Of All The Most Important Things in Life, The Most Important Is Commitment To Others

Ask ten people what they consider to be the most important thing in life, and you may well generate ten different concepts of essentials.  However, explore those ten answers in more depth, revise the scenario to include the possibility of being isolated from human contact, and the critical concern that those respondents will come up with is that a specific person would be the most essential element to be included in that existence. 

Human beings are, like many beasts of the wild, wired to need social contact.  For some, that contact may be minimal, but all of us need interaction.  Does that mean that we view others as vital, or are we so completely narcissistic that we view fellow man as nothing more than a need to make our life complete? 

Regardless of why we need people with whom to interact, the stimulation that man provides for man completes a significant component of how we view ourselves. As far back as 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow postulated that the need for belonging, love, friendship and human interaction neared the base of his hierarchy of needs, just above the need for safety.

The male of the species has been bound, it seems, to man’s best friend – the dog.  While our connection to this four-legged friend undoubtedly offers something psychologically satisfying to humans, it lacks the completeness of human to human involvement.  The connection fulfills, on the surface, the need to have someone, or something else, understand us.

Gang membership, and, in turn, gang initiation, draws on the desire to belong, and to be involved in something that sees us, individually, as something special. While, superficially, gang members appear to lose that individuality, they do view themselves, in fact, as disparate and unique from the rest of the world, or the rest of the neighbourhood.

There may be precious little difference between the desire to be a gang member and the desire to belong to an elite club, or a segment of society that has riches to flaunt.  Both say to the initiate, pledge or member, “You are part of something special and unique, and therefore, you, too, are unique.”

The idea of looking to be a part of something that someone else cannot be a part of is coloured with liberal dollops of narcissistic personality.  Yet, is it wrong?  And how is it different, for example, from seeking to find that special aspect or part of our lives that fulfills us? 

I have chosen a minimalistic way of life.  Does eschewing material acquisition make be the antithesis of narcissistic?  Hardly.  I choose this lifestyle specifically because I feel that I want to focus, not on frills, but on fewer, but more significant benefits and luxuries in my life.  To simply forfeit things for the sake of forfeit gains neither the minimalist or society at large anything.  It is akin to being a lowly carrion-eater, and choosing to ignore the carrion that it finds, in case someone else might come upon it and want it.

When I began my journey toward voluntary simplicity, and opted to focus on fewer, but more significant things in my life, I had not contemplated the philosophical dilemma of choosing specifically what the most important thing in my life would be.  I had a concept of things and experiences that would be more significant to me than others, but had not established an absolute priority.  That changed, dramatically, this week.

On Tuesday, my wife awoke, drenched in sweat, breathing shallowly, experiencing numbness on her right side, and thoroughly nauseated.  Within seconds, I had her in the car, heading toward the hospital.  Driving as quickly as I could from our isolated home toward the local hospital, I called 911, and was escorted through  the protocols as I rushed to intercept the dispatched ambulance.  When I determined that I could make it closer to the hospital, rather than park on the highway and await the emergency vehicle, I became quite belligerent with the dispatcher who wanted me to be in an identifiable location for the EMS drivers.  My anger increased as the seconds passed, and my wife’s symptoms worsened.

Ultimately, the ambulance arrived, my wife was rushed to another hospital thirty miles distant (where better diagnostics could be conducted), and her impending critical incident was averted.  I am very pleased to say that, while she was close to a severe crisis, she has recovered fully, thanks to the speedy response of the EMS team and the skills and dedication of the hospital staff.

However, what I learned was that all of the important things that I had casually itemized in recent years truly were minimal in relation to the one important thing in my life: the valued relationship and love affair that I have with Janice.  I learned many valuable lessons, but the most vital lesson learned is that the most important thing in everyone’s life should not be a thing at all, but a feeling:  the feeling that you have for someone important in your life.  For many of us, that someone may not even be human, but a pet or animal pal.  The most important “non-thing,” even for us minimalists, should be a feeling that has its basis in narcissism, but ultimately ends in completely submerging our own wants and desires in favour of the needs of another.  Call it love, or call it selflessness.  Call it what you want.  The most important thing in life is to place all things behind the commitment to another living being.

Free Renewable Energy Not Always So Free

Being eco-friendly may be admirable, but it comes with a price, and it is not always as crystal-clear as one believes.

We rely heavily on non-grid energy, including wind and solar power.  However, renewal energy sources such as ours require energy storage, and, specifically, battery storage.  While there are advanced battery technologies on the market (e.g. batteries for hybrid vehicles), as well as large wet-cell storage batteries (such as those in forklifts and indoor industrial cleaning equipment), the most prevalent, and therefore, the lowest-priced units are conventional deep-cycle marine 12-volt batteries.  These typically cost from $80 to $200, with only modest storage and cranking amperage.

The primary advantage of marine batteries over vehicle batteries is their capacity to be discharged to low levels and recharged often.  However, “often” is subjective, with most of the commercially available units being rated for a few hundred charging cycles, at most.  These batteries also do not like to be frozen, but really detest excessive heat.

