https://www.reddit.com/r/simpleliving/comments/1iupsl6/minimal_lifestyle_issue/
created by crepuscopoli on 21/02/2025 at 12:31 UTC
17 upvotes, 40 top-level comments (showing 25)
I'm living, a minimal lifestyle.
But there is a recurring question I ask myself:
I really enjoy driving a cheap car, using not much tech, etc.. but how do I compensate for this "cheap lifestyle" if I still want to show I have a status?
We cannot deny that having status today, in our modernity, also means having "symbols" (like good clothing, good car, good house, not necessarly luxury), and that unfortunately you will be immediately labeled for the ones you choose.
Do you understand what I mean?
It has always been there, since the time of gorillas. It is a social bias
Comment by PicoRascar at 21/02/2025 at 16:21 UTC
85 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Wealth is everything you don't see. Debt, obligation and missed opportunity is all I see when people show off their material status symbols.
Financial independence and freedom are the greatest status symbols of all.
Comment by mummymunt at 22/02/2025 at 02:05 UTC
42 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I live my life the way that makes me happy. I spend zero minutes every day worrying about my status and what other people think of the way I dress, what car I drive, any of it. I spend the same amount of time worrying about what other people wear, what car they drive, their 'status', etc. That sounds like a miserable existence. Ever heard the saying, "Comparison is the thief of joy"?
Comment by shinysquirrel220701 at 22/02/2025 at 02:48 UTC
70 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Materialism is loud. Wealth is quiet.
Comment by phdee at 22/02/2025 at 01:53 UTC
26 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I find it hard to care about what people who are concerned with status think about me. It's just not my values. I don't care if rich people think I'm poor.
I care that good and kind people think I'm a good and kind person. I care that people look beyond status symbols to recognize that we're all human beings and that socially constructed conceptions of status are worthless when it comes to meaning.
When you start caring about a better world for people who have very little you stop caring about the people who have too much and won't share it.
Comment by origamialpaca at 22/02/2025 at 03:59 UTC
23 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you really want to get a status symbol, I think skills are really cool. Like having the ability to run a marathon, painting well, knowing a language. Those require time and effort and sometimes money, but can also be intrinsically rewarding.
Comment by TacoTuesday1008 at 21/02/2025 at 15:31 UTC
43 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Is showing your status common in your circles? I am fairly new to this sub/lifestyle but I alway got the vibe that a big part of living minimally is not really caring what others think.
I don't really have an answer to your question but was just curious where the desire to show your status comes from.
Comment by Rosaluxlux at 22/02/2025 at 03:43 UTC
16 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Nothing gives you confidence and swagger like having FU money so you never have to take shit at a job or stick with a bad relationship. And nothing will cement your place in a community like having money in the bank to use when someone is really in need of it. But also I live in the American Midwest and real money here drives a Prius and wears North Face.
Comment by elsielacie at 22/02/2025 at 04:18 UTC*
13 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Let the status stuff go if you can.
People sometimes mistake my family for being poor. Because we have one car and I walk the kids to and from school. Because we live in a small house. Because I buy as much second hand as I can.
It only bothers me when the occasional person offers to do something for us and it seems as though they believe they are performing an act of charity rather than simply something nice for a friend. I find that awkward as they might be upset if I accept and later they realise our financial situation.
It’s kind of fun to keep people guessing. For a while last year my husband and I were working 4 days between us which really miffed people because why weren’t we trying to work harder to afford the car and big house and overseas holidays?
Comment by BackgroundPoint7023 at 22/02/2025 at 03:49 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I actually assume that people with blingy stuff come from very modest backgrounds and are trying to show off
Comment by hotflashinthepan at 22/02/2025 at 03:53 UTC
10 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It seems to me that simple living is quite unconcerned with status displays. It can take a while to get to this point.
Comment by iheartjosiebean at 22/02/2025 at 03:45 UTC
14 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think I understand, but I also think it's all in how you carry yourself. Keep that cheap car well-maintained. Nothing wrong with avoiding tech, either - but don't lead with that in conversation, lead with what does interest you. Present yourself as put together - good grooming & hygiene, clothing in good repair - this is always in style no matter what your personal style may be. These things speak volumes in a way that expensive, flashy items never could.
Comment by jen_17 at 22/02/2025 at 06:58 UTC*
6 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Years ago i worked in a bank and honestly some of the “wealthiest” looking people were the most in debt. The real wealthy ones dressed just like regular folk. I’ll always remember this one chap was wearing an old woolly jumper, hole in the elbow. He was very wealthy. But also seemed content, understated. He had an inner confidence and seemed more grounded and solid than any of the blinged up folk.
