

How to live like a king for very little - ultrasandwich
http://monofonuspress.com/how-to-live-like-a-king-for-very-little-by-thor-harris

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syntheticnature
"Don't get sick." Gee, that's always worked so well for me. If only I'd willed
myself out of getting sick on that business trip so I didn't need antibiotics
and three days off. (Or having a doctor merely want to check on my
cholesterol, given the latest post-insurance bill.) "Avoid injury" doesn't
even merit these words.

"Learn to fix things." Let's resolder my motherboard's BGA at home!

Most risible to me, though, is the comment on bicycle physique. My employer is
a certified bicycle-friendly company... and based on my bicycling coworkers,
if calories are not restrained, you just get muscle under fat. If you're
lucky. (Also, many bicyclists will tell you that once you're at your goal
weight, there isn't the delta between food costs and gas costs you were hoping
to have.)

OTOH, given the all-caps and fuckety fuck fuck, it's not surprising his author
page has a photo like the one at the top.
[http://monofonuspress.com/artists/thor-
harris](http://monofonuspress.com/artists/thor-harris)

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collyw
Things I have noticed that seem to affect my health / likelihood of getting
ill.

Stay fit.

I go through periods of being "average" (probably significantly more than most
people in the UK do). That will involve doing a little exercise all the time -
cycle to work (15 mins each way - but try to get the heart rate up). Take
stairs. Walk places or cycle when I can.

I have other periods where I am probably capable of running a marathon. I get
out at the weekends regularly and do a long mountain bike ride, or go
whitewater kayaking. I start to get annoyed when I don't get my fix. I get ill
less often and the hangovers seem easier when I am in this second phase.

Eat well.

Cut out processed food. I am skinny so I never need to worry about weight
(probably related to the exercise thing). Learn to cook, its fun, more
interesting than watching TV, and you get something tasty at the end. Add lots
of vegetables particularly colorful ones, seems to be a very simple rule to
get lots of nutrients.

Try not to stress.

If it is about work, are they really paying you enough to get stressed about
it? Back to point 1, getting out on a hard mountain bike ride, with some
decent downhill is easily accessible for me, and is a good way of de-
stressing.

Don't be overly paranoid on hygene.

I used to travel a lot (worked as a river guide), especially in less developed
countries. Drinking the water in places like Mexico city is maybe a big no,
but brushing your teeth with the tap water and gradually getting less worried
about eating of of slightly dodgy looking street stands will build up your
immune system. Admittedly I did get ill a few times, but not as often as when
I did a once a year holiday to France when I was younger.

OK, most of that is anecdotal, but I have a lot less sick days than most
people I see around me, and when I am fitter I seem to recover faster. Also
hangovers don't seem as bad.

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jljljl
"How to live like a bearded, shirtless man with an axe and a pointy hat for
very little."

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sigvef
The site is down, here is a cached version:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Amonof...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Amonofonuspress.com%2Fhow-
to-live-like-a-king-for-very-little-by-thor-harris)

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chrisBob
Really? No cell phone comment? Most of my peers give 10% of their income to
Verizon every month.

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sniuff
How does this help you live like a king?

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AnimalMuppet
The overall idea seems to be that you'll have a lot more free cash flow if you
avoid stupid expenses. You'll have a job if you have a skill that can't be
outsourced. You don't have to have X million dollars, you need a reasonable
income and not to waste it.

So, mostly, reasonable points. Worth taking a minute to think about, since our
society pushes us toward wasteful spending (most advertising, many TV shows,
other peoples' expectations, and so on).

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olgeni
And the font, yo, shit, the fuck, the font, fix the fuck font, font the fuck.
No shit!

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jaiball
not much here that hasn't been said, basically be thrifty and don't get sick
or have kids...so its too late for all the parents out there, no king livin'
for you...

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malditojavi
Any real good reason not to be father? And by good reason, I mean data.

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sejje
If you can afford it, I doubt it.

I'm sure it can be proven that kids are expensive, though.

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AnimalMuppet
So if your priority is "living like a king" rather than "being a good parent",
then yeah, not having kids might be a really good idea. Maybe your overall
life would improve by getting over your selfishness, though...

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jacalata
tl;dr: redefine 'living like a king'.