In order to supply minimal energy, such as the energy to light two compact fluorescent bulbs four hours each day and a small bar refrigerator (drawing 90 watts, with a surge of 800 watts), you will consume 2,280 (2.3 kw) watts each day.  Now consider that a small solar panel produces 13-18 watts (some of the single panel retail units produce 30w) under optimal conditions.  In northern latitudes, hours of summer daylight average 15 hours, but typically generate only about 60% of that in sunlight sufficient to “max out” the solar panel.  With three panels, you will produce 405 watts – less than 20% of what you need.  A small wind turbine may produce 40% of what you need, if you live in an environment where the wind is very frequent, and of sufficient strength to power the turbine. Typically, the marine batteries attached to your collectors are rated for 800-1000 CCA.  Obviously, unless you expand your generation and/or storage network, you will need to use a charging system on the batteries.

Because each of the batteries is being discharged the equivalent of 100%every eight hours, you will require a battery array of at least three batteries, just to produce your daily minimum energy requirement.  Ultimately, most of us will require electricity for television or sound equipment, charging cell phones and laptops, power for small fans, and so on. With minimal energy, though, your three-battery array will be fully discharged and recharged 100 times from June to September.  That is the normal lifespan of the battery!

This year, we experienced near-record heat and sunlight throughout our summer.  While that is great for our solar panels, heat is more damaging to the batteries than cold, and reduces their ability to be recharged (and hold a charge) significantly.

We used an eight-battery package.  However, almost weekly, we needed to refill the cells, as the electrolytic acid evaporated.  The sunlight did its damage, too, destroying one battery.  Of the eight, only one battery now holds a significant charge, even though I de-sulphated the batteries regularly.  Five of the batteries were three years old or less, with the other three being four years old.  Seven batteries will need to be replaced.

At a cost of $90 per battery, our outlay will be $630, plus taxes.  We used nearly $100 of generator fuel to supplement our renewable energy supply.  In four months, our lighting costs will be $700-800, factoring in the wear and tear on equipment.

Now, we have batteries that need to be recycled and spent fuel that polluted the air.  If we had relied on our hydro-electric grid for energy, at a cost of $0.08 per kwh, we would have spent less than $130!  Did we really do the environment and our pocketbook a favour?

Frugal Use of Water Can Reduce The Drain On Our Environment

As water becomes the future gold, creative ways in which to conserve and utilize water effectively need to be employed. While, In Canada, there is an abundant supply of fresh water, that resource is not limitless, and our neighbours to the south will soon be in need of that liquid commodity. As climate change impacts the world, we already are seeing periods of flood followed by periods of severe drought, like that witnessed across central North America in the summer of 2011.
The responsibility for conservation and efficient use of water is more than the responsibility of government and big business: it is the duty of each of us, as consumers.
While my wife and I have adopted a minimalist strategy toward the use of the earth’s resources, we, too, are not excused from using this precious water frugally. We have, however, minimized our consumption to less than 150-225 litres of water per week (7,800 litres per year). That’s almost 2,000 cubic feet of water, or 1,000 cubic feet per person. Compared to the North American average of over 5 times that amount per individual (not including industry), we should be proud of our ecological stewardship. However, we found that, while we have had difficulty in using less, we have been able to recycle and reuse more. In the summer, our grey water, from our shower, kitchen sink and bathroom sink is routed into a 230-litre holding tank, and then used, each week, to water our gardens. In the early spring and late fall, we use some of that water in a sprayer system to “flush” our toilet, using less than two cups per flush.
A channel dug around the perimeter of our yurt redirects rainfall into a small dugout pond, where it, too, can be used for the gardens.
With water consumption for our vegetable cooking, we, again, have discovered ways to minimize, by using minimal water for boiling potatoes, then using that water to steam or cook our vegetables. That enriched water, in turn, is used to make soups and stews, and excess potato water is used to make bread. For the few times that we boil eggs, the water is mixed with other water (sometimes rainwater), for washing dishes.
One of the concerns that people have expressed is that we may be transferring bacteria and water-borne disease by reusing some of our water in dish cleaning, and, again, on the gardens. However, the eggs are hard shelled, and harbour no bacteria that is resistant to the dish soap. On the other hand, because our grey water sits in the holding tank for up to seven days, there is a risk of bacteria build-up. Consequently, we make sure that we water our plants only at the base or roots, so that there is a minimal risk of contamination.
Other factors also come into play. The odour from stale water is not pleasant, but, within an hour after watering any residual odour has dissipated. If you add glycol (RV antifreeze) to the tanks in the winter, this water should not be used on the plants, as glycol is extremely hazardous to human health. On the other hand, if you have used less than 5% antifreeze per tank, that liquid can safely be applied to the roots of larger trees.
One final tip: when installing our grey water holding tank, we constructed it so that the tank was below the level of the shower and sink drains, but above grade, so that we could siphon, easily, the water from the tank, relying on the benefit of gravity to move the water.
Perhaps, in the near future, we will be able to purify the water, recycle it for human use (washing, etc.) and then apply it to the garden. That will cut our consumption in half. However, using only the minimal amount required does offer a measure of environmental responsibility that should make any of us employing these measures confident that we are doing our part to protect the environment.

