read "possum living"

>>199979
im listening

1) Learn how to cut your own hair. Buy a $15 hair clipper from the store. I'm a guy, and I went from learning how to do basic haircuts, to almost professional tier haircuts, simply by watching Youtube videos and practicing it.

2) Buy a reverse osmosis machine that cost $150 off Ebay - you'll have the purest drinking water for life. It's totally worth the 1 time investment. Side note: Drinking soda pop everyday is nasty; stick to water, tea or coffee.

3) Buy 3 very nice outfits, and only wear that. I have 1 outfit that doubles as gym clothes and clothes I wear in the house; then 3 very nice outfits for work / hanging out with friends. Try to buy clothes once every year (hard to do if you're female)

4) Learn how to cook at home; eventually sharpen your cooking skills until you rival that of a top tier chef. Eating out consumes wayyy too much money.

>>199989
go on
captcha: acting cluterd

>>199989

Thread = Being Monitored

>>199989
>>199989
Op, this is my first time posting on /diy/, you've got some great information here
keep posting!

>>199989
3 outfits is kind of counter productive. You'll have to wash them more regularly. It's not that hard to find cheap clothes you know.

>>199989
Those things are fine, but you need to address the big expenses (housing and transportation). Otherwise you are being penny wise, dollar foolish.

Not OP, but by far the most stand out thing in the usa lifestyle compared to mine is how incredibly common it is to borrow money to buy things. Not just a mortgage....but cars, furniture, electronics.

If you don't have the price of a car, get a cheaper one....don't agree to pay 4 times as much as it costs spread over 5 years....

The average usaican may earn 1.3Mil US$ over lifetime, but the average usaican also pays US$600,000 in interest on various debts over lifetime.

>>200017
And I'm betting that figure includes student loan debt, which is going to skew any calculations you're doing off that.

>>199989
Good suggestions, but as >>200015
said, that's not even addressing the big things.

>>200021
It's an average of all usa citizens.

>>200015
>>200021
Food is a big thing. Eating out & buying ready made food really adds up.

>>200014

You wash underwear daily, not clothes.

Monitoring this thread.

I'd love to see your groundbreaking solutions to the robbery it is to get off the grid.

move to canada


/thread

Sorry about the late response guys ...

5) Throw out your TV. Watching TV is shit tier entertainment; instead, use the time to read or have other hobbies that can turn into potential profit. You can still watch TV, just stream it like a boss on your computer / HD TV

6) Cheaper socialization. Instead of going bowling, or lasertag, or the pub, me and my friends go to the mall to window shop, or hiking.

7) Have your money work for YOU. I recommend you take 10 to 20 percent of your paycheck, and invest it in dividends; it's pretty low risk, and you get 3 to 7 percent annual returns.

>>200015
>but you need to address the big expenses (housing and transportation).

It really depends how far you're willing to go. For example, instead of renting an apartment, rent a room (usually cost $300 to $500 per month)

You can even go further, buy a plot of land, and put a trailer home on it.

It really depends on your circumstances, but as a young professional living in a dense city, I would just rent a room for $500 per month, even if I make $50k per year.

>>200014
>3 outfits is kind of counter productive. You'll have to wash them more regularly. It's not that hard to find cheap clothes you know.

I do laundry once a week, including clothes, undergarment and bed sheets.

It goes back to the 80/20 rule; most likely you'll find yourself wearing your favorite shirt/pants over and over again.

Probably the best advice is buying a nice outfit, so it remains timeless and classic

(fitted dress pants / slacks and dress shirt comes to mind)

8) Just get a laptop (unless you need a desktop for work etc). Tablets are over-rated. My combo right now is a smart phone (Samsung Galaxy SII), and a high end laptop. I plan on keeping both item for 5 to 10 years before upgrading. I heard people upgrade phones once every year; I think that's a bit excessive.

9) Buy an e-book reader like a Kindle or Kobo. Going to the library to borrow books is so 1999; you can download 10,000s of books for FREE (torrent) and put it into your e-reader. Forget going to the library to borrow stuff when you can download it off the Internet.

10) It's all about the minimal minset. Less is BETTER. All I need is a bed, my laptop, phone, clothes and that's it. Life is about experiencing things, not buying useless shit and being in debt. Save the money for early retirement or traveling around the world.

If you got any more questions, ask, I love talking about the minimal life style.

>>200049
I have some really solid, well made things, thrifted boots, decent clothes, a computer, a bed and some other things like a nice lighter and a flask.
I still have so much useless junk I have bought over the years that I want to get rid of, should I just sell everything I dont see myself having in 5 years?

>>200049
I forgot another thing ....

BUY ONLINE (ebay)

Buying online is much cheaper, since you're not paying retail price.

For example, a dress shirt that goes for $60 in the mall goes for $7 on ebay. (The exact same one!)
Cable wires that cost $2 cost $20 in the mall etc.

My new favorite place to shop is Amazon and Ebay; I try to avoid buying at the mall as much as I can.

>>200051
>I still have so much useless junk I have bought over the years that I want to get rid of, should I just sell everything I dont see myself having in 5 years?

Absolutely; you'll feel so much .... lighter, without the excessive junk.

I had to learn the lesson the hard way; I spent $1000 on netbooks. Back in 2007, when netbook was new, I bought one for $500. Then in 2009, I bought another netbook for $500.

Funny thing is, I hardly use the netbooks.

>>199989
>>200040
>>200049

So those are my top 10, practical tips for living a nice life without being in debt up to your eye balls.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

>>200053
Yeah man. I don't know I have alot of stuff but Im lacking compared to other people around my age
>"Oh anon you dont have an Ipad, you dont have a PS3?! wow!, You dont have a car? you dont have this you dont have that?!"

Ive been falling in love with simplicity.
Plus the timeless items I have I know will be passed down or bought even after I die and thats great because not many things made now will last that long.

How else does one lead a minimalistic lifestyle while still being happy and still looking like they have alot?

>>200054
I would like to also add: once you get a black belt in minimal lifestyle, it's time to expand into building multiple streams of income, like dividend investments, commercial property ownerships and "mini business"

Having only 1 source of income (job) is a fool's game.

>>200061
How does one start a buisness?
I want to start a cafe and kind of sit back and let the money rack in after I set up and get some friends to work for me.
BUT HOW THE FUCK DO I START ONE?

>>200055
>How else does one lead a minimalistic lifestyle while still being happy and still looking like they have alot?

>while still being happy
Do things everyday that makes you happy. I consumed less and produced more.

For example, instead of watching cartoons, I started drawing. Instead of watching sports, I actually did sports. Instead of watching people sing, I started singing.

>still looking like they have alot?

It depends; when you get old, peer pressure approval lessen. That, and you can still buy high end brand name clothes but just a few pieces.

>>200067
I read this book the other day while on break from work, and it's good.

>Effortless Entrepreneur: Work Smart, Play Hard, Make Millions

You can download a copy or borrow it from your local library.

>dat feel when you have 1 sweat pants, and 3 white t-shirts, and you wear the same clothes everyday at home

My dirty secret :D

>>200074
>>200070
man I love you guys, great help!

None the less, I see you guys are talking more about living than buying and I totally agree.
This has pushed me to want less and do more finally.

>>200078
>dat feel when I'm the only guy replying to your questions

Feels good man

>>200081
Well then....

>>200040

>7) Have your money work for YOU. I recommend you take 10 to 20 percent of your paycheck, and invest it in dividends;

What do you mean by
Investing in dividends?

Also any time you go shopping, try to ask for discounts and barter, A lot of stores offer discounts for birthdays or military, if you have the charm you can convince the cashier to give you one of these discounts regardless if you qualify.

Went shopping at the gap once for some new "special occasion" clothing and managed to talk the girl at the cash register to a 15% just by being nice and flirting some.

I'm a senior in High School, and I'll be going to Ohio State next year for college ( Currently live in Texas), so going home for meals won't be an option. I want to start improving my cooking skills now, so I can eat well in college without going out. any suggestions on where to get started?

My 2 cents:

1. Almost everything depreciates in value, so sell your stuff as soon as you are done with it. If I sold my video games as soon as I finished them, I might have gotten $10 for each. Now, I'm lucky to get 10¢. Lesson learned.

2. Something's value has no relation to what you paid for it. I once asked someone, while he was moving Rubbermaid containers full of VHS movies, why he was keeping them. His response was "Do you know how much money I spent on these?".

