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mprevost
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05-09-16 08:24 AM - Post#836447    



Well it has been about 6 months since I have gotten rid of ALL of my furniture. I have none, no chairs, table, no bed, no mattress or pad, nada, zip. I sit on the floor and sleep directly on the floor. All of the furniture has been sold, so I jumped into the deep end right away. Couple of observations:

1. I get up and down off the floor a lot. Countless times daily. Forget getting up off the floor with no hands. I can do it with a cup in one hand and a plate of food in the other.

2. The floor is the most comfortable bed I have ever had! It took me about 3 days to adapt to sleeping on the floor. Now it is the most natural thing I can imagine. I am very comfortable on the floor. Plenty of room and I don't wake up stiff any more. I can't remember the last time I woke up with a stiff neck or back. Prior to this experience I would not have believed that this was possible. Now I can sleep anywhere.

3. My back feels really, really good. Sitting cross legged on the floor puts a slight stretch in my back and hips that seems to really help.

4. I move around a lot. When you don't have a chair or couch, you tend to move around much more. Shifting positions, getting up and down etc. I don't maintain static postures for long periods of time anymore. This has to be a good thing.

5. I have lots of room to stretch and move, so I do.

I am enjoying this so much that I don't see it as a temporary situation. I hope to be furniture free for a long, long time.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
sqeezemasterflash
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05-09-16 10:07 AM - Post#836453    



Do you use a sleeping pad, or have any cushions on the floor?
Position creates power


 
Laree
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05-09-16 10:23 AM - Post#836456    



Wow! Interesting!


 
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05-09-16 10:23 AM - Post#836457    



Why did you do this?


 
gummiadler
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My experience - living with no furniture
05-09-16 10:48 AM - Post#836460    



Really interesting. Do you use pillows and padding?

I have thought about getting rid of some of our furniture and replacing it with something a lot more minimalistic. Like japanese tables so I can work while I sit on the floor. Or a futon. My GF is into japanese and far eastern stuff and is open to the idea. But getting rid of all our furniture could be a hard sell :D

Edited by gummiadler on 05-09-16 10:49 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
RupertC
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05-09-16 11:02 AM - Post#836462    



Would it be safe to assume that you are single? Or have you got a partner and some little people joining in as well?
Check out my critical-thinking blog at sharpenyouraxe.substack.com


 
kernlittle
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My experience - living with no furniture
05-09-16 12:28 PM - Post#836463    



Lately I've been big into getting rid of possessions but this is a bit extreme for me.




Edited by kernlittle on 05-09-16 12:29 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
BrianBinVA
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05-09-16 01:29 PM - Post#836467    



  • RupertC Said:
Would it be safe to assume that you are single?



This was my first thought too. Don't think my wife would go for getting rid of all the furniture!


 
aussieluke
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05-09-16 01:41 PM - Post#836470    



Wow this is pretty nuts but also cool. Do you even use blankets? I hope your floor is at least carpeted!

I have minimalist envy and do my best to get rid of stuff I don't use and keep things like clothes as simple as possible but nowhere near where I'd like to be ...like i wish I could live with just one pair of shoes, one pair of trousers/jeans and a handful of tshirts and underpants.

Often imagine if God forbid I was single, I'd have some empty apartment with just a bed and a kettlebell and that would be it. But I couldn't do without the bed! Lol well, some sort of mattress on the floor perhaps.
Log


 
mprevost
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05-09-16 01:44 PM - Post#836471    



No sleeping pad. Just a blanket on the floor. The whole thing was my wife's idea! It was inspired by Katie Bowman:

»http://slowmama.com/parenting-children/pa renting-against-the-grain -going-furniture-free/«

Sleeping with no bed or pad was what I was most concerned about but it was the easiest part of the transition by far.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
mprevost
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Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-09-16 01:45 PM - Post#836472    



  • kernlittle Said:
Lately I've been big into getting rid of possessions but this is a bit extreme for me.



I started off small too. What seems extreme now will seem normal later.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
kernlittle
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Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-09-16 03:15 PM - Post#836477    



  • mprevost Said:
  • kernlittle Said:
Lately I've been big into getting rid of possessions but this is a bit extreme for me.