Minimal Living Provides Opportunity To Spread Wealth

If minimalism or voluntary simplicity is about living with less, then the obvious corollary to the concept of minimal living is that such a frugal lifestyle will open up a surfeit of resources for other uses. I have discussed in many of my other articles that my minimalistic focus is toward enjoying the newly filtered aspects of life more thoroughly by de-cluttering my environment.
However, I have no desire to relinquish the pleasure that I gain from productive work. Thus, while I free up time to enjoy more targeted pleasures by eliminating redundancies and excesses, I also free up money.
Therein is one of the real bonuses of simple living: the ability to use surplus income for purposes that I find worthy; namely, a variety of charitable causes.
For instance, I have revived a cooperative housing project initiative that will enable those people who may not be able, otherwise, to afford home ownership, to engage in a strategy to purchase their individual homes through a group buying initiative. With my surplus free time and, fortunately, surplus income due to my frugal living approach, I am able to give back in areas of my own choosing.
Perhaps many aspiring minimalists are undertaking this new lifestyle because of budget constraints, or environmental concerns, or simply because of social conscience. Regardless, the new freedom that one discovers as priorities are rearranged to suit the minimalistic approach allow for more freedom to be charitable. It is often an unexpected frill that flowers from one’s new lifestyle.
Psychologists almost universally agree that a great contributor to unhealthy stress is the lack of choice. By freeing resources, by being less reliant on material success or need, a person is afforded a greater freedom to choose what is important individually. It is true, however, that when a person chooses to “ cut to the bone” on luxuries, and cuts the reserves that provide a “soft cushion” in times of financial hardship, a degree of stress results. The stress of facing a short-term bout of belt tightening on a frugal budget is far from the stress, though, than the stress of financial crisis when one is burdened with enormous monthly expenses. By trimming overhead, you open the door for more choices.
It is ironic that the greatest contributors to charities, per dollar earned, and the greatest number of volunteer hours committed are given by those people who live in more modest communities, states or provinces, and that those most likely to give in a crisis are those that have experienced a crisis of their own.
By entering the world of modest living through voluntary simplicity, a person almost automatically is drawn toward charity, volunteerism and community service, and, in turn, reaps the enormous benefit of reaching out to others.
As you contemplate your foray into minimal living, you may want to set out a template, or set of objectives, and include in that template the anticipated or sought-after benefits (as well as drawbacks). Work into your new budget an allowance for both time and money given to those in need, and establish that allowance as a priority. Simply by laying out, concretely and publicly, your intention to use your newly discovered freedom to benefit others, you will discover that your focus on what is significant in life alters dramatically. Again, it is an established psychological principle that, when a person publicly commits, even in a modest way, to a position or goal, he more adamantly defends and works toward that position in the future. Think, for example, of Weight Watchers or AAA meetings, where a public statement of commitment is used to drive dedication to an objective.
Consider that, as you gain freedom from stress and financial or material dependence for yourself, you also are opening the door for a more altruistic you. Go minimal, but give it your maximum effort!

Living With Less Does Not Always Mean Doing It Yourself

One of the problems inherent in “going minimal” is the tendency to radicalize. That is, some of us assume that minimalism requires that we not only do without every luxury and most essentials, but that we involve others at a minimal level in every purchase. We often suppose that doing with less means doing it yourself.
Need an oil change? It must be a minimalistic approach to do it yourself. Want a special meal, such as a lasagne? One has to obtain the ingredients and make it oneself. Of course, a true minimalist must do her own vehicle repairs, make his own clothes, grow every food item and complete every repair or household renovation alone.
These are just a few of the myths of minimal living.
Let us take a quick look, for example, at that lasagne dinner. Typically, a 2-pound store-bought, ready-made lasagne will cost you $5.99 to $9.99. Your total cost, including cooking in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, will be $6.11 to $10.11, or $3.05 to $5.06 per pound. However, calculate the individual costs of buying the ingredients. Cheese, lean ground beef, spinach, spices and noodles will end up costing you at least $6.80 per pound if you buy the size required to make a 2-pound lasagne. Cooking will take two hours, for an additional cost of $0.22, while cleanup of the baking pan and utensils will add another $0.30-.40 to the total. This doesn’t factor in the cost of the pan & utensils, or place a value on the two hours that it may take to make the meal. Total savings, per pound, of buying the ready-made meal will be up to $4.37! Hardly worth the effort, is it, unless you prefer the quality and uniqueness of a homemade meal?
How about that oil change? With a litre of oil costing, on average, $4.19 and a filter $6-12, a four-litre oil change will cost $23.76, versus the $29.95 for a shop to do it. Yet, you don’t have to worry about the cleanup and environmental impact, or the cost of oil drain pans, jack stands, etc. It’s almost a fair trade to farm out the task.
Don’t even consider doing your own repairs on a new car. Just the OBII-compliant computer tester will set you back $100 or more, and you haven’t begun to figure out how to do the repairs, with the few outdated tools that you own. Each new car demands its own specialty tools to conduct repairs. However, buying the new car is more environmentally friendly, and generally more cost-efficient than maintaining the old one.
A true minimalist may want to mend his own clothes, make his own curtains, upholster his own furniture. Aside from the grotesquely ugly results that are likely, this option, too, is impractical, even for a minimalist. However, if you find someone who is handy with a sewing machine or needle and thread, and you have the cash, consider providing the material, while your partner provides the handiwork and skill necessary to make clothes, drapes or couch covers.
Similarly, home renovation skills are seldom within the reach of the typical homeowner. You may be great at rough carpentry, but lousy at finishing work. You may know the basics of plumbing, and fail miserably at electrical repair. Here is where a collage of colleagues, with compatible and exchangeable skills provides a real advantage. You may undertake the framing (or supervision) of a garage for a neighbour, while another provides skills at concrete work and a third can wire the building. When you need your recreation room renovated, those same people can pool their skills to assist you, and so on.
Have a large back yard? Grow your vegetables, and a few for your neighbours, in exchange for a few trinkets that you require from them.
The last three examples are perfect illustrations of the benefit of bartering for the frugal individual, or those who favour the minimal living approach. Bartering, or swapping services and goods not only lessens demand for duplicate items or redundant services, but reduces the cost to each individual in the barter group. Barter groups may be loosely arranged, or established as a cooperative, with specific assigned values for work and goods that are exchanged, with a “banking” option that allows a member to provide his goods into the pool, and obtain the benefit that he wants or needs at a later time.
Minimalism is not about doing it yourself. It is about seeking the path that is least intrusive, with the greatest benefit, to obtain those needed items, while recognizing that “need” and “want” are not synonymous, and that using less is a pathway to getting more out of your life, each day.

