The Everyday Minimalist

What Does Retirement Mean To You?

Pete — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:22 PDT

To my parents and grandparents, I feel like retirement had a very clear meaning. You basically set money aside every month and at some point are able to stop working and live off of the income from 3 sources:

government pensions
company pension (for which that person generally worked for his entire life)
personal savings

I feel like that is quickly changing. Why? There are many reasons but a few are:

we are living much longer than we used to making it more difficult to work until we’re 55 for example and retire
in many cases, our goal is not simply to “stop working”
we usually change jobs several times and company pensions have changed drastically, making it more difficult to count on them
even governments are constantly changing retirement benefits (retirement age, benefits, etc)

Is Retirement A Journey Or A Destination?

I personally feel like I’m getting closer and closer to my “retirement” and yes in a way that is because I’m getting older but it’s much more than that. I personally think retirement means becoming financially independent. That could mean a number of things but for me it’s being able to generate enough income through my investments and my company to not depend on working a 9 to 5 job. I don’t know if I’ll ever reach a point where I say “this is it, I’m financially independent”. I doubt it in fact. Why? Because spending generally increases as revenues do. The important thing for me is (besides that they increase more slowly) making my situation better over time. Hopefully, if at age 70, I’m still working or blogging (maybe even writing on this blog haha), it will be entirely by choice.

What Would Happen If You Lost Your Job Tomorrow?

I would certainly be looking for a new one. But compared to 5 years ago, I would be in a much better position. I know that I could survive several months or more without going out finding a new job, being more minimalist would certainly help in that case too. I’m hoping that my situation will continue to improve and that will give me better options such as:

only doing a job that I find interesting and challenging
work from home, have flexible hours, etc.

How do you view retirement? Is it close to your parents or grandparents view? Is being financially independent a goal for you?

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Tips for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint while Traveling

MMarquit — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:16:05 PDT

One of the seeming contradictions of living a minimalist lifestyle is the way that travel can increase your carbon footprint.

Travel is a regular part of the minimalist lifestyle; since you don’t have much stuff to take with you, travel is easier. And since, you aren’t spending as much money on things, you can afford more experiences through travel.

The unfortunate thing, though, is that a lot of travel add to your carbon footprint. You don’t have to live in an environmentally sustainable manner to be a minimalist, but many of those who embrace minimalist principles also care a great deal about the environment.

So, how do you reduce your impact on the environment when you travel? A little planning can help you enjoy your travel by creating a smaller carbon footprint.

Choose Your Accommodations with Care

There are some hotels that are considered “greener” than others. There are associations, such as Green Leaf and Green Seal, that indicate a certain level sustainability. Practices like recycling and practicing energy efficiency as much as possible can mean your stay isn’t completely weighing on the environment.

While you stay, consider re-using your towels and sheets, rather than having them changed each day. That will cut down on the laundry that has to be done. I usually don’t have cleaning services until I leave.

It’s also possible to reduce your carbon footprint through such practices as couch surfing or by staying in a youth hostel. If your travel involves camping, that can be a positive thing, too, depending on how you approach it.

You can also consider the location of your accommodations. When possible, choose a hotel near public transportation so that you don’t have to drive as much. Plan your stay so that what you see can be most likely be reached with public transportation.

Pay Attention to Your Home Before You Go

Don’t forget to prepare your home before you go. Unplug what you can to reduce energy leakage while you’re gone. Make sure that your thermostat is set so that the heat or air isn’t wasted when you leave. Also, if you have a watering system, set it so that the water comes on and off automatically at the right times in your yard. Do what you can to reduce the impact your home is having while you are gone.

What about Carbon Offsets?

In some cases, it’s difficult to reduce your carbon footprint when you travel — especially if you fly. You might be able to reduce your paper waste by using an electronic ticket, but there’s no way to really avoid the impact created by flying in an airplane.

Some travelers prefer to purchase carbon offsets so that they feel better about the way their travel affects the environment. You can also plant trees and do your best to live in a very sustainable manner when you aren’t traveling. It’s really up to you, and what makes you feel more comfortable about your travel choices.

What do you think? How do you handle sustainable travel?

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Statistics on Passwords and Tips on How to Make Them Better

everydayminimalist — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:00:45 PDT

This is how you can secure yourself (somewhat) from a world of hackers.

Also, lot of passwords for security sites are usually: God or Admin. Complex, much?

Is your Google Account Secure? You should really lock that business down if your whole life is riding on one password.

Via Make Us Of

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Working From Home… Is It Good Or Bad?

Pete — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:02:44 PDT

In recent months there has been a pickup in discussions. What sparked it? Marissa Mayer, the recently named CEO of Yahoo announced earlier this year that work-from-home arrangements would no longer be permitted. If they want to remain employed, they need to go back to Yahoo’s offices by June.

Is That A Smart Policy For Yahoo?

There was a big debate when Mayer announced the change. Partially because the affected employees were very upset but also because there is a common perception that employees working from home are more productive. Mayer did not even say that was the reason for the change. Rather, it was made in an effort to create an incredible work environment at its corporate offices.

