(Part 2) Best products from r/simpleliving

Absolutely. I'm glad you asked and I hope I can be helpful.

I know it can be very difficult to stop consumerism within us because we've been advertised to our entire lives. We've been told that material possession equates to success and self-worth. The more we have, the better we are. You and I can read these sentences I wrote and recognize how stupid that idea is. Yet, advertising is so good that even the knowledge that we're being advertised to doesn't always prevent that same advertising from working on us. Advertising is based on exploiting human psychology. That's why it works. Just know that it's very difficult to ignore advertising on a subconscious level. We're only human. We will fail. We will make mistakes. Recognizing all this is a good first step.

It's important to practice desiring less. When you want something, stop yourself and think about it. Think about your motivations. Why do you want it? Is there a real justification for acquiring something? Is it a true need, or just a want? If it's simply a want, well, tell yourself you want it but you don't need it and move on. Try to thwart the desire for that thing at the source. Desire for a thing is like sexual lust... it's only human to feel that way, but you don't need to act on it.

It's a constant practice, desiring less. It's difficult. Possibly the most difficult thing a human can do. But desire leads to disappointment and suffering. Desire is temporary, but if we play that desire out to its end, often times the fruits of that desire can be disappointing and longlasting. But if you don't need something, if you don't desire, you're that much more free... "Nah, I don't need that." You become unflappable. More in control. But don't kid yourself... it's hard. Keep practicing.

If you're looking to get rid of stuff you already have that isn't bringing you happiness, I recommend Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." It's become quite a popular book and for good reason. It really makes you think about why you have stuff and how that stuff functions in your life.

If you want to work on internalizing the idea of desiring less, take a look at /r/buddhism. It's important that if you start reading Buddhist texts that you realize that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion. Buddhism's main tenant is "freedom from desire is the path to enlightenment." It's a very deep rabbit hole to go down and a lifetime of study. For a more modern take on Buddhist teaching, I love Pema Chodron. I also really love Anthony DeMello and Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Another great place to look is /r/stoicism and in particular "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. Aurelius was emperor of Rome, but that didn't stop him from living a life of equanimity and mindfulness. His book "Meditations" is more like a private diary, in which he reminds himself on how to live a good life.

“We need to master the art of acquiescence. We need to pay attention to our impulses, making sure they don’t go unmoderated, that they benefit others, that they’re worthy of us. We need to steer clear of desire in any form and not try to avoid what’s beyond our control.” -- Meditations, 11.37 (Hays translation)

I hope that this stuff can get you started on your journey. Just know that you don't need to be perfect. You don't need to flip a switch and completely change who you are to be a success at any of this. It's a process and it's a practice. Failure is okay. Don't beat yourself. Just try. Just keep practicing this stuff every day and it will add up. You can do it.

It's not quite what you're looking for, but I loved this book: The Big Turnoff: Confessions of a TV-Addicted Mom Trying to Raise a TV-Free Kid. It's the memoir of a woman who raised her child sans TV from the very start. She worried that it would keep him from bonding with other kids, but it didn't; I remember one episode in the book: she takes her son to a birthday party where all the other parents have parked their kids in front of a movie, and her son encourages the children to do something creative, like put on a play or something. As he got older, she tried to encourage him to watch an episode of an educational cartoon (Arthur, I think), and he didn't get it---her son just found the show inane (because it is). Even the woman herself started to perceive TV shows differently: she used to love TV, but after spending so much time away from it, finds it unsatisfying when she tries to revisit it.

Anyway, I don't know if it will help, but it might be worth reading. Remember that it doesn't have to be all or nothing: it is possible to significantly cut down television time without eliminating it completely (and therefore appease your husband by not getting rid of the "investment", or whatever). You could schedule a certain time (every day, every 2 or 3 days, once a week) for TV use; you could grant TV time as a reward; you could slowly decrease TV time over the span of weeks or months (which might make it easier for everyone to adjust).

Whatever you and your husband decide, I think reducing or eliminating TV time (for all but the most special of occasions, like a presidential inauguration or other age-appropriate events, or even Shark Week) is a great idea. The earlier you do it, the better---once the children are old enough to follow a series with an evolving plot (assuming that they aren't there yet), they will likely get hooked on certain shows, and then reducing TV time will be a war. Also, it is likely that the kids will have their own computers or video-capable cell phones when they are older, and if you curb the bad habit now, they may be less susceptible to TV addiction later.

I hope you and your husband are able to come to an agreement that works well for everyone and encourages positive development for the children. Best wishes to you and your family.

Diapers. That's it! Ha.

Ok other things:
A change mat of some kind, which can be as simple as one you put on the bed, receiving blankets cause those little cuties burp up everywhere, a swing if you want to have shower in the first two months (although don't make my mistake of using it too much and creating a sleep association you need to later sort out...)

