Want to live a Minimalist lifestyle...any tips?

Im interested in any tips you guys can offer? So far, Ive begun downsizing my possesions, I eventually want to own only what I can carry in a backpack.

Basically, Im interested in the idea of livng on very little. I have a job right now, I may change jobs, or I may travel a bit once I got $500 saved up (Im 17). Obviously, paying for food is my #1 problem. I would love to learn how to survive off just bulk foods, and still be healthy.

Shelter is another problem. Im goin to buy a hammock-tent, Im hoping I will be able to set it up in most places I go, but I know in some places this isnt going to always be an option. What are some common urban places someone can stay for cheap. Comfort isnt an issue obviously.

Finally, what about hygeine?

 

are u gonna be living in a place where it is warm year round? casue hey man we all know we cant live outdoors too easy from nov to march. if u going down south go live by a lake or something, so u can bath everyday or something

 

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Dumpster diving is a pretty good bet for food. It's amazing what grocery stores throw away. It is completely possible to get all your food this way, and to eat very well while doing it.
I dunno about Canada, but on this side of the border, paying for shelter is pretty damn expencive. Large urban parks often have thick enough plant cover to string up your hammock undetected.

 

MyIndigoBlues nailed it. Dumpster diving is a great way to get food. Grocery stores throw away bread, peaches, etc. And he also has it nailed for shelter. It's very expensive over here. If you want to REALLY rough it you can always find a bridge that's lightly traveled.

 

Hygene is easy. You can shower and clean yourself anywhere from a waterfall/river to a drop in centre in a city. A couple bars of soap (aswell as toothbrush/paste) cost only a few bucks and they can last you some time, and shampoo is hardly a necessity.

For food, yes you can check dumpsters. I know some people that do that and they aren't living such a life, they actually have a home and job. Nevertheless, alot of stores do toss out stuff. If you're going to stay in the city, you can eat at soup kitchens and such. Alot of people will give away soup and buns for homeless people.

Shelter is too expensive to pay for. Unless you have an endless reserve of cash, you can't really pay for it. I suggest just tossing up a tent where you can (again, if you're staying in the city).

However, if you're going to be living out in the middle of nowhere, thats another story.

 

Hey Dannyboy,

The best advice I could give you would be to head south, head to Africa, the Middle East or Mexico or somewhere similar. It makes a big difference depending where you live. At first I didn't think so when I began tramping around Canada for a few years living in hammocks and in my jacket, and I live as minimalist as possible to this day but through my experiences have found that in Canada, where I am typing this at the moment, living costs are always going to be expensive and the cold winters demand lots of energy, which mean dollars and much more effort to meet one's need for sustenance. Warm summers give one a taste of the life, but they simply cannot compare to living in a warm country where the simple life is possible year-round. Even if you have a rifle and live largely off the land in Canada, you have to pay for your rifle and all your other winter gear (which does not always come cheap even if some of it is handmade; canvas tents w/airtight heaters, toboggans/dogsleds, fish nets, rifles, snowshoes, down parkas, etc) and as well as chopping sufficient fuel for the winter and many times you have a whole host of other expenses. Not to mention all the government regulations and all that BS that you get in a western industrial society, which if you can get around, will still be a hassle now and then. You have to make sure you can meet your fat (energy) needs in the winter as well so this means fat meat, not just any kind of meat.

Having lived in Mexico and Jordan, I can tell you that in those deserts it's much easier to live a minimalist lifestyle. All your expenses are a fraction of what the equivalents are in Canada (so long as you don't wish to bring your affluent lifestyle to another country), and the warm temperatures and plentiful fruit and other cheap-to-free foods ensure lower food costs year round. More importantly, people share food all the time in many other countries and much of the time you are not even paying for food at all, quite unlike the situation in Canada. Also foraging is much more practical and efficient in terms of energy spent obtaining caloric needs such as If you are near a date palm grove you can pick dates much of the year (my main source of food in Mexico) and so on and so forth. You can sleep in the open in the desert the whole year or spend the mild winters in a tent or simple shelter depending on which southern climate you are in.

I tried for a few years to get the most out of a minimalist lifestyle here in Canada, but found that I had to travel abroad to realize it to the fullest extent. There are ways you can live a more free, less-expensive lifestyle in Canada, but again, the climate and the socio-economic structure inevitably increase costs and possessions (because you wouldn't want to carry a thin nylon tent alone in the winter unless you are insane and softwood lean-to's with open fires have their limitations for extended winter camping).

For example, one cannot herd goats free range and only carry a blanket and cotton clothing and travel freely and comfortably sleeping under the stars in the open on the land in Canada, if you tried as much, someone would call the cops on you if you didn't freeze your ass off, and it's not the ideal habitat for free-range milk goats or cotton clothing. Yet in Jordan, this was relatively simple and easy to put into practice. Much of it also has to do with the society, if the country has a history of nomadism and people living with a minimum of material possessions (places like Africa, the Middle East, southern Asia) then it will also be more common and accepted in those countries and easier to live that way. At least that is what I have seen from living in deserts abroad. I have some pics from Jordan in my gallery under the name spiritofthewildernes. Likewise, one cannot live on dates, milk, vegetables and bread much of the year in Canada because the cold winters demand lots of energy(calories), especially if you are living in the countryside. Yet in Jordan, this is possible and common day-to-day fare.

