What I can't live without

[LDAHL]

Life is too short to drink cheap scotch.

[Gardnr]

Hubster! Our 1st date was 1977 and we're about to turn 59. Dude's a keeper.

I'm not particularly attached to stuff although I love Mom's wood handmade/handpainted sewing box that came with us from The Netherlands. It has been part of my life always and I learned to sew out of that box. She gifted it to me 3w before she died-she knew it was her 1 item that I treasured. Would I cry if it was gone? No, I'd be sad. But oh I have those memories.

I am attached to enjoying each day I'm given. If we lost both our homes and everything in them? Well, I would acquire less no doubt-I think we all would.

[klunick]

Sounds like asking a "simple living forum" about stuff they can't live without was pointless. Defeats the whole purpose of minimalism, doesn't it?? Nice to see that I'm not the only one who isn't attached to stuff but more so the people in my life and the memories I shared with them.

[Teacher Terry]

About 15 years ago I saw a beautiful buffet in a consignment shop for 450. It’s very ornate and it was painted except for the top. I paid someone 1100 to refinish it and it’s in my living room. Probably from the 30’s and everyone comments how beautiful it is. Of course my dogs are more important than anything)

[rosarugosa]

As far as stuff goes, I have some nice pieces of art I wouldn't want to give up, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I couldn't live without them. I am also willing to spend a bit for high-quality bedding and delicious things to eat and drink.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well I like living in Cali and certainly people would tell me to move (I don't tell anyone else to live here, and I may move someday maybe years hence, just no immediate plans). There was a time I swore by psychotherapy and spent a lot of money on it, but I'm not sure it was really all that helpful, and so it's been years since I have (and I'd rather have the money, I don't actually recommend it). I like buying and actually owning used books. I swear by organic and pasture raised and grass fed food when I can get it. I mean if the question is do you have any nice things? Yea a few, but "not live without", I don't even think in those terms, of course I could live without them.

Ha maybe I should try that Thrive if it's all that, I do tend to have somewhat low energy (but I can't actually take serious caffeine like coffee)

[kib]

I have half a house full of mid century danish modern furniture. my mother brought this stuff over from Denmark when she moved here in 1960. It's in excellent condition and shockingly valuable. Unfortunately it is also the furniture I grew up with and it has a lot of sentimental value. I have very little space for this stuff, if I put it out it would be ruined in short order, and a lot of it doesn't really go with my life - furniture for storing dishes, a piano, a large dining table ... but it would be like selling a part of myself to consign it. So it's more like "can't live with it, can't live without it."

What else would I be miserable to live without for any length of time ... a bathtub.

And, assuming I wasn't changing my entire way of living, my phone. I am constantly amazed, even now. It's a calendar. it's an address book. It's a camera. It's a photo album. It's a notepad and a pen. it's a flashlight. It's a mirror. It's a calculator. it's a checkbook register/ accounting spread sheet. it's a tv and a music player. It's news, it's a thermometer. It's a navigating device and a dictionary and an ecyclopedia. It's a cookbook, it's a letter-writing device. It tells me where to buy gas, it tracks my steps. It's my bank. It's my library - both personal collection of music, books and movies, and access to public collections. It's games. It's shopping. And of course, it's a phone.

I'm old enough to be nervous about the idea of it all crashing and not working, and not having the physical backups, but every year I get a little more comfortable, and marvel all the more that three rooms of Stuff plus every connection to other human beings beyond being in sight of them now fits in my pocket.

[klunick]

Well I like living in Cali and certainly people would tell me to move (I don't tell anyone else to live here, and I may move someday maybe years hence, just no immediate plans). There was a time I swore by psychotherapy and spent a lot of money on it, but I'm not sure it was really all that helpful, and so it's been years since I have (and I'd rather have the money, I don't actually recommend it). I like buying and actually owning used books. I swear by organic and pasture raised and grass fed food when I can get it. I mean if the question is do you have any nice things? Yea a few, but "not live without", I don't even think in those terms, of course I could live without them.

Ha maybe I should try that Thrive if it's all that, I do tend to have somewhat low energy (but I can't actually take serious caffeine like coffee)

I have never had coffee and I am 48 years old. Not really a soda drinker either. Maybe 2 a week. I needed something to help with energy as I was literally falling asleep on my commutes. Or at least zone out and not remember how I got so far down the road. Very scary. The capsules contain caffeine but you could do one capsule instead of two and probably not have issues. I know people who only do one because of caffeine sensitivity and are fine.

[bae]

Well, my Bloodhound certainly does not help with the goals of simple living, but he's about the only thing I'd worry about in the "fire burning down the house" situation. (I mean, there's the cat, but there's no way I could catch her, she hates the carrier box).

And he's so big and full of character that he's more of a person than an object, so I suspect the Bloodhound might not count for this poll.

[iris lilies]

I suppose for my current lifestyle the important thing is my Ipad(s)