3. Keeping stuff costs money. It takes up space that you could use for something else, and you may end up buying storage containers or shelves that are worth more than the contents. Example: that guy who spent money on Rubbermaid containers for his VHS tapes.

>>200109

Not too hard there big guy, I personally hit the army right after hs and years later when I got out I had spent that whole time only having access to a microwave oven and every once and a blue moon a secret contraband george foreman grill... needless to say I wasn't so great at cooking once I got out.

Look up some easy recipes of things you like to eat on some of those cooking recipe websites here on the net and adjust and experiment a while til you get the hang of it. Don't forget to always buy the cheapest ingredients possible, they won't taste all that different in most cases trust me.

hey OP good stuff, I should really off load my junk sometime luckily most of my junk sticks all in one small linen closet.

What are some of the main things you learned when you first started this minimalist lifestyle and what prompted you to do it, just curious?

bump for interest.

>>200109
you'll do ZERO cooking your first year. also there's free food literally everywhere.

I use an ancient Toughbook CF29 Mk4

Why?

Because it MSRP'd for $5500

I bought it as a refurb from tigerdirect for $450

It's worth about $250 now

However, it does have $5500 worth of features. Such as the fact that it is currently raining, and I am in the hottub.

Even with the amount of abuse I put it through, it will still likely outlast any computer I've ever owned.

>>200053
we're taking advice from a guy who spent $500 on something useless, then did it again? uhhhh...

And above all; don't have kids.

Buy rural piece of property, 7+ acres ($5k/acre).

Put shed on said property
Live in said shed
Get PO box to receive mail
Buy 10/22 with scope for $120-300
Shoot squirrels, hogs, birds with said gun
Eat said animals
Learn to garden, grow what you feasibly can
Buy bush beans and rice, and multivitamins as staples
Buy clothes at goodwill
Nomadically save up your money, go into the city or travel across the country when-
-concerts
-conventions (startrek, comicon, hacker con, d&d, new tech, IDK, etc.)
-free art gallery display (btw put on your best racoon hat for this)
-poker games with friends in civilization
-hacker meetups
-library trips
-when you want gay buttsecks
Get free food from the churches (whore yourself to all of them)

Fap to trees, live happily ever after

minimalist: hard mode
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17762033

anyone know good places to buy food items in bulk? Doesn't make sense to buy everything that I keep getting every month at individual price. Sometimes I find good deals on amazon, all I know at the moment.

>>200126

OP here.

I became a minimalist because stuff is cluttter; I bought a high end smart phone, because I wanted it to replace a camera, an mp3 player, a GPS, etc

It just feels more lighter without stuff. For example, instead of going outside and filling up my pockets or backpack with stuff, I merely carry my keys, my smart phone, and my credit card holder wallet.

Less stuff means less time wasted finding things, organizing things, worrying about things.

It's a nice feeling.

>>201030
Costco, there is yearly membership price ought. Also, try Chinese supermarket, it's generally much cheaper.

>>200851
>And above all; don't have kids.

I lol'd. According to some sources, it takes $250+ to raise atalented /diy/erto 18 years old

>>200937
>Fap to trees, live happily ever after

This brought tears to my eyes

>>201074
Thanks for answering, and thanks for starting this thread as well good sir.

This all makes sense if you have no or simple hobbies.I mean most of the hobbies are money hungry.

>>201089
if anything applying these tips will give you more funds to spend on your hobby, so I don't see it as a problem.

Might as well contribute. Though the topic has got nothing to do with the board. What the hell.

I have been living a minimalist lifestyle since I began living on my own as a 15'year old. I'm 23 now. These are my tips. I won't tell you why they are good tips or what they help to accomplish. If you can't figure that out, then boohoo.

1. Buy a simple rice cooker and a large bag (we are talking 30 kilo or so) of basmatti or jasmin rice. Master a cuisine around this staple and onions. Alternatively learn to use potatoes or another regionally available staple.

1½. Buy in bulk. Buy meat. Salad. Simplify simplify simplify. Keep your body agile and strong.

2. Only have one set of utensils and a plate for every member of your household. You won't need more than that. Get some nice ones you like.

3. Never pay for media. Always pirate.

4. You only need a room. A laptop. A desk. A comfortable lounge chair and a bed. Thats all you need. Don't clutter your room. It distracts you. Order online from Ikea.

5. Buzzcut your hair. Don't waste money on shampoos and things you don't actually need. You only need a bar of soap and something for brushing your teeth.

6. Convert your money into industrial metals. Inflation will rip your savings apart. Industrial metals like silver or platinum or gold (or rarer metals) won't. Banks are evil.

7. Have a bag. It should be able to fit EVERYTHING YOU OWN including your fortune excluding your furniture.

>>201117
Excellent advice, you probably saved a shit ton of money being a minimalist from the age of 15.

I wished someone taught me this when I was younger.

On buying new technology:

My rule of thumb is upgrading technology once every 5 years to feel the quantum leap - it's like moving from dial up internet (56k) to cable; it's like moving from CRT to LED screens; it's like having 1.5 hour battery life to 9 hours.

The bonus is saving tons of money in the long run.

>>201117
I also recommend a minimalist type of exercise, like going to the park and doing pullups, pushups, dips, squats and situps.

i've been looking into a minimalist life style for a while as well. some things i've come up with:

don't pay for a gym membership. get a bar or a pair of rings (both easily /diy/able, i assume you guys can figure that part out) which won't stress the lower body properly, but is just fine for upper body work. you can buy a ton of sand for a couple bucks and turn that into a bunch of different weighted tools. you can go to a tire place or a junkyard and just ask for their useless tires which won't work on a vehicle, and will cost them a bunch to get rid of. look up tire exercises for ideas, they can even be turned into a "heavy bag".

as for cardio, ignore the treadmill and the other ridiculous machines. run (barefoot costs nothing), jump rope (buy or make one for a couple dollars), get a cheap bike, do bodyweight complexes like burpees, etc etc etc. the point is, gyms are expensive and worthless.

depending on where you live, consider getting that bike and dropping your car. bikes are super efficient transportation, low maintenance, strong enough to hold any reasonably sized stuff you need to transport, great exercise, and a bunch of other stuff. if it's possible for you, a bike could add a ton to your minimalist lifestyle.

cut down your electricity. try to keep all lights off, especially at night. the smallest bit of light can disrupt melatonin production in the body, which is the chemical that regulates sleep. turning off your lights instead of sitting up with all your lights on until 11 at night or whenever will save you money, make you healthier, and help you sleep better.

another thing you can do to cut down your power usage is cut down on your overall appliances. consider washing and drying clothes the old fashioned way. i think i read somewhere that 40% of an oven's power usage over it's life time will go into that little clock/display. get an electric flat top stove, much more efficient than open flame ones.

just some thoughts off the top of my head. i'm not so well read on the appliance stuff, so do your own research there.

>dat feel when your hobbies are "free", like watching anime online and writing books

>>201193
>>201197
Thanks for the post - interesting stuff. However, that's going into frugal territory, and not minimalism.

I would pay for a gym, simply because I wouldn't have to buy so much home gym equipment.

For ghetto minimalism workout, try going to the park and working out like these guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-2Euwq0yc

also, look into furniture like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWaO5TJS00

>>201117

>bed

I prefer a camping mat. My back is never sore, mattresses wear out, they're generally a pain to move and they take up a lot of floor space.

>Goodwill
Retard. Goodwill makes their money from white trash, ghetto scum and other untermensch that can't into the internet. You'll pay a fraction of the price for higher quality clothes buying used online.

>New high-end electronics infrequently
Full Retard. Enjoy paying a premium for new, plus a premium for cutting-edge.

>>201226
>dat feel when you argue with 16 years old on the Internet

Do whatever works for you.

Here, saved you 5/6th the money you would have spend from the age of 30 to 75.

You're welcome.

>>201240

> forgot pic

Consider this;
Loans are not necessarily anti-minimalist.

I am in the process of buying a home for $82,000. This home last sold in 2003 for $120,000 (before the market took a huge shit). It is a solid, well built home in a pretty decent community and I locked in a 30 year fixed interest rate of 4.250%.
Inflation is rising, and as the economy recovers inflation will rise at an accelerated pace, likely hitting 6.0% or more per each year of the recovery. Even in a stable economy inflation tends to rise 3% to 4% a year, and wages are adjusted accordingly.