Anyways something to think about and I wish you the best in your journey.

-Matt

 

go to india or any other cheap country, i know of some folks livin in caves (u can choose climate, india is huge, himalayan, or desert or coconut trees and beaches or rainforest or other), food and supplies and transport are cheap (if u can ride the motorbike, buy a bullet enfield, u can travel all over india with it, like an old british/indian version of harley d. but cheaper, and MAYBE breakin down a bit more easyly)
honestly, once you've tasted india/asia, you have problems going back to "normal"life!
trust me, give it a try, all kinds of folks go to india, not only those lookin for a guru, but many others, charras is SO cheap and of good quality (high qulity smoke from himalayas), there are bikers, trekkers, goa-heads (from the rave/trance scene), those doin opium, those doin yoga, those doin meditation, those doin dope business, those hidin from the law, those lookin for a fun/sex/spirituality/nature or just a cheap place to live in.......! you'll meet sa many nice freaks, and even some very nice locals too!

 

advice, "don't buy shit" eheh

 

100% true. I work at a grocery store, and have before, and they throw out ridiculous amounts of perfectly good food because of a tear in the cardboard, or if they dropped the box, and a number of stupid reasons. Restaurants and grocery stores and bakeries do this non-stop! Buying trail mix and dried fruit and such in bulk is a great idea, too!
Hostels can house you for as little as $5 a night, but can get up to $40 so watch out! Homeless shelters and women's shelters and even some colleges will let you shower for $1. Actually, you could probably hop from shelter to shelter when it's cold out, but in summer you can pretty much stick to camping and you'll be fine.

I wish you all the best of luck, brother! Have fun and be safe

 

Oh, and make sure if you're showering in waterfalls or rivers (or even indoors) to use biodegradable soaps and shampoos! Don't want that stuff poisoning the animals and plants and water

 

it really is best not to wash in any source of water even with the biodegradable soaps

 

Here's an excerpt from Peace Pilgrim's book, this woman who went on a pilgrimage for a few decades with just the clothes on her back and a blanket and her notes on simplicity of living > http://www.peacepilgrim.com/book/chapt5.htm

from the main page of the site>

"From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only "Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world"

 

Spiritofthewildernes has given you some wonderful information. Before man spread throughout the world he lived in a warmer climate. In warmer climates fruits and veggies can sustain you year round. Look at your hands, they are ideal for grasping fruit.

I like what spiritofthewildernes said about not having to use energy inputs to keep warm in warmer climates.

As for biodegradeable soaps. Dr. Bronners is an all in one shampoo and body wash made of hemp, or other choices. It has very very few ingredients, like 4 or something. It is one of the few that passes the test that "you shouldn't put it on your skin if you can't eat it, because your skin just absorbs things anyway". Yes, you can actually brush your teeth with it, or so one woman told me that she has. I use it as a face wash right now. I will begin using it as shampoo also when I run out of my Jason Natural shampoo. I will use it as body wash also when my Jason body wash runs out. It's not too expensive either. 5 dollars a month would cover all of your washings and brushings with it.

But hey, who says that you need soap, or to brush your teeth with something. Just a brush actually knocks off plaque. And if you eat fewer meats and starches, your teeth will be healthier on their own. Starches make the most plaque and yellow stuff. Apples and pears clean your teeth while eating them.

 

Dr. Bronners might even cost you less than five dollars per month. Many of us tend to use too much soap when we are at home.

 

I have been living in china for about 14 months now with only about 500 dollars and a half-packed normal school backpack. I didnt speak a word of chinese when I arrived, and I am nearly fluent now.

I carry 2 pairs of shorts, 1 long pants, 3 t-shirts, 3 pairs of underwear and 3 shirts. I also carry a laptop to write my journal. I have some herbal medicine and a lonely planet book. Oh and my toothbrush. I stopped using deoderant when I came to china.

I spend exactly 1 dollar and 12 cents a day on food. Breakfast is fruit and vegatbles with a bottle of water. Lunch is noodles and vegatbles with a bottle of water. And dinner is usually a huge bowl of spicy tofu with a bottle of water.

Part of my minimalistic lifestyle is to train kungfu. Most of my day is spent in a chinese park training kungfu with a master. I learned Shaolin kungfu for 6 months then Bajiquan for 8 months and now I am starting a style called Yiquan.

I spend 12 dollars a month on rent in a small apartment with heating and electricity included. Apartment only has a bed and about a 1 meter by 2 meter standing area.

It is a very excellent experience. I know I am not a hardcore minimalist because I sleep in a room every night and spend a lot of money, but to me it is very nice :]

Ron

 

Kormiku, maybe you're not a minimalist totally, but you are living a very simple lifestyle combared to people in the western industrialized nations.

 

kormiku, that is awesome!

 

Yeah kormiku, that is alot more "minimalist" lifestyle then most americans could ever do. Hell my stuff fits into a backpack & sorta big suitcase on wheels and that suitcase is getting to be to much to bother with.
But I usually end up staying places where I don't really have to worry about food for very long.

 

wow, that is absolutely great kormiku!!!!! keep on doin this and spread your story, u've inspired me..........!