Hear hear! I live in 500sq ft and I love my life. I get to do what I want, when I want. Having a small home means I have resources to do other stuff that I think is cool or fun, or save for retirement so I can still have fun later on in life.
Thank you! Tell that to all the pesky realtors trying to convince me to buy a darned house. I love my $13 (home) gas bill, my $15 water bill and my $38 electric bill. Life is good in my miniscule apartment. Going to France next year
:-) I love articles like this. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your posts, Philip. While some feel that living large is about all the stuff, I think it's important to remember that living large for some is having the time to devote to other interests, health or even family. For some people, these seem like pipe dreams they will never be able to accomplish. I think it's important to let people know there are ways to achieve their goals.
Loved your line about "where would you keep it". Good one.
I had an interesting conversation with a good friend last fall (he's a general contractor who builds houses for a living). He said he has started to see a trend of people wanting to build smaller houses, after Americans have gotten to the point where our houses are outrageously large. One major motivation is to reduce the cost of upkeep, and for some people, to reduce your carbon footprint. This idea of voluntary simplicity as a lifestyle fits right into that, and I think it would be appealing to a lot of people.
It'll be interesting to see the day when the mansions of Beverly Hills are bulldozed to make room for small simple houses that are "cool", instead of the other way around, as has been the case.
i got that mobile phone charging kit and it was about 4 pounds. but it does not work. the connectors dont fit all phones (like sony ericsson). plus it seems to work better with older generation nokias only. also you need to be very precise while rotating the handle. it has to be done at a particular speed and you need to maintain the speed. on a fiddly item like this it is difficult to do that. so i think it is a waste
the solar tent seems like a good idea. anyone used it before?
A friend of mine who has rubbed shoulders with powerful people once received this advice from a judge. he said pay the ticket but overpay by at least one dollar. the court will mail back the remainder in the form of a check. rip this up, never cash it. the file will remain open and you will not get points on your license. i have not tried this but it seems a sound theory.
Especially in the US, we take a lot of things for granted. Even being able to take a long shower (most of us anyway). I am currently living in a place where I have about 10 min. of hot water. Sometimes I must shut off the water to shave, etc. But sometimes I am in a place where hot water is precious. This can be a shock back into reality, to say the least.
I have used this method when there is not enough hot water to have a nice long shower. I have also had to bathe in an icy lake or steam (a shock to the system but exhilerating). It's just an issue of survival.
I thought the comment about the tank on the roof was interesting. I went to Miami with my family and we booked a room in a hotel that was dirt cheap (we like cheap). We named it the hot water flat, there was NO cold water. I ran the water all night and it was still scalding hot at 4 AM. At first I was splashing water on myself with a bucket but that didn't work out too well.
I finally broke down and took my soap & shampoo down to the pool when there was nobody around and took a bath.
Another thing I do sometimes is that if I'm at home, I keep a bucket in the shower to catch the water while the temperature rises. Doing this, you can avoid having to turn on the showerhead while shaving to rinse the blade, and you can use the basin of water to rinse off your hands between latherings (for instance, if you don't want to get your body soap in your hair), as well as to rinse any bath implements or soapy shampoo bottles when you're done. If you're really hardcore and want to save an extra 1/2 cent on water, you can even use the water in the bucket to flush the toilet.
Andrea,
Here is the email I just sent to good ol' Ray Clampp. Oh, I'd say he knows now! Incidentally, I didn't mention your name or weblog until I read your last entry.
Have a good one, Ron (From Kansas!)
Ray,
I guess I'm kind of indecisive at this point. I really would prefer to look at the car and inspect it for myself. You really never can be too sure, ya know?
I mean, there are so many other nice cars to choose from. I like Packards, Camaro's, Chevelle's SS's, Jaguar XK's, Buick's, etc. You know what I mean?
