My idea of a stress-free life

I've had this discussion with friends before; thought I'd post it. My idea of a low-maintenance, low-stress life involves 3 things:

1. Buy a Mac
2. Lease a Saturn
3. Own a Condo

There are other factors, obviously, but those are the primary hardware components. Computers are one of the most frustrating things to deal with on a daily basis; OS X really takes the hassle out of that. Cars are another big headache; leasing takes away that hassle too. Saturn is a great company to deal with because there's no haggling involved, which translates to zero sales pressure. They are the best car company I have ever dealt with! Their customer service combined with leasing has just been a spectacular car experience for me. Third is a place to live. Apartments and houses have many issues; condos are a nice combination of both. Combine them all together and you have a cakewalk lined up for you. I just thought I'd share my thoughts on that.

Yours?

i'd only change #2 if we're going with the computer/car/home combo.

leasing something as important as a car would drive me mad, paying to own nothing, restrictions on milage, fees at the end and beginning of the deal...
also, i'd go honda or subaru - i've never owned more stress free cars in my life.

eric said:

i'd only change #2 if we're going with the computer/car/home combo.

leasing something as important as a car would drive me mad, paying to own nothing, restrictions on milage, fees at the end and beginning of the deal...
also, i'd go honda or subaru - i've never owned more stress free cars in my life.

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Sure, everyone is different. Aside from cars, even a well-managed home can be as good as a condo. Personally I like leasing because it's cheaper than buying, I get a nice new car every few years, and I never have to worry about the car breaking down over time. I've gone through a few pretty rotten cars in my life, cars that sucked massive amounts of money and more importantly time from me. Having something that works and works well is a real blessing. I like Saturn not because they have the best cars, but because they have the best overall package deal. For example: quality cars, quiet inside the cabin, safe, zero-hassle salesmanship, great customer service, very competitive prices, virtually invisible to thieves (no one wants to steal a saturn!!), and great maintenance plan (even free car washes!). Of course, if you need to drive excessive distances (for example over 20,000 miles a year), if you like to customize your car, or if you have the time and know-how to work on cars, then leasing may not be for you. Owning a new car or "newer" car can be just as good of an experience.

Eventually I would like to build my own house, but until then a condo is a good option. Like with cars, I've had terrible experiences in my previous apartments, lol. I'm currently sharing a basic condo but hoping to get into my own place by next year. I like it because they cover the exterior (landscaping, roofing, etc.) and all you really have to do is clean up the inside. My dream home has home automation, durable materials like concrete and steel, and so on. Another low/easy-maintenance system. The less I have to worry about big project items in my life like a place to live, a car to drive, and a computer to use, the more time I can spend on things that I want to pursue such as electronics projects or school.

btw your avatar cracks me up

The life that I am living now without a few things. ABout to go to college so in the fall after finsihing high school so basically right now I'm just chillin in my basement with no job and not a care in the world. It is sweet.

Don't watch TV or read the newspapers... no need to worry about things you don't understand or are just made up to sell more newspapers/advertising space.

Also, just buy a razor that takes good old fashioned double-edged razor blades. Who really needs the stress of worrying about that new razor they just brought out that has 6 blades, electronic pulses, and a built in MP3 player and is endorsed by David Beckham and it make you more attractive than the one you already own? Of all the pointless things.... (oh, and a manual toothbrush is enough... electronic, multi-tasking whizzi things are nonsense).

Also, a washing machine should have no more than 5 buttons, and even that's pushing it. No dials either.

Levi said:

Don't watch TV or read the newspapers... no need to worry about things you don't understand or are just made up to sell more newspapers/advertising space.

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It's funny; after they retired, my great-grandpa and grandpa would always say "the world is going to the dogs". My dad explained that after retiring they would wake up and read the newspaper and all of the horrible things going on the world and it made their outlook on the wold fairly cynical. In reality, nothing has changed except some nicer technology. We still have wars. We still have terrorists. People are still killing other people and doing other stupid things. If you choose to expose yourself to that in a daily basis, then you're going to get a distorted view on reality over time.

Also I think it mainly boils down to managing your commitments. It helps if you have "stuff" like cars and computers that don't aggravate you, either. But if you do a good job in whatever you're supposed to be doing and don't procrastinate, that takes a lot of stress off yourself whether it's school, work, or family-related, or anything else. I got an audiobook a year or two ago called "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen (if you read blogs it's been kind of trendy lately) and he has figured out a great system for dealing with all the things in your life - your papers, your projects, commitments, etc. He teaches you how to get stuff off your mind and into a system that reminds you what you need to do. It's a really great system because it lets you be completely stress-free when it comes to many aspects of your life. It's available on iTunes and I would highly recommend picking it up if you feel like you're not very organized (*raises hand*).

I really like the mac, car, condo idea. That put me in a really happy mood because it's reminding me of what's in my close future!!

Kaidomac, what is it about leasing a car and buying a condo you like/don't like? I'm just wondering b/c the rent/buy difference has me puzzled. You'll lease (basically renting) a car, but you won't rent an apartment, which is basically like a condo except for renting versus buying.

