Kill Halloween, Or Maybe Just The Candy

300,000 tons of candy is a lot of tooth decay, obesity and diabetes.

Our household is not mainstream. We don't think mainstream thoughts, or do mainstream things. It won't be surprising, then, when I tell you that we do not do Halloween. No dress up, no candy.

As a matter of fact, I would not be upset if we, as a society, decided to kill Halloween. Is that too scary? Are we horrifying blood-drenched buzz kills? Or party-pooping people promoting the destruction of our culture's "values"? 

I don't think so.

What, exactly, are the values being supported on Halloween? Greed? Gluttony? Deception, as in pretending to be something we are not? How about competitiveness, as in who has the best costume? Or wastefulness, as represented by individually plastic wrapped candy pieces? 

And it is a big pile of candy that goes down this time of year.

The average mainstream American is slated to spend $185.50 on Halloween candy in 2018. Most likely that is $92.75 to buy candy, then another $92.75 to replace it after it is eaten up before the 31st.

Collectively, that is 300,000 tons of candy, and the spending amounts to almost 3 Billion dollars. On candy. Sugar. Just for Halloween.

Maybe killing Halloween outright is a bit much (or maybe not), but we definitely think it is time to say NO to all that candy. Now is the time to also say no to the associated health hazards of heavy sugar consumption such as obesity, tooth decay, and diabetes. 

It may not be mainstream yet, but rethinking all that sugar consumption is probably a good thing to do. Don't be afraid to reject it altogether, or if it happens to invade your life, feel free to throw it out - giving it away just passes the problems on to someone else.

Perhaps we could keep the fun parts of Halloween while promoting some more appropriate values, such as thrift, self-control, and rational thinking. Or is that just a sweet idea that is too fringe for mainstream ghosts and goblins?

Hello Bliends, I Have Been In The Garden

Screen time? No. Garden time? You betcha.

American writer Jonathan Franzen has a respectful attitude towards those that enjoy his words. "The reader", he says, "is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator. That might explain the popularity blogs - they are places where friends meet.

I have not been posting on our blog as much as usual lately, and Linda and I are finding that we are missing our blog friends (bliends? blonds?). We hope you are all well, and are thriving in joyous simplicity.

Soon pole beans, sunflowers, and marigolds will be growing right in front of my kitchen window.
Hummingbirds like to perch at the top of the tripod. They help me do dishes.

But not to worry, it has been for a good cause - we have been in our garden. After a week of blood, sweat and tears (or more accurately, black flies, mosquitoes and ticks), it is all planted. 

I have itchy welts all over my body to remind me of all the hard work, just in case I forget about my achy muscles. Is that oversharing? 

However, it was all worth it, and it sure feels good to have fully planted garden. 

Now is a time of eager anticipation as all the work shifts to the seeds tucked into the moist, warm, rich soil that they will call home for the next few months. Or longer. Our kale will provide us with crazy amounts of vitamin K for the next two seasons.

I know it looks like a grave, but the only things buried here are potatoes.

This year we expanded our planting space a bit by incorporating things that we already have. So a pile of well-rotted compost mixed with garden soil, with the addition of some rocks picked from our property, became a bed for table potatoes that grew eyes. 

In true frugal fashion, we ate the rest of the potatoes after we cut and planted the eyes. It felt like abundance and true wealth to have potatoes in the ground, and on our plates.  

We also planted herbs in two containers that were left here by the previous renters. I placed them next to the potatoes.

Happy as chives in a bucket.

And then there are the tin buckets that I found in an old residential waste pile in the margin of the forest behind our house. The chives are doing well in their new/old home, and are close to busting out in flowery fashion.

So there it is, friends. Stay tuned for garden updates, because the real magic is about to happen. How is your gardening going?

I planted this garlic on December 1st last year. It is the only green in the garden, but that will soon change.

Our 2018 garden:

- lettuce
- radish
- green onions
- beets
- carrots 
- garlic
- corn
- acorn and butternut squash
- peas
- bush beans
- kale
- potatoes
- pole beans
- herbs: summer savoury, cilantro, sweet basil
- flowers: sunflower, marigold

Frugal Flipper: Fail Or Fab?