I sure hope you didn't jack some poor user id from an innocent bystander (smackthat27va), or maybe that's your "good" userid? Hmm... As for the Lexus you sold on Ebay, (Long Beach MS, 39560) and the cars you're "selling" in St Louis MO, (63115), I don't really know what to think about that. Clue me in?
Oh yeah, that BMW, the one you copied/pasted pictures and tried to pass off as your own? It was sold by Fantasy Junction in California for $600k dollars. I thought you were being awfully generous to offer it at $19k, but to reduce it to $15,400?!? You should expect potential buyers of high-end autos to know a lot more about the values of these cars.
Oh yeah, in the future, do yourself a favor and google your name and email. The Nekkidtruth.com has you blacklisted on their site. I assume you're hoping to find computer-ignorant people on the internet to prey upon. I shudder at the thought of how many people have fallen for your scams. Very uncool...
Andrea Dickson's weblog sends her regards.
Have a nice day! ;)
P.S. You know, you really only need to sell one of those cars to afford the price of gas in Austria!
He found this blog site. I emailed him and told him he was despicable. He's well aware that everyone knows about him.
Because he uses Gmail, he ends up on my chat client all the time. He just popped in to let me know that I am "very very ugly" and that he is "sad for me" because he had "beautiful beautiful woman and what do you have? Nothing but $25 gift certificate."
Also, I "look like shrek". I have to admit that he's starting to grow on me.
Thanks to all the people who wrote in about this, to share your experiences and to add your advice. I emailed eBay about it several times, and told Gmail. As I understand it, none of them really care that much about the whole deal. It's been frustrating, but incredibly entertaining, to say the least.
His userid is jfavrecpa He has 9 other listings with the same story. I've been talking with Ebay Customer Support for the last hour. They don't seem as passionate about this as me... Please, spread the word if you can!
Wow, we've been searching for this character for almost a week now. He's been trying (in vain I might add!) to sell me a 1957 BMW 507 for $19,400. There were only 252 made and they go upwards of 350k-500 dollars!! In fact, like the original blog mentioned, I was able to find the same exact car (pictures copied/pasted) from a legitimate dealership in California (Fantasy Junction.com). Incidentally, I think I found "your" Porsche on that site. He uses cars from the "Cars We Sold" category and not the present inventory (smart). Anyway, I contacted the company and they informed me that the BMW had sold for, get this, $600k dollars to somebody in the midwest! Sooo, just south of 20k dollars seems like a great deal, right?? Well, good old Ray Clampp was sensing my reluctance to commit. He stated he'd negotiate and sell for $15,400. Wow, it must be my lucky day! Needless to say, I've kept him on the hook now for almost a week, attempting to learn more about him while still expressing a modicum of interest. Here's something else: I live in Kansas. After I told him that he THEN informed me the car was in Maine. The furthest US point from Kansas (contiguous states) is, anyone, anyone? Yep, Maine. That was, of course, after I offered to come inspect the car myself. "Sorry, I'm out of the country (Austria)" was his reply. Ok, so my curiosity is still piqued so I do several Ebay(pick a country) searches and he's selling a Buick on Ebay China, the previously mentioned Model "A" in the US and Germany, and, well, we're still looking. I also caught another add just hours after the BMW disappeared off Ebay and it was for another high-end car. Well, you get the picture. Ray, or whatever his name is, will have no choice but to change his name/tactics soon. That is what bothers me. I contacted Ebay and sent them the entire email traffic on this guy. Since I don't have his user name, they can't do much. I asked Ray in an email (playing the naive Ebayer that I am) that I was interested in his feedback. He sent me what I'm sure is somebody else's userid (smackthat27va). Whoever that is had only bought 3 things and doesn't have any selling history. Go figure. I would like to hear anything else anybody has to say about this guy. Spread the word, "Ray, we're hot on your trail"!! ;)
The dough never comes out right, and the cheese never melts right. I've given up on making my own pizzas. And anyone who starts with giving me lists of esoteric equipment and ingredients, spare me. The old time pizza makers didn't have any of that stuff.