If you plan to nurse, a good electric pump. Not cheap but worth every penny. Although this is one of those things you might want to wait on, because we are not always in charge of how this goes down. But at least have a sense of what you would get if you do need one.

A good nursing pillow if you plan to nurse also. The horrifyingly named 'My Breast Friend' is the best one IMO.

A gliding rocking chair is really nice for feeding. I liked having one. Not everyone finds it necessary.

Swaddling blankets. Swaddling is awesome.

The kitchen sink is the best baby bathtub around. Better for your back anyway!

I do think a stroller with a bucket car seat attachment so you can take it out of the car and click it on the stroller is pretty great. I should not have spent so much on a Bugaboo, what a ridiculous amount of money. It was second hand but still. Not necessary at all. Plenty of more reasonable ones do the job.

A feeding solution of some kind, whether it attaches to the table or is a high chair. In retrospect I wish I had gotten an attach to the table one or one like this that can be used for years through toddlerhood and fits under the table, instead of a big ass high chair that has a huge footprint in the kitchen. No rush on this for a few months though.

We had kid in our bed for a lot of the first year, but then I'm a hippie. I learned from someone to get pool noodles and put them under the fitted sheet to create a safety bumper. Worked well. We also used one of these some of the time. By your side sleeper. We barely used the crib for the first year. But everyone's different with their sleep preferences.

I feel like I overspent on the post bucket seat car seat also, getting a steel reinforced one. We got a Diono. All the steel does is make it more expensive and heavy AF.

Happy baby-ing!

Well, you're already many steps ahead of most people twice your age if you can see this already. :)

What I did was the 9 to 5 (...er 6 to 10 sometimes) for ~5 years to see how businesses work and gain skills. Now that I've gained that knowledge, I'm taking what I never could have learned on my own without that experience and starting my own company doing similar work as a consultant but where I can make sure to always hold true to my values, not work 6 to 10, and live more simply. That's my hope anyway, wish me luck! Just wanted to say if you do end up working a 9 to 5, it can be temporary.

The advice other have given for r/financialindependence and r/leanfire subs are great. Also, don't take out loans for more $ than you actually have if possible, and save your money in something like mutual funds so inflation doesn't eat up your savings like it would sitting under your mattress. Lastly, I highly recommend this book, see if your library has it for free.

Best of luck, please know that all of life is a journey. You feel confused now, but don't expect to ever 'have it all figured out'. You'll continue to learn, adjust, and grow through your 30s and, presumably, beyond.

Cheez-Its! you need a food processor to make it, but it's reasonably easy. They are my favorite processed snack, so I was stoked to find a way to make them myself.

Making your own ricotta is also not too tough and a really cool process. Watching the milk separate into curds and whey is really awesome. And you can make the best lasagna with it.

Yogurt is also pretty easy. Basically you just warm up milk, add some old yogurt too it and let it sit. I let mine culture in a beer cooler, because the temperature is more static.

Making pasta is also pretty easy, but requires equipment. My recipe is 1 cup of white flour to 1 egg, with about a half eggshell's worth of water (for two people). If you want to mix it up, do half whole wheat/buckwheat/semolina flour and half white. It's so much tastier than store bought dry pasta, cooks faster, and keeps well in the freezer. I have very fond memories of making pasta with my mom when I was younger.

Anyway that was longer than anticipated. I make almost all my food from scratch, so if there is something you want to know about I can probably point you in the right direction. Cheers!

Don't buy the kit - maybe this will help in addition to enfier's comments

(1) Cleaning. You will want to buy oxyclean versatile free. This is an oxygen based cleaner I use for homebrewing, laundry, and general purpose cleaning.

(2) Sanitizing. Star san is the standard, you can start with a small bottle ( a little goes a long way). I recommend going to the dollar store and getting a 1L spray bottle for application.

(3) The boil. You will need a 4 gallon stock pot to do 2.5 gallon batches. 2 gallon stock pot for 1 gallon batches. I bought a 4 gal stock pot for $20 dollar off amazon. "Bigger is better" is often preached on homebrewing forums, I am happy with 2.5 gallon batches for apartment brewing.

(4) Chilling. This can be pricey. for 1 gallon batches, no chiller needed, just an ice bath. For 2.5 gallon batches, I found a chiller to be a nice time saver, but the cost was not an issue for me. Don't spend more than $50 (amazon pricing)

(5) Fermentation vessel. This will hold the beer while it ferments. For a 1 gal batch, get a 2 gallon food grade bucket (amazon, or try your local super market for a better price). For 2.5 gal, get a 3.5 gallon bucket. Always want 1 gallon of head space above the fluid level.

(6) Fermentation chamber. This is often the biggest expense in both money and space. Temperature control will allow you to make better beer, but you can make perfectly fine beer without it. Consider a Craigslist mini fridge and ink bird temperature controller ($30). Swamp coolers are common for beginners. (bucket, water & revolving ice packs).

