I keep the windows in my bedroom covered with foil to keep out the heat in the summer and the light out all year. There are a couple of small holes in the foil and they let in a lot of light. A flashlight with a lens the same size as one of those water bottles wouldn't even come close to the amount of light from the sun.

then GTFO, dude. No one's holding a gun to you.

This thread is a great read! The above is something that I am guilty of and need to make more of an effort to not do. I just remember how simple things were back in college with my 3 roommates in a 3 bedroom 600sq ft apartment. I owned a 91' Mazda Miata and a cannondale delta v500 mtn bike during that time, and I was able to basically move from one apartment to the next in less than 3 trips with that car packed. The first load was basically my clothes, pc, and school supplies. The 2nd trip, I crammed my futon, kitchen utensils, bathroom stuff, and my food in the little 2 seater. Most importantly, my third trip contained my mountain bike and surf board. Done!

Fast fwd 15 yrs with a wife and 2 babies and I am trying to figure out how in the hell to fit more than one vehicle in a 3 car garage. I don't know wtf happened LOL. We have 4 different baby/kid strollers!!! We have the double so my wife can push the 2 yr old and 4 month old at the same time, then we have the 2 seater charriot bike trailer/jogging stroller. I purchased that one so I can pull the boys behind my mountain bike. We also have a single seater stroller with lots of storage. I guess we are still hanging on to that one for when my youngest son is not quite walking, but my oldest, now 2 yr old, is able to be more mindful and not run off on his own. Last, but not least, we have the light weight go anywhere/airport stroller... I guess with the baby supplies, clothes, toys, etc... we kept so much so we wouldn't have to buy it all over again when we had my youngest.

To avoid the wrath of my wife, I am not going to touch any of the kid stuff, but start with myself. My game plan for the weekend is:
I still have surfboards in my garage that I have only used 4 times in the past 15 years. They will find their way to craigslist or the trash this weekend. I also have a closet full of clothes that will find their way to Goodwill or Salvation Army. Old text books, notes, and exams from grad school are going in the Trash.

I realize that I/my family will never be able to live as simple as some you folks, but at least I realize that we can live more simply than what we do now and I am going to take some small baby steps towards that direction.

One of the best ways to keep control financially is to avoid consumer debt whenever possible. Borrowing to pay the rent or buy groceries is a bad debt because that money cannot be recovered. Once the rent is paid or the groceries are eaten, there is nothing to show for the borrowed money. Automobiles, furniture, consumer electronics and other items lose much of their value as soon as they leave the store. If those items are damaged, they generally lose all their value.

Waht a cool post! You and your family sound charming and fun. I wish you all the best. :)

This is a huge key to simple and sustainable living, but I have been accused of being unpatriotic because consumerism is what drives many economies today. :P

Aaron :)

By whom? By anybody with an electron of mental capability or whose opinion you place any value?

By a variety of parties, but as far as I am concerned their opinion is about as valued as the stench coming off the local sewage facility.

Aaron :)

Paying attention to the gibberish uttered by witless morons is as sensible as trolling the Internet seeking moronic comments and getting outraged by same.

That is one of the most brilliant comments I have read online. Thank you, sir. You just made my day.

ILTB stirring the pot again. Life is so sweet!

:lol:

Gotta admit "stirring the pot" as you describe intelligent thought is probably more interesting than posting the same old, same old blather on the subject of estimates and guesswork about car expenses paid by others, as well as the the oozing self righteousness of those posting this "news."

Just to keep it simple, if your post is about another BF member, it is probably in violation of BF guidelines

Moved from Daytona Beach to Pensacola in 1982 with everything I owned in the back of my Corvette. Had to go out and buy sheets for the bed in the dorm. Fast forward a few years and the move involved three cars, one boat, and a U-haul. The latest move involved three large Penske trucks. However, most of the stuff I have (my actual belongings) would fit into my van now (no longer the Corvette for sure), as long as I could pop the rack on the back for a few of my bikes. The rest is someone elses. Hard to live in such a contrast, but like you - I started with simplifying myself - and that's all I can count on.

Not many people have joined my Clutter Removal Support Group Circle on Google +. I'm posting my thoughts and accomplishments but nobody else is. I listed some items on Craigslist last weekend and still no takers. The prices are low too. I always try that before going to ebay. I don't need boxes or shipping with Craigslist, though three different people from far away states have found items I listed. They were OK with me shipping the things at their expense.

This is an invitation link to join Google +: https://plus.google.com/i/vuSznkGu1hQ:g1LyTzjLU7Y
If you want to give and receive support regarding lightening the load or just simplifying your life, it's a good way to communicate separate from the bicycle forum.

That is my goal. I want to own no move stuff than will fit inside the smallest U-haul van. Less would be better.

I've imagined how life would be with just one car load of possessions or even less. Doing that would mean plenty of changes in my lifestyle. I do think I could accomplish it. I'd just need to sell furniture before moving and then buy different furniture if I ever needed it again.

Vacuum cleaners, laundry hampers, garbage cans, tools, ironing boards, radios, computers, and many other things that get used daily tend to take up a lot of space. Mattresses and major appliances take up plenty of space if you must own them. My apartment furnished the appliances so I sold mine.

I'm down to just one guitar, bongos, a clarinet, a harmonica, and some amplifiers. I'm selling all but the bongos and harmonica. Nobody wants to buy a used harmonica. That will free up plenty of space in my life and put a few hundred dollars into my wallet.

When i get a Google+ I will join your group. But that could be tomorrow, next week or next month

I'm considering slowly transitioning to a raw vegetarian diet. For those who have already become vegetarian is it easier to live that lifestyle or more difficult?