Minimalist Dining Options

One of the expenses most often associated with lavish living is that of dining out at an upscale restaurant. Yet, even minimalists must eat! Those frugal living advocates who view minimalism as an exercise in self-denial suggest that dining out at any – not just upscale – restaurants is in conflict with minimalistic principles. Minimal living, though, is not centred around self-denial. It is rooted in responsible choices that focus upon reduction in excess and frivolous activities or expenses.
Minimalists take heart! Dining out is not only acceptable, but a good strategy, with a variety of options.
One of my favourite “minimal” choices is to dine with groups of friends. This allows for great social interaction, while involving only the cost of the meal, rather than the cost of several gatherings plus other recreational costs often incurred with social gatherings. Many restaurants offer discounts for groups, allowing for a reduction in meal costs. By calling ahead for a reservation, you may be able to negotiate a per-diner reduction of 10% or more.
Community suppers (such as church fundraisers, fall suppers, etc.) offer both the opportunity to support a local charity or cause and enjoy a meal at a fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal.
Coupons commonly are issued by restaurants in the slow winter season, to stimulate patrons to loosen their wallets during low-sales periods. This is an excellent time for a true and dedicated minimalist to dine out, combining strategic savings with socialization. Many of these offerings are breakfast programs. By beginning your shopping or work day with a substantially discounted meal, you are using your time more efficiently. This is another cornerstone of intelligent minimalism.
My wife and I have a penchant for visiting Subway, but neither of us are inclined to consume a full 12-inch sub. Yet, when Subway offers excellent pricing on these subs, we will purchase a 12-incher, eat half, and save half for the next day. This has saved us preparation time, the cost of operating our cooking equipment and loads of cash, while providing us with a nutritious meal.
With eight children and a horde of grandchildren, nieces and nephews, our birthday costs could be astronomical. An effective cost reduction strategy has been to volunteer to prepare special meals for each of the children, in their home. We provide the food and the labour, enjoy an evening with the family and cut the cost of gifts. The children get to savour their favourite childhood foods and put their feet up while we cook.
Similarly, when we host and visit with friends in their homes, we exchange special dishes that each of us enjoy. This provides dietary variety for each of our friends, and cuts costs of partying. It is always cheaper to cook for many than for few!
Dining out is not an act of lavish excess. It can be and should be an act of frugal, minimal living, consistent with the dominant principle of minimalism: getting the most out of life for the least!