I started off small too. What seems extreme now will seem normal later.



I think we have different definitions of normal.




Edited by kernlittle on 05-09-16 03:23 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
DanMartin
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Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-09-16 03:33 PM - Post#836479    



  • kernlittle Said:
  • mprevost Said:
  • kernlittle Said:
Lately I've been big into getting rid of possessions but this is a bit extreme for me.



I started off small too. What seems extreme now will seem normal later.



I think we have different definitions of normal.



One man's floor is another man's ceiling.
Mark it Zero.


 
MilkManX
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Total Posts: 103
05-09-16 04:21 PM - Post#836482    



We have furniture in the house but whenever I can I sit on the floor/lay on the floor to watch TV/Movies. In my office I only have one chair for the computer/drafting table. Other than that I sit on the floor in that room. It does seem to make it easier to move. Getting the wife on board so far has not happened.
"It's not about how hard you hit but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward!"

www.knockdownfighters.com

Original Strength L2 Coach


 
Jort Kramer
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05-09-16 04:23 PM - Post#836483    



Awesome!
 
mprevost
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Total Posts: 816
Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-10-16 11:19 AM - Post#836492    



  • kernlittle Said:
  • mprevost Said:
  • kernlittle Said:
Lately I've been big into getting rid of possessions but this is a bit extreme for me.



I started off small too. What seems extreme now will seem normal later.



I think we have different definitions of normal.



This is not a statement about you but I have generally found that what is considered "normal" by modern day Americans is to be avoided. Remember the episode of Seinfeld with "opposite George?" Apply that to "normal" American habits and it becomes an effective strategy for life ; )
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
iPood
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My experience - living with no furniture
05-10-16 11:28 AM - Post#836493    



You should write an extensive blogpost about this, Mike. This is seven kinds of awesome.
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."

Dan Martin




Edited by iPood on 05-10-16 11:34 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
mprevost
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Total Posts: 816
Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-10-16 11:59 AM - Post#836496    



  • iPood Said:
You should write an extensive blogpost about this, Mike. This is seven kinds of awesome.



I just finished an article on this for Dan John's Get Up Newsletter.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
Walter J.
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Total Posts: 1535
05-10-16 12:38 PM - Post#836497    



Certainly done this. For five years. But definitely pre-marriage. IF only I could convince the wife, haha!

I had no bed. No furniture. No TV. No stereo. One plate, fork and spoon. Used my hunting knife for spreading butter, cutting meat and slicing apples to spread peanut butter on them. One cast iron fry pan and one small pot for cooking. No microwave.

One pair of work boots and one pair of Converse sneakers. Yeah, sneakers. What we used to call them.

Drove an old beat up 1979 CJ-5 that I dumped a T-18 granny gear four speed into along with a V-8 360 c.i. engine. No top, no doors. I used a squeegee on the inside of the windshield when it rained and the outside wipers were running, lol.

Kept my few clothes folded on a closet shelf. Socks and briefs in a couple of shoe boxes.

Bed: a folded sheet and blanket on the floor. When I went camping all my friends would wake up complaining about how hard the ground was. I always thought it was wonderfully soft compared to my floor.

I camped the same way I lived in my apartment: with a wool blanket on a small tarp by the campfire. Wanted to build a campfire in my apartment, but no dice, lol. Knife, check. Hatchet, check. Loaded Winchester 94 Lever action in 44 mag, check. Food and water, check. Bedroll, check. I was good to go. At thirty paces I could hit a broomstick handle holding my '94 out in one hand. The 44 mag would near blow the handle in half.

Definitely a lot of benefits to living that way. Today my wife would kill me if I tried that, lol.

Though I am looking at converting a cargo-box truck to live in at around the 17' long mark. Bucket saw-dust toilet. No muss no fuss, dump it into any trash receptacle legally. Sanitation department takes diapers and dog/cat poop. No black-water tank to mess with and no water that could be used for drinking/cooking/showers being wasted on flushing your poo. LED lighting. Solar power. Small generator and propane tank. Small wood stove. Off grid ability. Hand pump shower. We use a water pump like this already for camping:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Roundup-2-gal-All-i n-1-Multi-Nozzle-Sprayer- 190459/205730091

Put a strip of inch wide tape on it vertically. Paint it black (love that song) and then peel the tape off. Fill with water, set in sun. Pump up to shower: rinse, lather, rinse. Uses hardly any water and you can get CLEAN.

