Simplifying Life.

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Why do we complicate our lives in un-neccessary gadgets which cost a fortune and we don't need?
Isn't a simpler life stress free?

Not everyone finds the same things stressful

You have the choice of what you do with your cash.

Well for me i can't life tech free because most of my interests relate to tech. Also, I can't make friends in real life, so I have to look elsewhere (on the internet) for companionship. I'd also like to point out a simplier life isn't always stress free. If you abandon all civilization and go into the wilderness with nothing. It's going to be more stressful than without gadgets and modern technology. However i can understand why you feel this way. Personally I thought this was more along the lines of overcomplicating life. Which I do all the time. Of course you are of a different generation, than me. You are atleast 40+ if not older so we are bound to have different views on modern gadgets.
HOWEVER people do overspend on gadgets they don't need. You don't need the new iPhone every year. You don't need the a top of the line computer. You don't need an iPad Mini, and iPad Air, and an iPad pro. People tend to overspend on gadgets a-lot.

I have found that the more gadgets we have, the more it costs to buy them (So potentially the more work one has to put in to be able to buy them etc).
Think of a modern car compared to an older car. It is slightly more efficient and slightly more reliable (Not always!), BUT if it does break down it requires great expertize and great cost, while the older simpler car usually requires much less cost and not so much expertize to fit it.... And the more gadetry we fit to a car the more there is that can go wrong.

I don't have a lot of gadgets, but I've been working towards a practice of minimalism in general for a few years and have been getting rid of anything I don't think of as necessary for my life. I'm not there yet, but I think it is freeing and helps solidify what is important to me.

My friends think I'm a bit nuts for some of the things I don't own anymore, but now I focus on what makes me happy. I never used to use my "formal" living room or dining room because they didn't suit my lifestyle. I sold the living room and dining room furniture and turned the rooms into plant rooms. Now I spend a lot of time in those rooms and they make me happy.

I got rid of most of my clothes because I only dress for comfort and end up wearing the same few things over and over again. Laundry doesn't get nearly as backed up anymore. I got rid of my books and my bookcase because I prefer audiobooks and I can download them from the library. I got rid of most of my dishes, silverware, and cooking stuff and maintain a simple diet. Even if I don't keep up with the dishes, they don't create a lot of clutter in the sink.

It makes me happy every time I find something else I can get rid of.

100% agree with you on the car thing. I've never understood why we need electronic everything in a car. The Great thing about life is that it has many possibilities. You can be a tech developer or you can be a wild man and go as far from civilization as possible. Life is great like that. Life is as simple or complicated as you make it. If I could spend everyday by water with a swing that'd be the perfect thing for me. If you don't want to do it don't do it. A lot of people (neurotypical included) get to focused on gadgets. They need to get the latest gadgets or they feel left out. They are to focused on new things they want and not what they already have. If people just focused on what they have instead of what they want the world would be a much better place.

What I don't like is where the only option to buy i to simplicity is by buying secondhand.

I feel the same way about social media. Facebook and Twitter are more than enough for me. Don't need the aggravation of dealing with Instagram, Parler, VSCO and all the others. Gen. Y can have them.

I can definitely subscribe to such lifestyle.

Yet my house doesn't. They take fancy of the idea of fancy things. It's frustrating.


It probably prevented my mom and sister to actually make a real investment.

But no, they stick to make needless things fancier.
To a point that at least a decent fraction of the house's space is practically a dumping ground for old things -- electronics, clothes, furnitures, disorganized and neglected crap...

Had I've been outright intolerant, I'd probably burned everything to the ground.
Maybe I should've done so already, but I didn't.


I wish I have my own space to stay away from these things.
I could care less about what others in the house are up to or their agendas are, I don't want anything to do with them and their mess.

I admire your steps toward simplicity very much. I wish I were as courageous as you. I especially like your plant room.

i live in a crowded tin can so i can't get a lot of gizmos that other people take for granted. no cell phone, no tablet. do have a desktop PC which is mandatory for my avocation [and occasional paying gig] of audio restoration. the one field i expend resources on is audio. everything else is reuse or repurpose. my walking shoes are about a decade old or more, held together with string and duct tape. 23 year old honda CRV. mebbe 3 or 4 pair of slacks. a worn-out and re-stitched together bathrobe. a 1974 Sharp microwave oven i inherited from my folks. same year of stereo speakers filling out the rear soundfield of my system. the only thing keeping me from simple is i'm a packrat. a hoarder.

I agree! I definitely consider myself a minimalist and do not own very much. I don't own a car at all, though I have in the past. In fact, I would think that everything in the apartment I live in now that actually belongs to me could easily fit into a couple of large backpacks or duffel bags. And since I hate the idea of being tied down to one place, I love it that way! Sadly though, my partner is definitely not a minimalist and likes lots and lots of stuff. But to each his/her own!

