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How simply do you live?

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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

How simply do you live?

Old 09-22-18, 12:04 PM
  #1801  
rossiny
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I am originally from Italy..with Italian citizenship and my legal green card for USA.. never applied for US citizenship .. 900$.. (dont know why ) I pay plenty in taxes ,, you figure would just be automatic after say 10 years...Lived here most my life here and only went back to Italy twice in the 50 years I have lived in the USA.. Just visited a few states.. would love to try bike touring.. I guess you have plenty to explore in Barbados..

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Old 09-22-18, 12:10 PM
  #1802  
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Sorry to get off topic. As far a simple living , I am in the process of downsizing. My home is very small but my remodel business has gone to some smaller rental properties as a necessity for work...I just feel a need to downsize and get rid of mortgages to simplify, if I will be able to do any touring .. hard to tour if you worried about tenants paying or calling for maintenance..🙄
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Old 09-23-18, 10:11 PM
  #1803  
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I'm

Originally Posted by rossiny
Sorry to get off topic. As far a simple living , I am in the process of downsizing. My home is very small but my remodel business has gone to some smaller rental properties as a necessity for work...I just feel a need to downsize and get rid of mortgages to simplify, if I will be able to do any touring .. hard to tour if you worried about tenants paying or calling for maintenance..🙄
Trying to Downsize, but lately it's been a Epic fail ! 😰 I moved to a Subsidized apartment building, but Still find myself Hoarding Camping and Survival gear ! I wonder sometimes if my subconscious isn't trying to prepare me for another stint of homelessness ! Being that Winter is around the corner, this would be unfortunate ! Then again, I've always had a tendency to collect Shtf gear ... As far as Vehicles, My Mountain bike is the Only thing that makes sense 👍
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Old 10-06-18, 07:24 AM
  #1804  
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Personally, Everything for me personally, I can haul with a bicycle, everything.
But, I am married to a very complicated person.
Therefore, I must drive a big heavy thing with 650 lb electric motor in the back and bring her lots of money. So she can live a very complicated life, of opioids, and 40 other pills I never heard of.and oder tons of junk from Amazon.com, and HSN.

Someday, I will leave this land of big heavy things,, abd ice, and billions of people, all in cars,
And I will move to a qiet place, with only bicycles, where every body recycles, and lives healthy with no opioids.
ok?
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Old 10-07-18, 06:45 PM
  #1805  
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Originally Posted by Nycycle
Personally, Everything for me personally, I can haul with a bicycle, everything.
But, I am married to a very complicated person.
Therefore, I must drive a big heavy thing with 650 lb electric motor in the back and bring her lots of money. So she can live a very complicated life, of opioids, and 40 other pills I never heard of.and oder tons of junk from Amazon.com, and HSN.

Someday, I will leave this land of big heavy things,, abd ice, and billions of people, all in cars,
And I will move to a qiet place, with only bicycles, where every body recycles, and lives healthy with no opioids.
ok?
Well Nycycle , I'm Sure you've heard of Divorce Right ?? IF I Was was Married to a Woman prone to living on Pills and Opioids , I'd Be GONE so fast, she'd Feel the Breeze as I went Out the Door !! ☹️
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Old 10-10-18, 08:14 PM
  #1806  
rossiny
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Wish I could do.

Originally Posted by kevink159
I been pairing down for a while, and by Feb 1 I will some clothes and books I will be storing at my parents, the living off my bike for 7 or 8 months. I have already donated a ton of books to charity and kept the really good ones, but to be honest I should have donated the really good ones to charity first to let someone else get a chance to read them.
you must be young. Good time to do. Dont know how I would get the time to do . I am self employed, so basically would have to give up business for a while. Are you doing alone or in a group?
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Old 10-12-18, 02:33 PM
  #1807  
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I'm still living the simple life. My single rented room was finally feeling like home so I bought a sixteen cube shelving unit. It works great. My other furniture is a cot; a folding lounge chair designed for outdoor use, and a bar stool with a backrest. Now my landlord has taken in an ex con who tried to kill somebody. He smokes indoors when he knows he's breaking the terms of the lease. He sprays cologne to mask the smoke odor. He and his girlfriend have shouting matches with her crying baby visiting. Now he's added a puppy (pitbull mix obviously) and it's not so pleasant around here with his evil vibe. The landlord essentially wants me and the other tenant to catch him smoking before he will even say something to him. My point being that I'm glad I live simply because if this goes on much longer I'll have an easy time moving out.

Earlier in the year I ordered eight black plastic cargo bins. Those were to hold some of my existing items and to make moving much neater. Everything won't fit into them but I feel comfort knowing that I could be out of here in half a day if need be. The longest job would be disassembling my sixteen cube shelf.

I would rather stay here in this rented room than live in a van again, but if this scene becomes too bothersome I'll buy a used Uhaul box truck and put my rent money into making it beautiful inside and for future maintenance costs. There are plenty of gyms in town where I could shower every day.
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Old 10-12-18, 06:28 PM
  #1808  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I'm serious for long time considering quiting my high paying job and living the simple life like you. And earn just enough money for food and shelter. And work on things that I consider worthwhile.
There is nothing wrong with having a high paying job and living the simple life at the same time. If you like your job and its benefits keep it. Just get rid of unneeded things and feel the relief of having less clutter. Having lots of money gives you more choices. Choices are good.

