20 rules for how to live like a king for very little--fun list

an oldie but a goodie, on how to live a frugal life, but I just love the one that says,

Don’t have kids. They’re not miracles, they’re people. Seven billion is too fucking many. Find some other way to give your dull existence some meaning. BTW they’re expensive

I never understood creating people to give your life meaning instead of connecting w/ adults IRL to do the same thing. But I guess you have more control of it if youre dealing with a person dependent on you. But this connection seems to make you an indentured servant, chained to a job you despise, busy work schlepper, and a taxi driver chauffer. Hard pass. Give your life meaning by volunteering helping people already on planet...but the thing is...most parents are not as unselfish and altruistic as they claim, that's why nobody volunteers and just keeps themselves busy with their own DNA extensions.

As I said, this is old, but I totally agree about cable too, when I was younger so many people thought they were big shots or something with cable, sure a couple shows were good, but most of it was random garbage. Originally, it was supposed be low/no ads, lots less censorship, but that's all ya got in the long run anyway. I had friends/fam living paycheck to paycheck but still paying over $200 a month in cable (and that was way back when!). Insanity. If I got bored at home, in good weather I went out and exercised. Or, actually called a friend and met them for coffee/drink and connect with a good human. My childed friends were at work all day anyway and running around taking their kids places after work, then dinner and bathtime, When were they getting the money's worth out of this cable bill, IDK.



1. Don’t smoke cigarettes.

2. Drive old Japanese cars. Easy and cheap to fix and they run for fucking ever.

3. Buy most of your groceries from the produce section. Most of that other shit is not actually food. You don’t need it.

4. Ride your bike instead of driving as much as you can. You need the exercise and gas is expensive.

5. Don’t have kids. They’re not miracles, they’re people. Seven billion is too fucking many. Find some other way to give your dull existence some meaning. BTW they’re expensive.

6. Get your clothes from thrift stores. With the physique you’ll have from riding your bike, you’ll look hot wearing anything.

7. Learn to fix things. Tons of great books and Youtube vids on fixing anything. Or ask an old dude. People used to fix things. No shit.

8. Learn a trade – Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, auto mechanics, tailoring, computer/electronics repair, something they can’t fucking outsource. No one gives a shit about your Masters in Dostoyevsky…. fix something, dumbass, fix something!

9. If you like booze, drink at home with your neighbours. Drunk driving is for assholes, rich ones with lawyers.

10. Do people favours. It’s called co-operation. It’s how the world worked before money. They will return the favour, or someone will. No shit. This really works.

11. Make things – look around you. What do you see? Yah, shitty stuff made by impoverished enslaved people far away. Pick anything. Make a better one. People want good shit. You won’t get rich, but you’ll get by.

12. If you live in America – don’t get sick and avoid injury. Wear your fucking helmet and put lights on your bike.

13. Find work you love. If you can’t do that, then find a job where you love the people.

14. Junkies and addicts are like toddlers. They just want to shit all over you and everything. The messes they make can get expensive. Avoid them if you can.

15. Don’t buy shit on credit, remember what happened to America? Cash only, fuckers. Can’t afford it? Don’t fucking buy it!

16. Preventable expenses - STD’s, abortions, DWI’s, lung cancer, head injuries, speeding tickets, cirrhosis of the liver.

17. Don’t go on fancy dates if you’re not fancy. Most people kind of despise the rich anyway.

18. When you go see shows, bring a flask in. That way you can afford to buy a record.

19. If you had told me 15 years ago that Coca Cola would put tap water in plastic bottles and motherfuckers would BUY IT... No fuckin way.

20. Don’t get cable. Asshole. There is nothing on. I promise. $100 a month ? Fuck no!


https://pilerats.com/news/how-to-live-like-a-king-by-thor-harris/

I like the list. I do most of these things already except I'm guilty of #1. I smoke and it's been a struggle to quit although I have to for health reasons.

I don't drive a car, have kids, and I buy most of my stuff from thrift stores. I go easy on the things I own so they can last me decades. I think some old shit that I have still hanging in my closet that I bought 30 years ago will probably be back in style again soon, haha.

I've also found Youtube to be a great way to learn to fix and service things. I recently had to do a minor repair on my dishwasher and it saved me $$. Most shit isn't difficult unless it's something like plumbing or electrical.