Sometimes I wonder if I never really feel the need to buy much stuff because I very rarely watch commercials.

Good post.
In today's modern society(at least here in the United States, IDK about other western places), technology & gadgets are very common & even may be almost essential for literal survival. LOTS of jobs involve more modern technology. Jobs not involving any modern technology are rare. It is also next to impossible to obtain any job if you are not able to use the internet. Even jobs that do not involve modern technology require apps to be submitted online & people use the net to find out about jobs in their area. After the pandemic started schools in the US switched to online learning so some modern technology is essential for education rite now. About the only ways someone can get by with no modern technology is if someone lives in the woods, in an Amish community, or if almost all their living needs are managed by others. Our heavy reliance on technology encourages & even pressures others into using it which increases our reliance on technology even more so it becomes a cycle.

As for myself, My parents were very poor when they 1st got married but they gradually moved their way up to lower middle class through lots of hard work. As a result my parents have always worried about money. They're OK with spending money on needed things but they try to save a lot as well. I never had a lot of stuff growing up. I had a bit but a lot of my peers had at least a bit more. I didn't get a CD player till the mid 90s & we didn't get a computer & internet till I graduated high-school in 2001. Getting internet after I graduated was probably more about concern for me thou, like they were worried I'd spend all my time on there looking at porn & doing things that could get me & my parents in trouble. I took a computer applications class in 10th grade(it was required) & everyone in my class was a lot better than me because they all had internet at home for at least a couple years whereas I had no background so there was a major learning curve.
I have various mental & some physical disabilities in addition to my Aspergers so I'm on benefits & haven't worked in a LONG time & the jobs I had were federal minimum wage type stuff when I did work. I always been a bit behind with technology & never had a lot of stuff. I did deck out & spend alot on a computer 1ce but that was over 10 years ago & I'm still using it. I wanted something that would last a long time & I managed to save up enough by living with my parents & not having many bills & expenses. I never expected the computer to last this long thou. It has some issues & is slow sometimes & cant play 4K vids. I'm still using it cuz I haven't been able to afford buying a new one. I moved in with my girlfriend 7 & a half years ago & I have a lot more expenses. I also ran up aLOT of credit card debt in the last few years that I cant pay. I have NO excuse as for how I got in that mess. My girlfriend also ran up alot of CC debt. Her depression got worse & that & maybe a combo with meds made her impulse control worse. A bit of what she bought was things for her family cuz they have various mental disabilities they're dealing with & they have little money & they & Cass need things to feel better in the heat of the moment. Thankfully Cass is threading water with her debt for now. As for my debt, thankfully the last two months of Social Security payments are not garnishable(I researched) & I don't really have any other assets that can be taken away from me. I really do want a job so I can gradually pay my debt off as well as Cass's some & maybe have a little extra so I can buy a new desktop & afford a hair transplant as well as improving my credit. A job could potentially be helpful for my mental & physical health as well. However I really don't know how to go about finding a job where I'll make under a certain amount so I'll be able to keep my benefits. Vermont's minimum wage is a bit higher than the federal. The last couple years have been hell in some ways for Cass & I really needed to be around for her. We moved a little over half a year ago & around the time we were finally getting settled in, the pandemic sh!t started. Sorry for the rambling.

As for as having gadgets & technology goes, I loved watching TV, playing video-games, & listening to music since I was a kid & teen. They're a way to destress, relax, kill time, & have things in common with my peers. I don't really care about the common interests with peers thing nowadays & I'm not into vid games like I used to be but I still have em & play sometimes. I also really like having the internet to socialize with others(like this forum & I used to be chatting on messenger programs alot) & the net is also a good way to research things & to buy things online to be delivered(I'm not talking about ordering tech stuff but essential things to use around the house & for our pets). Cellphones can be a good way to stay in touch with others & use the net while your out. I guess I do think tech & gadgets can be very useful & even essential sometimes but I'm also concerned about the environment & exploitation of the workers. Things should be built to last a while & they should be made where people can repair & upgrade things if need be instead of forcing people to replace the whole d@mn thing whenever something starts getting old or having other issues.

I do not have a car, a smartphone, a TV, a freezer or a microwave, and I don't feel deprived for that lack. On the other hand, I DO have 5 ukeleles and over a thousand books, so I'm not quite living the minimalist dream....

can you tell me the salient features of your ukuleles? i have one modest quality baritone number. i found it easier to learn to play, than the smaller ones, as i have big hands and long arms.

^One soprano, one concert, one oversized tenor, one baritone, and one strange 5-stringed number from the Canary Islands which I found in a charity shop. It's cheaper than collecting guitars! The concert and baritone get most use.

One of my collegues gets a lot of stick for spending her meagre pay on various wierd beauty treatments. I don't join in the mockery. If eyebrow tattoos are what she wants, to me that's no more or less sensible than my uke collection or the 40-inch flatscreen TV that most normal people have as standard.