So, TLDR, my point is this;
Get long-term loans with low, fixed interest rates for items that are very unlikely to depreciate in value. While inflation rises, your interest rate will remain the same and your monthly payment will remain the same, and you will will be paying off your debt with inflated $$ as you continue to make more $$ at your job(s) due to inflation adjusted income raises.

DO NOT GET LOANS TO PAY FOR CONSUMER ITEMS!!! (e.g. cars, appliances, electronics, toys etc.) The loans for these items have very high interest rates, are short-term, and the items themselves will undoubtedly DEPRECIATE in value and you may still be paying principle and interest well after they are dead and gone.

>>201270
Invest in appreciating assets, avoid deppreicating assets.

Makes sense.

>>201270
>DO NOT GET LOANS TO PAY FOR CONSUMER ITEMS!!! (e.g. cars, appliances, electronics, toys etc.)

Great thing about being a minimalist is, you'll buy very little things. Like, buying electronics once every 5 years.

Me, for example, my laptop is my computer / entertainment center that I bought for $500, instead of spending it on a flat screen 60 inch TV with surround sound and cable, which can cost $5000+ in the long run (cable TV cost monies)

1 issue with this advice: Laptops are a rip off
Build your moderately spec'd rig and upgrade parts as is needed. Only get a laptop if you absolutely NEED portability

>>201287
So much this.

>>201287
I fully agree... been eyeing a custom rig for a while now, but like a retard I bought a laptop about 16 months ago and can't really justify replacing it for a while yet.

Next time I'll be building one myself though: same price, double the power

>>201287
>>201293
Agreed.

However, if you have the cash to pay for it in full and really want/need it then go for it. just don't charge it or put it on a payment plan.

>6. Convert your money into industrial metals
How would you go about doing this? Would it be hard to resell the metals later (questions about authenticity, quality, etc.)?

>>201282
You can have a 60 inch TV without cable tv.
- You can get most networks over-the-air with an antenna. Over the air broadcasts have switched to digital, and the image quality exceeds that of cable TV (less digital compression)! You can build an antenna for pennies.
- You can still download and playback movies from a laptop. Most laptops have HDMI output now.
- TVs are available with built-in WiFi, media players, direct playback of YouTube videos, etc.
There's really no reason to have cable TV, even with a large HDTV.

>>201387
www.apmex.com

There are other companies like them who also certify their bars. Also, look into junk silver:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_silver

Dont know if this was mentioned, but buy used... There is always someone hurting for cash, or space. I got a desk the other day for 45.00 that the lady selling it said just last year she paid over 250 for it.

>>201226
>>Retard. Goodwill makes their money from white trash, ghetto scum and other untermensch that can't into the internet. You'll pay a fraction of the price for higher quality clothes buying used online.

Retard, good deals can be found anywhere. 97% of shit at garage sales, goodwill, or ONLINE are shit, and by that I mean junk or not a great deal. But it is that 3% you look for, that is where the gold can be found.

For instance, at goodwill, I got a brand new $300 pair of steel-toe work boots for $6 (not 600, not 60, but 6. $6 dollars). Some boomer geezer probably bought it, with expectations of doing birdhouse woodworking in his garage, died, and it arrived at goodwill. Or a shrew wife divorced a guy, got the house, kept the shoes, forgot about them or didn't realize the value and donated all his stuff to goodwill. Or people sometimes throw out their significant others belongings, cleaning house, and the other partner doesn't realize it is gone.

It is the 3% you have to look for, and you have to be first to realize the value differential otherwise someone else will beat you to the deal.

you were with me until #3... then I decided you must be trollan.

You have to choose a way to live that you can actually sustain long-term. That's NOT promising yourself you'll only wear 3 shirts ever and never eat out again. It's doing the simple things that the last 2 generations lost (in the US at least).

Cooking, biking/walking, clipping coupons (how the fuck is that less fun than wearing the same shirt every day?), and living minimally. Get your furniture from the "free" section of Craigslist and eat a lot of potatoes. Limit going out to once a month or so. Find things to do with friends that are free. Cancel your gym membership and take up jogging.... there's tons.

>>201426
Agreed. Only idiots can't into Goodwill. Especially on dollar thursday and half-price saturday. You can see the stuff up close, make sure it works etc.

On the other hand, my dad has bought about 50 $5 ink cartridges from china on Ebay at various points, and they ALWAYS run out in a week.

>>199979
>saving money for retirement
Silly rabbit, there's not going to be any "retirement" for anyone anymore! The fucked-up economy of the world will suck up all your retirement investments and cash, and you'll have nothing and nothing to show for all your hard work. LIVE WHILE YOU CAN. What the fuck are you going to do when you're 75 anyway, other than drool onto your shirt and pay heinous medical bills with your "retirement" money, because you worked your ass off and never did anything for yourself? Live for now. Fuck all this "later" crap. When you're old, you'll die, plain and simple. Die with no regrets about your life because you actually LIVED a life.

tl, dr: "saving for retirement" is for chumps

>>201387
One big reason you need cable: Downloading bandwidth caps.

Cable/DSL ISP's have responded swiftly to people who think they can get out of paying for cable or satellite TV, by imposing a cap on how much you can download per month. That means your tricked-out TV won't be able to show you jack shit, once you've maxed out your bandwidth allotment for the month. The more hi-def your download, the faster your bandwidth will be devoured.

You'll be stuck with nothing but the DVD's/Blu-Ray discs you already own, and the crap you can pick up with an antenna. Shit-tier sitcoms, reality TV crap, very little sports.

>>201497
Wow, you must really be young to be so short-sighted. The vast majority of older people are active nowadays. Hell, I know a guy who's 91, still driving, looks 20 years younger.

Very few people die at 75, unless they have heart disease from smoking/obesity, or cancer. Most people live into their 80's, and by the time your generation grows up, people will be living into their 90's and beyond.

One thing that is true, however, is that you can't work as hard or as long as you can during your youth. The last thing you want, when you're old, is to be flat fucking broke and unable to get a job to keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

If you make good investments and diversify your earnings, you won't lose all your money. The whole idea of living frugally or in a minimalist way is to save money instead of spending it all in the here and now.

I wish I had put my money in savings when I was younger. I did the math, and found that I would have had a quarter of a million fucking dollars by now.

>>201523
If the only reason to get old is to be old what's the point?

Living like a broke college student is cool and all but after a certain age society will look down upon if you don't have a McMansion and engage in our American consumerist lifestyle.

Buy a motorcycle or moped.

Easier maintenance and always cheaper than a car.. much cheaper.. that is of course you go out and buy a harley or a crazy ass sport bike...

Less money spent on gas.

You won't have space to carry much which will prohibit you from mindlessly buying thingsfrom the store (most likely unnecessary things).

You will not take driving for granted and although it can get dangerous out on the road, you can either drive less or take back roads and learn the routes of your city more carefully.

>>200052
YES! I completely agree.. I stopped buying anything anywhere.. any money I have to spend on leisure, such as games or books, I buy on amazon and usually find it for no more than $10.

>>201540
>implying I will give a flipping shit about what those faggots think

>>201558

"Those faggots" includes most women.
You might want to reconsider your "handyman" position.

>>201518
I've never hit my bandwidth cap, and I use the internet instead of cable tv.

1. Don't use bittorrent. Bittorrent downloads the data, uploads that data to someone else, and constantly sends and receives status messages with peers in order to monitor what pieces everyone has so it knows who to download the next piece from. Even if you stop sharing as soon as you have the complete file, Bittorrent can still consumer twice as much bandwidth as the file size! Usenet uses less bandwidth; but the way the data is encoded and split wastes about 25% of the final file size in overhead. Netflix and downloading YouTube videos consume the least unnecessary overhead.
2. Choose an better ISP and plan. In Canada (where we have some of the most anti-consumer internet providers of any country) you can get 250GB/mo for $100/mo from a mainstream cable company; but independent ISPs offer unlimited bandwidth for only $50/mo!
3. How much fucking television do you watch? Go outside once in a while. Go visit friends and watch tv with them.

>>201613
European here.
>bandwidth cap
haha oh wow.
>250GB/mo, $100/mo
AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
oh shit this is comedy gold, no wonder you're retarded over there with so ridiculous digital handicaps.

>Bittorrent can still consumer twice as much bandwidth as the file size!
Yeah how about no. This would be very noticable when downloading anything of size.
>but the way the data is encoded and split wastes about 25% of the final file size in overhead.
Definitely not. A split file does not take more space, often it takes less as there is often some compression applied when dividing it.

