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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by CorrodedCranium@leminal.space to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

In communities dedicated to everyday carry items like wallets, knives, and electronics you'll frequently see community favorites that kind of act as the standard.

That and memes like the photo I linked made me think about a community of pseudo minimalist people who focus on living with portability or functionality in mind. Things like sleeping in a sleeping bag on a cot, relying on a docked laptop for gaming, or only using a single bowl for a majority of your meals.

It's a bit of a long shot and odd question but I'd be interested to see what they're passionate about.

Before people make Reddit style quips I'm not talking about not being well off or homeless. I'm also not really talking about people who have to move for work like truck drivers or people who stay in hotels. More like easily being able to move

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[-] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 49 points 2 months ago

That's pretty close to what most people would call Van Life. There are massive communities around that.

[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 14 points 2 months ago

Thanks but that's still kind of on the fringe of what I'm looking for. I feel like that's more about working within the confines of the van rather than living effectively.

Someone trying that might be stuck using a hotplate but they could still have a decent sized mattress and gaming setup for example if that makes sense. It seems more like living densely

[-] PrimeMinisterKeyes@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Maybe I'm missing something here, but plenty of folks - blue collar workers, technicians, engineers - have away jobs where they work in different places for weeks or months at a time, and there are landlords who specialize in providing this clientele with bare-bones furnished apartments. I've been there, too - in fact, one year during the pandemic, I had spent just a bit more than half of my time working and living in a place away from home.

[-] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 39 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Did they run out of money?

[-] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 37 points 2 months ago

Id probably slide the TV stand closer to that outlet. You can at least attempt to hide wires.

[-] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

At the least, the chair should be properly squared with the TV.

[-] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Agree. All these wires make the room look rather messy.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 29 points 2 months ago

How awful. That cable management makes my eyes hurt.

[-] Rolando@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

Cable management is for work. In my happy place, I just let my cables run wild.

[-] deranger@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago

Cable management inside my PC case vs cable management behind my desk. The former is close to immaculate, the latter is no fucks given.

[-] RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I took the time to dress the back of my desk, and all cables are routed appropriately, but there are SO many of them it still looks like spaghetti.

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[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 months ago

So talking about portability, I had a job in another city, I would do some of it from home like CAD work and then drive into town a few days a week to run machine tools etc. I had a system of bags I lived out of. My backpack which contained my laptop and my portable "office," my tool bag in which I have a wide variety of capability, and a duffel bag with clothing, toiletries and such to keep a man running for 3 days. I could carry all three at once with a free hand and I can be ready for a 4 day, 3 night away mission in minutes.

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[-] mayo@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I'm portable because I like the idea of being able to move without it being a big project. I think most people are utilitarian in that they buy things that address a specific problem they have, though maybe people who like minimalist ideas would have a different threshhold for what constitutes a 'problem' and favour products that address multiple problems in the simplest way.

When I moved I did sleep in a sleeping bag for a bit, but practically it's much easier to wash a duvet cover than a sleeping bag. Same goes for hammock vs. bed. My bowl situation started at 1, but I ended up washing this one bowl all the time and it felt wasteful and effortful. I still do eat breakfast out of the pot, but I would argue it's the best solution and others should copy me :) I'll happily sit in one chair for a couple years before deciding a second chair or a couch is a requirement.

I think over a long period of time I'll still be minimal, but have more specific things. It is genuinely more pleasant to eat salad from a salad size bowl/plate, pasta from a pasta bowl, soup or cereal from a cereal bowl, a latte from a latte mug, etc. Minimalism to me will always be about min/maxing items to squeeze the most joy out of life because I need that lift. Being spartan is hard living.

[-] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 18 points 2 months ago

Have you looked into vanlife groups? It's not the same exactly, but most of the items they use should translate pretty well to nomadicish apartment life

[-] Preflight_Tomato@lemm.ee 16 points 2 months ago

Second this. Vanlife stuff is focused on size, mass, durability, efficiency, replaceability, repairability, modularity, price. There is nothing better than vanlife videos for learning how to live minimally within an apartment.

