Do you have some secrets in living a less austere life?

Getting a job and making money helps muchly.

Making your own meals and stopping calling for delivery of take out.

@Tropical_Willie Less austere not more, but I am going to buy a crock pot in the next couple of months.

Enjoy the free wonder of being outdoors and connecting with nature.

Eating heathy nutritious food, not KFC or broiled Costco chickens, is to eat like a king.

Get out more. Sit at a park. Limit bought food as it messes with your brain chemistry.

Friends. Friends are the answer. Start by volunteering.

Yes. The secret is money!

Do you mean LESS austere, or MORE austere. The Q is a little confusing.

I can answer either way.

I have all sorts of strategies for being MORE austere BTW

@josie Less austere. More rich and selfish.

Well, in that case…
Come up with a product or skill that people are so intrigued by, they cannot deny themselves of it.
Like Facebook, iPhone, or Southwest Airlines.
Or a seat in the US Senate.
Get busy.

I find that eating stuff made with quality ingredients in a competent manner without having to pay someone qualifies. Part of the appeal of being rich is the power that money gives you.

A little money gives you the power to super-size your McDonalds value meal. A little more money will upgrade your Big Mac to a decent steak. But the real power is being able to say, “I don’t need anyone to cook me a steak, so you should feel honored that I even blessed your establishment with my presence.”.

Most of the well-off people I know are pretty skilled in the kitchen even though there is no financial need for them to cook. Maybe it’s the selfishness of self-sufficiency, maybe it’s the power to make their food exactly how they like it, but my personal experience shows a link between financial success and culinary skills.

@jerv and there is good reason for that. The well to do have the time and energy to put into their meals, making them a highlight and not simply a burden. Having the time and finances to make meals a priority is a luxury in our crazy country. How very sad this is.

Read “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer

Buy a 1928 Isotta Fraschini limo, like the one in Sunset Boulevard, dress in a tux and top hat, hire a liveried chauffeur —make sure his portion of the car is top down at all times—and cruise Compton while tossing out chocolates wrapped in foil as gold coins to the peasants and shouting your favorite Donald Trump quotes with a “God Bless America!” and “We’re Number One!” thrown in now and then. “Hey, they’re dirty, they sweat a lot and they kinda stink, but I love these guys! Really! They’re my favorite people! Hey, and they love me! You should see the mail I get!”

If you want to “live large” then get a job and be able to take some trips and meet people. Less eating of crap and you’ll find you feel better and more energetic. I think on Fluther we’ve had this discussion with you a bunch of times.

Austere by definition is a purposeful abandonment of riches and luxuries. You on the other hand seem to live an austere life not so much on purpose but because you are lazy and can live your life on the heels of government welfare.

The answer to your question then is to get off your ass and get a job and then enjoy the less than austere fruits of your labors.

@talljasperman I have been thinking this over a bit.

Your question asks: Do you have some secrets in living a less austere life?

The answer is: There are no secrets or short cuts. Read the posts above, and what people have said. No one has a secret, everything above has been published, told to you in various forms, many books written on it.

One gets from life what one puts into it. There are few things we on fluther agree upon, but that may be one of the few.

@rojo “Read “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer”

Giving the finger to a nice upper class lifestyle to live as a hobo certainly comes to mind when I think “less austere”.

Life is less austere if someone finds joy in things that cost nothing. Learn to love the way sunshine feels on your face, the music that rain makes on your roof, and the kindness in a stranger’s smile or friendly nod.

Every day, I encounter people who complain about the heat of a summer day, whine about bitter coldness in January, and find the rain insufferable. How much happier would they be if they could enjoy wearing fewer clothes during July, inhaling the crisp, clear air of winter, and remember that rain brings essential and life-sustaining water?

This might not be the sort of answer you were seeking. But, when I read your question, these were the thoughts that came to my own mind.

@Darth_Algar I was thinking more in terms of getting out and doing what you want to do to achieve the goal.
And, while from the outside it may look as if McCandless may have given up what many might consider a more luxurious lifestyle for one of austerity and hardship, we really can’t know for sure and it would seem that he considered himself more the richer for leaving and doing it his own way.

I really doubt the TC is asking the question in any kind of metaphoric or philosophical sense.

Update @all I bought the slow cooker. I use it for meat and vegetables.

^^^ Hi there, C. You might want to visit your local library and borrow some cookbooks for crockpots/slow cookers. You can find some good tips and recipes.