Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Having just returned from a ski trip with some Boy Scouts this caught my eye:
http://live.wsj.com/video/a-tiny-cabin- ... 0FC4C22DA9
I thought it was interesting for several reasons. First, it seems clear that the guy does not have to work. Second, he has chosen a minimalist lifestyle with a lot of the components you see in the modern tiny house movement, but eschewing things he doesn't need or doesn't care about. Third, and most interesting to me, was that you have a mainstream publication giving him and his lifestyle essentially a favorable review. I keep wondering if US society -- at least those under about age 50 -- may be coming to a tipping point where this type of living is going to become desireable instead of just unusual.
If there is one thing the internet has done in my lifetime, its allowed people to see more "possbilities" for their lives than ever before.
More signs of the anti-consumerist apocalypse: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/ ... og-anyway/

Yes, thanks for mentioning MMM's well written February blog. I sometimes also ask for ideas about spreading the ERE ideas. I tend to forget that Jacobs blog book forum and people like MMM and many others of which I am not aware of, are working on it.

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/that- ... tired.html
I was compelled to write a comment on his post ... and as usual it got long enough to turn into a blog post instead ...

So cool, but the reporters are so irritating... Just want to shake that guy every time he says "like"!

Here's a brief write up, with more info:

http://solarburrito.com/blog/mike-basic ... -area-241/

I think the reason it's positive is that it resembles many people's dream vacation. Do the same thing in one of the equivalently-in-the-middle-of-nowhere $50,000 price tag 4-season A frame cabins in New England, and the mainstream would consider it crazy as usual. Talk about snowboarding, awesome. Talk about cutting your own firewood, crazy.
Still, being right in the thick of these culture wars (but now less so), I feel that the amount of complainypants behavior is on the decrease. I tend to see as many supporters in discussions now as there are complainypants. (The majority are still amused/neutral.) Just a couple of years ago, popular reactions were always dominated by complainypants.
I think age has a lot to do with it. Not physical age, but age in terms of paradigms. It's definitely taking hold and I see it more in the younger crowd (gen Y). Just imagine that car ownership is no longer considered a rite of passage in America. Who would have thunk it?
Not sure where it's a generational turn or whether it's just 5 years of recession finally beginning to demonstrate which ones have been swimming without their pants on and which life strategies are superior choices. Either way ... times are a-changing.
PS: Don't discount the existence of subversive journalists in mainstream media. I've interviewed with a few of them, but only one interview made it past the editor.

@Dragline: Interesting video. Thanks for posting it.
@Jacob: I'm going to share this with my Media Studies class, so thanks for posting it: "PS: Don't discount the existence of subversive journalists in mainstream media. I've interviewed with a few of them, but only one interview made it past the editor." In fact, I might use the ERE blog and forums to show exactly how the internet is changing our perceptions. This thread is particularly interesting.
Recently on another more mainstream themed message board I post to, posters were disgusted or felt sorry for someone who had propositioned a poster about renting a bit of rural land in order to live in a trailer. Another friend of mine and I who are fans of ERE and MMM were highly amused by the assumed criminal activity that the person making the request must have been up to.
I've noticed more people embracing the frugality/minimalist lifestyle too, but clearly not many on that message board.

@ Jacob- Members of my extended family had a tragic event occur that invited unwanted national MSM coverage.
"Subversive" is too kind a word for many of those fuckers.
Our recent merge out of the fast lane of the Silicon Valley to rural property in Idaho was questioned or called crazy by citified 45-50+ YOs yet many in their 20-30's wanted to know how did we do it.

I noticed the property alone was $250k. I wouldn't really call this frugal living. The off-grid component is in-fashion, though.

It is cool he is pretty self sufficient. I do wonder about sewage. A septic tank would never get pumped out and I am sure there is no city sewer. The waste might be a issue of pollution in such a pristine environment. Little electricity use, but what about operating the ski lift?
The WSJ presented this with kind of a smirk, even if it was for a cool thing like snowboarding. Imagine if this was just to live in seclusion, without the boarding. The interview would have been more about weird cults, survivalism and the like.

RealPerson, it shouldn't be a problem with a bucket toilet.

@dot_com_vet "I noticed the property alone was $250k. I wouldn't really call this frugal living. "
Just curious about your POV here. Why do you say that?
Not sure if you read MMM, but he has two homes worth well over $250k and I consider him admirably frugal. The one he lives in is pretty fancypants too.
"The off-grid component is in-fashion, though. "
Hehe, man has it led to some awful television.

@Ego - this looks fascinating. Thanks for the link. Too bad the neighbors in my subdivision would probably object, but this is great for the outdoors.

@Seneca, To me this lifestyle is more MTV Cribs than ERE. This reminds me of people building their own tennis courts when they are a five minute walk from nice public courts. And their courts sit idle most of the time.
If this were MMM, he'd be riding his fat bike over to the slope. He'd likely have a free lift pass from teaching lessons on the side. The $250k would be invested earning money.
I enjoyed the video, and I think I think Mike has a super lifestyle. But, it's a celebrity living large.

I'd be thinking of it as a timber investment with a bonus off-grid ski cabin.

@ dot_com- You are probably right about MMM!
@mikeBOS- Love it. My wife and I are dedicated hikers and like to camp. Vacationing here last summer we were out hiking and had a great moment with bald eagles soaring over wind in the trees etc. She brought up how neat it'd be to have a cheap little cabin that was off the grid in the woods. I thought about it and immediately started researching investing in timber. It's going to be a ways out, but that's something I really want to look in to more.

Great photos of Hong Kong tiny house living and an interesting slant from the Daily Mail.
Quote:
They are barely bigger than a toilet cubicle.
Yet these depressingly cramped spaces serve as a kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, pantry and everything in between for their cooped-up inhabitants.
Those unfortunate enough to live in these urban slums range from the elderly and unemployed to low-income families and singletons.
Their location? Hong Kong. One of the richest cities in the world.