If you need warmer water, heat some up on a campfire or whatever and dump it into the sprayer. I shortened the wand on ours so it's easier to use. I've actually used this in our home shower when our water was turned off for repairs.

Everyone should build a unit like this. Better insulation and materials than any RV. Can be stealth configured. Can be built just the way you want it with real lumber rather than out-gassing chemically laden plasti-wood.

It's a backup plan for disaster living. Great for camping and traveling and just getting lost. And if your house burns down, you lose your job or can't work and lose your house or rental: a place to live while you get back on your feet. I'm not a prepper nor survivalist. I just think all-in-all it's just a plain smart thing to do.

I grew up in an old farm-house with no insulation. In NY. Water pipes would freeze up in the winter. Water meant busting ice in a creek and carrying it into the house to heat on a wood stove at times. My nightly water glass would sometimes get ice formed on the top of it by morning. It also meant sometimes in the winter the bathroom was outside in the snow behind an old barn. Dig a hole in the frozen ground, freeze your backend for a bit and all's well.


Everyone that really knows me knows I'm always saying I could live in a cave. Lake or river or year-long running creek nearby. What, we need food, some water. Heat from fire. Shelter. Friends and family. Really. not much else is needed to have a good life. Pare down. Reduce your stuff and reduce your debt. Get rid of the high mortgage. Then you can reduce your workload and have more time for life. It's where my wife and I are headed.

Anyway, now I sleep on the hardest mattress I could find. It's like a board. Almost as good as the floor. It's a high density foam and not too expensive. Ginger got a nice squishy one for herself. Both mattresses fit side by side on our bed and king-size sheets fit over them tying them together. This way I get to sleep with my wife.

I most often sit on the floor if we watch a movie on TV. The dogs love me for that, it's like I'm one of them, haha. I find myself doing a lot of stretching and mobility type stuff (and playing with the dogs) while on the floor watching a movie.

IT's usually my morning ritual: hit the floor and stretch, roll around, practice Ido Portal type stuff.

Anyway, a good thread. Sorry for rambling and now you know why I'm so odd, lol.



 
Steve Rogers
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05-10-16 01:31 PM - Post#836500    



A good thread indeed. Walter, you're odd in a wonderful way.
"Coyote is always waiting, and Coyote is always hungry."


 
WxHerk
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Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-10-16 01:34 PM - Post#836501    



  • DanMartin Said:


One man's floor is another man's ceiling.



I often log in just to read Dan Martin's comments. This is definitely my favorite!
Just my 2¢


 
WxHerk
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05-10-16 02:05 PM - Post#836502    



The article is sensational. It makes perfect sense and the monkey bars..what a great idea! Talk about inadvertently raising some little gymnasts!! Great how she speaks of their lives being centered around movement.

Really enjoyed (as usual) reading Walter's take. Gotta say I agree 100%.
Just my 2¢


 
Walter J.
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05-10-16 04:20 PM - Post#836511    



Steve Rogers, any Russian Boar hunting out that way?

 
Laree
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05-10-16 08:24 PM - Post#836518    



  • Steve Rogers Said:
Walter, you're odd in a wonderful way.




Haha...I think so too, Steve.


 
Kyle Aaron
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My experience - living with no furniture
05-10-16 08:30 PM - Post#836519    



I grew up poor, and spent time in the army, and I've been homeless. I've experienced sleeping on the hard ground in the cold, or sweating in the day, and eating poor food.

I'll take my soft couch, my bed with an electric blanket, spicy food and a glass of red, or maybe schnapps before deadlifts. I'm always glad to hear of such experiments, but don't fancy participating in them.
Athletic Club East
Strength in numbers




Edited by Kyle Aaron on 05-10-16 08:31 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
Steve Rogers
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05-11-16 08:18 AM - Post#836529    



Walter, East Texas is the nexus of feral hog hunting and heard of some Russian mixes there. Game ranches around here keep all kinds of exotic game so I expect there would be some Russian boars in the mix.
"Coyote is always waiting, and Coyote is always hungry."