I used to work for The Hunger Site at its affiliated sites. They do a lot of good work, and try to buy from artisan projects and support a lot of great initiatives. That said, sometimes a lot of their stuff is just crap made in sweatshops in China. Make sure to check the origin (should be listed with the product description) before buying.
And no matter what, DIY is more fun and satisfying than buying it online.
I tried a gazillion different zip codes and restaurants came up in all those areas. I will change to title, which is usually against our policy because of linkage issues, but if it is not available anywhere it needs republishing.
If an activity involves socializing with other kids, he's in -- it hadn't occurred to me that he might be truly interested in the activity. I think it's the combo of time and money that I find difficult, with the time slot making dinner more expensive b/c we may need to eat out some to fit nourishment in with homework and an evening activity. I took a semester's worth of karate in college and enjoyed it, and am interested in a shorter dose of something that I/he could be successful in whether it involved a blackbelt or not. The pressure to continue for years (that I perceive) may be from the school itself or peers. Still, if he's willing to pay half (next time he asks), I'll strongly consider it. And I forgot to mention this (it's summer and they're not meeting now) but he's also a scout.
Thanks for a perspective from someone who has truly benefited from Tae Kwon Do.
The topic title is misleading. Restaurant.com does not work "anywhere." You can only get the certificates for particular local restaurants. And sadly, the ones in my area really don't look that appealing.
I had no problems using the coupons I got at my local curry house, but maybe that's because I have a good relationship with the staff. I'm going to check into this.
Hear hear! I live in 500sq ft and I love my life. I get to do what I want, when I want. Having a small home means I have resources to do other stuff that I think is cool or fun, or save for retirement so I can still have fun later on in life.
That's really savvy, Linsey. Good for you.
Thank you! Tell that to all the pesky realtors trying to convince me to buy a darned house. I love my $13 (home) gas bill, my $15 water bill and my $38 electric bill. Life is good in my miniscule apartment. Going to France next year
:-) I love articles like this. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your posts, Philip. While some feel that living large is about all the stuff, I think it's important to remember that living large for some is having the time to devote to other interests, health or even family. For some people, these seem like pipe dreams they will never be able to accomplish. I think it's important to let people know there are ways to achieve their goals.
Loved your line about "where would you keep it". Good one.
I had an interesting conversation with a good friend last fall (he's a general contractor who builds houses for a living). He said he has started to see a trend of people wanting to build smaller houses, after Americans have gotten to the point where our houses are outrageously large. One major motivation is to reduce the cost of upkeep, and for some people, to reduce your carbon footprint. This idea of voluntary simplicity as a lifestyle fits right into that, and I think it would be appealing to a lot of people.
It'll be interesting to see the day when the mansions of Beverly Hills are bulldozed to make room for small simple houses that are "cool", instead of the other way around, as has been the case.
i got that mobile phone charging kit and it was about 4 pounds. but it does not work. the connectors dont fit all phones (like sony ericsson). plus it seems to work better with older generation nokias only. also you need to be very precise while rotating the handle. it has to be done at a particular speed and you need to maintain the speed. on a fiddly item like this it is difficult to do that. so i think it is a waste
the solar tent seems like a good idea. anyone used it before?
A friend of mine who has rubbed shoulders with powerful people once received this advice from a judge. he said pay the ticket but overpay by at least one dollar. the court will mail back the remainder in the form of a check. rip this up, never cash it. the file will remain open and you will not get points on your license. i have not tried this but it seems a sound theory.
Especially in the US, we take a lot of things for granted. Even being able to take a long shower (most of us anyway). I am currently living in a place where I have about 10 min. of hot water. Sometimes I must shut off the water to shave, etc. But sometimes I am in a place where hot water is precious. This can be a shock back into reality, to say the least.
I have used this method when there is not enough hot water to have a nice long shower. I have also had to bathe in an icy lake or steam (a shock to the system but exhilerating). It's just an issue of survival.
