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-   -   How simply do you live? (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=163801)

technoD 11-04-13 08:27 AM

Wow, I'm kind of jealous of you guys lol! I guess I'm what you would call a "wanna be minimalist" ??
I use the that term because for one guy, I have too much crap which really isn't necessary!
I have a tech/ electronic background so guess what I tend to pile up on? I also love rummage sales, so yeah not a good thing for someone who's trying to slim down in the crap department! :(

Anyway, Way too many clothes need to go, various cell phone crap, down to 3 cells now, 3 sets of headphones, all my cables will fill a crate by themselves, Laptop, tablet, 19" tv ( found on the curb) but it could go, all my music is on my newest of 3 phones, amateur radio equipment probably takes up the most room of 10-12 pieces, and my camping gear (survivalist also) which probably means the most to me, besides my bikes (2).
Everything I own fits into 3 large sterilite totes, a army duffel, 55 liter jansport backpack, another jeep duffel, and oh yeah, my waterproof aqua pack . I sleep on a intex single airbed, with my sleeping bags, and eat out of my camping mess kit!
Yep, did I say too much crap??
I need to get down to about half of what I own! :crash: :twitchy:

I-Like-To-Bike 11-04-13 12:36 PM


Originally Posted by technoD (Post 16217529)
I need to get down to about half of what I own! :crash: :twitchy:

Are your living quarters that cramped? Why do you "need to get down"?

I-Like-To-Bike 11-04-13 12:43 PM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16217175)
[Skip]
Another very good idea is the concept of sharing with other people. We are brainwashed into believing that every single person needs their own "x" and you need to slave yourself to get a piece of what's "yours". Your only told that so you can go out and buy things to make other people rich, you don't actually need your own one of everything; that's just being greedy and selfish. The answer is to learn to help others and they will help you in return and you will never want for anything.

the concept of owning anything is an illusion perpetuated by advertisements and media brainwashing. we don't actually own anything, we are just borrowing it until we die. If someone were to steal my car and drive it to Mexico and sell it, would I still own it? Why not?, or more accurately what made it "mine" to begin with. Nothing, just some faded colorful pieces of paper. People are so blind that they don't even realize they spend all of their lives working just to make a few other people rich, while they get a little tiny share that ends up being spent on more crap that isn't needed, just to make those same people rich again. It's the biggest scam in history, and hardly anybody can actually see what's going on, they accept it without even a blink.

You certainly know an awful lot about how "we" are brainwashed, and how "we" spend our lives, and about the biggest scam in history. Did you learn all that in school, reading the Internet, or from all your life experiences

jacoblighter 11-04-13 01:51 PM

I'd say most of it from school and life experiences, a small amount from the internet. I try not to frequent the internet too much unless it's valuable places like these forums, or unless it's to watch a music video or something on youtube. I know I throw alot of definites out there, and there are exceptions to every rule and so forth, but for the most part anyone who was to just do a little "thinking" and also take some psychology courses, and some world history courses, and just observe how the world works outside of the human race for a change, would come to the same/similar conclusions as me. I've spoken to business/ advertising majors and they all pretty much agree that it's just a load of brainwashing, and that nobody really needs any of this stuff. They know this and they do it anyway, they are CONSCIOUSLY hurting the human race and they don't care because they are getting their share so they can feed their own buying addictions. We have become a race that values material posessions/ pieces of paper with numbers on them(money) over human life, and that is what bothers me most. People get murdered over $100 dollars; a piece of paper with the number 100 on it. That is worth more than a human life.

And if one were to want to just "leave the system" and try and do it alone, there is a very slim chance he/she would survive. They don't teach you how to survive in primary school, or in any school for that matter. Everything is just a preparation to get you to work for the system, not to really better yourself in any way. So in that way we are dependent on it, because without the system we would die. That makes us slaves to it. We are slaves to our obsession and addiction to buying inanimate objects, most of which serve no real purpose other than to look cool/cute/show social status, whatever.