The Minimalist Diet - Maximum Benefit From Minimal Ingredients

The majority of those who embrace the minimalist concept of living focus on their material assets, and relegate other aspects of their lives to secondary and tertiary status in the adopted lifestyle. Others focus on the frugality of one’s lifestyle, adorning economical living with minimal living. Some, again, opt to equate minimalism and environmentalism, with only modest justification.
Minimalism is a composite lifestyle, adopting numerous attributes from other approaches to interacting with one’s world, living life on a budget, and yet incorporating a love of luxury with a desire for simplicity. This is the way of fine art: remove the clutter around a feature piece, in order to focus more fully on the pleasure that that specific item exudes.
We, as minimalists, choose to de-clutter our surroundings and our mind, in order to appreciate the simplicity of living without that bric-a-brac. It is a relatively easy process. However, while we feed our soul, we ignore physical nourishment as it is impacted by our minimal lifestyle.
One of the tenets of simple living relative to simple eating is to focus, as in fine art, on one or two feature items.
For example, my wife and I love spicy, ethnic foods. Our favourites include Asian foods, from Indian to Chinese. However, on occasion, we crave a simple, more bland palate, such as simple fish and rice or chicken and noodles or potatoes. Since we also concern ourselves with healthy foods, we work with those key items (salmon & sea fish, green vegetables, fresh fruits, and an abundance of healthy nuts and grains). Simple recipes often require raw, fresh items.
Most people react predictably. Yuckk! Nuts & berries. Raw vegetables. Bland starches. That attitude is misplaced and misdirected. Working with the simplest of ingredients, a marvellous colour of flavour can be created.
We take our minimal approach further, by harvesting wild herbs and culinary plants from the wild, throughout the year. This cuts costs, while improving the diversity of diet.
But even with a minimum of spices and base ingredients, a host of meals can be prepared from very simple food options.
Let us look at a simple five pound ham, bone in. We trim out the bone, remove much of the fat, and set this aside, to be used last. On Day 1, we slice a thick ham steak, poached in water with tomato, oregano, mustard, ginger and garlic. It is our meal’s centrepiece. On Day 2, we slice a smaller slice, dice it, mix it with curry paste and ginger, toss in chopped peppers and onions and sautee it. On Day 3, we take another slice, dice it and mix it with onion, pepper, lots of garlic, and chopped potato and yam. Cooked in olive oil. On Day 4, the second-to last slice is cut thinly, wrapped around goldenrod leaves and sliced apple and peaches, then baked. Day 5, we use the remnants and leftovers to make a stew, adding the odds and ends left over from the earlier meals. Five meals cost us less than $12.
Of course, five consecutive days of the same meat, albeit with radically different tastes and textures, can become overwhelming. To alleviate the potential taste doldrums, we will do the same with a few pounds of fish, or chicken, achieving a wide array of taste experiences, while using a minimum amount of ingredients. In this manner, we are able to take advantage of seasonal sales on meat, as well as seasonal availability of wild herbs and domestic garden produce.
Simple living does not require relinquishing variety. In fact, living simply can afford us the opportunity to explore unique ways to get the most mileage out of every item, every day, while wringing the last drop of living out of each moment. Can we do anything less?

A Mininimalist's Vacation

Vacations are an area of concern for those who practice a minimal lifestyle. Minimalism implies that one does without; therefore, vacations, being a “luxury” should be eschewed. That is a convoluted approach and a misperception of the minimalist’s way of living. Living simply is, in essence, living in such a manner that the individual, less obtrusive items and actions become more central to the lifestyle. Simple living requires that one looks at life as an ongoing series of snapshots and vignettes, instead of as a continual accumulation and hoarding of material goods. That means that living in a simple, uncluttered manner enables the advocate of that style of life to savor impressions, feelings, memories and interactions, in the place of things. In turn, that makes vacations and leisure time significantly more critical than for those who are on the acquisition train.
There are numerous options for the individual looking for a great vacation at minimal cost and minimized impact or consumption.
The first, and that requiring the least energy, is to rent travelogue DVDs. Most libraries also offer these videos through their lending programs, ,making the enjoyment of the videos truly cost effective. The internet offers exceptional avenues by which you can explore the world, at no cost. By combining Internet surfing for exotic and unique adventures and locales with outreach efforts, you will be able to connect with people from around the world, who can share your experiences.
There are many intriguing opportunities that tie in with Internet connections. The Woofer program matches people who are willing to Work on organic farms with those agricultural undertakings. In exchange for your free labour, the farmer provides you with room and board, as well as a peek into that way of living. This adventure opens another door for the true environmentalist and minimalist, by creating a source for fresh-from-the-farm organic produce.
Another travel opportunity for minimalism advocates is the “couch surfing” program. By linking with people around the world who are willing to provide one or two nights of free accommodation and meals, you are able to travel on a budget. In exchange, you, too, agree to provide a couch on which another such traveler can sleep for a couple of nights. Many people in this program have met others from remote corners of the earth, and learned a little more about how people live in other regions.
Volunteer vacationing is a third option for the minimalist on holidays. There are a variety of projects requiring volunteers, from Habitat projects around North America, to relief work in Haiti, to longer-term trips to underdeveloped countries, where one can work while holidaying.
A fourth minimal vacation concept is the “buddy program,” where people in a given area, community or city plan, months in advance, a travel holiday together. This allows each participant to become familiar and comfortable with their travel partner. Shared RVs, vans and cabins or resort accommodations, as well as jointly prepared meals and discounts available for groups make such a vacation more affordable than if travelling alone.
Piggybacking vacation trips onto conferences scheduled in distant cities offers a cost-effective way to plan a holiday. Bartering a timeshare in exchange for something of value that you have makes an easy way to maximize use of resources at minimum cost.
Vacations are about memories and experiences. By exploring ways to holiday inexpensively and efficiently, you can turn an indulgence into a true minimalist concept.