I don't understand all this crazy, aesthetically bland, overconsumeristic shit that's floating all over the place. It's absolutely ridiculous.

An added bonus to thrifting is sometimes finding a rare, valuable treasure that can be resold for much more money than you paid for it. I have a few things like that.

I also cook my meals at home. It's healthier, tastier and better. If I feel like it, I batch cook and toss prepared meals in the freezer.

I may be totally out of touch, but so many young people complain about the cost of housing and stuff (I agree it's high, but it's always been pretty high), yet a lot of them overextend themselves financially by ordering ready-made foods, driving expensive vehicles, having fancy phone plans and having kids. Unless you're extremely wealthy, you can't have everything you want in life and people need to learn to prioritize.

The thing about #7 is that we live in a complicated society. Not everyone can have expertise about everything (if they did, tip #8 would be useless!). Even in medieval times, you had the blacksmith, the wheelwright, the potter, the weaver, and so on. If your metal linchpin broke, you didn't try to repair it yourself, you took it to the blacksmith. It isn't necessary or useful for each person to have the ability to repair everything.

To me, the important point is that repair is better than recycle or replace. It doesn't mean that you have to do it all yourself, ideally there will be people with that expertise (see point #8) that you can hire, which you can pay for by focusing on your own expertise (either by barter or by earning money to pay for it). I could spend all my free time trying to learn how to repair a leaking pipe, and that's not going to help me when the next problem I have is a broken window.

Besides, what about #13? What if I don't love a job in the trades and love doing something else instead, and am good at it, and it is marketable?

I definitely agree on #10. I have that kind of relationship with my neighbors.

#15 I somewhat agree on, but some things are out of reach and yet can be beneficial in the long term - like education and a mortgage. But I do agree that credit should not be used for anything which is a luxury rather than a matter of building up yourself for the future.

#19 As the planet heats up, I don't think people should be told to go without water, but I do support the re-establishment of drinking fountains in public spaces. Where did they all go? I am starting to see a few appearing again, along with attachments to fill your own water bottle if you're worried about sanitation.

What is #18 anyway? What record? That sounds like advice from the 1950s.

Overall, some reasonable advice, some that I think is more opinion, and a lot of it repetitious. But I definitely agree with #5!

The problem with buying at thrift stores is you can get bedbugs. Those are EXPENSIVE to get rid of.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

I must be super lucky because I've shopped in thrift stores for years and never had one single bedbug problem. I imagine there are some places that might be a bit less stringent and I usually buy things I can either toss in the laundry or they're hard things like china or wooden furniture, but it's never been a problem for me.

I probably wouldn't buy a sofa or soft furniture item from one, though. I'd be worried about all kinds of things, bugs included.

Quote
mumofsixbirds
I must be super lucky because I've shopped in thrift stores for years and never had one single bedbug problem. I imagine there are some places that might be a bit less stringent and I usually buy things I can either toss in the laundry or they're hard things like china or wooden furniture, but it's never been a problem for me.

I probably wouldn't buy a sofa or soft furniture item from one, though. I'd be worried about all kinds of things, bugs included.

Nod,

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

I agree with a majority of the bullet points on the list. Some could be questionable - like just because you do someone a favor, that doesn't necessarily mean they will be willing to repay it. Plus doing too many favors can potentially end up with you getting taken advantage of.

Making things is also a nice skill, but that doesn't mean people will automatically want what you make. People are so used to cheap shit that they balk at handmade things for being so expensive. Don't make stuff in the hopes of people wanting it. Make stuff because you want to make stuff. If someone happens to want it, then

The biggest issue is the one about finding work or co-workers you love. Obviously that's always awesome if you can manage to do that, but the problem is a good chunk of people can't afford to hold out for a job they like. I like my job a lot, but it doesn't pay shit and I know eventually, I will no longer be able to afford to work at my current job. because everything costs a freaking fortune now, people have no choice but to prioritize the jobs that pay the best and may have to put up with a toxic work environment.

But nothing on that list will save you as much money as skipping reproducing. It'll save you a bundle not only in childcare costs you will never have to pay, but also medical/healthcare costs for yourself, especially if you're a woman.