Case in point about you being retarded. Thinking such ridiculous overheads exist.

>unlimited bandwidth for only $50/mo
I guess there's some slim hope for a few of you still.

>watch tv
Don't, download everything instead, no ads, HD quality.

>>200087

I'm not that guy but I can answer this to some extent.

Dividends involve stocks and the stock market. When you buy a stock, you a buying a part of a company essentially. In turn, you are buying into the companies losses and profit. Profits are given out as "dividends." You can look up stocks, I'd suggest large-cap, low risk stocks with a decent dividend. These stocks are usually fairly low risk like "Procter & Gamble" stock ticker: PG. This stock pays a 3.4% dividend which is $2.25 cents per share(stock) you own. Right now the stock is $67.29 so do the math on that. You can definitely get a better return than that I just used it as a quick example. So, when you are paid the dividend, you can use the money to buy more stock ect. ect. and in a decade or so you will have earned a nice sum of money. Remember to diversify, and do some research before doing this. If you have any other questions involving the stock market or investing please ask.

I used to day trade stocks, but recently stopped because I am a full time college student and have a job but will start back up this Summer. I have no positions as of now. Just a discloser.

Not trying to flame here, but are people in this thread honestly suggesting that the best way to make money since the stock-market crashed is to invest in the stock market? Is this for real?

Anyway, my first and only suggestion at this point: pay off your debts before you invest in ANYTHING. Debts eat more money than investments will ever make, so don't chase your tail.

>>201631
This is the downside to living in one of the largest countries in the world.

Your providers WILL past their costs on to you.

>>201631
>Definitely not. A split file does not take more space, often it takes less as there is often some compression applied when dividing it.

This is incorrect. If the file is compressed and split, it will be roughly the same size. If it's split then compressed, it will sum to more than the originals, because the lookup table for the compression are appended to each file rather than just once. You can avoid that on a network by only sending it once, if you can control the clients on both ends.

A 15 part RAR is larger than a 1 part RAR, on account of headers alone.

>>201716
>A 15 part RAR is larger than a 1 part RAR, on account of headers alone.

I guess the NWO is telling my version of windows not to count the headers then

>>201676

Since the crash, most stocks have reached their pre 2007 levels and today the dow jones is at an all time high. Imagine buying stocks right after the crash you would've made a lot of money. Don't be so closed minded. The housing market also crashed. Should I never buy a house? get real.

Any ways, the stock market is a great way to make money, even in a downward market. There are many strategies like: shorting stocks, buying and selling options contracts, buying precious metals i.e. silver and gold which reached all time highs during the recession, and even buying stocks .

The best time to start is now because now is when you have the most time to let your investments grow.

>>201676

Also, good advice with paying debts before investing. In most cases. BUT, if your car payment is charging 2% interest, but say a bond will pay you 3% interest on the same money, it can be beneficial to just pay the minimum payment while putting the rest of the money in that bond.

>>201719
Me again, that screen is with no compression.

When using compression i actually managed to increase filesize 27 mb for a second test using fastest 7zip compression.

I guess 27 mb addition to a 2200mb file equals approximately 20% overhead.

>minimal lifestyle
>smart phone
>'high-end' laptop
>other shit advice

I can't all my fucking laughter

Don't buy the latest consumer gadget bullshit. Save money. Sell/give shit you have away.

Travel a bunch. Traveling light/roughing it makes you realize what you need and what you don't need.

Thus when you come back to reality/home you can trim off all that excess shit you never realized you didn't need.

When I got back from my ramblings I either sold or gave away:
>all my records, turntables, mixer
>most of my instruments
>my TV, desktop, video game consoles
>books
>most of my clothes
>and moved into a smaller place

Having material music isn't necessary and I found it clinging to status materialistic bullshit. I ripped my entire collection to a harddrive and saved a fuckton of space.

An e-reader is a wonderful investment. You can acquire most books on the internet. The thing I miss is textbooks or other such text heavy books. But it's not as if you yearn for such books sitting on your shelf.

Video games are a fucking terrible waste of time. I went through phases of being bored with every game it seemed. Then you'd get 'addicted' to that one game and sink hours into it. Pondering it during work or whatever, wanting to continue it. But they're closed worlds and fueled by consumerism and disposable frames. You don't really build precise skills in one game that are incredibly useful in another. And the precise skills you develop in one closed world instance of a specific game are moot when a new game or the next iteration comes out in a year. I've found people that are 'good at games' are just good at games(or a specific genre) in general. And you can invest the time getting to to that level or refining your current level, but then my above point of obsolete nature kicks in. I sold my xbox and my desktop.

>>201726
A modest laptop is sufficient. I sold my expensive headphones and bought expensive in-ear headphones. They're more portable and serve more uses(travel, riding, the gym, etc). I sold my stereo and 5.1 setup and bought modest bookshelf speakers and a power amp. I use my old monitor as a 'TV' for watching movies and such when entertaining.

I dumped most of my instrument collection and kept my favorite old telecaster+small tube amp. Once again it's that hoarding mentality.

Gave most of my clothes to Goodwill and such. A suit(not necessarily expensive, but must fit well), good proper fitting jeans, and some plain white t's. Whatever cheap underware socks. A good set of boots, not the thin leather hipster peasant boot shit. A pair of runners that serve as gym, running, light hiking shoes.

The whole obsession white urban 18-28~ men suddenly have with minimalist lifestyle is fucking hilarious. People looking down on consumer sheeple for filling their lives, only to fill their lives with some cultish group think minimalist clubbbb no sheep allowed.

Try and live modestly, don't make living modestly your life. Can you fit all your shit into a box or two?

>>201523
No, actually, I'm in my mid-forties, never have made enough money to "save" or "invest" any without living like a cloistered monk, and the way things are going in the world today, I don't see any of that changing. I'm not married, have no family of any kind, so there's no one to "provide" for in the future other than myself. I'm not willing to put off living having a life until "retirement" because I'll be too old to *have* a life by then! I'd rather live NOW, and worry later. If I can manage to get a permanent job again that pays a decent amount of money I *might* try opening some sort of 401k or whatever "retirement" fund, but I'm not willing to do so at the expense of living *now*; it's just not worth it!

InB4 "you're an idiot". Fuck you, if you think that. This is still a free country, I don't answer to anyone but myself, I'll live as I damned well please.

Surprised no one mentioned this yet:
1) learn to sew at least a little bit
2) learn to solder at least a little bit

You can fix/maintain a lot of your stuff this way.

Also, *make greeting cards* instead of buying them. Takes the same amount of time to write a thoughtful letter and print out a cool and fold it as it does to go into CVS.

>>201728

You never get too old to have a life. Until you die that is. I hate when people assume that all old people do is sit in a rocking chair all day or something. My grandparents have loads of fun traveling, fishing, going on boat rides and visiting friends, their children, grandchildren ect.

First time posting in this thread

>>201728
>This is still a free country, I don't answer to anyone but myself, I'll live as I damned well please.

Go ahead, but you sound like a manbaby when you express it that way.

>living *now*
What qualifies as living now? A student that lives off $600 a month is alive and well, enjoying himself and whatnot else too. Sure, luxury can be nice to indulge in, but cost generally scales a lot faster than comfort.

As for savings, it always mean some sacrifice, the smaller the sacrifice the longer before they accumulate to anything.

>>201728
If you had started at 18 and put $10 a week into savings/401k you'd have a decent chunk of change.

Enjoy your poorfaggotness in old age

>>201726
>>201727

Just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living? I could never sell my instruments, but then again I am using all of them on a regular basis.

>>201726
>Travel a bunch

The only legitimate reason to move/travel is for a job or for conditions that are better for you medically (allergies, etc). Every other reason/impulse comes from fear and confusion. Stop running from yourself or from anything else.

>>199989
>3 outfits
Maybe if you are a retarded aspie.

I love this thread.

I've tried being more minimalistic but I still find it tough to shrug off buying things I don't really need.

An E-Reader sounds good. Are you able to torrent books on a Kindle?

>>201821

Some people enjoy seeing new places. What you said is like say stop eating pie because I'm fine with cake and you should be too, but your to afraid to admit it.

>>201527
The point is not having to worry about being without shelter and necessities in your old age.

And who says you can't live a full life without a lot of material things? Even with the high price of gas, it doesn't cost a whole lot to go on a road trip with some friends, for example. If you get out and have real experiences instead of buying stuff, you'll save money, live a full life, AND be secure in your old age.