That is a move that few companies are making. In the past 5-6 years, the number of people working from home has almost doubled to 20-30 million. Why? Companies save a lot on costs, have happier employees that are said to be more productive. It’s a win-win right? There are certainly downsides even for employees such as missing out on some connections with coworkers, being able to create a better team spirit, etc. But the benefits are at least as significant: flexible hours, being able to avoid losing time in commute, etc. I’ve also seen many new moms returning to work sooner in the form of working from home. They can still be of good presence for their baby, but can handle little projects while baby’s sleeping for example. These women told me the transition between maternity leave and going back to work felt smooth because they could do it gradually.

On the other hand, I guess that many employers still have the feeling they can’t “control” their employees as much when they’re left by themselves at home. Some surely think they’re paying someone to do its laundry or chat on Facebook, although I doubt this would be good habits to take. Not to mention that workers-from-home are often well aware that their work appreciation will be based on performance and efficiency rather than on their social skills.

The One Key

I would personally love to work from home and I’m confident it will happen eventually. What I’m most curious about is finding out if I’d have the discipline to be more productive working from home. It would not be about the number of hours worked but about making them count, avoiding distractions, etc. Let’s be honest though, there are always some distractions, no matter if you work at home or at your office. Maybe the goal should not be to eliminate them all, but to be conscious of it and trying to avoid them as much as possible. Having an established work schedule with short breaks even when you work from home surely helps too.

There might also be the fear of others opinion. Although I’m not the kind of guy who cares about it that much, I can imagine it can become annoying to be seen as the “lucky lazy one” working from home. Not everyone values the objective of conjugating work and family that much. Maybe it’s because the generations before didn’t have this opportunity so it looks to them as wasting time.

My business partner and I have discussed about both working from home at some point but we also would want to have an office where we’d meet a couple of times per week with other employees. Exchanging new ideas, brainstorming and team consolidation seem easier in front of your colleagues than by emails. That certainly seems like the ideal mix between the two.

Do any of you work from home? Would you like to? Any thoughts?

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10 Actions That Can Help You Feel Better Now

MMarquit — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:44:21 PDT

Sometimes, I feel a little “down.” We all do. There have even been times when I’ve struggled for days — and even weeks — at a time.

However, there are things you can do to improve your overall outlook on life. Paying attention to my health has been a big help recently. Gradual lifestyle changes can add up to a better life in general.

Even with a better overall outlook, though, there are still days when the predominant feeling is “blah.” On those days, I try to improve my mood immediately. If you are struggling with your mood right now, here are 10 actions you can take to boost feel better:

Sit up straighter: Being slumped over affects your body’s overall “feel.” Sit up straight, get the blood flowing easier, and clear your head. Not only will you feel immediately better, but you’ll feel more confident, too.
Laugh: There’s nothing like a good laugh to help you feel better. Don’t make it a cynical laugh, either. Look for a wholesome, joyful reason to laugh.
Breath deep: You don’t need to full-on meditate to feel better right now. Take three deep breaths, paying attention to how the breath moves in and out of your body. Inhale for a count of five, pause, exhale for a count of five. Do this three times, and you’ll be surprised at how the tension flows out of your body.
Accomplish a small task: Do you have a small thing that needs to be checked off your to-do list? If so, do that task right now. If you can spend three to seven minutes and accomplish an item on your list, you’ll feel better about yourself and your day — and you might even be motivated to move on to the next thing.
Take a brisk walk: If you have five to 10 minutes, take a brisk walk. Moving for a few minutes can help you clear your head, get the blood moving, and improve your overall mood.
Go outside: Extra bonus points if you take your brisk walk outside. Nature can help you feel better about yourself. Plants and natural things can improve your mood, even if you don’t go outside. Look out a window, or contemplate a plant. I have an orange tree in my home office. Sometimes, just looking at the tree, and enjoying its fragrance, helps lift my mood.
Change your position: Just being in the same position for too long can bring you down. If you’ve been sitting for awhile, stand up. If you are laying down, turn to the other side. Shift your sitting position to something different. Just moving your body can help you feel better.
Put on some music: Listen to something that you really enjoy. It will help you refocus, and stimulate the parts of your brain that govern feelings of happiness. Choose something that helps you feel good and upbeat.
Say thank you: Gratitude is one of the most potent ways to feel good. Expressing thanks takes you out of yourself, and reminds you of the good things in life.
Drink some water: Even a small amount of dehydration can make you cranky. If you want to stay feeling good, drink some water. There’s nothing like a cold drink of water to help you feel better immediately.

Image: renaissancechambara via Flickr

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Babyoom grows with your baby

everydayminimalist — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:00:43 PDT

I love this. Multi-functional AND stylish? Yes please.

Too bad its only a concept right now.

Babyoom that could very well help save parents lots of money in the process – after all, it will function as a pram from ages 0 to 3, and when your toddler starts discovering the use of legs, you can turn it into a children’s cycle. Not only that, it also doubles up as your shopping cart if required

Via Ubergizmo

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Spending Or Saving?

