Early Retirement Extreme

Financial independence, frugality, self-sufficiency, ecology, capitalism, and voluntary simplicity

15 baby steps towards voluntary consumerism

Published in July 11th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism, voluntary simplicity

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Lately I has been made clear to me that a life without buying things can not possibly make me happy. For one, I also realized that people would have a hard time knowing what I stand for when I [...]

My favorite writings of March 2008

Published in April 2nd, 2008

Posted by Jacob in announcements, voluntary simplicity

3 Comments

I just saw a comment on another site that ERExtreme is really a minimalist blog claiming to be a personal finance blog. This is probably true. I have not been writing much about personal finance, since for me it is mostly a solved problem. Live in a consumer culture where salaries are high, but defy [...]

Minimalist inspirations

Published in March 27th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, ecological footprint, voluntary simplicity

6 Comments

I find great utility in being a minimalist. Having less stuff makes it easier to maintain, move, and store. This frees both precious time and money, which can be used to reach a higher standard of living(*) Forsooth, I can not rationalize the tendency to accumulate stuff for the sake off stuff at the expense [...]

Programmers, ultra-marathons, and voluntary simplicity

Published in February 22nd, 2008

Posted by Jacob in motivation, rat race, standard of living, voluntary simplicity

11 Comments

I just rediscovered the simple living network thanks to a blog by Fred Ecks(*). As far as I have been able to understand he decided to quit his job as a programmer at age 35 and adopt a simple lifestyle. He now spends time renovating a sail boat and doing ultra-marathons.
Sounds eerily familiar. Here’s [...]

Downsizing by giving to charity

Published in February 14th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in charity, household, voluntary simplicity

10 Comments

Sometimes when my brain is busted from the triple whammy of work, studying, and writing, and I can’t find the motivation to go stick handling in the garage, I start pacing the room restlessly. My next step is to dash (yes, I run indoors because it gets the dog hyper) into a random room and [...]

The inexpensive home gym - part 2

Published in January 27th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in fitness, voluntary simplicity

No Comments

First a note on safety! When ordinary people starts telling me that what I’m doing looks “unsafe”, I just know that I am doing the right thing . Forsooth, something is only unsafe if you don’t know what you are doing. Actually, from a risk management perspective, I think it is less safe to [...]

How I became financially independent in 5 years - Part III

Published in January 17th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in cost of living, financial independence, household, motivation, personal finance, recycling, voluntary simplicity

13 Comments

I posit that most people can attain financial independence in less than 10 years and in less than 5 if they are truly determined. I also submit that many people are not willing to make the necessary changes.
Read part I here
Read part II here
Having just graduated with a PhD and paired everything [...]

Making socks last

Published in January 11th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in DIY, clothing, frugal, recycling, voluntary simplicity

3 Comments

Get identical socks. First of all, they are easier to pair up after doing the laundry. More importantly though, if one sock fails you don’t have to throw out the pair or wear mismatched socks like Pippi Longstockings. Simply pair it with another sock. I don’t think you have to be a mathematician to appreciate [...]

The inexpensive home gym - part 1

Published in January 10th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in fitness, voluntary simplicity

5 Comments

The Million Dollar Journey had an article on building a home gym that consisted of a power rack with a bench and barbell and a treadmill. While I am positively convinced that treadmills are useless, the power rack combo is one of the best solutions if one desires to focus on the three power lifts. [...]

Clotheslines

Published in December 26th, 2007

Posted by Jacob in clothing, frugal, voluntary simplicity

9 Comments

A clothesline is not just a wrestling move on WWE Monday Night Raw, it also used to be a place where people hung their wet clothes out to dry. The concept is uniquely simple. When the washing cycle is done, clothes are hung up on a taught string until they are dry. Sometimes pegs are [...]

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