 
Walter J.
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05-11-16 02:30 PM - Post#836536    



Thanks Steve I was just curious, as I know feral hogs are a major problem in a some of the southern states. Also had read people have smuggled Russian Boar into the USA. Those Boars get huge and are definitely dangerous. Don't think I'd want to run around in some of those areas without a weapon.

Kyle, I have to say my experience wasn't due to an "experiment". Extremely low wages and sometimes little to no work were the culprit, haha. But you know, I didn't really care all that much. I had what I needed. I didn't' envy anyone and anyone who has dealt with such conditions learns from it in one way or another.

But I hear what you're saying. It's always good to hear differing experiences and viewpoints. I would be interested in hearing more about your experiences, Kyle, if you ever want to share in an article.

I always learn something from others when they share their life's experiences. I love hearing my dad (and any of the older generations) talk about life before my time.

My bedroom in NY would get down to 30-40°F often enough in the winter. No insulation in the walls, single pane windows, no heat source. So I know all about sleeping in cold conditions for 26 years. Often our living room, the warmest room in the house, would be below 60°F and sometimes drop to 50 or lower. Taking a quick 3 minute shower in the winter was always fun as our electric water heater couldn't keep up with the demands of seven people.

No a/c either, no fan. So summers were miserable in the high humidity. I would go outside to sleep on the ground on a blanket, which was way better than in the house. If it rained, well that was the wake up call to go inside.

Thus, as much as I do not like living in a city, here I am in Arizona, where it doesn't get so cold. And our humidity is very low. Though Tucson is pretty small for a city compared to many. It's more like a huge sprawled out town. So I completely understand wanting to be comfortable, lol.

I agree with Mike, what is considered normal in today's society is pretty skewed in a lot of ways. Looking forward to the article Mike!

And again, Kyle, I would love to hear any stories you feel willing to share. Life is about experiences. Things, like furniture, are pretty boring and come and go. Experiences: they shape us, they mold us, they teach us if we listen carefully. And how any experience does this, well, is really up to us and our attitude.

Experience isn't really the best teacher, well depending on what it is. However, others experiences are, lol. Thus we can learn without two quick thoughts coming to mind in rapid succession: "Oh no, did I really just do that?!" and "this is gonna hurt!"


And the funny thing about such shared experiences, there is often some humor, some funny story that is a part of what we may consider hard times in our past. It's almost always there if we look for it.








 
Jason Paul
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Total Posts: 72
05-11-16 05:18 PM - Post#836538    



This is nowhere near that "extreme" - but...

My neck has bothered me for 25-30 years, since I was late teens or so. I think it was from a car accident (my best friend drove us into a tree). Anyway, I think this shifted my head/neck into a more forward position, and I've just had a nagging ache in my neck, some days not too bad, some days it really bothers me.

About two weeks ago I just decided to sleep without a pillow at all - just flat on my back, still on the bed though.

I was surprised at how much better my neck felt after just a few days. Not perfect or anything, but noticeably better, and it really didn't bother me to not use a pillow.

Jason
 
Walter J.
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05-11-16 05:51 PM - Post#836539    



Jason,

Extreme is sort of relative. For you, dealing with that neck problem was extreme enough. Especially dealing with it for that long. Neck issues are never fun. Anyone who has had to deal with a stiff neck even for a few days will agree.

I too favor the "no pillow" approach. Haven't used one for years except to sometimes keep my head and neck in a neutral position if I sleep on my side. But flat on my back, no pillow.

I think you're onto something with the no pillow approach. My PT has told me if I use anything, to use a small hand-towel rolled up and placed under the neck to support it slightly, but use nothing under the head. The rolled up towel should be soft and only an inch or two in rolled up thickness. She said see which makes my neck feel best and do that.

I've also tried the bent-arm-under the head thing while sleeping on my side. It works for a bit but then my arm falls asleep. So, small, squishy, moldable pillow for neck/head support while on my side.

As an aside, one thing I've noticed about sleeping: if I keep my arms bent to a large degree, when I wake up my elbow joint will be killing me deep inside until I loosen it up. I have to straighten it real slow and warm it up until the pain goes away. So, I found if I sleep with my arms slightly bent or straight and bingo! the elbow issue went away.