I can see benefits and cons to it. Eventually I won't need to use a heat source for cooking anything. That will save some money. On the other hand I'll need to travel to the stores more often to buy enough fruits and other greens to make up the protein deficit. That will require more energy. Meat definitely has more protein per ounce. Since I live in an apartment I won't be growing my own food other than one day I might start growing wheat grass in a window.

I've done my research and read a book about starting a raw food diet. I've also gotten plenty of information from many Youtube videos from people who have made the transition. The videos didn't really address the question of it simplifying their lives. I'm just wondering if it simplifies ones life or makes it more difficult. I don't eat out at restaurants so that won't be a problem for me.

I'm doing this for my health and for a change. Whether I'll succeed is another story. It will probably take me a few months to make it all the way. My intention is to start replacing some meals with all vegetables or fruit. Then I'll stop adding meat to some of my stews. Eventually I'll replace the cooked grains with uncooked foods. Some people who love vegetables would be able to do this overnight. My list of liked veggies is short. I do love fruit a lot so that will be the saving grace and method for my transition.

Some people eat almost all fruit and their blood tests prove that their diet is beneficial to their health.

My overall goal is to become a raw food eater and stop spending money on food supplements. Doing that might mean my overall food cost will not be much higher than it is now.

Who has done this or something similar and what were your experiences?

No real experience here, but a couple random thoughts. First, what you said is true, thet meat has more protein than fruits or vegetables per ounce. But many vegetables have more protein per calorie than meat. For example, I believe that 100 calories of romaine lettuce has more grams of protein than 100 calories of beefsteak. Of course, 100 calories of romaine would barely fit in a mixing bowl. To ingest enough protein from raw vegetables only, you have to eat a huge quantity of food. But all that food won't have very many calories, so you'll most likely lose weight on vegan diet without ever being hungry.

Another thought is that the reasons for a vegan diet are similar to the reasons for being carfree. You'll likely save money, lose weight, do good by the environment, and get to associate with a sorta smug group of people. ;)

May I ask why you want to go with raw foods only? Going from a standard meat diet to raw foods is pretty drastic. You might be setting yourself up for failure. You might want to start with vegetarian, so you can eat beans, milk, honey and even an occasional french fry, then progress to vegan and eat plant products only. If that goes well, it would be a little easier to switch to raw vegan foods only, if you still want to.

Based on what I've read over the years (in books written by authors like Francis Moore Lappé, for example), the last thing we have to worry about in the so-called First World is a lack of protein. We're over proteinized thanks to decades of propaganda from the meat industry, dairy industry, et al.

Anyone read the 100 Thing Challenge? Easy to get through and somewhat interesting, especially to those that have talked of simplifying. Basically, he can show that he has a wonderful life - and he didn't need more than 100 things to get there. He also gets into why we (might) pusue getting things in the first place.

Why would I want to switch to a vegan diet? I realize that my eating habits aren't ideal and I understand the logic about how eating vegetables and fruits without growth hormones will probably be better for me since I don't purchase organic grass feed beef. I won't become a vegan because I think leather works really well for shoes, bicycle seats, handlebar tape, and furniture.

My change will be gradual. There is no way I could immediately switch to an all raw food diet unless there were some type of national emergency affecting the food supply or I were living on the streets.

There are many testimonials on Youtube where people who tried the all raw food diet for a time as an experiment decided to continue it. Often they state that when they tried eating cooked foods again they didn't feel as good. The ones who tried eating meat again felt ill afterwards. Not all testimonials were so positive. There seems to be a special balance of caloric intake that often is missed in the initial trials of some people. They get worse on a raw food diet. Some of the experts have explained that it is a common occurrence for people to not eat enough on their initial foray into eating raw foods exclusively.

Another reason for wanting to try the raw food diet is to find out if some of my minor physical problems are caused by my diet. It is said that numerous serious medical conditions go away for many people when they make the switch to raw foods.

The challenges for me will be finding enough ways to eat greens. I intend to just blend them with fruits. Another thing mentioned about changing to this diet is that over time more vegetables become tasty. The palate changes to like more green foods. Cooked meat does have a sweetness to it that is different from veggies. Greens taste bitter compared to it. In time the greens taste better. I hope that happens for me.

I've gone without dairy for very long periods of time so I know doing that will be easy. I don't drink milk. I do like pizza and sometimes I get ice cream because it helps me to sleep better. I can live without chocolate. I've done it before.

If I didn't eat pizza or cookies I wouldn't eat any wheat products. Removing dairy and wheat are my first steps on this road to raw. Cutting back on meat will also be part of my initial steps but not much at first.

I read it a couple of years ago. It has been mentioned here before. That is how I found it.

I've got a list of things I want to keep when I eventually move into an RV of some type. The list is only about one-hundred-forty things. It might grow or shrink depending on what things are needed for living on the road. I don't count my toolbox and all of its contents individually. That would be more things than everything on my list. I count it as one thing. I'm OK with doing it that way.

True, unless perhaps you're following a raw foods vegetarian diet. Ordinarily, vegetarians and vegans get a lot of their daily prptein from beans and grains--sources that are unavailable to people who don't cook their food.

FML's book was fantastic in its time, but it was written like 40 years ago. Is it pretty outdated by now?

I assume you're referring to Diet for a Small Planet. She's written a lot since then, but the thrust of what she was saying back then is still true: 'a grain-fed-meat-centered diet is like driving a Cadillac. Yet many Americans who have reluctantly given up their gas-guzzling cars would never think of questioning the resource costs of their grain-fed-meat diet.' 'For every 16 pounds of grain and soy fed to beef cattle in the United States we only get 1 pound back in meat on our plates'.

http://www.animal-rights-library.com...-m/lappe01.htm