Desiring status through materialistic objects is a little too shallow for my tastes.
Also - simple living doesn’t necessarily mean cheap. In fact, for me I invest in good quality clothing, equipment, etc. it’s more likely to last longer, meaning less waste and less needless consumerism. I also go on nice holidays. Not flashy, I invest in the experience whilst being comfortable, rather than choosing my holidays based on what status they bring.
Comment by Literally_Laura at 22/02/2025 at 04:16 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I have never bought into that kind of thinking. Look healthy and clean. That's it.
Comment by kcbiii at 22/02/2025 at 04:28 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you are fit, clean, and at least a bit charismatic, people will completely forget to notice what you're wearing or driving.
Comment by Big_Perspective_7675 at 22/02/2025 at 04:29 UTC
8 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Wealth is when you stop caring about getting labeled.
Comment by No-Cartoonist520 at 22/02/2025 at 04:10 UTC
9 upvotes, 0 direct replies
So you're concerned with status? That means you're concerned with what other people think of you.
If you wanna waste money to impress other people, that's sad, but it's up to you.
What do you mean *"since the time of gorillas"*???... We still have gorillas, you know!
Comment by penartist at 22/02/2025 at 04:01 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I personally don't care about impressing other people. I care about living in alignment with my values. Living a rich life has little to do with status symbols.
Comment by mountainofclay at 22/02/2025 at 05:42 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It’s poor people who flaunt their wealth, not rich people.
Comment by Reasonable_Query at 22/02/2025 at 06:57 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I'm wondering if OP is referring to the way people treat those they believe are "less than" . If OP is concerned, for example, of being treated poorly by salespeople. Either that or being written off by prospective dates. IDK.
Agree with all who replied that it's nothing to be concerned with. There are more polite and less shallow people out there. The ones looking to see what car you're driving won't be good company or share your outlook on life.
Comment by RaccoonsAreNeat2 at 22/02/2025 at 13:22 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you want to separate/ distinguish yourself, but still want to keep your "cheap" things, then I would suggest that you don't underestimate the value of clean and in good repair. For example, a Honda civic from 2010 doesn't look that much different from the 2022 model, and certainly no one is taking the time to spec out the year on your car. What makes them look different is how beat up they are. Are your seats clean? Do you have parts hanging off? Is the exhaust still in good working order? Does it smell like stale taco bell farts? Those are the kinds of things that make people think, "Ugh, this person is so trashy."
Same goes for clothes, shoes, technology, house, etc. If I want to know how someone keeps themselves, I'm not whipping out my calculator and copy of the Kelly Blue book to determine the worth of their possessions. I'm glancing at them. An Armani suit that's been left in a crumpled heap in the corner is going to look like shit next to WalMart dress pants that are freshly pressed. It's not about the money. It's about the pride of the person behind the money. I'm asking myself, "does this person value themselves and the things/people around them?"
Comment by 2Dogs3Tents at 22/02/2025 at 13:29 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
"Comparison is the thief of Joy". You will be much happier in life when you learn to stop caring about what people think of you based on the things you own. "Things", as you age, you realize, are an anchor preventing you from "experience".
The more things you own, and the nicer they are, the more upkeep you need to commit to keeping those "things". "Stuff" does not equal happiness and the sooner you learn this, and to live within your means, and not collect "shiny stuff" you don't need, the happier you will be.
"Consumerism" has become the new state sponsored religion and it's destroying human Agency.
Comment by enviromo at 22/02/2025 at 04:26 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
When I was promoted onto my first executive role, people gave me a hard time about still driving my 2001 Corolla. I laughed in their faces. Because having money in the bank is power and not caring what people think is power. Do you want status or do you want power?
Comment by hollyc289 at 22/02/2025 at 07:31 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I am by no means rich, but I know and have worked with a lot of very wealthy people (my partner owns a company and we live in a wealthy farming community). Every wealthy person I have met looks like an average Joe. They do not use material possessions to show “status”. I am not sure if it is a rural thing, but no one I know cares how much money you have, what type of car you drive, how big your house is. If you are a decent person who can have a chat and not carry on like an arrogant tosser, that is all that matters. No one is going to talk about your status at your funeral. I don’t think it is really that important to 95% of the world.
Comment by hig789 at 22/02/2025 at 09:53 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My idea of simple living is not caring enough about what people think to have to show my status.
Comment by theonetrueelhigh at 22/02/2025 at 12:52 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Simple living largely sets status aside. Concerning yourself with status is externalizing a significant part of the satisfaction you can experience from your life and social connections, which is frankly the opposite of (what I consider, in any case) the goals of living simply.
A Jedi craves not, these things.