Depending on your age you might consider working a few more years and at the same time getting rid of clutter. Then all of that money you saved could let you retire and live on $5000 per year for the remainder of your life. If you take home $100,000 per year that alone would last twenty years. When I lived in my minivan I spent very little on living beyond food, water, gasoline, and car insurance. The van was old and was eventually sold for $300. I bought it for $800 two years earlier. At least $200 was spent on repairs and another $150 to turn it into a stealthy tiny house on wheels.

On this forum several years ago there was talk about the annual cost of an automobile. Some calculations had the price in the $4000 range. Others had it at $7000. If you lived in a van you could expect to pay that much plus other expenses like food and possibly health insurance. That could cost a fortune if you want health insurance. Unfortunately living simply in the USA requires earning a lot of money just to get by with shelter, transportation, and insurance.
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Old 10-13-18, 06:23 PM
  #1809  
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The individual mandate for people to purchase health insurance was repealed. Get insurance if you want it.
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Old 10-14-18, 12:50 PM
  #1810  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I'm serious for long time considering quiting my high paying job and living the simple life like you. And earn just enough money for food and shelter. And work on things that I consider worthwhile.
Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I haven't really thought about health insurance yet. I know that is very expensive nowadays. I heard stories of family being fined $10,000 by the government for not having health insurance. I am not sure what is the gov't policy nowadays that Trump is in the oval office.
What kind of "high paying job" do you have that doesn't offer health insurance benefits, or that doesn't provide enough income to pay for health insurance?
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Old 10-14-18, 05:48 PM
  #1811  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I read the Repeal doesn't go into effect until 2019.
It's the middle of October 2018. Even if what you read were true do you think the government would care if you didn't have health insurance for two and a half months? Don't worry about it.
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Old 04-16-21, 02:38 PM
  #1812  
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I sold my car and use an e-bike to get around. My wife has a Chevy Bolt all electric car.
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Old 04-17-21, 06:05 AM
  #1813  
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If I gave up my car I'd have to get a smart phone. It could be done.
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Old 11-17-21, 08:41 AM
  #1814  
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Being honest, we were forced to give up our 30 year old Ford Ranger Pick Up Truck, with only our very meager SS retirement income we just couldn't afford to maintain it! Alas it died anyway, transmission failure, the steering column snapped in two and it needed engine work too!! Now we can't dream of ever affording a truck again! So I made us a home built utility trailer to haul on my 13 year old SUN EZ-1 SX recumbent bicycle, we live in a "as cheap as we could find and it's STILL TOO EXPENSIVE for our budget 1 bedroom apt. LOL, 1/2 of our living room is our "garage" were we house my bike, the wife's Terra Trike Rover X8 recumbent trike and the utility trailer!!! For us this is the BEST we can do, the next step down is living in a "carboard box" and being homeless, which is possible as the RENTS here in Colorado Springs, CO. have become INSANELY expensive!! We may be forced to find part time work but with Jo being a Type 2 diabetic with "Heart Problems" that's the best we can do as she's the only one of us with "skills". I was a laborer but due to wicked arthritis and bowel system problems just can't do "manual labor" much anymore. We get by but "just" and we hope this is as far "down the ladder" as we have to get till be pass on!!
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Old 11-17-21, 01:02 PM
  #1815  
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The interior west is waaaay to expensive. You are going to have to move to the south east somewhere.
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Old 11-23-21, 08:59 PM
  #1816  
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You are so right about the west and sadly Colorado is be becoming the most expensive part of it! I am a native of Colorado Springs so it sucks I might have to leave just to live! My only concern with the south is the weather! Tornadoes floods horrible humidity etc. That and I still need to be able to use the bike as main transportation so having bike paths and bike lanes is a needed situation! Plus I really don't have any idea where we should go?
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Old 11-24-21, 05:20 PM
  #1817  
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Tornadoes aren't going to be the problem. It will be the Heat & Humidity in late Spring through very early Fall. And you get that weather all the way up to the Mid Atlantic.

I thought this past Fall sort of sucked. First part was to much like early summer, and now it feels like winter. We barely had two weeks of fall like weather.

One thing about the south is the closer you get to the coast it won't be to bad in the winter.

And don't be surprised if some places in the south east are just as expensive as the north east.

I see someplace in Florida working. Doesn't sound like lots of options.
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Old 05-05-22, 10:14 AM
  #1818  
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Quite simply I'd say. Most luxurious item is a nice watch I guess.
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Old 11-18-23, 11:46 AM
  #1819  
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Reasonably simply… reason being the key concept! 😉
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Old 02-17-24, 10:46 AM
  #1820  
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I downsized my life in 2 steps:

1) During COVID I cleaned out the accumulated junk in my life. Donated most of it and threw the rest out which took a few months.
2) In 2022 I cashed in life and moved to Paris. Sold my house, car and donated/disposed of the rest. On my final flight to Paris I brought my Surly Steamroller and a few clothes. I've downsized from a 2100 sqf house to a 375 sqf apartment. I have no regrets and do not miss my big US lifestyle.

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Old 02-24-24, 01:22 PM
  #1821  
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Hello!
I am from Ukraine!
And riding a bike is the only thing that helps here do not be crazy about the war..
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