poormanbiking

Does this lifestyle reduce stress and make life more enjoyable ? I've read the other threads which has me thinking about my decisions dealing with cars. I have figured out buying ,fueling and repairing cars has affected my economics of my entire life. Not to the good either.

Machka 

Does living simple make life simple? Does this lifestyle reduce stress and make life more enjoyable?


It can. There are definitely some benefits to living simply.

Take weddings for example ... I listen to the girls at school and work going on about all the hassles with their weddings ... the expense, the disagreements between various family members and members of the wedding party, how they can't get certain things, how they've been delivered the wrong things, how it isn't possible to plan a wedding in less than a year, etc. etc. etc. And meanwhile, Rowan and I had a very small, simple, happy, relaxed, stress-free wedding which we easily planned in about 6 weeks, and hardly spent any money on.

timmhaan

and then a lot of them still don't even end up with the wedding they wanted after all that. i know one couple who probably spend upwards of 50k on their wedding and they still complain about certain aspects of it.

wahoonc

I think it depends on the individual and what they can and will be satisfied with. For many people it does reduce stress and allow them live with the freedom they wish. For others it is a hassle and they find reasons not to live it. But for the most part people that make the switch to car free/car light seem to be happy with it.

Aaron

redtires

I think that it can...but only if you are committed to it, if that makes sense. My life has seemingly exploded exponentially in the past 10 years. Wife, two kids, house, an actual career....and all the little things that go along with all of that. When I was single, I could care less if I had a car, a TV, just as long as I had my bike stuff and a futon, I was pretty darn happy. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I do sometimes long for the days when I could just hit a century in the middle of the week, because I felt like it. Or the ease of just jumping on my bike to head off to work, and working a 25 mile ride into the commute. Life was pretty stress free, but in different ways, than now....I'm still a pretty low stress guy in general.

vja4Him

When I started living car light, I was struggling with getting used to getting around by bicycle. I had become so dependent upon a car.

I finally went car free, and have learned how to adjust my life accordingly, so I can take care of everything I need by bicycle. I have a feeling of less stress now that I'm living car free. I can pass up all the gas stations, auto repair shops, parking is much easier, fewer bills ....

Not everyone can live car free though .... But millions more could, and even millions more could live car light.

BikeLover1989

It sure does for me. The amount of money I am saving from living simply is just astonishing, and not just for me, my mother as well. Before, the monthly transit pass for me was a huge expense that put a huge strain on my mom's finances (I was a high school student at the time), but now, ever since I became a cycling enthusiast and started cycling everywhere and basically stopped using transit, it felt like a huge weight was taken off both my mom's and mines' shoulders. And while you can say that my social life has been "killed" by my transformation, the transformation is something I really needed, and I am not giving up my current lifestyle for anything.

Artkansas 

When I first moved out from my Dad's house I hadn't yet bought a car. My budget on a minimum wage job was fairly tight, but I was able to make it. A car probably would have made it unsupportable. Later on when I got a good job, I got a motorcycle and after college, a car to date with. But I always tended to be motor-lite.

The next time I was completely car free instead of car-lite was after my ex asked for a divorce. I knew it was time to clear off all the debts that I had from trying to survive out in the desert. It's held up as a wise decision and has been great now that I'm unemployed.

Not only do you save on car expenses, but you tend to go to malls less, go to events less so you save there too.

Robert Foster

Like it has been said it depends on what you call simple. Some people consider getting up and off to work and saving most of what they make and never buying over their head a simple life. They plan on getting merried, getting a job to support a family and a home to raise that family. After about 30 years they hope to retire with their house paid off and treat themselves to many of the things they denied themsleves for the 30 years they worked. That is about as simple as it gets in our society.

dynodonn 

Sounds like a familiar story, except for the part of waiting 30 years to treat themselves to the things that they denied themselves. Since my needs have been simple most of my life, I've been able to treat myself to just about everything I wanted, plus raise a family, pay off the house long before retirement. I've learned from watching others amass a fortune all their working life only to die shortly after retirement, making me a firm believer in "want less, work less".