(7) Bottling, odds and ends. You will probably want to use a siphon and bottling wand to fill your bottles. Do it over a dishwasher door (if you can) because you will spill / drip. You will need a bottle capper & caps. I recommend a cooking scale I have this one for measuring water by weight, and grains (if you get there). Also useful for cooking in general.

(8) Cost. By the time you buy: cleaner, sanitizer, stock pot, fermentation bucket, siphon, capper, bottling wand you are looking at $75-$100 dollars. You can get the optional ferm chamber, scale and chiller for another $125 dollars.

Good luck, feel free to hit me with questions!

A tablet + a server running plex.

Replaces a TV, DVD player, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon et al accounts. Provides tons of entertainment when at home and when traveling.

Sleep Stuff

Personally I think there's really no proper way to value a good night's sleep. After years of dealing with poor sleep due to breathing problems in a dry climate and living with obnoxious neighbors whose religion prohibits using headphones figuring out some cheap solutions to my sleep issues has yielded immeasurable quality of life improvements.

Nasal dialaters.

I was having a lot of problems sleeping due to narrow nasal pathways + seasonal changes and my BP was off the charts. The quality of life improvement from quality sleep is hard to quantify as a value.

[Really comfy sleep masks.] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJQFJX8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1)
The inner lining on these ones reliably peels off for me but I still use mine and I think I could put these on 1 mile from the sun and not see light.

Super comfortable noise canceling ear buds
I have a ridiculously loud 300lb stomping upstairs neighbor who enjoys putting together furniture at 3am due to either meth or sleep apnea or both. He also really enjoys his shitty 1990s R&B. I've had several confrontations and he's changed some of it but you can't request someone not walk around their apartment when they want. I think he has knee problems so his steps are really heavy. These things are the best answer I could find. If I put these on + a TV show it drowns him out. It sucks to rely on noise to cancel out other noise but I love these things, they're super comfortable and they do the job I need.

Coffee Stuff

GeneCafe Coffee Roaster

So I'm the sort of person who is willing to spend the right amount of money when there's value. For me roasting my own coffee provides tons of value. For starters you can order green beans online for $3-5 a lb. I order 6+ months worth of coffee at a time for around $100, give or take. This roaster has now paid for itself compared to buying coffee at my favorite roaster and is in line with the stale, burnt tasting shit you can buy in giant vats at the grocery store.

But beyond just that I get the supreme joy of truly fresh roasted coffee roasted to a level I like which is a lot different than the black and greasy shit you'll get at Kroger's or whatever. I also love that I can bring this is going to be useful if/when I'm living on a homestead somewhere.

Stainless Steel French Press

Goes with the above. I used to buy glass ones and break them, but this $40 french press will probably last for a very long time with only the screen to worry about replacing and god only knows how long that will take.

[Rough Bur Grinder] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001804CLY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I really enjoy replacing electronic equipment with stuff I can power with elbow grease. It's not much of a workout, but it's quieter and still does the same job as the electric one I had purchased and unless other electric ones I'm not sure this one will ever break. My previous ones would break/clog constantly, this one has been trucking without issue for a year and I suspect will last several.

Cool. Is this what you got? http://www.amazon.com/Shikibuton-Trifold-density-resilient-Folding/dp/tech-data/B0040VPLJK

I am really liking the idea of a shikibuton because of how it folds so neatly. How do you care for the fabric (it's hard to see what they are made of)? I am imagining I would have some sort of blanket or other linen on top of the shikibuton when it sleep mode.

Living the Good Life

Continuing the Good Life

Plain and Simple

Apples of the Mummies Eye

I would get a large carabiner handle to carry all the grocery bags in 1. Example: Coghlan's Large Biner Carry Handle It makes the load so much easier and keeps everything together because you can twist them together. I have two to load distribute on both hands or over the shoulder. Also another tip is get some strong ripstop nylon reusable grocery bags. You can easily tuck them away in your pocket and use them as grocery basket to checkout without bulk or weight plus you can toss the in the wash. I do this all the time when i go on the metro train.

https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Attached-Polyester-Shopping-Lightweight/dp/B073FGBK2L/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=grocery+bags+nylon&qid=1573325971&sr=8-4

np! another good book is "Life Without Bread"

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Bread-Low-Carbohydrate-Diet/dp/0658001701

Using the "scholarly reception" link you provided, it looks like "qualified" people actually do recommend the book, albeit with a warning on sensationalism. Of the 5 sources there, 2 of them are positive, 1 is nebulous, and 2 are negative.

The 2 that are negative are comprised of a Christian Apologetics author ( https://www.amazon.com/Need-God-Good-Anthropologist-Considers/dp/1785352172 ) and a generic graduate student.

This is certainly just quick, off-the-cuff googling but I figured I'd point that out in case you were interested in finding a reason to give it a read and decide for yourself rather than label and tell others it is "pop science".