The point of me saying this is that if one were to live a minimalistic lifestyle, and only own(for lack of better terms) what he/she needs, then you would not have to be constantly searching for more money to buy more things and you will not be(as much of) a slave. You will have more time for REAL LIFE, and learn to care for human beings and see them as actual people with a story and a purpose, rather than just another person walking by. You will start to value life, and the earth, and realize how fortunate we are rather than just complain about what you don't have. you will actually learn to think about meaningful things like life, loved ones,children, happiness, rather than think about what's on tv next, or what you can do to make more paper with numbers on it. You become an actual human being, and not a consumer machine. The world is a beautiful place, and we let it fly by us and waste our youth working and stressing needlessly.

p.s. I sense a bit of hostility in your message ILTB, I can assure you that I don't mean to offend anyone, just sharing my ideas. But honestly to me you sound like an addict who is told they are addicted. naturally denial and hostility follows, as well as rationalizing and finding reasons as to why that is not true. It's a process. I went through it, so does everyone else who "wakes up"(gosh that sounds so cheesy).

I-Like-To-Bike 11-04-13 02:02 PM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16218590)
I'd say most of it from school and life experiences, a small amount from the internet.
[Skip]

Thanks for an honest answer. Hope you find the right life for yourself and meet your goal in life.

jacoblighter 11-04-13 02:13 PM


Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 16218629)
Thanks for an honest answer. Hope you find the right life for yourself and meet your goal in life.

Thank you, I wish the same for you too brother. Everyone deserves to be happy! :)

technoD 11-04-13 06:30 PM

....double post.

technoD 11-04-13 06:33 PM


Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 16218336)
Are your living quarters that cramped? Why do you "need to get down"?

It has nothing to do with being cramped, I simply don't need to own this much baggage. Life is much simpler when you own only what you need and less of what you don't! ;)

Rollfast 11-06-13 05:00 AM


Originally Posted by gerv (Post 16200121)
I have one cast iron frying pan that my wife inherited from her grandmother. That's all I need to cook.... and it very handy since my microwave died.

But I have a huge number of bowls. I am constantly trying to offload them.

Anyone need a bowl?

But used microwaves are a dime a dozen and I can cook and entire meal either in one dish or still in the same time or less with much less energy use.

It's ROMANTIC and a family tradition and that is the simplicity of it.

Rollfast 11-06-13 05:33 AM


Originally Posted by technoD (Post 16219461)
It has nothing to do with being cramped, I simply don't need to own this much baggage. Life is much simpler when you own only what you need and less of what you don't! ;)

But are you still challenged to learn and be creative, explore and trade for new pathways of the journey?

I think your bikes are very impressive as well even though I feel the need for only two but I don't fret about having too many becuase one is almost always broken down and it's my transportation nor do I really care how many you own, it's your life...and while I don't need a lot of stereo equipment it's really nice to display and rotate as something needs service or I trade.

If you don't have cable TV and HDTV is the norm yet one of your two converter boxes just quit then suddenly the 60 feet of simple coaxial from a simple antenna is half useless for no reason of your own unless you choose to leave the kitchen light on as a nightlight instead of a much more robust little TV that doubles to tell you you are alive and here and can sleep with low volume until a timer turns the stereo on and wakes you with nice sounds from something you enjoy, maybe repaired yourself? Of course, that means you burn out incandescent bulbs that are going out of production in the kitchen outside to see to find the bathroom next to you as that place has a fan that takes a bit to start in the cold that you wouldn't leave all night and going back on track you cannot afford CFLs that aren't so reliable nor can they be used in enclosed fixtures which makes for a shave and shower worthy of Dracula...as the fixture is less than a meter from the shower? Do you burn an oil lamp or buy a sponge? Somethings we call better by nature cannot be simple at all. When times were 'simpler' they were tougher and we died a lot younger...not many people want to die young and simple, no more than want to die too soon because something complex killed them. We trade everyday for advancement, because we long for simpler life later and this is a fallacy too. Simple is not a universal grail, it is an individual's set of choices that will never be the same in any other.

So what IS simplicity, and can you really expect it when you use a computer to make friends you never lose and rarely ever meet but you had friends you saw all your young days that you will never hear from again?

I sort of preferred the old way of friendship at times. When the world and you weren't out to become one and the same there was plenty of time for everything else and a computer did wonderful things like create cards or even make CD collections of your favorite songs to play on a walk with nobody but randomness and unexpected joys and surprises. Solitude has it's timely places. Absense makes the heart grow fonder isn't anathema-it's a joyful anticipation and still a fond memory if it never happens. Life is an exploration you need to be at.