Newspaperguy

There are two important parts to simplifying life. One is getting rid of stuff and physical clutter. This may include selling the car, moving into a smaller house or apartment or clearing out things that aren't needed. The other part is the clearing the clutter from the schedule. It's about walking away from some activities, stepping down from boards or committees or saying no to additional projects in order to have some personal time.

I'm not sure which of these two is easier to accomplish. In the last five or six years, I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff and I've felt happier in the process. I'm now looking around and seeing some other things that may soon go.

Creating a workable schedule is a bigger challenge. I've become involved in a few things that are important to me but it's easy for those things to fill up all my free time if I'm not careful. Some things may be worthwhile but I need to make sure I still have time for myself.

Sirrus Rider

I believe that most women are victims of the system of which "More is better" and keeping up (and surpassing the Jones'/her girlfriends) is part of the mentality. Just to give you a case on point I was watching "Untold Stories from the ER" on TLC. One of the stories was about a woman who had just been in a car accident on what was supposed to be her wedding day. The sensible thing would be to reschedule the wedding and wait for her injuries to heal. Nope! This chick insisted she be stitched up that night and sent on her way so she could have her wedding. Even here Fiancee was incredulous with her. (Of course they didn't cover it in the story, but it can be inferred that he ceded his manhood and his rights to household decision making to her.) I found her point of view kind of stupid. One for the health issue to get healed first and second what was the rush? If your going to be with someone for a lifetime then what is a few more weeks to allow yourself to heal so you won't half to deal with stitches and a cast??

Smallwheels

In the last twelve months I've recognized what I have been doing unconsciously. That is, getting rid of things that aren't used. I was doing it little by little since 2005. Only last year did I begin to think of it as a lifestyle choice. Right now getting rid of things is my way of making my life simpler. To me it is a stress relief program.

I'm not in the position that I need to do fewer things in my life. I only do about three things that are work related and I set my schedule.

I just ordered the book "Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao" by Wayne Dyer. In a couple of interviews with Mr. Dyer he said that when he started researching this book he began to follow the life lessons from the Tao. He sold or gave away almost all of his possessions. He said he felt freer and happier than at any other time in his life. Twenty-five years ago I didn't like this guy. He has changed a lot since then. Now I like what he's doing enough to buy one of his books.

cyclezealot

Life is full of trade offs.. It can, depending on your needs and choices. Exercise certainly reduces actual stress. But, should stress exists in one's life regardless of your transportation choices; bikes can't make that magically go away. It helps you to cope with it.

Artkansas 

Yes, it was surprising to me that he had become a Taoist. I've read the book but still prefer the Tao Te Ching as translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. It makes me want to learn to read Chinese so I can read it for myself. Don't know when I'll get the time to do that though.

poormanbiking

Take weddings for example ... I listen to the girls at school and work going on about all the hassles with their weddings ... the expense, the disagreements between various family members and members of the wedding party, how they can't get certain things, how they've been delivered the wrong things, how it isn't possible to plan a wedding in less than a year, etc. etc. etc. And meanwhile, Rowan and I had a very small, simple, happy, relaxed, stress-free wedding which we easily planned in about 6 weeks, and hardly spent any money on.[/QUOTE]

I'm coming up on 16 years of marriage, wedding put us back $58.00 . Justice of the Peace and pizza afterwards ,that was it. I've known people to spend alot more and divorce after a year. Our wedding bands cost under $300.

wheel

In the beginning it was hard filled with anxiety. Stressful just like anything else. What saved me was my determination to a healthy lifestyle.
My bike got ripped off, my ex-wife divorced me, and I had this car which kept breaking down. Not to mention I had to learn how to ride my bike with all this traffic on my way to work (20 miles). On top of that I had quit smoking ciggs and drinking.

Suddenly things got easier overtime. It became a drug. I was addicted to making my life simpler. Every time I got rid of something I was sure to miss I found out I didn't really miss it. In fact what replaced it was even better.