Also, on the few occasions where I'd get a cramp in my calf, I'll take my other foot and fix it quick. For example, if my left calf cramps up at night I'll place the heel of my right foot over the top of my left foot. Then I push my right leg straight into the top of the left foot and resist that by dorsi-flexing the left foot against my right heel. This causes the calf muscles to relax quicker.

Then the next day I make sure I drink enough water and electrolytes, as often times night calf cramps are related to that.

Weird stuff, huh?


 
DanMartin
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05-11-16 09:22 PM - Post#836546    



I thought all the Russian Bores were on the Strong First site?
Mark it Zero.


 
aussieluke
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05-11-16 09:53 PM - Post#836549    



  • DanMartin Said:
I thought all the Russian Bores were on the Strong First site?



BURN!
Log


 
SinisterAlex
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Total Posts: 369
05-12-16 07:27 AM - Post#836559    



I did something similar when i was a student.

I couldnt afford furniture ( even Ikea-furniture ).

So i didnt have any - the only "problem" i see with this is getting stuff of the floor so that it doesnt rot underneath.

My experience anyhow.
 
gummiadler
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Total Posts: 327
My experience - living with no furniture
05-12-16 07:47 AM - Post#836560    



Ugh, this is not for me. I tried sitting on the floor while I work on my computer and this kills my lower back. Used a small coffee table to have everything at a good height. A total of 6 hours over 2 days and my lower back still feels dodgy. :(

Sleeping without a pillow in a sleeping bag on the floor was fine. But I woke much earlier because of the additional noise you hear through the floor.

Edited by gummiadler on 05-12-16 07:50 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
mprevost
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Total Posts: 816
Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-12-16 08:59 AM - Post#836561    



A meditation bench might be a good start. Puts you in a good posture low to the ground.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
Jason Paul
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Re: My experience - living with no furniture
05-12-16 10:15 AM - Post#836564    



Walter - yes, interesting stuff. I have a friend who I talked to about this and she said she sometimes just uses a neck pillow or rolled towel like you mentioned. I tried it last night and it seemed about the same, but a little less comfortable when I turn my head to the side.

Also about the arms, for some weird reason I was recently thinking about bending my arms when I'm sleeping and how that could affect circulation, so I usually lie down flat on my back with my arms straight down by my sides, like a robot or something. Seems so weird, but it's pretty comfortable actually. Of course, who knows what positions I morph into when I'm asleep.

Actually the first thing I saw recently that got me to actually try sleeping without a pillow was this article I saw linked on the Mark's Daily Apple forum:

Instinctive sleeping and resting postures

What bothers me most about the idea of sleeping on the floor is the thought of a cockroach crawling on me. Weird since we rarely have them, but I can't get that out of my head.

Jason
 
Walter J.
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05-12-16 04:02 PM - Post#836577    



Cockroaches.

When I was sleeping on the floor I awoke to this weird smell. Couldn't figure out what it was. Fell back asleep. A bit later I woke up feeling like something was brushing my face. But when I turned the light on I couldn't find anything.

Finally, fell back asleep. Woke up again with that awful smell. Recognized it this time because it was right near my nose. Sewer. And the roach was on my face. I swatted it away, turned on a light and this time I caught it. It was three inches long.

I knew it came from downstairs where people visiting from another country were living. They constantly cooked with a big wok. The cleaning lady who did turnovers told me when they moved out the walls near the wok were covered in grease and there were roaches all over.

Anyway, I got back at that roach. I put it in a glass jar with a lid and set it out in the Arizona sun. Reached a 112°F that day. When I got home from work, the roach was cooked dead. Take that ya stinky bug!


 
kodo kb
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Total Posts: 149
05-12-16 10:06 PM - Post#836588    



As someone about to venture out on his own for the first time, this is a great thread (and associated article) to think on.

Thanks for sharing the wisdom!
 
mprevost
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Total Posts: 816
05-13-16 08:42 AM - Post#836595    



  • kodo kb Said:
As someone about to venture out on his own for the first time, this is a great thread (and associated article) to think on.

Thanks for sharing the wisdom!