Some additional tips,

  • folding furniture.
  • Human baseline happiness returns to set points. Remove something non-essential and you may be sad at first, but will eventually stop caring.
  • No couch or TV: if it cant fit on/in my car or is fragile, I’m not buying it.
  • if you don’t mind appearing “poor”, you may realize that the products that best fit all the above criteria are just basic things from walmart, target, etc. Those folding plastic tables and metal bed frames, plastic tubs and drawers, actually solve their problems 90% as well as traditional products at 10% the price, while being readily available everywhere. You don’t worry about damaging them either.
  • take or leave advice. Maybe you want a nice desk. I have a nice office chair. It will be hard to move, but it’s worth it. The point is you can be minimal in unimportant areas.
[-] reallyzen@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 months ago

Prius Dwellers are probably the most hardcore at that

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[-] ApollosArrow@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You’ll want to maybe start looking into some Asian cultures. There is a lot of minimalism there, like this guy. He is able to pack and move to a new home in 13min and moves every year. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XBQBKseozuY

There are also some people who try their best to make it look like there is nothing in their apartment, but it’s really a full on transformer

https://youtu.be/v1MVqwvOqvY?si=Q4FTQPlFwSaeQton

https://youtu.be/daL7TkzyW7k?si=6lmHuvXCQ3y-XC-6

https://youtube.com/shorts/p1z7AAMxR9g?si=BUEDiIJztlnfDRve

There is also a youtube channel called Never Too Small https://youtube.com/@nevertoosmall?si=T1bOX4Sc6FQuqZvg

[-] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

FYI all of your links are the same video!

Mr. Sibu is so cool! It's a very different way of living than any I've seen before. I don't think it's as doable in the suburbs of the U.S. as it is in a proper city.

Does make me think just how much junk I have cluttering the place up. Hmm.

[-] ApollosArrow@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Damn phone! Thank you for letting me know. I’ve updated my post.

And yes, it would be much harder outside of cities.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

I don't think it's as doable in the suburbs of the U.S. as it is in a proper city.

I've read a few times that suburbs are horribly wasteful and inefficient to live, work, commute, or support for infrastructure. I'm not saying we should get rid of the suburbs so everyone can live sensibly, but I will tell you to get rid of the suburbs to save the planet (and live sensibly) :-D

30-floor mixed-use towers clustered around the subway entrance, with parks around that, and agri/nature space around that. No bungalow burbs.

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[-] Bonsoir@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

This is actually inspiring. Not sure most poeple could afford installations like in the second video though. And the guy in the first video did have a point; it would be hard to share this lifestyle with someone else, or even just to invite friends at home up to a certain point.

[-] Blaze@sopuli.xyz 15 points 2 months ago

You can probably crosspost on !minimalism@lemmy.world. It's pretty quiet, but you might get additional answers

[-] compostgoblin@slrpnk.net 15 points 2 months ago

There was (is?) a subreddit called /r/onebag that might be like this. It was sort of minimalism taken to the extreme of condensing your possessions to a single bag. Definitely some overlap with the digital nomad community too

[-] Alpha71@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

Lets be honest. Most people buy stuff to impress other people. At this stage in my life I have no fucks to give about that any more.

[-] yoevli@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Speak for yourself. I buy stuff for my apartment because I want it to feel homey; I don't really care what other people think of it as long as it looks presentable.

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[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

I was going to post a Reddit style quip of bachelor stereotypes. I furnished my apartment like this when I was freshly graduated and again when I moved cities. But the difference there is it’s not really intentional, but other priorities. When you’re just starting out, where do you spend your money and time, and what do you care about?

I got a bed when the carpeted floor was uncomfortable. I got a second bowl when I was annoyed having to wash the first one so frequently. Hell, I didn’t graduate from a duffle to a suitcase until my gf at the time made me. It’s not about being minimalist but not having the need or the money

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[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

That carpet has too many... uh, "colors."