So is simplicity really explaining how simplicity ought to be? It isn't a competition, nor is it a necessity and certainly not a bragging point. Be as you want to be and let others aspire to thier own path, and fables, desires, failures and changes. Simply put, it's not simple.

A wise man knows that if you have to explain piety, you haven't ever been there...let that be your guide.

jacoblighter 11-06-13 04:40 PM


Originally Posted by Rollfast (Post 16223430)
But are you still challenged to learn and be creative, explore and trade for new pathways of the journey?

I think your bikes are very impressive as well even though I feel the need for only two but I don't fret about having too many becuase one is almost always broken down and it's my transportation nor do I really care how many you own, it's your life...and while I don't need a lot of stereo equipment it's really nice to display and rotate as something needs service or I trade.

If you don't have cable TV and HDTV is the norm yet one of your two converter boxes just quit then suddenly the 60 feet of simple coaxial from a simple antenna is half useless for no reason of your own unless you choose to leave the kitchen light on as a nightlight instead of a much more robust little TV that doubles to tell you you are alive and here and can sleep with low volume until a timer turns the stereo on and wakes you with nice sounds from something you enjoy, maybe repaired yourself? Of course, that means you burn out incandescent bulbs that are going out of production in the kitchen outside to see to find the bathroom next to you as that place has a fan that takes a bit to start in the cold that you wouldn't leave all night and going back on track you cannot afford CFLs that aren't so reliable nor can they be used in enclosed fixtures which makes for a shave and shower worthy of Dracula...as the fixture is less than a meter from the shower? Do you burn an oil lamp or buy a sponge? Somethings we call better by nature cannot be simple at all. When times were 'simpler' they were tougher and we died a lot younger...not many people want to die young and simple, no more than want to die too soon because something complex killed them. We trade everyday for advancement, because we long for simpler life later and this is a fallacy too. Simple is not a universal grail, it is an individual's set of choices that will never be the same in any other.

So what IS simplicity, and can you really expect it when you use a computer to make friends you never lose and rarely ever meet but you had friends you saw all your young days that you will never hear from again?

I sort of preferred the old way of friendship at times. When the world and you weren't out to become one and the same there was plenty of time for everything else and a computer did wonderful things like create cards or even make CD collections of your favorite songs to play on a walk with nobody but randomness and unexpected joys and surprises. Solitude has it's timely places. Absense makes the heart grow fonder isn't anathema-it's a joyful anticipation and still a fond memory if it never happens. Life is an exploration you need to be at.

So is simplicity really explaining how simplicity ought to be? It isn't a competition, nor is it a necessity and certainly not a bragging point. Be as you want to be and let others aspire to thier own path, and fables, desires, failures and changes. Simply put, it's not simple.

A wise man knows that if you have to explain piety, you haven't ever been there...let that be your guide.

That was quite an elaborate way to rationalize being a mindless consumer. living simply did not cause short life spans. poor medical practices as a result of lack of knowlege did. Also the average life span numbers are low due to low survival rates in the first five years after birth. that messes with the numbers. I can guarantee you that you owning 4 stereos and a bunch of other crap you wasted your money on is not going to help you live any longer. Just because you are too spoiled to have to do abit of work(gathering firewood,catching fish, growing grains and produce) doesnt mean its the wrong and unhealthy way to live. You have proven no points. obesity is at an all time high, people die everyday from diabetes and clogged arteries due to poor mass produced food sources, cancer is killing ALOT of people. You are spoiled and dont want to give away your toys. Im willing to bet that if someone dropped you in the wild you would have no idea how to survive. That fact alone proves how dependent we are. We could not live wthout the system, therefor we will always be slaves to it. Slaves are not free. Slaves give up their power and mindlessly do what master says....I know Im being extreme but I dont know of any way to wake people like you up.

