“8. Toiletry kit”

> but so long as you find a hostel/apartment/friend with some basic cooking utensils and Internet, it's not too hard to keep your costs very low.

Sorry to be nitpicking here, that "minimalism porn" thing is a completely new curiosity for me, but technically you just shift ownership and costs (by mooching) but you still take advantage of those things or services - which really isn't all that minimalistic at all.

When I wrote that post a year ago, I think you could definitely say I was mooching off my friend (living with him, using his cooking utensils, etc.).

But after that experience, I moved to an apartment in another city. It had almost no furnishing at the time. The only things I had to buy were an airbed and basic cooking supplies (pot, pan, nominal silverware) and I was able to live basically the same way again.

(Of course it helped that I was living in a place with great public transportation and lots of things to do. I also long ago replaced my books/music/movies/etc with digital versions, so I didn't have to carry anything but a hard drive for those.)

For what it's worth, I did not have the benefit of a large bank balance like the OP presumably did (I was fortunately debt-free, but had almost no money saved away). To maintain this lifestyle, I had no choice but to live frugally (thankfully, I never get tired of cheap home-cooked pasta).

It's not for everyone, but I like living this way. It really helps clarify what's important in your life and keeps me focused on my work.

If the 15 things were meant to keep you alive in a wilderness area for a couple of months then I'd find the whole thing a lot more interesting - living "minimally" in an urban environment with a healthy bank balance doesn't seem that much of a challenge.

I don't think people are after "a challenge" with this minimalist urban life style.

It just feels good to be free of stuff. At least for me it was one of the greatest periods of my life. Around 10 years ago, after a breakup with a girl I was living with, I got rid of most of my stuff, mainly kept a few clothes and things that I couldn't replace somehow like letters from my friends and photographs. But furniture, utensils, books, CDs, vinyls, all that I sold to thrift stores.

The feeling was awesome, being free from stuff and relationship. There was nothing challenging living that way. Only challenge was a decision to get rid of stuff (and her).

"It just feels good to be free of stuff"

I would agree that there isn't much point having stuff that you don't use - but I like having stuff that lets me do activities easily when I want to (bike, skis, assorted mountain gear...). I don't feel a huge amount of attachment to these items as possessions - only for what they let me do.