Yeah, exactly: if he’s got an accountant and a lawyer, the fact that he doesn’t have a credit card is a moot point.
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Its like why we all like to make fun of Gwyneth and Goop, or that moon dust diet lady who itemized her daily diet for Elle magazine but when you add up the bits and pieces it comes to $800+ a day.
Yeah, sure, life is great if you can spend $800 a day on just your food or travel the world with celebrity chefs and write cookbooks. Sounds fucking great, sign me up! But as obnoxious as both those ladies are, I still like them better than this guy. At least they don’t pretend you don’t need money to eat/live like they do. They’re more “Life styles of the rich and famous” than aspirational, and this guy seems to pretend to be the latter when really he’s the former.
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I agree. Growing up my situation was pretty comfortable, and then after high school i’ve had a lot of hardships. I didn’t get a driver’s license until i was 23 because i couldn’t afford a car (though i’ve currently been car-less for at least 5 years, makes finding work and working very hard). One could say i’ve lived fairly minimally since i was legally an adult, i had at least an apartment and a family willing to help whenever things got dire but i wouldn’t recommend it. It’s stressful and often times very isolating. Unless you had money, because if you have money and live minimally then it’s whatever because you can afford to meet your needs.
I’m in a better situation now job-wise and i could probably get rid of quite a bit of my now collected stuff. I’d probably have an easier time but i like being surrounded by things that bring me comfort.
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Okay. I appreciate the response.
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Because homelessness is the same as not having a home?
Oh, word-wise, you could make that argument. But in a thread about homelessness there’d be a pile-on rightly and loudly pointing out that homelessness and what Altchuler is doing is not the same thing. Especially since he never claimed to be homeless. WTF, people?
On the whole - y’all are a bunch of mean-spirited fucks, today.
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When it comes to books, I am most definitely an unabashed maximalist.
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Like-wise. Not that i own a large collection of books but i love every book i own and would only like to add to my collection if given the chance. I don’t actively read them so i could downsize, and some day i might, but for now i enjoy very much having my collection (:
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Yeah. He looks like he needs 20 magic erasers and a natural peanut mixer and whatever the fuck else fraunfelduuur is selling. I hate those posts. If I wanted to fill my kitchen with that crap I’d be shopping on Amazon or going to fraunfeldurs garage sales.
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How many Boing Boing shirts have you bought?
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When the financial assets are abandoned, and the wandering is supported through shared DIY, open-sourced tech that other unsheltered people can copy and use, I think the story turns into a real page-turner.
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Calm down there 
don’t generalize. I don’t agree with everything the writer is saying, considering what i have had to go through personally, but i still don’t disbelieve that his particular lifestyle is bullshit. If how he lives his life is something that makes him feel free or brings him happiness then that’s awesome.
From the things i’ve gone through, i wouldn’t recommend living that minimal.
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Is there any correlation between the number of characters you use in articles about yourself and the amount you concern yourself with other’s opinions of you?
I should ask this guy who is afraid his mind is going to take control of him…
haha j/k I ain’t ask this joker nuttin
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On the whole, I try not to generalize.
But he’s being blamed for “romancing homelessness” (not a word he’s used), accused of being rich (maybe? He also spoke of losing ask his money several times). He’s a writer - he writes, he publishes and promotes his own books. He had an income, and his kids live with his wife. Not the life I’d lead - but it’s interesting hearing about it.
It’s interesting hearing people say their experience is different - but not at all interesting having then draw the conclusion that this the author is a rich clueless asshole.
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Indeed. Many people live within their means and plenty of people use credit cards every day and yet have never paid a cent of interest. There is certainly a middle ground between being in high interest consumer debt and living in the black but with no possessions.
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As a friend of mine said: Which is worse, ignorance or apathy?
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I think it’s a fair assumption from anyone that he mustn’t worry too much about money when he doesn’t really give context in that aspect, it’s bound to happen as you’ve noted. Then again he doesn’t need to be explaining his financial situation to anyone but himself.
[quote=“marksgelter, post:14, topic:76718, full:true”]How exactly does that work? When you have no home? If these children are minors, this has got to look dicey as far as the courts are concerned, when it comes to visitation procedures. Even if they’re not, they just go along with “dad has no home, and we don’t know where we’re going to sleep tonight”?[/quote]Easy. They stay with him in whatever Hotel he is currently checked in.
Remember: He is homeless, but not because he can’t afford it. He just doesn’t want to maintain a house. He can sleep in any hotel he wants and buy all the stuff he needs.
I just hope he doesn’t get a chronic disease that requires constant daily attention. In a way that needs a lot of objects. Or several.
BTW, where does this guy get his power? Starbucks?
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Why should he email Altucher? You ran the piece, so you should expect comments. You certainly have the right to put this on BoingBoing, most certainly, and you have a comments section. Isn’t it possible that your sympathies are not aligned with some or many of the commentators?
I have checked in occasionally with Altucher for a number of years. Always because someone I respect links or publishes his writing. I have always found him to be a self-promoting poser. I think he outright lies or dissembles about everything. To me, he’s gross.
I guess you don’t think so, but I’m not alone in my opinion. Maybe foog deserved a less snarky reply, or maybe not. I was surprised by your response though.
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