Roody 11-06-13 05:21 PM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16225237)
That was quite an elaborate way to rationalize being a mindless consumer. living simply did not cause short life spans. poor medical practices as a result of lack of knowlege did. Also the average life span numbers are low due to low survival rates in the first five years after birth. that messes with the numbers. I can guarantee you that you owning 4 stereos and a bunch of other crap you wasted your money on is not going to help you live any longer. Just because you are too spoiled to have to do abit of work(gathering firewood,catching fish, growing grains and produce) doesnt mean its the wrong and unhealthy way to live. You have proven no points. obesity is at an all time high, people die everyday from diabetes and clogged arteries due to poor mass produced food sources, cancer is killing ALOT of people. You are spoiled and dont want to give away your toys. Im willing to bet that if someone dropped you in the wild you would have no idea how to survive. That fact alone proves how dependent we are. We could not live wthout the system, therefor we will always be slaves to it. Slaves are not free. Slaves give up their power and mindlessly do what master says....I know Im being extreme but I dont know of any way to wake people like you up.

Why do you feel it's your task in life to wake anybody up? If this is your true calling, I suggest a career as a motel desk clerk. They get to make a lot of wake-up calls. :)

Also, you might want to decrease usage of the word "you" and replace it with "the average person" or some other impersonal term. On an Internet forum, you have very little basis to make personal judgments about other posters. Your statements in this post read as personal insults, whether that was your intention or not.

jacoblighter 11-07-13 01:32 PM


Originally Posted by Roody (Post 16225385)
Why do you feel it's your task in life to wake anybody up? If this is your true calling, I suggest a career as a motel desk clerk. They get to make a lot of wake-up calls. :)
.

Haha, I have to admit that was pretty funny. :) My apologies for being a bit rude like that, I guess on some level I feel like living simply and eco-friendly is the "right" way, even though that may only be the "right" way for some and not all. I do not retract my statement that something needs to be done for our society or it is all going to blow up in our faces eventually. The way we are living now is not sustainable, and sooner or later(hopefully sooner, before it's too late) we are going to have to change our lifestyles. It's like when a junkie knows they are killing themselves, but they are addicted to the extreme pleasure, albeit short-term.

MikeRides 11-07-13 02:30 PM

I've been making a change to a minimalistic lifestyle after realizing how much junk I've compiled over the years. I thought about what would happen if I was to die suddenly. I didn't want to leave an immediate family member with the burden of trying to unload my hoardings. Everything I own now will fit easily in [or on] a 4-door sedan. I've done yard sales, Craigslist ads, and even donated many items to local thrift stores and have now narrowed down my living quarters to the following:

Kitchen
- Mini refrigerator (large enough for the necessities; e.g. 6 pack of beer, gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, etc.)
- Microwave
- Electric griddle (got rid of my stove and all my frying pans)
- One of each: Spatula, fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl

Living
- 2'x3' table *doubles as entertainment stand/desk/dining table
- Laptop
- 32" HDTV w/built-in DVD Player
- Small media shelf filled with books and DVDs - more DVD than books now that I re-discovered the public library(my local library doesn't have many DVD available yet so I was forced to buy my favorite titles)
- Reclining chair (opens flat enough to comfortably sleep on - so I got rid of my bed)
- 5 Drawer dresser (Containing 6 days worth of shirts, pants, underwear, and 2 pairs of shorts)
- Bicycle
- 12-year-old car, paid for in full 10 years ago

I don't host company too often, but I get some interesting remarks over my sudden decision to live a minimal lifestyle (actually got asked "do you see a psychiatrist?" recently, as people are concerned I'm going to commit suicide or something) and the major echo my living room gives off. In the summertime, I do all my grocery shopping once a month and park my car in a friend's garage nearby. I commute by bike every place I need to go, until the winter months, when I return to driving. Living rural means I will never be car-free but as long as I can help it, I'll always be car-light. Last year, I had only 250 miles on the car and most of that was a commuting to work.

Roody 11-07-13 04:37 PM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16227673)
Haha, I have to admit that was pretty funny. :) My apologies for being a bit rude like that, I guess on some level I feel like living simply and eco-friendly is the "right" way, even though that may only be the "right" way for some and not all. I do not retract my statement that something needs to be done for our society or it is all going to blow up in our faces eventually. The way we are living now is not sustainable, and sooner or later(hopefully sooner, before it's too late) we are going to have to change our lifestyles. It's like when a junkie knows they are killing themselves, but they are addicted to the extremely pleasure, albeit short-term, pleasure.

When you put it that way, I can pretty much agree with you.