My frugal challenge: How could I re-purpose this broken kitchen flipper?

Sometimes in my desire to be economical, I go too far and experience what I call a frugal fail. It's all good, as long as no one gets hurt, and waste is eliminated.

However, in one case, I did get hurt. It happened when my kitchen flipper broke and the handle came off. 

I decided to keep using it. 

In dangerously hot pans. 

It reflects my dedication to the cause. Or brain damage.

After a few skin contacts with hot frying pans, I decided that there was a good reason flippers had long handles. In this case, acquiring a flipper with a handle was warranted.

When it comes to pushing the limits of frugality, if you don't know how far is too far, then how do you know how far you can take it? Because I want to take it as far as I possibly can. Preferably without hurting myself in the process. 

As it turns out, because I still wasn't ready to dispose of my handle-less flipper, I did find a use for my broken kitchen implement. 

This fraction of a flipper is quite perfect re-purposed as a dough cutter, and I use it every time I bake bread.

I guess I turned my frugal fail into frugal fabulous. And it only hurt a little bit.

Justifying Overconsumption

Overconsumption hurts everyone. It can not be justified.

Getting people to buy stuff they don't need is very profitable. Therefore, hundreds of billions of dollars is spent every year to get us to want things we don't need. Needs are altered by this well funded marketing machine, and over time we come to need some of the things we didn't used to need.

In order to keep the whole con going, wants must become needs. Consequently, consumer culture comes up with all kinds of ready made excuses for our high consumption buying habits.

We are enabled by insidious advertising slogans. Remember "Shop till you Drop"? Or "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"?

Wow, those are sounding pretty dumb in 2018.

So how do we live with ourselves when that voice deep inside gives us the reminder that to use more when less would suffice is a crime against the Earth and everything on it? We make excuses in order to perpetuate our ongoing denial.


Excuses, Excuses, Excuses


- “I deserve it.” No, you really don't. You deserve food, clothing, shelter, love, freedom, and opportunities to realize your true potential as a compassionate human being, and nothing else. No one deserves to take more than their fair share of the planet's resources.

- “I work hard.” As Marla commented here on Inter. Women's Day, "If working hard was the only factor, African women would be billionaires." Yup. So you work hard. Way to go.

- “I would die without it.”, or "I would rather die without it." No, you won't die without bacon. Or a car that goes 300km/hr. Or an exotic vacation. You might wish you were dead for a while, but you'll get over it. Really.

- "If I don't buy it, someone else will." Not necessarily. What if more and more people stop buying things they don't need? Manufacturers will stop making them. The Earth will smile.

- "I will look poor if I don't have lots of stuff." No. But you might look like a minimalist. Still, I would rather look poor than look selfish and out of touch with ecological reality.

- Who wouldn't want nice things?" The best nice things are not things that can be bought. If the nice things you have all come from stores, you might want to reassess your actual quality of life.

- "I can afford it." But our planet can not. Neither can the millions of people living in poverty. Or wildlife. Or our forests. Or oceans. You might be able to afford it, but We can't.


We should not be justifying our poor consumption habits this late in the game. Today, there are no innocents. Information is too easy to access, and we can all easily learn the facts surrounding how our excessive consumer habits are fuelling ecological crises around the planet.

There are no longer excuses, only lame excuses. Wealth does not change the fact, or amount, of your fair share of resources. To expect more, with this many people on the planet, is an unhealthy obsession fuelled by a dying culture of "more at any cost or consequence".

In 2018 one can no longer justify engaging in a lifestyle that needlessly wastes valuable resources in an orgy of overconsumption. We know it doesn't make us happier, so the logical solution would be to stop doing it.

As soon as possible.

For everyone's benefit, including your own.

Crimes Against Hairdressing

Wanted, Shorn or Shaggy.

If bad hair was a crime I would be in trouble with the law. A selfie haircut combined with bed head, and you better call the HD-CSI unit. I would be charged with crimes against hairdressing and sent to appear before a four star stylist.

My life of stylistic hair crime began when I quit paying for haircuts about 20 years ago. At that time Linda, my partner in crime, took up the responsibility for keeping my hair somewhat acceptable. We combed the Internet together to learn what we could about home haircutting.

