Timber Hawkeye & minimalist living

[DNS]

Sufficient money does provide freedom.

I agree with this. You don't need to be super-wealthy as a lay man, but it helps to have sufficient money. If you're struggling to pay the rent or mortgage and to put food on the table for yourself and family, then it will be difficult (not impossible) to practice Dhamma, meditation. You might have to work 2 to 3 jobs making ends meet and then there's no time for attending programs or even practicing on your own.

Many financial advisors say it's not so much how much you make, but how much you keep. If we limit our cravings and purchases and get beyond the consumerist thinking, one can do pretty well on small income. Timber Hawkeye who wrote Buddhist Boot Camp advocates a minimalist living and abandoning consumerism and living simply. He calls his lifestyle "working part-time so I can live full-time." Here is his home in an RV:



Timber will be at my place on March 24 if anyone is nearby and wants to attend.

[LG2V]

Sufficient money does provide freedom.

I agree with this. You don't need to be super-wealthy as a lay man, but it helps to have sufficient money. If you're struggling to pay the rent or mortgage and to put food on the table for yourself and family, then it will be difficult (not impossible) to practice Dhamma, meditation. You might have to work 2 to 3 jobs making ends meet and then there's no time for attending programs or even practicing on your own.

Many financial advisors say it's not so much how much you make, but how much you keep. If we limit our cravings and purchases and get beyond the consumerist thinking, one can do pretty well on small income. Timber Hawkeye who wrote Buddhist Boot Camp advocates a minimalist living and abandoning consumerism and living simply. He calls his lifestyle "working part-time so I can live full-time." Here is his home in an RV:



Timber will be at my place on March 24 if anyone is nearby and wants to attend.

Thanks for sharing. It has got me thinking.

[DNS]

Thanks for sharing. It has got me thinking.

Yeah, it sounds like a pretty cool way to live, perhaps idealistic, but I think it could work. It would probably be hard or even impossible with a family but could work if you're single or just a couple. My wife and I had a small RV, but it wasn't our only home, we just used it for some trips around the Western states.

For someone who uses it as their only home, one saves on having no mortgage (if paid outright for the RV), no rent. I like the smaller ones like in this photo:



That way, you can park almost any where even in a housing neighborhood, supermarket parking lot, being pretty inconspicuous and not having to pay RV park hookup fees.

As small as they are, they still have full kitchens, tiny bathrooms even with a shower, sofa, beds, etc.

(I split this topic off from the other, so as not to take the other one off topic.)

[LG2V]

That's cool. I've never been an RV person, but it's plausable. $200/month for a mortgage in Southern California is amazing. I've paid a lot more for less out there lol.

[Disciple]

I've always been interested in minimalist living. Thanks for posting this DNS.

[Disciple]

Thanks for sharing. It has got me thinking.

Yeah, it sounds like a pretty cool way to live, perhaps idealistic, but I think it could work. It would probably be hard or even impossible with a family but could work if you're single or just a couple. My wife and I had a small RV, but it wasn't our only home, we just used it for some trips around the Western states.

For someone who uses it as their only home, one saves on having no mortgage (if paid outright for the RV), no rent. I like the smaller ones like in this photo:



That way, you can park almost any where even in a housing neighborhood, supermarket parking lot, being pretty inconspicuous and not having to pay RV park hookup fees.

As small as they are, they still have full kitchens, tiny bathrooms even with a shower, sofa, beds, etc.

(I split this topic off from the other, so as not to take the other one off topic.)

Not bad but those things are expensive as hell. They cost just as much as a brand new condo where I live.

[SarathW]

" Here is his home in an RV:

How is this different to a lifestyle of a gipsy?

[DNS]

Not bad but those things are expensive as hell. They cost just as much as a brand new condo where I live.

This is true, they are very expensive brand new. Perhaps a used version would be less expensive.

In spite of the high cost though there is still some advantages, for example it can be your home and car. The smaller RVs can double as your everyday car, so you don't need to own any other vehicles. And then with a condo there is electric bill, HOA fees, property taxes, etc. An RV has none of those expenses.

How is this different to a lifestyle of a gipsy?

Well, I'm not sure what the 'gypsy lifestyle' is, but for a Buddhist, it could represent minimalist living and the chance to travel more, perhaps 'Dharma-bumming' around to various Buddhist centers and temples, as time permits.

[SarathW]

perhaps 'Dharma-bumming' around to various Buddhist centers and temples, as time permits.

This sound like the life style of Anagarika Dharmapala.
I am dreaming of doing it!

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=anag ... 41&bih=702

[robertk]

last year my eldest daughter and her BF spent a year touring USA in one of those.
Stayed mainly at national parks but sometimes parked in suburban areas.

Might do it with my wife and younger children when I retire.

[LG2V]

" Here is his home in an RV:

How is this different to a lifestyle of a gipsy?

I think gypsies are viewed differently in The US than in Europe. I think lot of people in my part of The US would be somewhat indifferent to them.

[No_Mind]

How does one have a bank account, credit card account, share broker account, income tax return, insurance, medical insurance, phone without a permanent address?

Here one would not be allowed to have any of those things (and more) without a permanent address. One needs a permanent address to buy a train or plane ticket.



No_Mind

[DNS]

How does one have a bank account, credit card account, share broker account, income tax return, insurance, medical insurance, phone without a permanent address?

One could use a family member's address or a friend's address. Or in some states P O Box is allowed, while in other states it's not allowed. A P O Box is fairly inexpensive, around $10 per month or less for a small one. Now with almost everything online, one can do online banking and other transactions from any where.

[No_Mind]

How does one have a bank account, credit card account, share broker account, income tax return, insurance, medical insurance, phone without a permanent address?

One could use a family member's address or a friend's address. Or in some states P O Box is allowed, while in other states it's not allowed. A P O Box is fairly inexpensive, around $10 per month or less for a small one. Now with almost everything online, one can do online banking and other transactions from any where.

Hmm, none of those things are allowed here. One needs a bona fide own address .. either proof of ownership or proof of renting .. or no bank account etc .. Unless one is a monk or sadhu in which case they do not have any need for bank account or credit card account or insurance and therefore no need for permanent address.



No_Mind

[binocular]

And then with a condo there is electric bill, HOA fees, property taxes, etc. An RV has none of those expenses.

You still have to pay for the gasoline, the propane, the water, the batteries, and you have to dump your waste water and your garbage somewhere (so that someone else pays for them?).

I haven't researched this in detail, but roughly, it seems that it would be cheaper to pay for the kitchen gas, electricity, and water in an ordinary house or apartment, than to buy them in relatively small amounts for the RV.


That said, I'm all for minimalist living and always have been. That means, among other things, growing as much of my food myself as possible, being vegetarian and eating simply, composting, being frugal with electricity, money, water, having less stuff.