Roody 11-07-13 04:45 PM


Originally Posted by MikeRides (Post 16227853)
I've been making a change to a minimalistic lifestyle after realizing how much junk I've compiled over the years. I thought about what would happen if I was to die suddenly. I didn't want to leave an immediate family member with the burden of trying to unload my hoardings. Everything I own now will fit easily in [or on] a 4-door sedan. I've done yard sales, Craigslist ads, and even donated many items to local thrift stores and have now narrowed down my living quarters to the following:

Kitchen
- Mini refrigerator (large enough for the necessities; e.g. 6 pack of beer, gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, etc.)
- Microwave
- Electric griddle (got rid of my stove and all my frying pans)
- One of each: Spatula, fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl

Living
- 2'x3' table *doubles as entertainment stand/desk/dining table
- Laptop
- 32" HDTV w/built-in DVD Player
- Small media shelf filled with books and DVDs - more DVD than books now that I re-discovered the public library(my local library doesn't have many DVD available yet so I was forced to buy my favorite titles)
- Reclining chair (opens flat enough to comfortably sleep on - so I got rid of my bed)
- 5 Drawer dresser (Containing 6 days worth of shirts, pants, underwear, and 2 pairs of shorts)
- Bicycle
- 12-year-old car, paid for in full 10 years ago

I don't host company too often, but I get some interesting remarks over my sudden decision to live a minimal lifestyle (actually got asked "do you see a psychiatrist?" recently, as people are concerned I'm going to commit suicide or something) and the major echo my living room gives off. In the summertime, I do all my grocery shopping once a month and park my car in a friend's garage nearby. I commute by bike every place I need to go, until the winter months, when I return to driving. Living rural means I will never be car-free but as long as I can help it, I'll always be car-light. Last year, I had only 250 miles on the car and most of that was a commuting to work.

Maybe you should have two each of the eating implements? Henry David Thoreau--the godfather of simple living--had two chairs in his cabin in the woods, in case Emerson stopped by.

jacoblighter 11-08-13 11:19 AM


Originally Posted by MikeRides (Post 16227853)
I've been making a change to a minimalistic lifestyle after realizing how much junk I've compiled over the years. I thought about what would happen if I was to die suddenly. I didn't want to leave an immediate family member with the burden of trying to unload my hoardings. Everything I own now will fit easily in [or on] a 4-door sedan. I've done yard sales, Craigslist ads, and even donated many items to local thrift stores....

Sounds good man. I admire your commitment to simplicity. Plus the feeling of freedom that comes with owning little is worth more than anything in the world. Knowing that at any moment you could pack up your few belongings and move to a different city/state/what have you, is just awesome.

I-Like-To-Bike 11-08-13 11:42 AM


Originally Posted by MikeRides (Post 16227853)
- 32" HDTV w/built-in DVD Player
- Small media shelf filled with books and DVDs - more DVD than books now that I re-discovered the public library(my local library doesn't have many DVD available yet so I was forced to buy my favorite titles)

Have you heard of Netflix? Rather than buy a DVD movie, get them by mail (much bigger selection than streaming.) For less than the cost of one DVD you can see many movies a month. Turnaround time for the mail service is incredibly fast, usually one day except for Sundays and holidays.

MikeRides 11-08-13 04:52 PM


Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 16230152)
Have you heard of Netflix? Rather than buy a DVD movie, get them by mail (much bigger selection than streaming.) For less than the cost of one DVD you can see many movies a month. Turnaround time for the mail service is incredibly fast, usually one day except for Sundays and holidays.

I tried Netflix once, it wasn't worth it. The turnaround time wasn't as impressive as one day, more like 3 days, and they always sent something random from my queue instead of the first one on the list so when I received something I wasn't always interested in seeing it right away and it just sat on my table for days. I live in a rural region with slower than normal internet access and download caps so I can't stream movies. I do rent new releases regularly from Redbox. I generally spent less than $5ea (avg $2-3) on the DVDs I bought and can watch them whenever I want and even though I don't see that collection getting bigger I'm seriously considering putting all my CD and DVD discs in CD sleeves in a binder.