Over the years MS changes meant that Linda could no longer manipulate the hair cutter and scissors. Oh, no - now it was up to me to make the cuts, with Linda acting as project coordinator.

One year ago Linda was in the hospital and I cut my hair alone for the first time. It turned out pretty good. Since then I haven't cut my hair again in the same way. Instead of sitting down to a total cut I have been randomly snipping at my hair when I noticed chunks getting out of control.

It has felt good to see problem hair and hack it back in a fit of rebelliousness. And I do believe it is an act of rebellion, whether you are five or fifty, because for some reason hair on the head is sacred.

I know lots of people that live simply, but none that have gone as far as cutting their own hair. Why? Because we quickly learn in life that head hair is hallowed, and only professionals shall alter it according to the latest fashions.

I figure the fashion police infringe on my freedom, so snip, snip, snip. If someone has a problem with that they can call in the hairdressing crime scene investigation unit. Of course they would discover that things are all manner of wrong, and I would be convicted of my crimes.

The punishment would be a full day spa treatment for rest, rehabilitation and better, more acceptable hair. However pleasant that might be, I am likely to be a recidivist in this department. Where are those scissors?

Bohemianism and Simplicity

Enjoying bohemian simplicity - making time to relax and enjoy each other, and joyful creativity.

When I say that those of you visiting this blog are different, I mean it as the ultimate compliment. You see, I am not a big fan of the normal, the average, or the conventional. And like me, I believe that a large number of NBA readers live, or would like to live, a simple lifestyle that reflects the values of Bohemianism.

Bohemianism is "the practice of an unconventional lifestyle in order to pursue creativity through musical, artistic, or literary pursuits". It can also be defined as "a person with artistic or intellectual tendencies, who lives and acts with no regard for conventional rules of behaviour."

While not necessarily involving voluntary poverty, (some of the early adherents in the 1800s were wealthy), most Bohemians, historically and today, embrace a more free, less materialistic way of life.

There is also the style of bohemianism that embraces the vagabond life - that of a gypsy, or a wanderer. This unaligned group includes all the leather tramps, rubber tramps, railway tramps, and all other folks for whom the freedom to move and be authentic is the ultimate creative passion.

Bohemian adherents love the low, discarding highbrow sensibilities as unnecessary and expensive distractions, or even as life-endangering, energy-sucking pastimes to be avoided. For alternative living folks, stripping life to the basics creates the time and space to discover the innate desire to create whatever their heart desires.

Bohemians embrace the values of simplicity and frugality and know that "civility equals hypocrisy, wealth invariably corrupts and enervates, but poverty breeds energy".

And as William Blake enthusiastically pointed out, "Energy is pure delight".

Bohemians tap into the energy of life, and maximize on the simple things that really matter. I think that probably describes most of the people that visit here, and that means I am in good company.

We are all different here, thank goodness, which helps save us from the silk restraints in the guilded cage of progress and modernity.

Breaking Free

Breaking Free,  Zenos Frudakis

Someone asked me, upon hearing of my simple life, "What do you do all day?" I don't mind - I have been asked this question before. I guess it is fair because many folks can't imagine what they would do with themselves if they didn't have a full time paid job to organize their lives. They are genuinely curious about what it is like to break free.

So this is how I answered the most recent question:

What do I do all day?

Well, I call it early retirement. What does one do when retired? You live and enjoy life outside normal expectations, obligations, and stresses.

My situation is a bit different because Linda has multiple sclerosis and I am her full time caregiver. Also, we don't have kids. But our lives would have played out pretty much the same regardless, as we have always desired a simple, free life. 

When we need money we engage in temporary or contract paid employment, but by living simply money has become less and less important. We would rather have lots of time and little money, than little time and lots of money. Life is short, and the best time to live it is now.

Our time is filled with cooking everything from scratch, since we do not use processed foods. All our bread products are prepared at home, and we tend two small gardens. That alone takes up a surprising amount of time, but what enjoyable time it is.

As far as what we do for enjoyment, a major criteria is that it has to be inexpensive. Or better yet - free.

We like to engage in creative low-cost activities such as writing, playing guitar, singing, drawing, and painting. We do not have much of a need for recreation or entertainment, and see them mostly as expensive distractions.

