No Stupid Questions

That's pretty close to what most people would call Van Life. There are massive communities around that.

Did they run out of money?

Id probably slide the TV stand closer to that outlet. You can at least attempt to hide wires.

How awful. That cable management makes my eyes hurt.

So talking about portability, I had a job in another city, I would do some of it from home like CAD work and then drive into town a few days a week to run machine tools etc. I had a system of bags I lived out of. My backpack which contained my laptop and my portable "office," my tool bag in which I have a wide variety of capability, and a duffel bag with clothing, toiletries and such to keep a man running for 3 days. I could carry all three at once with a free hand and I can be ready for a 4 day, 3 night away mission in minutes.

I'm portable because I like the idea of being able to move without it being a big project. I think most people are utilitarian in that they buy things that address a specific problem they have, though maybe people who like minimalist ideas would have a different threshhold for what constitutes a 'problem' and favour products that address multiple problems in the simplest way.

When I moved I did sleep in a sleeping bag for a bit, but practically it's much easier to wash a duvet cover than a sleeping bag. Same goes for hammock vs. bed. My bowl situation started at 1, but I ended up washing this one bowl all the time and it felt wasteful and effortful. I still do eat breakfast out of the pot, but I would argue it's the best solution and others should copy me :) I'll happily sit in one chair for a couple years before deciding a second chair or a couch is a requirement.

I think over a long period of time I'll still be minimal, but have more specific things. It is genuinely more pleasant to eat salad from a salad size bowl/plate, pasta from a pasta bowl, soup or cereal from a cereal bowl, a latte from a latte mug, etc. Minimalism to me will always be about min/maxing items to squeeze the most joy out of life because I need that lift. Being spartan is hard living.

Have you looked into vanlife groups? It's not the same exactly, but most of the items they use should translate pretty well to nomadicish apartment life

You’ll want to maybe start looking into some Asian cultures. There is a lot of minimalism there, like this guy. He is able to pack and move to a new home in 13min and moves every year. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XBQBKseozuY

There are also some people who try their best to make it look like there is nothing in their apartment, but it’s really a full on transformer

https://youtu.be/v1MVqwvOqvY?si=Q4FTQPlFwSaeQton

https://youtu.be/daL7TkzyW7k?si=6lmHuvXCQ3y-XC-6

https://youtube.com/shorts/p1z7AAMxR9g?si=BUEDiIJztlnfDRve

There is also a youtube channel called Never Too Small https://youtube.com/@nevertoosmall?si=T1bOX4Sc6FQuqZvg

There was (is?) a subreddit called /r/onebag that might be like this. It was sort of minimalism taken to the extreme of condensing your possessions to a single bag. Definitely some overlap with the digital nomad community too

You can probably crosspost on [email protected]. It's pretty quiet, but you might get additional answers

Lets be honest. Most people buy stuff to impress other people. At this stage in my life I have no fucks to give about that any more.

I was going to post a Reddit style quip of bachelor stereotypes. I furnished my apartment like this when I was freshly graduated and again when I moved cities. But the difference there is it’s not really intentional, but other priorities. When you’re just starting out, where do you spend your money and time, and what do you care about?

I got a bed when the carpeted floor was uncomfortable. I got a second bowl when I was annoyed having to wash the first one so frequently. Hell, I didn’t graduate from a duffle to a suitcase until my gf at the time made me. It’s not about being minimalist but not having the need or the money

That carpet has too many... uh, "colors."

The issue is, that you can’t easily reach the fridge so you can’t get a new can of beer without getting up

You need a sofa for when you have girls over but other than that I see nothing wrong .

...what's the issue?

I'm not seeing a question in there. What are you actually asking?

Edit:

After clarification, I do have an answer, albeit second hand.

I actually know a small group of people that adhere to a very minimalist, portable lifestyle.

They essentially live out of two vehicles, a van and an old station wagon. They'll settle down in a town long enough to do some work, gather funds, and move on whenever they get bored, or can't get jobs.

They've been at it for maybe twenty years? Certainly after 2k. I met them through a friend that fronts a band, as the group I'm talking about are all musicians, and do some busking as well as session work among their other talents.

Supposedly, they started out just following bands around, the way people used to with the Grateful Dead, but not a single specific band. I know they hit festivals across the U.S., including some of the less music festivals like the rainbow gathering.

But, when they're in a town/city, they'll get a hotel, start looking for a short term rental they can use for a crash pad/bath/kitchen and then start working. Most places, they know people in the various scenes and subcultures, so it's pretty easy for them to get going. I've let them park at my place a few times, though it's been a while, and I don't know I would now. They tend to still want to party a bit much for my household to handle currently

But each person only really owns what they can carry in the van. They do have stuff that they stash here and there, like some spare gear they keep at the studio my musician friend has. They've got some camping gear they share as a group.

Anyway, the point is that while they're a group, they do keep their lives extremely minimalist even when they're "settled" in one place for a year or so. The kind of minimalist in the meme you used, only no TV, and usually no real furniture at all.

Like, they dropped into my town maybe eight years ago, and stayed for maybe six months because one of their parents lives in the next town over and needed some help, and one of my uncles was willing to rent to them super cheap. The few times I went over, I had to bring my own chair. They ended up buying two beds, and some kitchen gear, which they left behind when they moved on. They also left the place spotless, which made my uncle quite happy compared to the crap that would happen when he would usually rent that place out (it's just a spare trailer he inherited and put on the edge of his farm) to family.

They're all in their mid to late forties now, and the last I talked to any of them, they don't intend to settle down until they don't have a choice. They supposedly put money aside into retirement accounts and such, but I dunno.

Their whole thing is about rejecting the idea of permanence, of being locked down into one place and being "owned by the shit we own". Anything that isn't essential, they leave behind, or sell off when they move along.

Whenever I see an image with this caption, it usually looks mostly fine but seems like something about it would cause neck pain. Usually it's because the TV is on the floor, but this time it's because it looks to me like sitting comfortably in that chair and leaning back would require craning your neck to view the TV.

Also, I can't tell for sure, but the chair looks like it's a recliner. If so, it seems like reclining would bump into the bar area. Might be misjudging that, though.

i have a table

I have two kids and a clutter bug wife in an apartment with me. I wish I could keep me living room this clear and simple

Yes. I have very limited/cheap furniture. Almost everything I own comes from discount stores or thrifts. I don’t have an attachment to any of it. I’m debating going the Peace Corps so I don’t really want to own anything that I’ll have to pay to store.

Something that I’ve found works well for sleeping is a tatami mat and futon mattress. It’s best if you can air out the mattress and mat outside occasionally. But you can fold and roll both. You can also stack up layers of those $4 Walmart fleece blankets to adjust coverage.

I think of minimalism as an aesthetic or study in aesthetics that helps people live in gratitude for the things they do have. Minimalism has a core rooted in calm and pleasantness and I feel like if this 'nomadic' minimalism you're describing fits into that then it could be a branch of minimalism. But the picture here is kind of depressing, haphazard, and I can't imagine the person whose place that is would like to live that way for a long time. They did take a picture of it... I did that when I moved into my place but it was like 'look how I'm living in squalor'.