Rollfast 11-11-13 03:57 AM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16225237)
That was quite an elaborate way to rationalize being a mindless consumer. living simply did not cause short life spans. poor medical practices as a result of lack of knowlege did. Also the average life span numbers are low due to low survival rates in the first five years after birth. that messes with the numbers. I can guarantee you that you owning 4 stereos and a bunch of other crap you wasted your money on is not going to help you live any longer. Just because you are too spoiled to have to do abit of work(gathering firewood,catching fish, growing grains and produce) doesnt mean its the wrong and unhealthy way to live. You have proven no points. obesity is at an all time high, people die everyday from diabetes and clogged arteries due to poor mass produced food sources, cancer is killing ALOT of people. You are spoiled and dont want to give away your toys. Im willing to bet that if someone dropped you in the wild you would have no idea how to survive. That fact alone proves how dependent we are. We could not live wthout the system, therefor we will always be slaves to it. Slaves are not free. Slaves give up their power and mindlessly do what master says....I know Im being extreme but I dont know of any way to wake people like you up.


Oh, gee whiz! Drop the manifesto, please. You aren't being extreme, just jabbing and you are you, I am I. Would you like to be me, like in Freaky Friday? No? Please stop the crusade, it's not polite.

Roody 11-11-13 05:13 PM

...We're here on Earth to fart around...
 
Kurt Vonnegut's wife asked him why he didn't save money by shopping online for envelopes. This is his reason:

"I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up... The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around."

I thought this was a great example of simple living that some here would relate to.

technoD 11-18-13 07:24 AM


Originally Posted by jacoblighter (Post 16230091)
Sounds good man. I admire your commitment to simplicity. Plus the feeling of freedom that comes with owning little is worth more than anything in the world. Knowing that at any moment you could pack up your few belongings and move to a different city/state/what have you, is just awesome.

That is one of the key reasons to slim down my collection of "crap". I simply don't need all that I own ( even though it's very little by most standards) so I'm in the process of determining dual purposes or more for those items which I might keep and donating those which I thought were redundancy, in case I broke something.
At my age, I really don't own that which most people do. No microwave, few dishes, car, bedding, furniture,etc.
I guess I don't need these since I pay my buddy rent to stay here, and left many of those items at my girlfriend's house.
We might reconcile in the future, at which point I would have all that crap back again lol.
Oh well.

technoD 11-18-13 07:26 AM


Originally Posted by Roody (Post 16238267)
Kurt Vonnegut's wife asked him why he didn't save money by shopping online for envelopes. This is his reason:

"I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up... The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around."

I thought this was a great example of simple living that some here would relate to.

Very good example indeed, since I enjoy "farting around" a little too much! :innocent:

Rollfast 11-18-13 11:10 AM

Roody, you are a genius.

wahoonc 11-18-13 11:34 AM


Originally Posted by MikeRides (Post 16231058)
I tried Netflix once, it wasn't worth it. The turnaround time wasn't as impressive as one day, more like 3 days, and they always sent something random from my queue instead of the first one on the list so when I received something I wasn't always interested in seeing it right away and it just sat on my table for days. I live in a rural region with slower than normal internet access and download caps so I can't stream movies. I do rent new releases regularly from Redbox. I generally spent less than $5ea (avg $2-3) on the DVDs I bought and can watch them whenever I want and even though I don't see that collection getting bigger I'm seriously considering putting all my CD and DVD discs in CD sleeves in a binder.

May I suggest putting the DVD's on a hard drive? I am about half way through putting my wife's substantial collection of DVD/VHS/Beta (yes we still have some of those) on to a NAS (Network Attached Storage System) I am using a Synology DS212J with a pair of mirrored WD Red 4TB drives I am figuring when I am done the drives will be about 1/3 full, plenty of expansion space. Not sure what we are going to do with the tapes/discs when we are done, possibly put them in long term storage in our barn.

Aaron :)

technoD 11-25-13 05:02 AM


Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 16230152)
Have you heard of Netflix? Rather than buy a DVD movie, get them by mail (much bigger selection than streaming.) For less than the cost of one DVD you can see many movies a month. Turnaround time for the mail service is incredibly fast, usually one day except for Sundays and holidays.