Many social activities involve spending money, so we are more likely to meet friends and family at home rather than at a coffee shop or restaurant. Even better is meeting them on the beach, at a local river swimming hole, or on a hike through an old growth forest.

We prefer to be outside anyway, and spend as much time as we can in natural surroundings enjoying peace and quiet. 

After almost 10 years of this lifestyle we measure time more by the cycles of nature than the clock or calender. Changing bird life, tides, moon cycles, and seasons tell us everything we need to know about the passage of time. 

Sometimes we only eat 2 meals a day, and sometimes we take long afternoon naps. We eat when we are hungry, sleep when we are tired, and wake when we feel rested.

This is what we do.

A tendency toward freedom is inherent in all life. You can see it where delicate, green plants break through hard, black pavement. I have always been a green plant struggling against the asphalt of oppression that has threatened to smother my freedom. I gladly gave up a life of debt, and endless working and consuming, to be able to grow freely.

For me, and for Linda, it was better to break free and possibly have to sleep in an uncomfortable bed, than remain in chains and sleep in luxury.

We live the freedom of the simple life, and we heartily recommend breaking free to everyone.

Advice From Depression Survivors

"It made our hearts ache to see how bad off other kids were. Even if we only got sweets or fruit once a month, it made us think how lucky we were.” - Robert, Depression survivor

People like Robert that have experienced economic depression have provided researchers with first-hand recollections of what living with less, sometimes a lot less, was like. Sharing their stories can help us avoid economic hardship, and live more self-sufficiently.

Those who lived through the depression often gained a new outlook on life. Many survivors continued the same virtues after, so strong were the lessons learned. 

Generally, those that went through the extreme economic conditions tended thereafter to avoid the self indulgence and immediate gratification that comes from easy access to material things. 

Instead they reported focusing on what they considered more important - relationships with their families and community. 

Not surprisingly, their advice and survival strategies center on a long-standing tradition of frugality, simple living, and reasonable material expectations.

Advice From Depression Survivors 

• Pay cash instead of adopting the credit mentality. “Don’t spend money you don’t already have in your pocket.”
• Don't make the rich richer by giving them your money. “Don’t pay someone else to provide something that you can learn to do or to make yourself.”
• Cultivate traditional values of thrift and frugality. “Only buy what you can’t live without.”
• Avoid self-indulgence and self-gratification by immediate acquisition of possessions. “Give yourself a good, long waiting period before making purchases.”
• Do not gamble with your money (stock market, real estate speculation, lotteries, get rich quick schemes, etc). “It doesn’t matter how much money you make, it matters how much you save!”
• Work is the way to make money. "Don't be afraid of honest, hard work."
• Ambition is over-rated. "It is enough to just enjoy and appreciate each day."
  

Many depression survivors realized that good can come from bad, and meaning can come from tragedy. We have a lot to learn from their experience.

Make It Last - Item #1: Cast Iron Skillet

A big part of not buying anything is making what you have last. If an item is not broken or dangerous, keep using it. Pay no mind to fashion or fad. It is the best way to lower the cost per use of any item - make it last, use it many times. A cast iron frying pan is a good example.

We have had a cast iron skillet for over 20 years, and that was after Linda's mom used it for decades before gifting it to us. It is as good as new. With proper care cast iron cook wear can last several generations. It doesn't get much more cost effective than that.

Cast iron boosts the iron content of cooked foods, especially acidic foods like tomato sauces. When seasoned this versatile cookware is as non-stick as chemical-coated fry pans. Lard is often recommended as a good agent for seasoning cast iron.

Over the years we have used our trusty skillet to make nachos, hash browns, omelets, grilled sandwiches, pancakes, fry bread, stir-fries, tomato sauce, soy sauce/sesame seed tofu and more. In our meat eating days we made nice blackened fish with the cast iron fry pan on a medium to high burner. Our bomb-proof, heavy fry pan has gone camping with us, although not backpacking for obvious reasons.

There are many good cast iron frying pan and dutch oven recipes on the net. I found the following recipe for Indian naan bread that works well in a heavy skillet:

Nann Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Enjoy your naan bread, and remember to put your cast iron skillet in your will for the next generation to enjoy.