>>201821

The only legitimate reasons for travel are actually going to your job, the store, or the doctor. Anywhere else you're just wasting money and food calories running from yourself.

>>201613
Most people can't "choose a better ISP". Even when I lived in a huge city like Phoenix, you have only 2 choices: cable internet or DSL. In rural areas, you're lucky to have either. A surprising number of people are still on dial-up, because they have no other option.

Thanks for the info on torrenting, though. I personally have never liked torrenting, so at least I won't fall into that trap.


>>201631
That guy's getting screwed, unfortunately. Even my shitty cable company only charges $50/month for 250GB. And when I lived in Phoenix, it was only about $35.

But before you get too smug, remember that as America goes, the world goes. Don't be surprised when your ISP's start imposing higher fees and caps on your service. Corporations in all parts of the world are alike: greedy motherfuckers who will screw over the consumer in any way possible.

>>201728
Massive butthurt detected. Calm down, dude. Nobody's saying you have to live one way or another. But you are indeed being very shortsighted, and I can guarantee you'll live to regret not planning for the future. The lawmakers are already trying to chip away at Social Security and other programs that support elderly people. As it is, people who live solely on SS are living in poverty. This will be worse, as entitlements are reduced over the years.

You're certainly free to disregard good advice. But when you do regret it, remember this long-ago thread on 4chan, and the people who tried to help.

>>201880
See, you don't get it: I don't give a flying fuck about what happens to me when I'm old. As I said I'm not married, no intention of getting married or even living with anyone ever again, no family to take care of. I live for NOW, TODAY, and fuck what happens when I'm old; whatever happens, happens. There'll either be Social Security, or not (more likely), and I'll either manage to put some money away somewhere or I won't. I'm not going to make the mistake of living for the future at the cost of living TODAY. I'd rather die younger than average with NO regrets about my life than make the mistake of desperately clinging to every minute longer I can make my body live, regardless of whether I'm enjoying continuing to live or not. I'd rather burn brightly and burn out early than be a dim bulb my entire life and take my last breath full of regrets for all the things I never did, all the chances I never took, all the experiences I never had. I don't expect anyone to understand any of this, and I don't expect anyone else to embrace this philosophy, either, but it's my decision; I answer to no one but myself, am responsible for no one except myself, I can live -- and die -- any way I want to. If someone doesn't agree with me or tries to tell me I'm being stupid, they can go fuck themselves.

>>201889
Fuck you, asshole.

>remember that as America goes, the world goes
When it comes to internet there's an enormous disconnect between america and the world.

Places like sweden and south korea is offering gigabit connections to private person, uncapped. 100mbit connection to private persons is so 2002. Meanwhile, in the US, you still have as you mentioned dialup.

It's like your medical system. Geared to rape bank accounts. Wheras the rest of the civilized world is running socialized medicine with low end-user costs.

>>201889
Tell you what, pal: If and when I manage to make enough money to actually put some away, I'll be all over that shit. Until then I'm not going to put my Real Life on hold so I can "plan for the future". It makes zero sense. I could be DEAD a year from now, or WWIII could start, and it'd be all for nothing, wouldn't it? Too goddamned many people are all worried about "tomorrow" and they never do anything about "today". It's the most retarded thing I've ever seen, it makes an entire civilization of people who are stressed out and generally miserable. I've already spent too much time trying to live the way everybody else thinks I should live, so now I say "fuck you" to all that shit and do whatever the hell I want, and screw all the haters who look down their noses at me -- which apparently includes you. Better hope you never meet me in person, because if you start all this sactimonious bullshit with me to my face, I'll gleefully punch you in the nose for your trouble.

..and I'm sure this thread is now going to be treated to more of your self-righteous, sanctimonious, know-it-all attitude bullshit, so go right ahead. Haters gonna hate, after all. XD

hey, old guy who has nothing, could you put a trip on so we can block you? thanks!

Jews

>>201909
>You're just a hater
>I'd punch you in the nose if you said that to me in real life

Maximum butthurt detected.

I like the concept of this style of living, and have read this thread through...

I think i will struggle to get rid of the last of my stuff that i dont use all that often, if at all. i used to hoard, in the past two years i have cleaned out alot of my shit... still a bit to go. guitar and bass i never use etc... just keeping in case 'one day...'

just take the step? selling it off would be good for the money i guess.

due to my other hobbies, i wouldnt be able to get rid of a few other things (motorbikes, cameras, desktop) but im sure i can clean out a lot more stuff.

final thing.. ive got a bit of money saved up now, was saving for a house/move out, something along those lines. perhaps investing it now is a good idea? obviously would prefer something without to much risk though.

>>201950
Fuck yes people who look down their nose at me makes me angry. You got a problem with that? Check yourself, son, I don't think anyone with at least half a brain likes any fucking assholes who tell them how they should be living their lives, especially if they're standing there telling you you're fucking up. Who decided it was that faggot's place to judge me or anyone else? It's NOT his place. He can live his life however the fuck he wants to, but it is NOT OK if he wants to stand there and tell someone else they're doing it wrong.

I can't say it enough times, apparently: My way works for me. You don't like it? Get fucked.

>>201923
Go suck a box of cocks.
Also, I didn't say I have nothing, faggot. I've got what I need, and some things that I want, and I do what I want, when I want, with WHOM I want to do it with, and I answer to no one. Can YOU say that? Will you be able to say that in 10 years from now? 20 years? Probably not.

Keep on hatin', 4chan! XD

>>202002
two more things.

good book to learn to cook with?
and related to that, where to torrent books from? any better places than isohunt/piratebay etc?

>>202100
Joy of Cooking

Youtube "Good Eats", Alton Brown is a GOD. He typically does two dishes per episode, sometimes more.

>>202100
AFAIK, there are no trackers specific to literature, although you'd probably have more luck with demonoid than TPB.

Then again, most of the classics are freely available at sites like gutenberg.org

>>201827
You can't torrent on a Kindle but you can use a PC to get book torrents and load them into Calibre (free) then use Calibre to send them to a cable connected Kindle.

FYI one eBay seller is selling 200,000 books on 4 DVDs for about $25 - I've ordered them as it's worth trying that. My current book collection is at 12,000 - Calibre is JUST starting to run slow but in fairness it's on an older WIndows XP machine.

>>202171
Forgot to mention. My wife and daughter use Kindle for books but I use an iPad with Stanza. My Calibre server is accessible via the Internet (handy coz I do travel) so I can grab books out of my collection anywhere in the world I can get mobile or wireless reception.

I'm looking into using a Raspberry Pi as a dedicated Kindle server. Just waiting for mine to arrive.

>>201907
Corporations are the same the world over. They're the reason our health care sucks, and "austerity measures" in Europe are the first step toward ruining your system and making it as shitty as hours. We used to have unlimited monthly bandwidth, but now that caps have been placed on it, you can bet other countries will follow suit. Today's files are far larger than they were just a few years ago, and ISP's aren't going to support unlimited downloading forever.

>>201909
Why are you so fucking defensive? Nobody's "hating" you, just trying to give you some good advice. You can bullshit all you want about WWIII or any other nonsense you can dredge up, but the truth is that you just want instant gratification. Instead of trying to rationalize it with crazy "reasoning", just do your own thing and stop being hostile about it. All I said is that you will regret it. That's not hate, it's a statement of fact.

The only person hating in this thread is the one who claims 75-year-olds do nothing but drool on themselves, and says "fuck you" to anybody who disagrees with him. You're saying that you're having trouble earning enough money to put away for later. Might I respectfully suggest that cultivating a less hostile attitude might help your career prospects.

Not hatin', just sayin'.

>>201219

Yeah, I understand what you are getting at. Springmattreses and etc are also bad for your back. I use a futon myself ontop of a bed chassis. Pic related. But I like being able to be on the move and my back hurts when I don't sleep on a medium-hard surface.

>>201613

You are retarded and know nothing about pirating. Please stop posting your garbage.

>>202158

Thats a lie. You just don't know about the private bibl. sites.


God there is so much bullshit 'info' in this thread. Viewer be-fucking-ware!

Listen, you people are so obsessed with tech gadgets. "OH KINDLE AND IPAD IS SO MINIMALIST". But thats a lie. You only need a laptop. You don't need a 'cheaper' desktop. You need something mobile you can throw into your backpack. Fuck brands. Foxconn makes everything anyways.
Stop magpieying so much about useless shit.

