection of the latest Apple iPhone + iPad + MacBook Pro.

A lot of them are getting through life with not much as their entire life is online.

The whole thing is definitely romantic for me though because stuff is a PITA. More of it is more of a PITA.

But minimizing it requires the right partner if you're not going through life by yourself.

I also got the impression none of the people mentioned in the books/shows/movies I've watched have even a single kid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ASIV2TvOg

lolz

[54ny77]

In NYC that'll only set you back 500k.

Originally Posted by Clean39T

We've lived in 500 sqft condos, and it wasn't the space that was the problem, it was the being 20 stories up with no trees outside and only one wall of windows. That same size would feel entirely different in the woods - as we've learned on a number of vacations.