For me, I can't stand renting/leasing b/c limitations are imposed on me for something I'm paying for and have nothing material in the end. If I get a dent in my car, I don't have to worry about how it affects my lease; an issue I've seen many people deal with. I just either get it fixed or leave it as I choose. Or if I feel like installing new seats, stereo or some other modification.

For that same reason, I couldn't own a condo. With condos you're tied down to certain rules and regs of the condo. You own it, but you're still told what you can and cannot do to some extent. Plus I grew up just outside a small town and I'm used to having plenty of space/privacy.

So I guess my ideal simple life is own a mac (check), own a car (double check), own a home with a big yard (working on it). The American dream.

Saturn=GM=Bad Idea
Save a ton of money and get a used Honda or Toyota.
I've owned a 95 Honda for almost 2 years now. It's at nearly 195,000 (bought it with 176,000) and I've had zero mechanical problems with it. Plus,it gets better gas mileage than any new Saturn does.
Bryan

Shannonb said:

The life that I am living now without a few things. ABout to go to college so in the fall after finsihing high school so basically right now I'm just chillin in my basement with no job and not a care in the world. It is sweet.

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Enjoy it while you have it.

fleuyra said:

For that same reason, I couldn't own a condo. With condos you're tied down to certain rules and regs of the condo. You own it, but you're still told what you can and cannot do to some extent. Plus I grew up just outside a small town and I'm used to having plenty of space/privacy.

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While is still true in some areas, most residential neighborhoods (at least in Cali, but I know of lots of other places too) now tie you to an "association" that will tell you what you can and can't do with your house and property. Want to build a patio in the back? You need their approval. Want to put in a Pool? Need their approval. Want to paint your house? Need their approval. Want to buy an RV and keep it in your backyard? Need their approval. Want to replant the grass and redo the landscaping in your front yard? Need their approval. The list goes on and on and on. If they say no, it's no and there is little you as the homeowner can do about it unless you are prepared to go to court. Many of them now have clauses about noise emanating from your house, how late you can have lights on near windows and so on. All this an you PAY them for the privilege of living in a house you are already paying for.

baggss said:

Enjoy it while you have it.



While is still true in some areas, most residential neighborhoods (at least in Cali, but I know of lots of other places too) now tie you to an "association" that will tell you what you can and can't do with your house and property. Want to build a patio in the back? You need their approval. Want to put in a Pool? Need their approval. Want to paint your house? Need their approval. Want to buy an RV and keep it in your backyard? Need their approval. Want to replant the grass and redo the landscaping in your front yard? Need their approval. The list goes on and on and on. If they say no, it's no and there is little you as the homeowner can do about it unless you are prepared to go to court. Many of them now have clauses about noise emanating from your house, how late you can have lights on near windows and so on. All this an you PAY them for the privilege of living in a house you are already paying for.

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I saw a similar type of situation on that stupid Redman and Methodman show... I didn't think it was a reality for some people. That's nuts... I mean I could understand if someone wanted to paint their house fluorescent green with pink stripes all over it, because that would probably ruin the look of the whole neigbourhood and might scare some potential buyers away... but everything else on that list seems rediculous.

baggss said:

--snip--

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If something like that happened to me, there would be a war in my neighborhood. In fact, I'd probably buy a few cans of paint, and paint the house in the middle of the night, just to drive them nuts. I paid for the house, and I'm paying taxes on it, NO ONE is going to tell me what I can/can't do with it.

in terms of cars, i don't like owning a depreciating item or resource. plus, i don't "own" it, the bank that i financed it through still does. if i own anything, that means it can't be taken away unless stolen.

renting a home/apartment is not an option for me since that money just goes down the tube. (my car i replace rather quickly, my home i do not) i own my house as long as i pay for it and most likely it will continue to go up in value. i can't say that for 99.7% of any automobile.


stress free life means everything is paid for, no bills and i can do what i wish.

Stretch said:

If something like that happened to me, there would be a war in my neighborhood. In fact, I'd probably buy a few cans of paint, and paint the house in the middle of the night, just to drive them nuts. I paid for the house, and I'm paying taxes on it, NO ONE is going to tell me what I can/can't do with it.

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In the neighborhood where I live, and in much of Southern California, all of those things are true.

baggss said:

In the neighborhood where I live, and in much of Southern California, all of those things are true.

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I couldn't handle living that way. I hard of some neighborhoods near Disney World where they even regulate your lawn care and mailbox! I would go mad. This is the land of the free, isn't it? I'll never live in a location like that. I'll commute a hour to work to avoid that garbage.

To me, I cant see myself ever having a low-stress lifestyle while truely being happy until much later on in life.
I believe that ive gotta have a balance, going through stressful times as a youngin in order to shape my character.
Seeing where my financial situation lets me go and how early ill be able to "settle", I would ultimately like to live in a natural and serene area, but not too far away from a city (regardless of size), in a great relationship, and with only the basic tools necessary to live in "comfort" (which im not even sure of what ill consider that years from now).