Make It Last: Appliances/Electronics

Endless upgrades means endless waste

We aren't upgraders. The latest new and improved gadgets don't entice us to part with our cash. That is because the rule in our house is that things can't be replaced until they are broken or worn out.

Our 'make it last' approach has been like a lab experiment on product longevity. It has become a fun challenge to see how long we can stretch the usable life of our things.

Over the years we have been amazed how long things can last, like appliances and electronics. Many things, if cared for and used gently, can provide decades of faithful service.

Our old things do what we want, and only what we want, unlike newer products that load on multiple features of dubious value that rarely get used. It could be because the features are frivolous, or because they are too complicated for the average user to figure out. Either way, I don't need all the dazzling technology.

I'm no neo-Luddite, it's just that what I have is enough. I don't need to upgrade yet, and when I do, it will be to the simplest, most efficient model available. Until then, I introduce my collection of well-used 'make it last' items.

My Make It Last Appliances/Electronics

I don't need a microwave oven that rotates and stirs with 150 convenient pre-programmed settings. I just want heat. My old unit still provides that.

I have an 11 year old first-generation ipod that plays music perfectly, and could not be easier to use. There are no features beyond just playing music which is ok because all I want it to do is play music. You can't buy that kind of simplicity today.

Our kitchen blender, second hand from Linda's mom, is about 4 decades old. It is a functional antique, like a museum piece that still works fine. We use it almost daily for smoothies. It works well for creating creamy soups and chowders. I grind nuts and spices with it, and it matches our retro 70's kitchen.

A friend gave us his toaster oven 12 years ago before leaving for international travel. He never came back for it, and it has toasted thousands of pieces of bread successfully since then. The handle broke off a few years ago, which I replaced with a heavy duty paper clip.




Even the computer I am writing on is an ancient machine still faithfully providing service. It is now 7 years old, which is almost 100 (or is that 1000?) in computer years. It does everything I need it to do, although it is slowing down. But then, so am I. Speed is over-rated - slow and steady, as they say.

Can be seen in the Apple Museum, or my living room

By avoiding endless upgrades and making our stuff last, we have prevented useful items from ending up in landfills leaking toxic waste. We have also saved a lot of money.

We can afford to replace all of these items with brand new, shiny ones if we wanted to. But can the planet afford it? We don't think so.

To the average consumer, 'make it last' may look like extreme deprivation and poverty. It is not. It is the way to freedom. Less things to buy, less money to spend, less work to be done. Less maintenance, less life energy. Less waste.

We are living on a small planet with limited resources and an exploding population. Considering this, we think it is a good idea to use resources as efficiently as possible.

If it ain't broke, don't replace it.

Make it last.

Make It Last: Celery

Having not done a post in the "Make It Last" category for some time (7 years!), I decided now was the right moment to mention a make-it-last kitchen hack I learned recently from one of my simple living mentors. 

I have always been frustrated by how quickly celery goes down in the fridge. Limp is lame. 

Now that celery is insanely expensive, there is even more reason to store it so it stays crispy and fresh for a long time. 

I didn't know I have been doing it wrong until recently when I read a simple suggestion that I immediately tried to great effect. First, I had to get my celery out of plastic.

The (new to me) storage method is simple: after your celery bunch is delivered via armoured car, wrap it in aluminum foil. 

I have had a roll of tinfoil for years, because we don't use it very often, so it was good to have an actual use for it. 

After the celery is used up, I flatten the foil so I can reuse it next time I have saved enough money to get more stalks. 

This method is simple, it keeps the celery crispy, reduces food waste, and will save you money, or at least help you avoid having to eat rubbery stalks.

On a final note, have you noticed how over the years things you don't need like TVs have gotten cheaper, while things you do need, like food, have gotten more expensive?

All the more reason to store your food to make it last, and keep as much as possible out of the garbage.

Up to 1/3 of global food production is lost to waste every year.

Make It Last: Item #5 - Shaving Supplies

North Americans are completely Trichophobic - we have a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of hair. I must have trichophobia , too, because I keep on scraping my face with sharpened pieces of metal. Expensive sharpened pieces of metal.

I have made my razor last for so long that I can't remember how old it is. It only has a double blade, so that puts it into historical perspective. Since I bought it the triple and quadruple-bladed razors have been on offer to the hair-phobic masses.

I have resisted making the upgrade, but the other day my old razor handle finally wore to the point that it would no longer hold the blade on. But I still had a stash of blades. They would be useless, because you can't buy the handles any more. Did I mention that blades are expensive?

The thing that ticked me off the most was if the handle of the razor had been constructed out of metal it would probably last for generations, or at least my lifetime. But that would not be profitable. It is simple planned obsolescence.

Razor handles are pretty much given away by companies to get trichophobic men hooked on the really expensive part - the blades. And the more cutting edges per blade, the more expensive. When does it stop? Can Octo-blades be far away? Will the shave be twice as good as the quad? I don't want to support this kind of insanity. It was time to get creative.