>>202242
Yeah, nah, you're full of shit.
What do I need a laptop for? I never need it other than on my desk. My job provides a computer for work, my house is the only place I need one for, and I'm not 13 so I don't skype my BFFs while i'm in the bath or some stupid shit like that.

You need a laptop, that's cool, I only need a desktop.

Wow, this thread went to shit real fast.

>>202239
>Thats a lie. You just don't know about the private bibl. sites.
How is it a lie? I said 'As far as I know'.
You sound like 12 year old /b/tard.

>>202249

Oh, haven't seen that bread dude for ages.

>>202264

Of course it doesn't.
It's for "average Americans", who "earn 1.3 million during their lifetime".

>>201613
you can limit the upload speed on a torrent you know.

I use utorrent as my client and you can even set the speed on overall torrents combined or have it set so it shuts down the computer when all the torrents finish downloading.

>>201540
>Living like a broke college student is cool and all but after a certain age society will look down upon if you don't have a McMansion and engage in our American consumerist lifestyle.

1. Acquire hot girlfriend

2. Fuck what other people think. Once you reach a certain age, you stop caring what people think. For me, it was 19.

>>201726
Sounds a lot like me.

>sold video games
>donate clothes
>travelled alot

I still like my smart phone ought.

>>201727
>The whole obsession white urban 18-28~ men suddenly have with minimalist lifestyle is fucking hilarious.

Japanese people lived minimal life style for thousands of years, it wasn't only until white people that discovered it - and like everything they touched, made it more lame as fuck. (ie, white people eating sushi)

>>201728
>mid 40s
>no full time job

Sorry bro, you're old and a loser. I can smell your loserless over the Internet.

>>202264
I jelly. Well done.

>dat feel your minimal computing needs

>>201226

Living in Alaska, stores like Goodwill end up being significantly cheaper than using the internet. Pretty much every order has $20+ in shipping

I really want to be minimalist, but having a wife makes it difficult.

>>202369
Oh, sure, the job I had for 10 years doesn't count, the job I had for 5 years doesn't count, the job at a defense contractor I had for 7 years doesn't count, the last job I had that lasted 3 years before the company was shut down and moved out of the U.S. doesn't count. The economy taking a steaming dump in 2007 doesn't count because obviously it was all my fault, right? The fact that I've been living on my own since I was 18 and had to completely support myself doesn't count, and *naturally* not being able to afford anything more than a couple years of junior college is all my fault, too, isn't it? Yep, it's all my fault. Fuck you.

>>202380
I know dat feel,bro.
..
captcha:struck firchn

>>202498
It is your fault. It's the fault of every American who has ever shopped at Walmart and bought something made in China.

>>202526
I don't shop at Hell-mart and never will, and YOU buy shit made in China EVERY DAY whether you know it or not. You know NOTHING about why the economy collapsed in the world in 2007 if you think consumer goods had a goddamn thing to do with it.

Is there nothing to be said for brewing your own beer/making your own wine? buying alcohol is expensive as all shit. Most of what you need to brew can be got cheap, kegging equipment can be bought used for cheap too, but wine is as cheap as it gets to make your own

>>200067
>How does one start a business?
The answer to that depends on where you live. Here in the US, it actually varies a bit from state to state and what kind of business you start. You can, for example, start a DBA, an LLC or a nonprofit. In each of these cases, you would go the secretary of state office for the state that you live in, register a business name and get a tax ID (and find out all of the specifics about record keeping and filing your taxes that are required in your state).

A DBA is definitely the easiest way to start a company; take a look at TurboTax for all the paperwork stuff.

>>202380
>>202503
>dat feel when your wife has been brainwash my commericals

I know that feel bro

>>202498
Go away old fag, you're old and bitter.

>>202574
I .... I want to make my own wine :)

>>202221

He still thinks America is the center of the world and that other countries will regress to match their standards!

>LaughingGirls.tiff

>>202721
It's not about countries regressing, it's about corporations regressing. Corporate bullshit knows no international boundaries.

And kindly keep your Eurofag jealousy out of the conversation. Corporations are the same worldwide, whether you care to admit to it or not.

http://mnmlist.com/

For those intrested in minimalism,nice blog I found.

>>201030
GFS Marketplace has no membership fees unlike Costco. They mainly supplied restaurants until they seen average families wished to buy in bulk too. They started opening stores but still aren't as prevalent as Costco. Oh, and it's only food, cookware, and clean up supplies.

>>202498
>40 year old amerifag
>NOT MAH FAULT
Why is it that every american loser I meet cries how much everything is not their fault?
>it's the economy
>it's china
>it's outsourcing jerbs
>it's obama
>it's mexicans/illegal immigrants
>it's legal immigrants
>it's canada
Like what the fucking fuck is up with completely ignoring any responsibility at all for your life?
I don't know your whole life old man, but if you're in a tough spot now it means that somewhere down the road you took a wrong term and you're dealing with completely deterministic consequences, NOT RANDOM "LOL CHINA TOOK MY JERB".
Also, a lot of this thread can be summed up in:
>buy shit for it's function, not it's looks
>buy shit to fit your realistic needs

>>202920
This is good but dude makes some errors, like where he discredits ereaders.
I have a nook color myself and so far I've saved 4-5 times it's value in books and I've only had it for 8 months. Because I get college textbooks for free, I also get some technical books (which costs 50-150$ each) for free. Plus I can get any fiction or literature for... free.
One day I'd love to get an e-ink device just for the second category. You need an lcd for text/technical books due to fairly large amount of graphs and shit, it's easier to resize content on lcd screens than e-inks for some reason.

>>202714
MAKE me go away.
Oh, that's right, you can't. Sucks to be you. XD

>>202221
You're haters because I have the guts to live my life the way I want to instead of the way everyone else does. I'll probably die young by misadventure but I will have ZERO regrets for things left undone. I don't give a rat's ass about money beyond having enough to do what I want to right now. You want a "minimalist" life? Here it is, right here. All your investments and retirement accounts are far from being "minimalistic".
Remember Murphy's 1st law of combat: "No plan survives first contact with the enemy", e.g. all your "planning" means very little when they change the rules of the game down the road.

I just buy everything from the thrift store. I have everything and I pay very little for it

inb4 reddit hate

reddit has a few awesome subs just for these topics

/r/diy
/r/frugal
/r/minimal

definitely some awesome tips op

>>202498
Old bro, I graduated and started job hunting during the worst recession in recent US history. It took me less than a month. A year or so later, I have ~23k in my 401(k) with NO matching and that's with it down 5% YTD.

Stop blaming everyone except yourself. Frankly, it makes America lookk bad. PS: you might be old enough to qualify for a higher maximum annual contribution.

ugh...
how the fuck do you live like that when you have hobbies like snowboarding and traveling

actually, how expensive would a boat that could traverse the oceans be?

something that could hold a small pickup truck

that way i could live where i pleased, and move to wherever the fuck i wanted as long as it wasn't landlocked

i'll bet that's expensive as fuck

Someone in one of these minimalist threads stated "single incomes are for suckers", suggesting that it's good to establish multiple sources of income and not relying exclusively on your day job for money.

It got me thinking that one could setup many MICRO incomes from different sources, and together, these small edges would add up to a high $/hour without requiring much of your time.

Can anyone elaborate on this idea?

Wow. This thread is really something.
Know what the real joke is? 4chan is the home of pedophiles, druggies, wannabe-anarchists, wannabe-counterculturists, etc. and here's a whole thread full of posts about living according to conventional wisdom, saving money instead of spending it, planning retirement, and so on. Except for one old guy, who you proceed to destroy. Son, I am disappoint.

So, you guys all planning on voting for Romney? Sure sounds like it to me. You've been well trained by the establishment, that's for sure.

>>203122

4chan, like the rest of the modern day internet, is full of normalfags.

and we're making fun of that old guy because he sounds like a ridiculous manbaby, not because he's counterculture and we're establishment.