I thought the comment about the tank on the roof was interesting. I went to Miami with my family and we booked a room in a hotel that was dirt cheap (we like cheap). We named it the hot water flat, there was NO cold water. I ran the water all night and it was still scalding hot at 4 AM. At first I was splashing water on myself with a bucket but that didn't work out too well.
I finally broke down and took my soap & shampoo down to the pool when there was nobody around and took a bath.
Another thing I do sometimes is that if I'm at home, I keep a bucket in the shower to catch the water while the temperature rises. Doing this, you can avoid having to turn on the showerhead while shaving to rinse the blade, and you can use the basin of water to rinse off your hands between latherings (for instance, if you don't want to get your body soap in your hair), as well as to rinse any bath implements or soapy shampoo bottles when you're done. If you're really hardcore and want to save an extra 1/2 cent on water, you can even use the water in the bucket to flush the toilet.
Andrea,
Here is the email I just sent to good ol' Ray Clampp. Oh, I'd say he knows now! Incidentally, I didn't mention your name or weblog until I read your last entry.
Have a good one, Ron (From Kansas!)
Ray,
I guess I'm kind of indecisive at this point. I really would prefer to look at the car and inspect it for myself. You really never can be too sure, ya know?
I mean, there are so many other nice cars to choose from. I like Packards, Camaro's, Chevelle's SS's, Jaguar XK's, Buick's, etc. You know what I mean?
I sure hope you didn't jack some poor user id from an innocent bystander (smackthat27va), or maybe that's your "good" userid? Hmm... As for the Lexus you sold on Ebay, (Long Beach MS, 39560) and the cars you're "selling" in St Louis MO, (63115), I don't really know what to think about that. Clue me in?
Oh yeah, that BMW, the one you copied/pasted pictures and tried to pass off as your own? It was sold by Fantasy Junction in California for $600k dollars. I thought you were being awfully generous to offer it at $19k, but to reduce it to $15,400?!? You should expect potential buyers of high-end autos to know a lot more about the values of these cars.
Oh yeah, in the future, do yourself a favor and google your name and email. The Nekkidtruth.com has you blacklisted on their site. I assume you're hoping to find computer-ignorant people on the internet to prey upon. I shudder at the thought of how many people have fallen for your scams. Very uncool...
Andrea Dickson's weblog sends her regards.
Have a nice day! ;)
P.S. You know, you really only need to sell one of those cars to afford the price of gas in Austria!
He found this blog site. I emailed him and told him he was despicable. He's well aware that everyone knows about him.
Because he uses Gmail, he ends up on my chat client all the time. He just popped in to let me know that I am "very very ugly" and that he is "sad for me" because he had "beautiful beautiful woman and what do you have? Nothing but $25 gift certificate."
Also, I "look like shrek". I have to admit that he's starting to grow on me.
Thanks to all the people who wrote in about this, to share your experiences and to add your advice. I emailed eBay about it several times, and told Gmail. As I understand it, none of them really care that much about the whole deal. It's been frustrating, but incredibly entertaining, to say the least.
Hello again,
His userid is jfavrecpa He has 9 other listings with the same story. I've been talking with Ebay Customer Support for the last hour. They don't seem as passionate about this as me... Please, spread the word if you can!
The same person seems to be active on Ebay again today, using a Packard picture and data taken from a dealer's website. Look at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230155428422
and then at
http://www.prewarcar.com/show_prewar_car.asp?car_id=41228. Same E-mail, same spiel, different Ebay "seller" -- perhaps this is a hijacked account, since the same listing appeared earlier in the day with a different "seller", and was removed during the morning.