OR ... Go to your public library and check out their list of DVD's and usually borrow up to 5 or so for as many days, and pay NOTHING (as long as you return them on time) :thumb:

I-Like-To-Bike 11-25-13 11:34 AM


Originally Posted by wahoonc (Post 16256322)
May I suggest putting the DVD's on a hard drive? I am about half way through putting my wife's substantial collection of DVD/VHS/Beta (yes we still have some of those) on to a NAS (Network Attached Storage System) I am using a Synology DS212J with a pair of mirrored WD Red 4TB drives I am figuring when I am done the drives will be about 1/3 full, plenty of expansion space. Not sure what we are going to do with the tapes/discs when we are done, possibly put them in long term storage in our barn.

Aaron :)

Have you had any problem copying digital video content from commercial DVDs encoded with digital copy protection?

Smallwheels 11-25-13 04:57 PM

Today is my first day of unemployment. I quit my job so that I can finally spend time emptying my storage unit and then find a job south of the snow belt. Unfortunately I caught a little bit of a cold when I rode to work last week in minus 6 degree weather. It's a mild one so today is the last day I'll spend inside resting. Within a week I'll have everything sorted into groups. Some things I'll keep. Some things I'll try to sell, and the rest will be given away. The selling part will take the longest. I wish I could just find somebody to handle selling it all and just give me my cut. Unfortunately the value isn't there. I think I'll bring in $2000 or less depending on how much time I'm willing to wait for the right buyers.

When it's all gone my minimalist goal will be achieved. I've noticed on a couple of blogs about minimalists that they come to realize they want even fewer possessions than they have. They keep paring down for a while. I definitely don't want to be a Buddhist monk and own just my clothes and a bowl. My list of things to keep has shrunk. It is still more than will fit into a car trunk. It all might fit into a very large bicycle trailer by Bikes At Work.

I rented the storage unit in May before my last move. At $60 per month I will have spent $560 on it by the time I'm done. I was wrong about how long I would need it. All it is doing is holding things until they are sold. I wasn't visiting it regularly to access things I need. Thus it was just holding things of value and every month that value was diminished $60. I'm glad I'm taking action to get rid of that stuff. If it just stayed there I would end up wasting the full value of the things and then start paying for them a second time.

Moving did save a lot of money. So I am taking that into account. Previously I was spending $850 per month to live in an apartment. Now I'm spending $360 including the storage unit. Simplifying my life does pay in some ways.

wahoonc 11-26-13 06:20 AM


Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike (Post 16276731)
Have you had any problem copying digital video content from commercial DVDs encoded with digital copy protection?

I haven't run into any problems... yet. Most of the stuff I have copied so far has been older. I will have to try one of the newer ones and see if it makes a difference. I did have to download a codec package to play some of them on my laptop.

Aaron :)

Ekdog 11-26-13 11:13 AM


Originally Posted by Smallwheels (Post 16277728)
Today is my first day of unemployment. I quit my job so that I can finally spend time emptying my storage unit and then find a job south of the snow belt. Unfortunately I caught a little bit of a cold when I rode to work last week in minus 6 degree weather. It's a mild one so today is the last day I'll spend inside resting. Within a week I'll have everything sorted into groups. Some things I'll keep. Some things I'll try to sell, and the rest will be given away. The selling part will take the longest. I wish I could just find somebody to handle selling it all and just give me my cut. Unfortunately the value isn't there. I think I'll bring in $2000 or less depending on how much time I'm willing to wait for the right buyers.

When it's all gone my minimalist goal will be achieved. I've noticed on a couple of blogs about minimalists that they come to realize they want even fewer possessions than they have. They keep paring down for a while. I definitely don't want to be a Buddhist monk and own just my clothes and a bowl. My list of things to keep has shrunk. It is still more than will fit into a car trunk. It all might fit into a very large bicycle trailer by Bikes At Work.

I rented the storage unit in May before my last move. At $60 per month I will have spent $560 on it by the time I'm done. I was wrong about how long I would need it. All it is doing is holding things until they are sold. I wasn't visiting it regularly to access things I need. Thus it was just holding things of value and every month that value was diminished $60. I'm glad I'm taking action to get rid of that stuff. If it just stayed there I would end up wasting the full value of the things and then start paying for them a second time.

Moving did save a lot of money. So I am taking that into account. Previously I was spending $850 per month to live in an apartment. Now I'm spending $360 including the storage unit. Simplifying my life does pay in some ways.

Could you recommend a good minimalist blog, please?


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