>>203122

BREAKING NEWS

SPENDING MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE IS COUNTERCULTURE
SAVING MONEY IS FOR SUCKERS
AGE ALWAYS BEGETS WISDOM
VOTING FOR OBAMA IS STICKING IT TO THE MAN (lolvotingREPorDEM)
STRUCTURING YOUR LIFE SO YOU ARE ABLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT IS FOR MAINSTREAM SHEEPLE

MORE AT 11

>>203147
I dunno, dude. Quite a few of my friends lost tons of money in their retirement funds and investments in 2007/2008 when the bubble burst, and they were being pretty conservative with their money. How can I expect to have confidence in saving money or investing it when next year it could all go down the toilet again? It's a similar mindset to the Great Depression, and quite a few people are thinking the same way. Banks are, ostensibly, insured, but only up to a certain point, and if everything completely collapses (which isn't outside the realm of possibility; look at what's happening in the Eurozone and elsewhere for fuck's sake) then what good is that insurance? Here in the U.S. the dollar isn't even backed by gold anymore, it's just printed paper and numbers on a screen. The conditions within the real estate lending industry that is really at the center of the economic collapse haven't even really been addressed, either, I keep reading news stories that they're attempting to revive the sub-prime lending practices, but under a different name (kind of like calling HFCS "corn sugar" instead). Repeating the same things over and over again expecting a different result is the very definintion of insanity, and there's indications that's exactly what's happening; trusting banks and investment firms with your hard-earned money just like before is a hard sell so far as I'm concerned.

Not spending as much money on the necessities of life is a good idea regardless, but one must be careful to not buy poor quality food and items just because they're cheaper, though.

>>203159

No investment is foolproof, but there are things you can get that are less risky than others. Those things will change according to different markets.

One of the best things you can do is structure your investments in such a way that if something catastrophic happens you don't lose everything.

Personally I've invested in real estate; I bought a duplex needing renovation shortly after the housing crash. I had money I was looking to invest for about a year and a half before that but didn't because the "forever rising housing prices where nothing bad can happen" seemed suspiciously like the dot com bubble to me. (I'm old enough to remember it, but wasn't quite old enough to have dot com stocks at the time) Of course I'm not claiming to be a financial wizard, I didn't predict the crash or anything. My thoughts at the time were more along the lines of "I don't want to invest only to lose 20% of my value in a year" than "Great Recession."

Since then I've bought another duplex (actually it's right next to the first one, which is very convenient) and paid off the first one completely. I currently live in the second one, in the unfinished side (I first moved into the other one, which was in worse shape, and renovated it before moving to the other side and renting out the first side.) I live well below my means; in fact each of my tenants lives more lavishly than I. In case of catastrophic financial event I live in a homestead state so even if I lose the second one I can always move back into the first one.

>>202920
>I love seeing other people’s desktops, so I thought I’d show mine as an example of a clean, minimalist desktop.

>The desktop pic changes now and then — right now it’s a snow leopard, reminiscent of the new OSX snow leopard. I enjoy pics that are calm but inspiring.

>I’ve removed all icons, including hard drive icons

Fuck this guy.

>>203182
How much are you making in profit, per month, from your investment?

>>203196
That guy is also the author of zenhabits.net, he's some pretentious faggot. Ignore his website.

>>203112
Micro income: investing money into stocks / dividends, or build website that make you $50 per month, you got 10 of those sites that's $500

>>203203

Clearing ~$2500/mo, which is rent from both properties minus mortgage payments on the one and what the per month for property tax for both works out to be. That doesn't include maintenance costs but those are pretty low since I do work myself and generally will spend the extra money on materials when something needs to be fixed if it means the fix will be durable.

That doesn't include any increases in the home values, which would be harder to figure out. It's a pretty mellow market; there weren't any huge increases before the crash and when the crash happened prices only dropped around 10-15%. The total cost I paid for both duplexes was under 140k.

Also I get added value out of the investment since I'm living in one of the duplexes. When I bought the first one that was a major consideration because there are few investments you can make instead of paying rent. Also, since it was in an area where lots of people rent, and designed to be rented, it made sense even if I eventually moved out of the area.

The second one was a fluke. The guy that owned the one next door to me wanted to sell, and since it too was a duplex and in fact had the same exact floor plan as the one I already had (they, and several more on the block, were built by the same guy in the 50's) I figured why not.

>>203112
There's a book on just that, called "Multiple Streams of Income" best ones are residual income. Google for more info.

All I want is a small apartment with not many things, a lot of books, a lot of good wine (20-30 bottles) a really comfortable sofa and a computer.

Of all above I am pretty sure I will have relatively soon.

And I will travel.

Don't know why I'm posting this.

So to sum up this thread, it boils down to : Don't buy stupid shit.

You have failed to address the real problems raping Incomes: Energy, Shelter, and Health costs

>>203261
>You have failed to address the real problems raping Incomes: Energy, Shelter, and Health costs

Live below your means, rent a room instead of an apartment, bus or bike if possible, etc.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

>>200049
I second that e-book reader.

My boyfriend loves to read, but doesn't make enough to buy a new book everytime he wants one (which is often). The ~$150 investment will save him $100s over time and he will always have something to read.

>>200052
YEAHHHHH!!

I have bought some nice designer pieces from ebay for really cheap. I got a pair of green Banana Republic shorts for $6, a pink/green plaid Juicy Couture blazer for $15, and a lace Betsey Johnson dress for $90.

When buying designer, know what to look for. Never buy from China, no matter how authentic they say it is.

Also, I love Amazon<3

>>200049
>9) Buy an e-book reader like a Kindle or Kobo. Going to the library to borrow books is so 1999; you can download 10,000s of books for FREE (torrent) and put it into your e-reader. Forget going to the library to borrow stuff when you can download it off the Internet.

plebian tier literature fag.

eReader formats and PDFs are FUCKING TERRIBLE for textbooks / documentation / technical writing.

>>203112
you would have to have a larger skill set (unless you are naturally gifted this is expensive, time and money) you also have to be able to handle and manage many different things at once, which is also expensive (time and money)

>>203329
Yeah, PDF sucks. However, epub is god tier.

>dat feel when you're a book snob.

>>203329
Because PDF isn't industry standard for datasheets and whitepapers or anything.

>live minimalist, be old with children and grandchildren
>spoil them for wanting them not to suffer as we did
>cycles

>live minimalist
>raise kids with everything they want
>cycles

Imo
>>Never trust any institution!
>>Put your money in things that will be always in demand (houses- people need to live somwhere, and that someone can rent!, food - need to eat something)
>> Dont buy things you dont need, buy only when its worn out/broken/ not usable anymore
>> Hunt for sales(you can buy wonders and sell with profit!)
>> Dont buy expensive brand clothes coz you pay for brand, buy high quality mid tier that will last long.
>> Build your own well to have nice, clean water source
>> Get a bike for close travels and mid tier car that is popular(= parts for it are cheaper), and dont eat a lot of gas

>>203182
>bought investment property
ITT: The 1%

>>203196

Hipster trend following douchebag.

Ignore him.

This thread

OP just described my life. spooky.

also, 0 debt here @ age 25 :)

>>203806
How much monies you got in the bank?

>dat feel we're minimalist brothers

Bamp, for bamp. motherfuckers

Bump it up

>>199979
I live by this philosophy. Maintain the things you buy and keep them well oiled. Buy high quality things that you intend to keep for a very long time.
China import throwaway society bugs me like you wouldn't believe.

Tea strings. Stop throwing away useful items and put them to use. Save a handful and tie them together to make shoelaces. Save an armful and you braid it into rope.

>>204450
the nice thing is that after awhile, all the shit you own is high quality and reliable. so much less frustration

>>204450
>China import throwaway society bugs me like you wouldn't believe.
>Eagletac

im just gonna join the ADF [oz defence force] soon and stay hopefully till im over 40 on barracks so that will save money then ill buy a house and car

everytime you see some famous person dying at 50 think that could be you. your life isn't gaurenteed. don't save too much. don't bank on retirement. take mini-retirements. save up money working, then spend it. take a year off and travel. do something. cause guess what, you're going to die. and don't buy less 'nice' stuff. buy more cheap stuff. get a cheap car off craigslist. dont buy an expensive home or apartment. don't waste your money on things. the amount of money you have isn't put on your tombstone like some sort of 'high score.' i think im the only one of my friends who has almost gotten out of my 20s working very little, and living life. and i still have tons of student loans, etc.. but whatever, save money, spend it. dont wait, the future isn't guaranteed.

oh and buy some cheap sunglasses, don't be that guy at the beach that gets them knocked off his head by the wave he didn't see coming. me I just buy another $10 pair. less stuff you have, less to lose. less expensive it is, the more you don't give a shit about it. if you care about your stuff, then your stuff owns you. take your life back. stupid mother fuckers.

http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/
this is me now

>>204462
That's something a prole would do ...