Vacation Timeshares from the Minimalist’s Perspective

At first blush, it would seem that the purchase of a timeshare is an example of self-indulgence and not one of minimalism. Indeed, it may well be self-indulgent, but that does not preclude the purchase from being frugal and an example of living life minimally.
Minimalism focuses upon eliminating the excesses in life in order to more thoroughly savour the richness of that life. Consider how an art gallery displays its valuable works of art. Rather than crowd items together like a garage sale table, each piece is featured individually, with an abundance of white space between the displays. The gallery does not hide the pieces, or conceal them in clutter. Minimalism, too, seeks to get rid of the material and emotional clutter, and enable us to focus on the valuable parts of our life.
For some of us, that valuable part may be our vacation time.
But is a timeshare an example of frivolous spending? In some cases, again, yes. But, with recent improvements to the time share industry, a wealth of economical (is that an oxymoron) vacations are available to enjoy.
We have purchased a couple of time shares, yet live, in every other aspect, minimally. We view our timeshare purchase as an act of frugal living, as well.
For under $8,000, we are able to gain access to several thousand resorts and hotels, worldwide. For under $200 per year, we can stay for a week or more at high-quality locations. This is less than we would pay for an apartment in our home city, or a motel in any en route town. So, purely on the benefit-per-dollar basis, we are acting in an economically responsible manner.
Similarly, our resorts all include full kitchen facilities, so I am able to cook in the suites, prepare healthy meals, and forego the cost of expensive restaurant fare. This, too, is budgeting responsibly.
It is easy to be narcissistic in regard to purchasing time shares, however. We know people who have invested many tens of thousands of dollars on expensive resorts, and fail to use the benefits frugally.
On the other hand, we regularly use last call vacations, which afford us even better savings. Our extra vacations and off-season travel plans mean further benefit for the cost. But this requires careful strategizing in order to yield the maximum benefits.
In years when we do not use our actual timeshare weeks, we are not required to pay the maintenance fees (which we carefully calculated into the ongoing costs of our time share purchase). Although it is emotionally tough to give up that “free” week, we recognize that it is only free if we do not pay the annual fee associated with it.
It is vital, though, in deciding on a time share purchase, that you shop around, and not be caught up in the “this time only” sales hype. Look to less popular resorts that are highly rated. They often have lower buy-in costs. Look to low maintenance fees. For example, Las Vegas resorts generally are cheaper to maintain than Florida ones. Look for others’ reviews, too, to see if you are missing a key bit of information.
Regardless, though, it is easy to disregard time shares as a viable minimalist’s vacation option. While time shares do not form the bulk of our vacation experience, they are significant, and economical. Avoid the dieter’s dilemma: it’s not what you eat, but how much. In the case of a minimalistic approach to time shares, it’s not how much you own, but how you digest it.

Books Versus E-Books

A dieter’s greatest scourge is temptation. That luscious chocolate-encrusted strawberry croons our names until we respond. That succulent dessert begs to be devoured.
A minimalist diet, unfortunately, has the same nemesis. Temptation draws us whenever we deprive ourselves of those things that we have elevated to the status of delightful. Minimalism, though, holds that “doing without” is the epitome of success.
Since I chose the minimal lifestyle, the temptation imp has stood in my way frequently, and I have been compelled to choose what really is significant in my daily life. Reading is one of those essentials.
Yet, I am “old school;” some say, a dinosaur. I love the feel, the heft, the connection to printed and bound reading materials. Part of the joy of reading a good book is to collapse into a comfortable chair, or sprawl on a lush lawn with an engrossing book in my hands. It is a route to losing the reality of the world around me.
I have found that reading an article on my laptop lacks the tactile pleasure of savouring a pocket novel or hard cover classic. The LCD screen seems to flicker, or the sunlight makes reading impossible, or the computer must be plugged in after an hour or so. There are myriad excuses as to why e-books are inferior to bound copies of the same plots and documents. Yet, by the end of 2010, over 10% of all books sold were in electronic, or digital form. The world is embracing the new technology, while I cling to old ways.
Cognitively, I see e-books as an expression of minimalism. No wasted paper, no bulk or heft to them. A hundred thousand books takes up no more space than a hundred on my shelf. The physical impact of a wall of leather bound books smacks of achievement and intellectual superiority. The display of the newest best seller, in hard cover, says “I have the money to pay the price of this collection of pulp,” while the discreet nature of an e-book offers none of the status or prestige of a bound copy.
The guilt of indecision, and the social pressure of always conforming to the world’s perception of what constitutes a minimalist drives my choice as to whether I should purchase an e-book or a printed one. The very decision to buy either is at the heart of the minimalist dilemma.
Yet, minimalism is about prioritizing. In the end, I choose to buy bound readers when I want the joy of relaxing and reading. I do not want to be tied to a darkened room, or carry my laptop (or Kindle, if I owned one) with me, in case the mood to read attacks me. I choose to read digital media when I want to conduct research, read a technical paper, or am investigating a more formal document or topic.
Minimalism requires choosing and prioritizing, but it also requires getting every last drop of living out of life, at the least cost to the world around us. I will relinquish my deeply-rooted preference for the tactile experience of reading, only when that experience already is soured by routine and mechanical written materials that offer none of the release of fiction or exploration of the unknown. After all, my minimalist diet allows for the occasional indulgences!

