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Does living smaller mean having to give up things (such as replacing socks with holes)? The majority of Americans can take simpler steps. For example, buy lar
by mdasen 18y ago
Does living smaller mean having to give up things (such as replacing socks with holes)?
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.
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.
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 don't 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.
- jerf 18y agoThe other thing I'd add is that if you're interested in this as a serious endeavor and not just for show, you need to take some time and analyze your expenditures first. Just like optimizing code, you need to go get the low hanging fruit before you start fiddling around the edges. Buying a 2-liter and a reusable glass isn't worth much if your lead foot is costing you $200 extra a month in gas. (Incidentally, I'm not tossing in the "just like optimizing code" thing as a sop to the audience; the optimization loop 1. Find biggest problem 2. Solve biggest problem 3. Repeat as needed (and no more) is generally useful in many situations.) Analysis will almost certainly reveal some expenditures and things that are surprisingly expensive, but will probably also show there are some niceties that don't actually have anywhere near as much impact as you might think at first. For instance, I tend to buy the nicer spices; sure, they may look twice as expensive but it may be worth 1 penny more per meal (for instance).
- hs 18y agoi choose to wear sandals -> bye bye socks & holes problem the 'need' to cover every part of one's body is perplexing ... also the 'need' to use different products for different body parts (shampoo for hair, hand soap, genital soap, etc) i take old skool approach, just use washing soda (a pinch for 0.5 L water) for my personal-cleaning needs. only when i deal with oily stuff then i use commercial soap/shampoo nowaday i don't go to shoes, socks, and cleaning aisles anymore ... freeing time for more important stuffs
- elai 18y agoYou must live in a nice, warm, dry land where you don't need the warmth and protection of socks. And you must be blessed with resliant skin and hair that doesn't dry out or become rough when you wash it with baking soda.
- asnyder 18y agoYou must live somewhere perpetually warm. I can't imagine wearing sandals this month in New York, unless I didn't value my toes.