The Simple Life As An Extreme Sport: Cut Wife's Hair

I just put my head in the mouth of a lion, figuratively speaking. It was one of the most dangerous things I have ever done. What did I do? I cut my wife's hair. Oh, the lengths we will go to in order to maintain our simple, frugal lifestyle of fun and freedom.

I am afraid I can't really recommend this one to anyone, considering the danger involved. Cutting your partner's hair (especially me cutting hers) is a delicate process that should be approached with extreme caution.

Linda has been cutting my hair for about ten years. I am very satisfied with the results, and she has made it look easy. It isn't. But at $30-$50 bucks a crack, that translates to thousands of dollars in savings. What would you do with an extra $3000 to $6000 dollars every 10 years?

Of course, we always had a fallback plan with my hair because if we ever did have a cutting malfunction we could always get out the razor and buzz my coif right down to bristles. This was not really an option with her hair, although she is headed in that direction if only to try it once. But not yet. If I made a mistake this time (and I was definitely bound to make many) it could be divorce.

A bead of sweat trickled down my temple as I prepared my crude implements - a pair of dull scissors, a hair band, and an old sheet. As I got everything ready I tried to remember the information from the books we borrowed from the library a few months ago. Did I have to hold the hair up or down when I cut? Where do the parts go? Gulp.

At her instruction, I put her long hair into one pony tail at the crown of her head. She assured me that the "Pony Tail Method" would yield the results she wanted. I thought of all the clips, and parts in the hair, and comb action from the books. Just hacking at her pony tail promised to be much easier.

With slightly trembling hands I grabbed the thick tail and, well, started hacking away. Swish, swish, swish my implement went with not quite Edward Scissorhands-like dexterity. Long chunks of hair began to fall away. Soon it was all over, or so I thought. I slid the hair band off the short stump.



We did not have a mirror immediately available so I was on my own. "How does it look?" my victim questioned with a hopeful look on her face. Help! It was one of those "Does my ass look big in this?" moments. I carefully surveyed what was left of her hair. It didn't look that good.

I swallowed hard and forged ahead bravely. "It looks... um, shorter, and that's what you wanted, right?" Wrong thing to say. She was anticipating more along the lines of, "It looks great - what a cute cut." What I was thinking was, "How am I going to fix this?"

Things quickly went from bad to worse, but before we were both in tears we got it together and went in for a second wave of hair removal. I remembered some tips from the book. She trusted me. We had some fun.



I am not sure if she will let me cut her hair again, ever, but my brave partner is pleased with the general outcome of our near-disastrous adventure in grooming frugality. I think she looks cute, but I would think that if she was bald so I'm perhaps not the best person to assess my work. I would like to learn more and be prepared to do a better job next time. I think. If there is one.

Are you frugal? Brave? Give it a go. Check your local public library. We found some very good resources in our system. There are some web sites on home hair cutting, but I prefer to have a good book handy. Having said that, this site has a lot of information.

Thousands of dollars in savings is substantial. You might have fun during this potentially very intimate activity. Of course, it could lead to tears (or worse), too, so I recommend proceeding with caution. You might want to make money in other less dangerous ways. Like fireworks manufacturing or toxic waste disposal.

Are Pirates Plundering Your On-line Personal Information?

It used to be that you only had to worry about petty thieves combing your on-line presence for sensitive information. Now professional plunderers are getting into the act, and lenders may be poking around. Who is looking at your tweets and Facebook friend choices, and what are they doing with this information?

How lenders and collection agencies use your social networking information has been in the news recently, making one think about how our on-line information can be misused. The pirates are on the horizon, and they want your information and your doubloons.

These purveyors of legal loansharking are sailing a sea of data provided by us, sometimes unwittingly. They are looking to gain a profitable advantage, whether by tailor-making advertising just for you, or by providing information about you and your choices to someone who wants something from you. I am not alright with either one of these uses of my data.

What exactly are they looking for in this piratical cruise through your on-line life? Writing about frugality and cutting up credit cards, using cash only for all purchases, or closing your bank account and burying your treasure? If so, I can kiss my credit card goodbye. Good riddance, I say.