The no furniture thing is just a small piece of a bigger picture, simplicity or minimalism. It is so common today to try to derive happiness through consumption but consumption robs you of freedom. Living lightly gives you so much more flexibility. The most important thing you can buy with your money is freedom and time. The more stuff you buy the less of those you have. The earlier you start in life, the greater freedom you will have later in life.

I am retiring on Monday, after 21 years in the Navy. I am 48 years old. When I say "retire" I mean it. I don't have to work anymore, mainly due to my minimalist lifestyle and the freedom I was able to buy because of it. I can live where I want and do what I want, for the rest of my life.

The lesson I learned along the way is that I was much happier living a simple lifestyle, without much stuff, than I was when I had a 3 bedroom home with lots of stuff. The stuff and the big home were like a ball and chain.

All of this is worth pondering a bit as you move out on your own.
www.mikeprevost.com

"The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John


 
Walter J.
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Total Posts: 1535
05-13-16 12:25 PM - Post#836600    



I couldn't agree more Mike.

Wish I had been smart enough to figure the housing thing out before I left home. If I had started when I was 16 or younger, I would have saved and used high quality salvaged materials and built a 14' or so box/cargo truck or even the same length flat-bed truck into a simple home. By the time I graduated I would have had a paid for place to live in anywhere I felt like driving to.

Live in that for 5-10 years saving up money, buy some land, build a small off-grid home and done. Build it myself. Everything paid for, only insurance and taxes left to worry about.

I have always pretty much lived simply. It's the home costs or rental costs (and all the junk people buy and collect) that add up. That and the desire for a monthly vehicle payment or two.

Problem with home ownership is a new $100,000 home costs $180,000 by the time labor is added. Then a 30 year mortgage and you've paid out right around the $335,000 mark for a home that is now 30 years old. Not to mention maintenance cost, etc. And buying older homes always caries a risk of hidden maintenance problems. Plus, is that 50 year old home that originally cost $20,000 really worth $180,000 now, well make it close to $330,000 if you don't have cash?

An older home may have been upgraded, but does it have a completely new foundation, plumbing, electric, a completely new home built on the property? No. So a person is paying for an old, about worn out building that's been "upgraded" with some granite counter tops and some paint. Really, the whole thing is a big fat rip-off.

Here's the other thing with home ownership: You never really own the home until you pay it off entirely. Miss a few payments and see what happens. Basically you are paying a mortgage lender for the right to rent that home, with the idea that once it is completely paid off you then really own it. And you have to pay them an additional fee (the interest) to have that privilege.

I know I'm odd, but I do like to look at things from a different view at times, lol.

My advice to any young people now: Stay home, save money, help your parents out. Figure out what you love and are good at. Learn to teach others how to do that. That's your business. You can teach locally and also online. Retire early and sustain yourself with your online business.

If you like making things with your hands, sell that online too. World market open 24/7/365.

Learn skills to build and repair your own home and fix your own vehicles. Buy some land. Build the home yourself with the help of family and friends. Build a small energy efficient home with off-grid capability. You'll know how it works inside and out.

I'd use shipping containers. Termite proof, rot proof, earthquake proof, storm proof. No worry of cracked foundations. In fact you won't need to pour a foundation. You can stack them, cut them, weld them together. Metal doesn't burn. If a tree falls on a typical house or you get water damage on a typical home the roof repair estimates are often $10,000 to $25,000. Shipping containers are tough and it would take a pretty large tree to really damage it! Because of these points you can get much lower home owners insurance.

As funds allow, if you build a typical home, build several smaller separate structures, like a work-shop, studio-guest house, etc. If the main house ever gets damaged or burns down, you can move into one of your other structures while you rebuild.

Anyway, just a few ideas off the top of my head which I wish I had been exposed too when I was a kid. Most people didn't think that way years ago. It was more like: get a job, buy a home, pay your mortgage for 30 years. Retire at 65 or so. Ahh, the American dream. One of big debt.

People use the internet to spread a lot of garbage to be sure. But the knowledge of how to build and live simply is also being shared and that is a good thing. It gives people more choices. In the end, live simply, live clean, help others.

