Giving it all up for a simpler life

Don't want all the stuff they sell on TV. Buy good tools, once. Maintain them. I still climb with hexes I bought in the 80's, axes I bought in the 90's... Don't get into the trap of having to constantly upgrade everything. You need to establish some sort of cut off point, beyond which you buy nothing new, just replace what wears out.

I pay $30 a month for my cell phone plan. I have net service without TV ($50). I pay a lot less than many of my pals right there. I bake my own bread (50 cents a loaf), more because I like to than for savings, but I save roughly $8 a week right there. I bought my gym membership one year at a time, that was around $280. I never buy anything on a credit card. Ever.

But then, I grew up kind of like Bode Miller - wood heat, no TV, reading aloud from Lord of the Rings at night. Maybe I don't miss what I never had because my folks were (are) so involved in life, both artists, self-employed, and living their bohemian/artsy version of the back to the lander hippy movement of the early 70's.

I've never wanted to climb a corporate ladder, I made my own. I've always worked for small companies or myself, and I've been lucky in liking 98% of the crews I've worked with. My goal is to retire from building to owning an orchard.

The two girls who cut my hair into a mohawk and dyed it before sending my off on my big road trip said "The secret to happiness is in wanting what you have, not in getting what you want".

Perhaps this is sort of what you are thinking?

This all goes back to "the examined life".

I started out with nothing... So living the dirtbag life was an upgrade for me.

I lived out of cars and climbed year round for 6 years. I made about 6-7k doing seasonal/construction work and did whatever the fuck i wanted. Had a few women who hoped on for the ride from time to time and it was a world of fun. Some things helped.. I had made great friends who expanded my views and understanding of what was possible, I'm really fucking smart and I am really good at suffering.

I made a transition to domesticated life and now am a working stiff who loves it. I've gone from nothing to upper middle class and climbing/the climbing lifestyle was a huge part of that! Without climbing I'd be dead.

Yes indeed, giving it all up for a simpler life is worth every penny you give up. Retire early and work/slave away your elder years. You need less than you think and you're tougher than you'll ever know.

not climbin' much anymore wrote:How to live simply: don't buy shit.

This sums it up nicely. I can't count how many people I've met who are always bitching about not having enough money but are constantly buying crap they don't need. I don't buy anything unless I'm sure it will enhance my life.

I discovered climbing in my forties, and, like most people, it changed my life. I quit running a company in nyc, sold my apartment and moved upstate to be closer to the gunks. I was able to climb almost exclusively for four years.

It was incredibly liberating to have such freedom to explore my new found passion. Now, I live in a rental and commute into the city occasionally as a freelancer. I live on a lot less and in my free time I not only climb, but paint and do yoga. It is a much less secure but far happier environment. It is simpler.

Everyone's journey is different. I would suggest you look at what you really NEED. And I would look at the rest of the world...and see what 75 percent of the world survives on and compare that to your circumstances.

Like an earlier poster said...this is not a dress rehearsal. We are all going to die no matter what. The real question is how do you want to live!

Peace,
Dana

caribouman1052 wrote: I never buy anything on a credit card. Ever.

Oh sweet! I also love not having a good credit rating! Credit cards are fine if you arent a moron and dont charge more money than you have.

THERE
IS
NO
SUCH
THING
AS
SECURITY
!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys have provided a ton of great insight and advice. I graduate in a week (finally) and have been trying to make a decision along these lines.

...on another note

Ben Dover...where you at now man?

sure we wont hear from you for another four years...again

RockyMtnTed wrote: Oh sweet! I also love not having a good credit rating! Credit cards are fine if you arent a moron and dont charge more money than you have.

But they inevitably must drive up prices - you're adding a middle-man into what was once a two-party exchange. How else do you think they can offer all those rewards for using them? They are cutting into the bottom line for seller.

Time is not on your side.

Yep totally worth it! Life is between there mountains and the oceans.

Quoting the DL to justify a entirely self indulgent, liesure based lifestyle is a bit much, don't you think. Perhaps you should consider a life of chastity, charitable work and meditation.

Seems some posters like RockyMtnTed feel the need to let us all know how financially successful they are. They have good credit ratings use credit cards and generally have no financial worries.

They forgot to mention they hardly ever climb. This thread is about those of us who do climb alot and how we are able to do it since no employer will ever give you enough time off to follow your passion. This is what drives climbers to the simple life.

As far as making a difference in society you can do that and have a simple life at the same time. I have. Check out the "spread the climbing wealth. Please" thread.

Eric Coffman wrote:Seems some posters like RockyMtnTed feel the need to let us all know how financially successful they are. They have good credit ratings use credit cards and generally have no financial worries. They forgot to mention they hardly ever climb. This thread is about those of us who do climb alot and how we are able to do it since no employer will ever give you enough time off to follow your passion. This is what drives climbers to the simple life. As far as making a difference in society you can do that and have a simple life at the same time. I have. Check out the "spread the climbing wealth. Please" thread.

I will take between 8 and 10 weeks of paid holiday next year. Will climb in France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Norway, California... Oh yea and the UK. And I am by no means rich or highly successful. But I work hard and I have my priorities straight. I also have a wife that allows me to climb whenever I want and joins in when she feels like it.

The rat race is something that Americans invented. In most parts of the developed world, it's easy to find an employer that will give you loads of time off. There is also the benefit of not having health insurance payments. That money alone is enough to fund a two week trip to California from London.

As far as contributing to the world and still living simply, you are right on. Making the world a better place doesn't have to be about doing big things. Giving back to your local community and cultivating meaningful relationships there are the most important ways to "make a difference."

Ryan Williams wrote: As far as contributing to the world and still living simply, you are right on. Making the world a better place doesn't have to be about doing big things. Giving back to your local community and cultivating meaningful relationships there are the most important ways to "make a difference."

Exactly. I've been volunteering at a local food coop for almost 10 years, and the connections I make there outweigh, uh, well, a very large weight. :P

Brandon Howard wrote:Ben Dover...where you at now man?

Maybe he's checking the birth certificates of everyone in Ohio.

Ryan Williams wrote: I will take between 8 and 10 weeks of paid holiday next year.

Shit man, what do you do? I need to switch careers.

David Barbour wrote: Shit man, what do you do? I need to switch careers.

Note that he's in London, good luck finding an American Co willing to give you that much paid time off.

Brandon Howard wrote: ...on another note Ben Dover...where you at now man? sure we wont hear from you for another four years...again

like I expected Johnson to win? just another day for me dudes. gotta get back to stocking the bunker. Cya in 4!

It's just that simple.

Olaf Mitchell wrote:

i wanna buy olaf a beer.

Speaking of rat race, I'm up at 2am for a 3am concrete pour and then working all day as usual after. Y'all have a good day.