Those sailing under the Jolly Roger, international flag of pirates, do not have anything I want - I do not agree to their outrageous terms. In the moonlight you can see they are the walking dead, and they don't even adhere to the Pirate Code. Credit card interest rates of up to 20% is an obvious unfair distribution of booty, for example, which contravenes the code of proper plunderers.

The good news is that we do have some control over how our personal information is shared on social networking sites. If you are a member of one or more, now is a good time to check your profile and settings to ensure you are getting the privacy you are comfortable with and deserve.

You can choose to say no to web sites that refuse to protect your information to your satisfaction. We can also choose to say no to those who wish to engage us in debt slavery aboard the Royal Fortune (Black Bart's ship). I would rather walk the plank and take my chance with the real sharks.



And if you do bury your doubloons in a treasure chest (or coffee tin) in the back yard, 30 paces from the oak tree, remember to draw a map.

The Great Recession Generation To Learn Value Of Frugality

It's not the Greater Depression. It isn't even a minor depression. But it is the Great Recession - the biggest, baddest, meanest recession of the last 70 years. Some are predicting that the current generation may not get more stuff than their parents, the first time this has happened in decades. A whole generation is being introduced to the thrifty, efficient ways of their ancestors.

What the simple living and environmental movements couldn't achieve in decades the Great Recession has managed to do over the course of a couple of years. We are going back to less wasteful, more sensible times. Bigger is no longer better, and excess no longer means success.

In good times super-sized trucks, TVs, and houses signal to others that you have achieved the American Dream. George Carlin observed that it's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it. Sure enough, we have woken up and the 'good life' fantasy is dissipating into thin air. Turns out a lot of the dream was bought on credit, and the banks want it back.

Excess does not look the same through our recession-coloured glasses. It looks like what it has always been - waste. It has taken the biggest financial kick in the ass in seventy years to make us realize that we must adhere to nature's limits, and nature is frugal. Nature does not waste.

A policy in our home is to not replace anything till it is worn out or broken beyond repair. It is not only about saving money. It is also about honouring the earth by using its resources as economically as possible. Many things we buy would serve us faithfully for decades, if not a lifetime. A cast iron frying pan will last several generations.

In spite of what a New York author said in her 2006 book (with a title similar to this blog) about her year-long experiment with the simple life, you can't really wear out a sweater in a few months. A beggar in India with no arms and no legs might wear out a sweater in a year.

All the things that we buy, and used to cherish till worn or broke, have become 'starter' items on an endless evolution of upgrades. The Ikea student furniture for the dorm is the gateway drug to the crack of leather sectionals in granite and stainless steel starter homes.

I could see that we were at the nadir of our obsession with acquiring new things when I spotted a particularly blatant commercial on TV. A car manufacturer showed an entire family, small kids included, pushing their new-ish, perfectly good mini-van over a cliff so they could go buy a new one.

Do we really fall for such blatant, disorienting propaganda promoting endless waste? It is easier to fall prey to such manipulation when we are flush with cash or cheap credit.

In this new era of perpetual recession we will find that we can do without the propaganda, and a great deal of what it promised. The acquisitive part of the American Dream was always an unattainable illusion. Our desperate attempts to achieve it has slain the earth, and made us fat, slow, and vulnerable.

Some say that the Recession Generation will be traumatized, but I say they will be unfettered. Saved from mindless toil and constant lifestyle upgrades, this generation will make frugality and common sense mainstream. They will be free and the healing will begin.

What Will The Post-Consumer Future Look Like?

A recent thought-provoking comment from a reader provided the opportunity for the following post in which I would like to tap into the wisdom of all those who pass by this humble blog. The comment was in response to my recent post on desires, consumer culture, and advertising. What will happen if many of us decide to not buy anything? What if it becomes a way of life, not just a temporary setback before resuming borrowing and spending? What will a post-consumer culture look like?

During the last two decades, the percentage of the U.S. economy devoted to consumer spending went up and up and up - from 67% of GDP to 72%, a huge increase.
http://www.dailyreckoning.com.au/us-economy-devoted-to-consumer-spending/2008/07/31/

We can't all not buy anything and expect our world to remain the same. But you know the trend has begun when economists like David Rosenberg are talking about a "new frugality" cutting into consumer spending.