Wow, we've been searching for this character for almost a week now. He's been trying (in vain I might add!) to sell me a 1957 BMW 507 for $19,400. There were only 252 made and they go upwards of 350k-500 dollars!! In fact, like the original blog mentioned, I was able to find the same exact car (pictures copied/pasted) from a legitimate dealership in California (Fantasy Junction.com). Incidentally, I think I found "your" Porsche on that site. He uses cars from the "Cars We Sold" category and not the present inventory (smart). Anyway, I contacted the company and they informed me that the BMW had sold for, get this, $600k dollars to somebody in the midwest! Sooo, just south of 20k dollars seems like a great deal, right?? Well, good old Ray Clampp was sensing my reluctance to commit. He stated he'd negotiate and sell for $15,400. Wow, it must be my lucky day! Needless to say, I've kept him on the hook now for almost a week, attempting to learn more about him while still expressing a modicum of interest. Here's something else: I live in Kansas. After I told him that he THEN informed me the car was in Maine. The furthest US point from Kansas (contiguous states) is, anyone, anyone? Yep, Maine. That was, of course, after I offered to come inspect the car myself. "Sorry, I'm out of the country (Austria)" was his reply. Ok, so my curiosity is still piqued so I do several Ebay(pick a country) searches and he's selling a Buick on Ebay China, the previously mentioned Model "A" in the US and Germany, and, well, we're still looking. I also caught another add just hours after the BMW disappeared off Ebay and it was for another high-end car. Well, you get the picture. Ray, or whatever his name is, will have no choice but to change his name/tactics soon. That is what bothers me. I contacted Ebay and sent them the entire email traffic on this guy. Since I don't have his user name, they can't do much. I asked Ray in an email (playing the naive Ebayer that I am) that I was interested in his feedback. He sent me what I'm sure is somebody else's userid (smackthat27va). Whoever that is had only bought 3 things and doesn't have any selling history. Go figure. I would like to hear anything else anybody has to say about this guy. Spread the word, "Ray, we're hot on your trail"!! ;)
Starbucks is for people with too much money.
The dough never comes out right, and the cheese never melts right. I've given up on making my own pizzas. And anyone who starts with giving me lists of esoteric equipment and ingredients, spare me. The old time pizza makers didn't have any of that stuff.
I used to work for The Hunger Site at its affiliated sites. They do a lot of good work, and try to buy from artisan projects and support a lot of great initiatives. That said, sometimes a lot of their stuff is just crap made in sweatshops in China. Make sure to check the origin (should be listed with the product description) before buying.
And no matter what, DIY is more fun and satisfying than buying it online.
What i really like about european countries is their gothic sensibility. i mean...take a look at their architectural designs.
I tried a gazillion different zip codes and restaurants came up in all those areas. I will change to title, which is usually against our policy because of linkage issues, but if it is not available anywhere it needs republishing.
Where I live in West Virginia, there wasn't anything available. Us rural folk don't get no discounts.
If an activity involves socializing with other kids, he's in -- it hadn't occurred to me that he might be truly interested in the activity. I think it's the combo of time and money that I find difficult, with the time slot making dinner more expensive b/c we may need to eat out some to fit nourishment in with homework and an evening activity. I took a semester's worth of karate in college and enjoyed it, and am interested in a shorter dose of something that I/he could be successful in whether it involved a blackbelt or not. The pressure to continue for years (that I perceive) may be from the school itself or peers. Still, if he's willing to pay half (next time he asks), I'll strongly consider it. And I forgot to mention this (it's summer and they're not meeting now) but he's also a scout.
Thanks for a perspective from someone who has truly benefited from Tae Kwon Do.
The topic title is misleading. Restaurant.com does not work "anywhere." You can only get the certificates for particular local restaurants. And sadly, the ones in my area really don't look that appealing.
going to ad an update to the post. This seems to be a sticking point. Thanks.
Yeah. I was about to jump on $100 worth for a measly $12, but the Terms and Conditions state:
"Limit one (1) redemption per party, per month, per restaurant."
Still going to jump on one, though. Great tip!
I had no problems using the coupons I got at my local curry house, but maybe that's because I have a good relationship with the staff. I'm going to check into this.