>>204810
THIS, times a million. I see too many people sacrificing everything so they're "financially secure in their old age", working their asses off, never taking time to take care of themselves properly, never taking time off, so when they're old and grey their bodies and minds are so exhausted and beat up that they can't *enjoy* their old age, they're filled with regret for the things they didn't do and now can't do. It's not worth it. Living with reckless abandon is one thing and I don't recommend it, but for fuck's sake live your life while you've got a life to live!

>2012
>Getting married for reasons besides financial/insurance

Why would you do this?

>>205036
OP here, like I said, buy nice things but buy sparsely to enjoy the here and now

>dat feel when you see an old 75 years old walmart greeter

>>204792
China makes some high quality shit, the lights are from china too, but that battery will last me a whole lot longer and cause a whole lot less trash than the faggots that buy disposable surefire cells... The lights are also very high quality that I expect to last me at least ten years.

You wanna get a feel for what im talking about, watch some of aussie 50's vids, He has hundreds of equipment repair and autopsy vids like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV-NXIKF7pw
China can make some very good quality and cheap stuff when they actually try to do something other than steal Americas dollar.

I dunno if this is already in this thread, but learn to fix your car to some extent. Seriously. Take some time off when you can to practice. That way when your car is being annoying and the mechanic tells you that'll be 2000$, you can laugh at them and walk away.

anyone got any DIY tips for fortifying the house against attackers?

(you never know)

>>201207

Can I throw this out there:

Looking at that picture brings two things to my mind:

1) I could legitimately imagine an acrid stench of old hot dogs and mustard breath when looking at that picture. My stomach got squeemish.
2) I hate Richard Stallman.

That is all.

>>205238
Why do you hate Richard Stallman, he's a cool old G nerd and isn't afraid of anything

>>205318

Anyone else have anything of interests?
http://tinyhouseblog.com/yurts/yurt-living-in-upstate-new-york/
Yurts seem pretty cool.

ill add one:

there is a wise saying, "Be a man of many talents, but a master of none"

Learn how to handle things on your own, but not necessarily to the extent of persuing a career in it unless its truely what you want to do.

me for example. I work on computers for a living at this time. This allows me to have a steady job (well, somewhat) and i save a TON on what it would cost me for both hardware and repairs if I was your average consumer.

I dont know much about cars, but I have the basics down. I've changed a thermostat, I know how to change a starter, alternator, oil, tire, etc. You save a ton of money from bein gable to do small-medium repairs.

I am somewhat handy as a carpenter. I can measure, cut, nail, glue, and screw wood into places. DIY home repairs arent that difficult, you just have to have some tools and basic practice.

I always opt to try and learn how to fix something (even if its just a quick google) before shelling out money to a repair man/shop/etc, i've saved thousands of dollars in my short life by simply sacrificing a few hours to learn, and learning is never a bad thing. This can be applied to many areas in life.

Jesus fuck /diy/, nice thread derailment.

>>205670
That's life, bro.

Not sure if these have been posted yet BUT

A. Charity shops/thrift stores are your friend. People throw away NICE clothes. I've gotten many a nice jacket for under 5 dollars.

B. Dumpster dive, or buy basic ingredients in bulk. Look into local co-ops near you for cheap, bulk organic food. I get organic wheat/oats from Azure Standard, a Co-op from Oregon.

C. Like >>199989 said, lrn2 cut your own hair. It's easy to do, and cuts costs a lot.

D. Do some research on edible plants in your area (if applicable).
Eat them.

>>205953
A fill-up at a gas station can consume a year's worth of savings from any of those methods.

If you really want to save money, you need to address major expenses: housing and transportation.

>>205953
>B. Dumpster dive, or buy basic ingredients in bulk.

I wouldn't dumpster dive, that's just hobo tier. But I do buy basic ingredients in bulk, like oatmeals, rice, lentils, etc

>>205959
>If you really want to save money, you need to address major expenses: housing and transportation.

My current strategy, living in a mega city, is buying a monthly bus pass and renting a room ($400) instead of an apartment ($1000)

>>205972
And ...

Buying a monthly bus pass ($100) vs a car ($450 per month for insurance, not including gas and maintaince)

>>205973
>dat feel when you bus in the poor part of town, full of dirty proles, immgriants, and black ladies with big wigs ... and the stinky bodies during summer time

>>205651
brofist

I'm getting into DIY CNC machining, laser cutting and 3D printing. I bet every home in the future will have most of them machines

I'm thinking in making my own furniture in the future

>>201726

This man speaks the Truth. Everything I NEED (not everything I have and that can be spared) can be packed into ONE bag (~60L).
...
Provided, of course, that you ever left your house, let alone your state/country (lol America) and wander the world (not likely to happen).

The real problem here is american consumerism. It would be unthinkable for an average american to live modestly, in a country that fills you with informecials for every gadgets possible. It actually SCARES americans to have left (lol communism), it is what they have taught from a young age.

So this trend of "minimalism" is just due to the fact that Americans slowly realise that they can live better with less junk.

Remember, LESS is BETTER.

Good Luck.

>>201724

do you even math?

>>205975
refer to this post.... >>201551

>>205990
Brilliant. Thank you, I'll put it on the todo list, even ought I think bus is cheaper and more minimalist.

bla

>dat feel when you enjoy cutting your own hair every week to look "fresh"

>dat feel when you buy a safely razor blade, saves you money in the long run

>feels good man

Pic related, I bought it for $13 off amazon

>>201611
>>201558

Don't worry bro - this will just filter out the shallow, materialistic asshole women to make way for the more...higher-thinking ones.

>>206099
>mfw they say "higher-thinking women" and really mean "women who will give me more sex"

My rule is, if I don't use it in a year, throw it out. Includes projects that are started but not finished, furniture and electronics.
I'm prone to the hoarder mentality and this rule keeps me honest to myself.

Step 1. Buy high quality stuff
Step 2. There is no step 2

Thats all. It's not rocket science.
>Poorfag mother
>She buys me $20 shoes every month till I'm about 11
>"Hey if we just spent 100 bucks once we'd save shit loads of money long term"
>"That doesn't make any sense Anon 100 bucks is obviously more than 20"
>Mfw at age 11 I was smarter than my parents
At least I learned what NOT to do

bumpity bump

>>206247
>Buy $100 shoes
>grow out of them in two months

And this is why its fucking retarded to buy children expensive clothes.

>>206658

Bumping with a higher quality version.

>>206247
Dumbshit, you don't even remember how fucking fast your feet were growing at that age? You would've outgrown those $100 shoes in no time. Meanwhile, your (smarter) mother knew that this same $100 would keep you in shoes as you grew through 5 different sizes.

I hope to hell you never reproduce.

My tip: when it's time to replace your vehicle, downsize!

I had an SUV, and gas was killing me. So, when it required more in repairs than it was worth, I replaced it with a compact car. I was worried because I used the SUV to occasionally haul stuff, but I drive to work far more often!

Since getting the smaller car, I've only once had to pay for delivery for something I would have hauled with my SUV. The gas savings of a compact car easily outweigh any extra delivery fees or rentals that an SUV avoids.

For those that trade stocks, what brokerage do you guys use?

>>206247
>what is growing?
>what is strawman argument?

Thats how I prefer to live my life. Cheap food, no fancy drinks (just water) but clothes, furniture, cutlery, tools, and most electronics I purchase are of the highest quality. I replace them infrequently. Still have some shirts and jeans that are 10 years old. I bought some name brand boxer-briefs and they last a lot longer than generic tighty-whities.
Most of my tools are quite old. I dont play the latest games on my computer, so hardware is usually 2nd gen. Phones are the only thing I cant use forever. But I save money by going on Walmarts plan with cheap used unlocked phones from Amazon. Currently have an Atrix 2 and I love it.
Oh, for most storage in the house I prefer Rubbermaid to proper wooden drawers.

>>199979
Retirement is for pussies. I plan on working until I drop dead, and I'll have a wonderful, fulfilling life doing everything I want to do in the process. You jelly, /diy/?

for all those who haven't the time to skim but want to save these words of golden experience and wisdom.
here; for the best. I've got to go DIY but thanks for putting into words all of my practices in life.

>>206975
you realise your sarcasm meter is broken for not noticing the bad lines in the final words?

>>206982
wow it definitely was. re-posting.
thankyou, that's what i get for skimming.