Now, with credit tight, wages flat-lining and unemployment steadily ticking higher, consumers are strapped. Personal spending in the second quarter was $195 billion below the figure for the same period last year. That 1.9% drop is significant — over the 20 years that ended in 2006, consumer spending reliably increased at an annual 3.3% rate.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-10-11-consumer-spending_N.htm?csp=34

We are cutting back and thinking twice about our discretionary spending. Many of us are deciding not to buy anything, or at least not as much as before. We are re-evaluating our role as consumers. The Jones' have left the neighborhood, and we ain't lookin' over the fence any more.

And now, to the comment:

This has been on my mind for some time now as well. My current financial situation has created a huge obstacle in my old habits of consumerism. My families survival needs are met, and we have found contentment within our purchasing restraints.

I find myself wondering what it is that I would actually want, if I had extra money to go around? At the same time, however, I wonder what would happen to all the billions of people on this planet if even just 5% decided that they no longer desired material objects.

How many jobs would be lost? What would people do to earn an income if they weren't needed in jobs that support consumerism? How would science advance? What would drive our economy so that we could still share resources and knowledge if the motivation of earning an income was extinguished?

I believe that there are major philosophical and political issues/implications that would arise as a result of millions of people changing thier outlook on capitalism. I am personally not a fan, but I wonder if some people would even know what to do with themselves if they didn't want to work to buy stuff, or go to the bar afterwards. And finally, how could this effect you or I in the long term?

Thank you to Pzeffan for his comment. I would like to do a bit of future visioning of my own.

The murky view in my crystal ball reveals that cooperatives will be a larger part of the solution in the future. The cooperative movement began in Europe in the 19th century in response to rapid industrialization. There are thriving housing cooperatives around the world. I lived in one quite contentedly for a decade. There are also retail cooperatives like MEC in Canada, and REI in the U.S. Worker cooperatives in developing nations are realizing great success. In these endeavours all members benefit, not just a small elite at the top. The membership shares in control of the venture, and in the benefits that flow from it.

I see a frugal future where we humbly come together in communities in order to help support one another, and realize the benefits of our cooperative efforts. It is already happening, with about 800 million members globally participating in the cooperative movement.

The current crisis of greed yields an opportunity to try a different model, and a better way of life. My vision sees the dark, polluted fumes of excess and luxury clearing, and a brighter, more cooperative future for all just over the horizon.

What do you see in the post-consumer future? How will we overcome the challenges inherent in the continuing shift toward a less individual, competitive, materialistic culture?

Simple, Simpler, Simplist

There are infinite ways to live less complicated lives more in tune with our ailing planet. How can you tell when you are doing it?

You could be a Simplist if:

- you collect cardboard boxes. You could be an Uber-Simplist if your furniture is made out of them.



- you go to Mexico instead of Spain for your next vacation. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you set up a tent in the backyard.

- you buy dented cans of food in the markdown cart. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you dig those cans from the dumpster behind the store.



- you homebrew your favorite beverage. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you quit drinking.

- drive your vehicle less. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you donate your vehicle to the local Car Share Cooperative and ride your bike. 

- you know who the Tinkers are. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you live like them.



- you are eating less meat. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you let the animals live and get to know beans as well as Henry David Thoreau.


- you are buying fewer books, magazines, cds, dvds... You could be an Uber-Simplist if your library card gets worked out more than your credit card.


- you recognize the frugal habits of teachers such as Buddha, Jesus, Ghandi, Peace Pilgrim, Socrates, and others. You could be an Uber-Simplist if they are your heroes.



- you admire the frugal habits of your grandparents. You could be an Uber-Simplist if your grandparents come to you for tips.

- your ecological footprint is less than 7.1 hectares/17.75 acres (the Canadian average). You could be an Uber-Simplist if your footprint is less than 1.88 hectares/4.7 acres (hectares per person of productive land on Earth).


- you support farmers markets and local growers. You could be an Uber-Simplist if your garden provides all your food.


- your partner cuts your hair. You could be an Uber-Simplist if you cut your own.



- you consider how your habits and choices affect the world. It does not get more Uber than that.