Minimalism Defined By Degree of Dependence on Assets

Minimalists place almost exclusive emphasis on getting rid of “stuff,” as if that is the panacea. Get rid of clutter, get rid of duplicate materials, get rid of ostentatious, overindulgent purchases, and so on.
While reducing dependence on assets is laudable, affluence is not the enemy, or is de-cluttering the solution to simplifying one’s life. By exerting oneself to part with items that have a link to your emotional or pedantic life, you are likely to experience a feeling of deprivation. It is one of the reasons why many advocates of minimalism recommend decreasing assets bit at a time, rather than immediately and thoroughly.
Why are we choosing to reduce our belongings? In many cases, it is due to the realization that we are wrapped up in a tornado of acquisition, seeking continually to own the best of everything.
Again, many minimalists suggest that the goal of minimalism is to reduce excess, so that we can focus on the remaining, valued items in our arsenal. What we are doing, then, is redirecting our efforts away from a blanket embracing of goods toward a bond with only a few, but a much stronger bond. In other words, we will be as reliant on assets as always, but we will cling to fewer of them!
For this reason, I urge that anyone who is considering a conversion to the minimalist lifestyle reflect very carefully on their reasons for doing so.
Is it because of the clutter? Then just reorganize! Is it because of the cost? Consider how to make your dollar work better for you. Is it because of the glamour of saying that you are unique? Consider how many “minimalists” live in the poor areas of your city, not by choice but by necessity.
Minimalism, as one blogger writes, has become the fad of white people. But few take the time to consider the impacts and consequences on oneself and those around us. Most importantly, we rush into minimalism like a crash dieter, and just as quickly fall of the regimen wagon.
Over twenty years ago -- ten years before I embraced minimalism -- I learned, firsthand, the impact of stuff on our lives. At the time, I had just entered into a business partnership that led into a huge growth of our operation. We went from annual revenues, between the two of us, of $125,000 per year to annual revenues of $1.8 million, in the space of a few months. We had hit the big time!
One of the “urgent” purchases I needed was a new car, given that I would be on the road for at least 80,000 kilometres each year.
I fell in love with a Plymouth Laser – hardly an expensive car, but what I really, truly wanted. My partner purchased a Mercedes – just what he wanted. However, I did not purchase the Laser. I imagined myself driving it, polishing it, speeding along Alberta highways in it. It had sex appeal! So I bought a Plymouth Colt 200 – a subcompact. I liked the Colt.
The reasons were simple. Because I loved the Laser, I would spend hours each week, cleaning, polishing, maintaining and driving it. Because I liked the Colt, I would keep it clean and in running condition. The Laser got 25 miles to the gallon, the Colt 42. The Laser cost $23,000, the Colt $12,000. I could repair the Colt myself. I could not repair the Laser. But the Laser came ever so close to winning the purchase lottery!
That one decision revealed to me that it is not the amount or the cost of the stuff we own, but the significance that we place upon things that controls us.
The big screen television may be more important than our daughter’s braces!
Not long ago, I walked through a coastal village in Mexico that had been devastated by a hurricane three years earlier. In beaten to the ground, I found a shell of a former home, now covered with six separate utility tarps, blowing freely. Two of the people who lived there were returning with 5-gallon jugs of water. The place was absolutely destroyed. Yet, in front of the home (where clearly, kids still lived), among the disarray of junk and broken lumber and two derelict cars were two –not one – satellite dishes!
The importance of that connection to television was so important that all other creature comforts paled.
There certainly was no doubt that this family lived minimally. But is it a choice that any of us would make?
If you are considering adopting a minimal lifestyle, I ask that you do one thing, above all. Sit down and evaluate, not the quantity of things you own, but the quality and tenacity of your attachment to items. Consider, thoroughly, what those items mean to you. If you do not, you’ll be like the impulsive parachutist who decided to jump, and then thought of putting on his parachute!

Converting to Minimalism? Know Before You Go!