[-] elvith@feddit.org 7 points 2 months ago

The issue is, that you can’t easily reach the fridge so you can’t get a new can of beer without getting up

[-] bighatchester@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

You need a sofa for when you have girls over but other than that I see nothing wrong .

[-] Fluffy_Ruffs@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago
[-] CorrodedCranium@leminal.space 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's not an issue. Just a meme that's common and demonstrates kind of what I'm after.

The person who owns that living room might just have gone after a really comfy chair over a couch which might be more typical for example. It feels kind of within the realm of minimalism and more focused on the utility of the space

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I'm not seeing a question in there. What are you actually asking?

Edit:

After clarification, I do have an answer, albeit second hand.

I actually know a small group of people that adhere to a very minimalist, portable lifestyle.

They essentially live out of two vehicles, a van and an old station wagon. They'll settle down in a town long enough to do some work, gather funds, and move on whenever they get bored, or can't get jobs.

They've been at it for maybe twenty years? Certainly after 2k. I met them through a friend that fronts a band, as the group I'm talking about are all musicians, and do some busking as well as session work among their other talents.

Supposedly, they started out just following bands around, the way people used to with the Grateful Dead, but not a single specific band. I know they hit festivals across the U.S., including some of the less music festivals like the rainbow gathering.

But, when they're in a town/city, they'll get a hotel, start looking for a short term rental they can use for a crash pad/bath/kitchen and then start working. Most places, they know people in the various scenes and subcultures, so it's pretty easy for them to get going. I've let them park at my place a few times, though it's been a while, and I don't know I would now. They tend to still want to party a bit much for my household to handle currently

But each person only really owns what they can carry in the van. They do have stuff that they stash here and there, like some spare gear they keep at the studio my musician friend has. They've got some camping gear they share as a group.

Anyway, the point is that while they're a group, they do keep their lives extremely minimalist even when they're "settled" in one place for a year or so. The kind of minimalist in the meme you used, only no TV, and usually no real furniture at all.

Like, they dropped into my town maybe eight years ago, and stayed for maybe six months because one of their parents lives in the next town over and needed some help, and one of my uncles was willing to rent to them super cheap. The few times I went over, I had to bring my own chair. They ended up buying two beds, and some kitchen gear, which they left behind when they moved on. They also left the place spotless, which made my uncle quite happy compared to the crap that would happen when he would usually rent that place out (it's just a spare trailer he inherited and put on the edge of his farm) to family.

They're all in their mid to late forties now, and the last I talked to any of them, they don't intend to settle down until they don't have a choice. They supposedly put money aside into retirement accounts and such, but I dunno.

Their whole thing is about rejecting the idea of permanence, of being locked down into one place and being "owned by the shit we own". Anything that isn't essential, they leave behind, or sell off when they move along.

[-] mayo@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

They're wondering if there is a subset of the minimalist community whose goals are specifically nomadic.

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

Ahhhh, that makes sense now. Thanks

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[-] lurch@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

i have a table

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Whenever I see an image with this caption, it usually looks mostly fine but seems like something about it would cause neck pain. Usually it's because the TV is on the floor, but this time it's because it looks to me like sitting comfortably in that chair and leaning back would require craning your neck to view the TV.

Also, I can't tell for sure, but the chair looks like it's a recliner. If so, it seems like reclining would bump into the bar area. Might be misjudging that, though.

[-] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I have two kids and a clutter bug wife in an apartment with me. I wish I could keep me living room this clear and simple

[-] andros_rex@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Yes. I have very limited/cheap furniture. Almost everything I own comes from discount stores or thrifts. I don’t have an attachment to any of it. I’m debating going the Peace Corps so I don’t really want to own anything that I’ll have to pay to store.

Something that I’ve found works well for sleeping is a tatami mat and futon mattress. It’s best if you can air out the mattress and mat outside occasionally. But you can fold and roll both. You can also stack up layers of those $4 Walmart fleece blankets to adjust coverage.

[-] Etterra@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I have a bunch of bookshelves, and all that empty wall space hurts to look at.

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this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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