part0015

Now more than at any other time in human history, as stated in the last chapter, we are inundated and brainwashed with advertising. It continues to infiltrate Internet algorithms and our lives. Embracing a less-is-more mindset means living with an awareness of these things. Pretending they don't exist is not a recommended approach. It is a part of our world.

And just to magnify that message a little more, the people in your life are getting these messages too. So it is often not just about managing your responses to these things, it is about managing the expectations of those around you. This is a key point to consider.

There are many benefits that come to you when you choose to simplify your life and live with less. In this chapter, I will draw from a lot of my personal experiences, and how I am living my life now. Of course, it could be said that I choose to live my life with much less than perhaps a lot of other minimalists. So my examples may provide a wider perspective of what less is more actually looks like for some people.

As stated earlier in the book, I took a pay-out from my long-term government job, and gave away and sold about 80% of my possessions back in 2014. I also stopped renting, and I sold my car. I reduced my monthly memberships and expenditure, dramatically cut back on everything, and started the journey that I am still on now. Most would agree it was an abrupt and rather extreme response to managing what was, at the time, a personal debt I wanted to remove entirely and quickly from my life.

To add a little more context to the above, my credit rating back then was, and still very much is, in excellent shape. In fact, I still get lots of banks trying to give me credit cards and loans. As far as they were concerned, I was a good customer who always paid on time. My whole experience during that time was a proactive one. I knew I needed to change a few things, and I was always a step ahead, and a plan B ahead of that.

In my mind though, I had made the connection that I wanted to get off the bandwagon of personal debt and being tied to a system. It was much more than that, though. I knew simplifying my life, setting new goals, and trusting in life, and myself, was my ticket to new beginnings and opportunities. The thought of living with less excited me. I felt alive, and although I certainly wasn't a hoarder or accumulator of stuff, I felt a weight literally fall off my shoulders when I released a lot of that stuff.

I travel lighter. I am able to make decisions about life and change direction very quickly. If I want to go somewhere I can. What possessions I do have are stored basically in several large plastic bins. Add a bike to that, a bit of fishing gear, a PC, and that is my life as it is right now.

In terms of money, my costs and living expenses have dropped dramatically. I don't usually pay rent (apart from one three-month rental required recently for a work contract), as I operate my own house-sitting and pet-sitting business. I don't run a car, I don't have unnecessary memberships, and I don't have debts or owe anyone any money.

In terms of savings power, when I am working contracts, I can save more money in one week than I could before in one month. I have researched and identified the best banking institutions that give me the best interest rates and free ATM withdrawals.

As for technology and communications? I have my PC, and a mobile phone. I sourced the best deal I could on a mobile provider with the best access and coverage available to go with it. The Internet is a wonderful resource for this lifestyle.

When I travel, I often use online-based services that enable travelers to work for food and accommodation. I did this for nearly eight months in the UK in 2015. I also seek the cheapest travel options. Discount airlines, trains and bus services certainly saved me a lot of money. I also made use of bikes wherever I stayed to move around the wider areas.

When I am living locally, my main transport is my mountain bike. I also walk, and I take buses. As I am often looking after people’s properties, I get access to a vehicle, that is, if I choose to use it. When I am in places where public transport isn't great, I hitch a ride. Please note that I do not endorse or recommend hitch-hiking. It is a personal choice that I choose to take in my life at certain times, and in certain circumstances.

I now control when I work, and for how long. As mentioned earlier, I had a good job with very good conditions, and a lot of flexibility built in to it, at least in relative terms to other employment. But I was still locked in to a system. These days it is my choice what I do and when I do it. Naturally there are times when I do choose to work a contract, but it is now for a definitive set time only. The dynamic has changed. The lifestyle shift is clear. My life is more mine now that it ever has been before.

I am now much more aligned to doing the things I want to do. Yes, there are still limitations around this, but being self-employed means I am calling the shots in my life and creating my own way forward. I am not locked in to a system.

Environmentally, my carbon footprint is so much smaller than it was. Whilst I am environmentally minded, and love the natural world, I do not preach this to others. I merely mention it here as an obvious by-product of living life the way I do. I have always been mindful of my impact; however I have never been fundamental about it.

I now view my life differently. I no longer seek to design my life around the working year. I now do not need to request or depend on others to grant me permission to take my holidays, or to negotiate time off. Because I am doing a lot of the things I want to do, I don't feel the need to be focused on this. I now have a vision of the places I want to go to, and the flexibility in my life enables me to have multiple choices. I respond to life as it happens, and how I am creating it.

I get to write and study more. I am able to further develop my ideas and identify new streams of income. Because I don't have the financial pressures, real or imagined, I once had, I am much more relaxed about my need to work for work’s sake. In simple-speak, I have moved away from the status quo and I have created new ways of living life.

The advantage of living this way, is that it gives me multiple approaches to work and live by. Knowing and experiencing that you can streamline your life and live on much less, empowers you with a knowledge that you have more options available to you.

Another advantage of living my life the way I do is that I get to look after people’s pets. As a child, I was lucky enough to have several dogs. These days I get to have a number of dogs in my life. In fact, I have had more pets in my life in the last several years than I ever had before. A wonderful by-product of the lifestyle I live.

In terms of my fitness and health, I now workout outdoors. Whilst this does have its limitations, particularly in colder weather, it provides me with fresh air and an ongoing discipline to remain fit and lean. I generally locate outdoor fitness parks to work out in. If there is a chin-up bar there, and a parallel-dip bar, I am able to adapt a workout that works my upper body. As I generally ride my bike, my lower body and my fitness levels are maintained at a good functional level.

I have also used equipment in public parks that is designed for children to play on. I look to see how I can adapt my workout to use the equipment I have in front of me. Generally speaking, I can find a way to do body-weight exercises like chin-ups and dips. There is always a way.

And food? My weekly spend is around $50. I eat basic, healthy food. I buy either quality generic brands that are much cheaper, or food on special. I make sure that the foods I do eat have multiple brand options where possible. This enables me to choose the best deal on any given shopping day. And since I don't buy alcohol, smoke, or do drugs, I do not need to buy any of these things.

Off on a tangent a little with this, the main benefit of less is more for me, is when I travel and I am staying with other people. It opens me up to eating many different kinds of foods. It might sound an obvious point to make, but a benefit here is that as a minimalist, you accept what is on offer. Fortunately for me, I eat just about anything anyway.

When I did reduce my expenditure, I did suspend my private health cover. Because I live in Australia, our Medicare health system is pretty good, so for now at least, that is what I rely upon. As I am also a British citizen, I know that when I travel to the UK, I also have access to the public National Health Service if I need to use it. It's good to have options.

And just a quick note regarding travel insurance in regards to covering health. If you are traveling overseas, do your research on credit cards that offer travel insurance. This may be one way to get some cover without buying it directly. Note that you will need to check the conditions of the travel insurance as a lot do vary. In short, it may be a possible option. And to be clear, this is not a recommendation or advice.