Minimalists place almost exclusive emphasis on getting rid of “stuff,” as if that is the panacea. Get rid of clutter, get rid of duplicate materials, get rid of ostentatious, overindulgent purchases, and so on.
While reducing dependence on assets is laudable, affluence is not the enemy, or is de-cluttering the solution to simplifying one’s life. By exerting oneself to part with items that have a link to your emotional or pedantic life, you are likely to experience a feeling of deprivation. It is one of the reasons why many advocates of minimalism recommend decreasing assets bit at a time, rather than immediately and thoroughly.
Why are we choosing to reduce our belongings? In many cases, it is due to the realization that we are wrapped up in a tornado of acquisition, seeking continually to own the best of everything.
Again, many minimalists suggest that the goal of minimalism is to reduce excess, so that we can focus on the remaining, valued items in our arsenal. What we are doing, then, is redirecting our efforts away from a blanket embracing of goods toward a bond with only a few, but a much stronger bond. In other words, we will be as reliant on assets as always, but we will cling to fewer of them!
For this reason, I urge that anyone who is considering a conversion to the minimalist lifestyle reflect very carefully on their reasons for doing so.
Is it because of the clutter? Then just reorganize! Is it because of the cost? Consider how to make your dollar work better for you. Is it because of the glamour of saying that you are unique? Consider how many “minimalists” live in the poor areas of your city, not by choice but by necessity.
Minimalism, as one blogger writes, has become the fad of white people. But few take the time to consider the impacts and consequences on oneself and those around us. Most importantly, we rush into minimalism like a crash dieter, and just as quickly fall of the regimen wagon.
Over twenty years ago -- ten years before I embraced minimalism -- I learned, firsthand, the impact of stuff on our lives. At the time, I had just entered into a business partnership that led into a huge growth of our operation. We went from annual revenues, between the two of us, of $125,000 per year to annual revenues of $1.8 million, in the space of a few months. We had hit the big time!
One of the “urgent” purchases I needed was a new car, given that I would be on the road for at least 80,000 kilometres each year.
I fell in love with a Plymouth Laser – hardly an expensive car, but what I really, truly wanted. My partner purchased a Mercedes – just what he wanted. However, I did not purchase the Laser. I imagined myself driving it, polishing it, speeding along Alberta highways in it. It had sex appeal! So I bought a Plymouth Colt 200 – a subcompact. I liked the Colt.
The reasons were simple. Because I loved the Laser, I would spend hours each week, cleaning, polishing, maintaining and driving it. Because I liked the Colt, I would keep it clean and in running condition. The Laser got 25 miles to the gallon, the Colt 42. The Laser cost $23,000, the Colt $12,000. I could repair the Colt myself. I could not repair the Laser. But the Laser came ever so close to winning the purchase lottery!
That one decision revealed to me that it is not the amount or the cost of the stuff we own, but the significance that we place upon things that controls us.
The big screen television may be more important than our daughter’s braces!
Not long ago, I walked through a coastal village in Mexico that had been devastated by a hurricane three years earlier. In beaten to the ground, I found a shell of a former home, now covered with six separate utility tarps, blowing freely. Two of the people who lived there were returning with 5-gallon jugs of water. The place was absolutely destroyed. Yet, in front of the home (where clearly, kids still lived), among the disarray of junk and broken lumber and two derelict cars were two –not one – satellite dishes!
The importance of that connection to television was so important that all other creature comforts paled.
There certainly was no doubt that this family lived minimally. But is it a choice that any of us would make?
If you are considering adopting a minimal lifestyle, I ask that you do one thing, above all. Sit down and evaluate, not the quantity of things you own, but the quality and tenacity of your attachment to items. Consider, thoroughly, what those items mean to you. If you do not, you’ll be like the impulsive parachutist who decided to jump, and then thought of putting on his parachute!

The Minimalist's Diet

Minimalism has elements in common with dieting, such as the giving up of something that may seem important to you, in order to gain something else. However, it is radically different from dieting, in that, if properly structured, it is something that you do not consider to be a loss or forfeiture in the long term. It is harder to return to materialism than it is to remain in minimalist mode, unlike dieting which requires constant vigilance to “keep the weight off.”
It is also substantially different from dieting, in that it can be done in degrees. Try dieting by first reducing calorie intake by 1,000 calories per day, when you are overeating by 2,000 calories per day. The weight will still pile on. “Going minimal” allows you to reduce some of your excess, and still be on track to becoming more economical. This advantage gives you the psychological impetus to continue on your path to reduction, while eating 1,000 excess calories each day still is the wrong direction towards weight loss!
Because of the flexibility in approach to the new program, it is easier for a new convert to “test the waters,” and, at the same time, indoctrinate family, friends and associates into your new view of the world.
Unless the decision is made through necessity, it is unwise to become totally minimalist. For most of us, intrinsic feelings of value and self-significance often are measured by the degree of comfort that we have acquired. To deny ourselves of every physical pleasure creates an emotional void. At its worst, it can be unhealthy. For example, to deny oneself the enjoyment of a comfortable bed means that we also deny ourselves the value of a good night’s sleep. To insist on eating only the minimum of quality food, or to substitute nutritious food for poor quality food will impact severely on our health. We should not aspire to be material anorexics.
On the other hand, overindulgence brings equally undesirable results. An excess of food leads to unhealthy bodies, while an excess of material goods leads to a narcissistic view of life and our role in it.
Whether you opt for either an extreme approach, or a more reasonable, middle-of-the-road tact, it is the rejection of acquisition and consumption of goods that is at the heart of minimalism. Minimalism should never be used as the rationale or excuse for becoming slothful, and aiming low in the input that you provide to the world around you. I know of several people who have chosen to work minimally, and contribute to the world around them in the least possible way, and use their “goal” of being less focused on materialism as an excuse for their indolence.
Minimalism should focus on using your gifts and abilities for the greatest benefit, while seeking ways to be less of a draw on the resources around us. Even that definition, though, fails to recognize that, as you do so, you will gain immensely from the enjoyment of the moment, with a reduced dependence on material goods to generate that enjoyment.
Planning for the conversion to minimalism will be of benefit if you look not only at what you want to eliminate from your life, but what you want to gain. What are your goals and objectives? Do you plan on using the “free money” to retire on a tropical island? Do you want to devote more effort to community service? Is it your plan to spend your free money and time on inventing the next greatest invention? Is minimalism a route to something else, such as saving for that ultimate purchase of a yacht in order to sail around the world? Are you hoping to be able to secrete a nest-egg to leave for your children and grandchildren when you die? Having a focus, as to what you want to do or acquire, as well as what you want to give up provides a more solid base on which to build your efforts at changing your way of living.
Few people diet with the sole purpose of losing weight. They lose weight to feel more energetic, or to improve their health, or to become more attractive. They have a focus, a goal. Similarly, approach minimalism with the same focus, and your journey will become that much easier.