miss minimalist

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

I don’t have anyone scheduled after today’s post, so I’d love to receive more stories. I know there are more Real Life Minimalists out there — don’t be shy!

This week, we have a wonderful contribution from Fox, who started on his minimalist journey just after college. I wish I’d been as wise at his age!

Fox writes:

I’m the author of The Tiny Ouroboros, a blog dedicated to living tiny, green, simple, and unconventional.

Here’s my profile:

I graduated from college two years ago. I went from relying on my parents to being on my own with a minimum wage job, a student loan, and a car note. I also owned four vehicles’ worth of “stuff.” Straight from financially comfortable to completely broke.

Since then I’ve purged most of my possessions, moved into the smallest/cheapest apartment I could find, picked up a roommate, and plan on having the student loan paid off by the end of 2010. I also took a good, hard look at my life and decided that due to my nomadic nature, RV life is probably a good bet.

As I’ve started purging and repurposing my life, I’ve discovered that I don’t miss most of what I’ve gotten rid of. In fact, I’m happier with less stuff. Less to move, less to think about, less to worry about losing. The idea of being free…free to leave it all behind, if necessary, free to move if I want and work where I wish, free to not have to worry about what to do with all the things that own me…therein lies the secret for a happy life.

I’ve always been a spontaneous person. I can’t stay in one place, and the idea of tying myself down to a job or a town just disgusts me. I want to travel, to move around, to discover new places, new people, and new things. Living in the same place and doing the same thing just isn’t my style. I need flexibility, and minimalism offers that in ways I never thought possible. Not to mention I now find myself “needing” to earn a lot less…a boon for someone who can’t stand money, keeping up with the Joneses, or supporting companies I don’t care for. And I get to spend more time doing what *I* want to do!

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