Pete — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:02:08 PDT

Working in the financial industry, I’m very aware of the fact that saving is important. It’s important to start as early as possible and to increase whatever you can set aside every year. Why? There are a hundred different reasons. The main one is that the biggest factor in finding out how much you’ll have to retire on is how long you’ve been invested. It’s called the compounding effect. The math is simple to understand. Assuming a few things, saving $5000/year can be much better if you start by age 20 then saving twice that amount starting 15 years later.

It’s Not About “Stuff”

Obviously, I’m not talking about buying stuff

Therefore, The Logical Thing To Do

You would think that it makes a lot of sense to save a significant amount of money. The most basic rule is that we should save 10% of all income every year. Some say it should be more. The reality though is that we live in an era where the average savings rate is much closer to 0%. It’s simple. Live below your means in order to be able to enjoy life later on as you reach retirement, etc.

Life Is Short Though

I had already been thinking about this in recent months when I found out that a friend of mine had been diagnosed with cancer. He’s 34 year old and has 2 kids. Then I think of my grandparents who saved all of their lives in order to be able to travel once they retired. Then once they were able to stop working, my grandma turned sick and they were never really able to enjoy their savings.

Trying To Find A Balance

I am personally trying to find some kind of balance. Being able to save money every year into my retirement accounts is critical but I’m also trying to make sure I have enough to live a few dreams with my wife and baby. I’ve discussed some of my trips (Africa, Russia-Spain, etc.) and I hope to continue to do more in the coming years.

How do you view this decision? Are you able to strike a balance between saving and spending?

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Improve Your Life By Setting Priorities

MMarquit — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:37:50 PDT

Not too long ago, I was on the verge of a breakdown. I wasn’t happy with the amount of work I was doing, and I didn’t feel as though I had enough time to do what I wanted. On top of that, I was struggling with my health, and didn’t feel as though I could exercise as much as I wanted. I was eating junk food and feeling generally “blah.”

I felt as though my life was out of control.

But then I realized something: I set my own priorities.

What Do YOU Think is Important?

One of the first things I realized is that I wasn’t taking the time to take care of myself. I wasn’t making my health a priority, so it was suffering. And, since I wasn’t taking care of my health, I felt bad frequently and I wasn’t very productive.

The first change I made was to carve out time to exercise first thing during the day. Rather than saving it until later, I now exercise first. Interestingly, starting the day with exercise, and a healthy breakfast, has made a huge difference. I’m more focused and productive, and that has led to a reduction in stress.

Choosing my priorities, and making sure that what’s most important is taken care of first, has vastly improved my life in the last few weeks.

Take a few minutes to really think about your life, and what’s happening. If you feel too busy, or if you are struggling with something, it’s time to re-think the situation. List out all the things in your life, whether it’s something you are doing or how you are spending money.

Go through the list and identify items that are truly important to you. Do you really want to be consumed by PTA meetings? Is it important for you to have the latest gadget? Really evaluate all of the places you go, things you do, and money you spend. Identify the most important items, and the least important items. Then, knock the least important items off your list, moving the most important items to the top of the list.

Start bringing your life in line with your own priorities and values.

Take it a Little at a Time

In some cases, even if you want to adjust your life, it’s hard to just make wholesale changes. Instead, you need to make your adjustments a little at a time. I didn’t just start exercising each morning for 45 minutes. I had to incorporate exercise a little at a time. I started with 10 minutes, and began working my way up as I began adjusting the rest of my schedule to accommodate my new priorities.

Little changes can be important, since they are easier to maintain. Start with something small, and make the adjustments that are most sustainable to start. Over time, as you slowly eliminate the less important things from your life, you will find that your situation has improved, and that you are living a life that more closely resembles your ideal.

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You don’t really need to know the language

everydayminimalist — Sun, 05 May 2013 22:00:21 PDT

Some people who learn that I went to any country where they REALLY don’t speak English (or a few broken words), always express amazement at my being able to navigate anywhere.

They’re scared that if they end up in a country where they don’t know the language, they’ll get lost, and end up on some very awful adventure.

In all of my travels, I’ve learned one thing: You don’t need to know the language of any country, anywhere in the world, to communicate.

In China, we didn’t speak a WORD of Mandarin and we did just fine (BF constantly reminds me that he almost bought a juicer at a local roadside shop).

In Hong Kong and Macau, same thing.

In Europe, I didn’t really speak any Portuguese or Spanish and I did just fine. I even carried on conversations with people by gesturing!

You can gesture to anything you want to buy and show them how much you want (with fingers, 1, 2 or just by shaping an example in the air).

You can understand and participate in conversations just by watching their body movements, their gestures and catching the odd word or two.

This is truly liberating, because it means that language is good for expressing complex thoughts and sentences, but at the most basic of levels, you can understand anything.

So don’t be scared of traveling to places like China or even going into local ethnic shops where they only speak Spanish or any other language.

You’ll be just fine.

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Quote of the Month: Henry David Thoreau

everydayminimalist — Fri, 03 May 2013 02:00:38 PDT

Men have become the tools of their tools.

Henry David Thoreau

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