Sorry for the rant.









 
kernlittle
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05-13-16 04:23 PM - Post#836605    



Walter I LOVE your point of view. Everyone I know thinks I'm crazy for not being interested in owning a traditional house.


 
Laree
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05-13-16 10:21 PM - Post#836609    







  • mprevost Said:
  • kodo kb Said:
As someone about to venture out on his own for the first time, this is a great thread (and associated article) to think on.

Thanks for sharing the wisdom!



The no furniture thing is just a small piece of a bigger picture, simplicity or minimalism. It is so common today to try to derive happiness through consumption but consumption robs you of freedom. Living lightly gives you so much more flexibility. The most important thing you can buy with your money is freedom and time. The more stuff you buy the less of those you have. The earlier you start in life, the greater freedom you will have later in life.

I am retiring on Monday, after 21 years in the Navy. I am 48 years old. When I say "retire" I mean it. I don't have to work anymore, mainly due to my minimalist lifestyle and the freedom I was able to buy because of it. I can live where I want and do what I want, for the rest of my life.

The lesson I learned along the way is that I was much happier living a simple lifestyle, without much stuff, than I was when I had a 3 bedroom home with lots of stuff. The stuff and the big home were like a ball and chain.

All of this is worth pondering a bit as you move out on your own.





 
Nel
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Total Posts: 4
05-16-16 08:09 PM - Post#836664    



Long time lurker...this is one of the best threads I've read in years and it might be life changing for me as weird as that sounds. Today I came home and put 4 pairs of sneakers in the donation bag along with some sweatshirts and pants. My wife is so happy that I'm "downsizing". I know it's a small start but I think I can do more and honestly I think it's where I want to go.

Great reading this thread. Thanks.
 
Old Miler
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Total Posts: 1744
05-17-16 06:31 PM - Post#836692    



My wife wants to upsize so she has space for even more stuff.

How can I fix this? ;-)
 
gummiadler
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Total Posts: 327
05-17-16 07:05 PM - Post#836693    



  • Old Miler Said:
My wife wants to upsize so she has space for even more stuff.

How can I fix this? ;-)


Get rid of your stuff => more space for her stuff
 
mvsr990
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Total Posts: 12
05-17-16 07:08 PM - Post#836694    



I've thought about something similar (currently I only have a leather chair, a folding chair and a bed for sitting/sleeping furniture - got made at my couch one night a couple of months ago and dragged it to the curb) but as a 30-something single guy, I try to not put up roadblocks to getting laid.

A tatami-mat bed might be feasible but completely eliminating the TV and any sitting area could make it tough.
 
Brian Hassler
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Total Posts: 616
05-17-16 09:48 PM - Post#836702    



  • mvsr990 Said:
I've thought about something similar (currently I only have a leather chair, a folding chair and a bed for sitting/sleeping furniture - got made at my couch one night a couple of months ago and dragged it to the curb) but as a 30-something single guy, I try to not put up roadblocks to getting laid.

A tatami-mat bed might be feasible but completely eliminating the TV and any sitting area could make it tough.



You just have to limit your dating pool exclusively to girls from Yoga class.
 
Kyle Estle
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Total Posts: 6254
05-17-16 11:53 PM - Post#836706    



  • Old Miler Said:
My wife wants to upsize so she has space for even more stuff.

How can I fix this? ;-)



No is a powerful but respected word.
Performance, Health, and Longevity


 
iPood
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Total Posts: 2360
05-18-16 12:42 AM - Post#836707    



  • Kyle Estle Said:
  • Old Miler Said:
My wife wants to upsize so she has space for even more stuff.

How can I fix this? ;-)



No is a powerful but respected word.




That's why my wife uses it all the time.
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."

Dan Martin


 
Walter J.
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Total Posts: 1535
05-18-16 12:39 PM - Post#836726    



iPood, ya had me laughing my head off with that one!
 
mvsr990
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Total Posts: 12
My experience - living with no furniture
05-18-16 02:03 PM - Post#836732    



  • Brian Hassler Said:


You just have to limit your dating pool exclusively to girls from Yoga class.





Well, my dating pool already seems to be heavy on the vegans and vegetarians so that wouldn't be a huge stretch...

Edited by mvsr990 on 05-18-16 02:04 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
 
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