I think you need to make it goal orientated with a reward. Once a month I leave the city for somewhere else as my reward. All that money that went into my autos now goes into my travel plans. Just when you think you can't soar any higher, Last summer I went on a 3 month tour. You talk about simple, yet I was right at home.

Now the flip side I am rebuilding my life at the lowest of lows for me. Yet all that experience has allowed me to live off of a few dollars a day and still have a smile on my face.

acorn54

living simply means less headaches and hassels to me
i live on social security disability and only have 9000 bucks to live on for the year
my expenses
300 buck redline, model 520 hybrid bike/ probable 50 bucks a year depreciation costs max.
1700 for food on sale, this diet includes fresh vegatables daily, tuna on sale and oatmeal
625 a year for milk
2 bucks a day for 2.5 packs of roll your own cigarettes
1 buck a day for coffee that i buy in bulk at 25 pounds at a time for 3.50/lb
75 cents a day for the newspaper. i know i can read it at the library but i like to buy it
50 cents a day for a bag of chips at the local deli. my treat for the day.
i also have the option of going to the local psyc-social club where they serve free lunch and dinner
4920 a year for rent as i share a house with others.
i also work part time at a local supermarket and get about 6000/year from that job.
400 or less a year in taxi fees when there is bad weather to get to work
i get about 625 a year in the earned income tax credit when i file taxes.

Robert Foster

Reasonable modification of the dream. Unfortunatly many people started using their homes as piggy banks and fell into a trap. Like you I have seen far too many work too many years only to die shortly after they retired. Seemed like a wasted life to me. But still simplicity doesn't require that you give up everything. We need not give up music, sports, hobbies and other extra activities to live simply. At least for now if we have planned well we can still enjoy the things we enjoy and that is a simple life.

gerv 

You make a good point here. It's much easier for a single person to drift into a "stress free" lifestyle. What I like to see are stress free people who have kids climbing up their legs and bills piling up. If you can achieve stress freedom and manage to keep your lifestyle somewhat simple, you will become a shining beacon to the world... a Saint Redtires.

Newspaperguy

In February, I was able to take two weeks for a cycling vacation in Cuba. I didn't stay at the all-inclusive resorts because I wanted to meet the people and get a glimpse into the culture. It was an eye-opening experience and I'm still trying to come to grips with what I saw and experienced.

Most workers in Canada or the United States will earn more money in one hour than the average Cuban worker will earn in a month — and Cuba is well off compared to a lot of other countries in the Caribbean.

These people have little but they appear much happier and much more content than so many of us. And they don't seem all that interested in attaining our lifestyle. When people there would learn I was from Canada, they'd only ask me how cold it was in winter. They didn't care about the fancy houses, expensive cars or conveniences we enjoy.

I pride myself on living a low-cost, simple lifestyle. Even this trip was done on the cheap — by Canadian standards. It was the first time I've been outside Canada in a decade. But compared with most Cubans, I'm rich beyond belief.

Now, back in Canada, it's hard to for me to spend money. It's an uncomfortable feeling to be able to make a basic purchase here that would be a huge expense to people in other parts of the world.

The experience is making me think a lot about wealth, possessions, entitlement and giving. And I know I'll be thinking about these things for quite a while.

acorn54

i think i read somewhere that in half the world a person lives on a dollar a day
it takes all kinds. maybe the people you saw in cuba were not interested in attaining the lifestyle typical in america but alot of people in the world would kill to get to america.

Lamplight

Despite the fact that I sometimes forget it, owning a lot of stuff does not really make me happy. I have to continually remind myself of that.

GodsBassist

That's so great! I'm actively pursuing this kind of lifestyle through a military retirement. Granted I live simply now, but It's always funny when I tell people I'm going to retire and stop working at 41. Nobody believes that you can survive on that much money, much less be happy.

gerv 

A little perspective goes a long way. I always remember visiting Italy years ago -- which was a relatively poor country at the time -- and remarking how impoverished our lives in North America were. Even e a typical suburban mall or housing development would be considered a visual nightmare to an Italian, whose life seems to crave architectural richness everywhere they go.

Yes, wealth has a lot of different meanings to different people.