MacGyver was TV's go-to guy when it came to doing what you had to do, with what you had on hand, wherever you were. I fully appreciated his use of imagination in dealing with challenges:

“When something's broken, the easiest thing is to throw it away, forget about it. But if you just step back and take a look at what you've got, you find a totally different way for it to work.”.

At first I could not imagine how I might affix the blade to the handle as worn out as it was. But when I stepped back and looked at what I had to work with, I found a way. A small piece of bent paper clip, a candle, a pair of pliers, patience, a steady hand, and in 5 minutes I was looking at my New, old razor.

It would have been easier to throw my old razor (and blades) in the garbage, and go shopping for a new and improved shaving system. Apparently that is what we call a razor these days. I guess it helps justify the stratoshperic cost when you feel that you are getting an entire system for dealing with your cultural anti-hair phobia.

I am not buying all the sleek, modern, aerodynamic hair removal systems being offered non-bearded men (100 times better than a sharp stone!). I will make my current outdated 'system' last for a while longer, then decide how to proceed.

I will either pull a Grizzly Adams and grow a big bushy beard, or buy a straight blade and strop that will provide clean shaves for the rest of my life.

I like to think that MacGyver would appreciate my razor repair, and creative use of the resources on hand in solving my latest make it last challenge.

Pyramids of Waste: Planned Obsolescence

- Victor Lebow, 20th century economist writing on consumer capitalism

 My "Make It Last: Appliances/Electronics" post hit a chord with NBA readers. Comments spoke of iPhones that terminate before their service contract, and big screen televisions that permanently end the programming day before the 'dated' TVs they replaced.

Many are lamenting the short life of some consumer products because it appears that manufactures are only interested in 'make it last - for a while'. What is a person to do? How do we fight back?

In Pyramids of Waste, a worthy documentary recommended by NBA reader Nicole, a man takes his broken printer to several computer shops. Each shop tells him the same, irritating thing - "It could be repaired, but it will cost less to buy a new one."

Welcome to the nightmarish world of planned obsolescence, a wasteful practice popularized at the beginning of the consumer age in the 1950s. By 1960, Vance Packard said it was "the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals."

Its other purpose? To increase corporate profits through having consumers replace products at regular, frequent intervals.

How do you induce consumers to replace products? Either engineer consumer items to self-destruct prematurely, or design newer, shinier, zestier versions so that consumers will replace older models that are 'dated', but perfectly usable.

In the self-destruct category is the infamously fickle computer printer. They are darn near free to buy, astronomically expensive to maintain, and often artificially limited to a set number of prints. Eventually they find their way, illegally, to African and Asian nations for disposal.

In my own brush with 'shortened replacement cycles', a well-meaning friend gave us a brand new computer printer. We never should have let it cross our threshold. The ink cartridges it came with soon did not work, and error messages indicated they needed replacing. We thought that premature, but hey, the thing was actually free.

Of course the replacement ink cartridges cost more than the printer itself - we could see how the scam works. When the new cartridges quit printing far too quickly we cut our losses, raised the Earth flag, and said, "No more!". We gave the printer away, and never replaced it.

On the rare occasion we need to print something we just go to the public library and do it there for fifteen cents a print. Life is short, and we don't need the grief you purchase along with a printer.

Pyramids of Waste, after identifying the problems of planned obsolescence, highlights a few individuals that are doing something about it. There are ways of working around kill switches, and DIYers are re-introducing 'Repair' back into the environmental R's of refuse, reuse, repair, and recycle.

There is also the NBA way, which is avoiding the products altogether, or getting good products to start with, then make them last. Thankfully there were also many comments on the Appliances/Electronics post from readers that are following this approach.

By living without, or by getting quality and making it last, and by learning to repair items, we are beating the 'waste by design' system.

An item isn't 'dated' until it is worn or broken beyond repair, and damn the stainless steel, sleek modern design meant to entice us. We here at NBA are refusing to be made into "wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals."

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.

Make It Last: Be Gentle

The world could use more gentleness. It is the way to be good to things and make them endure.

St. Seraphim told his followers that by adopting a personal spirit of gentleness, thousands of people around them could be saved. Could gentleness also save thousands of dollars?

It can.

Anything treated gently will last longer than if treated harshly without due respect and care. Being gentle is something that has beneficial effects whenever and wherever it is practiced.

When applied to our relationships, gentleness establishes and maintains a safe and supportive environment that honours the individuals with whom we interact.

Gandhi said that you can shake the world, in a gentle way. Surely if gentleness can do that it can also make things last. And it can, whether it is a thing, a relationship, or the very Earth itself.

Try a little gentleness. It is a great way to make things last.

Make It Last: Toilet Paper (Or How To Wipe With One Square Or Less)

Could you live without toilet paper? 

Sheryl Crow, singer and environmentalist, once famously said that we should only use one square of toilet paper each time we went to the bathroom. The media thought she was joking, but I don't think so. It is possible to do your business with one square or less.

Standing in front of the items, formerly known as trees, in the disposable paper product aisle of my grocery store, I spotted the 100% post-consumer variety of toilet tissue (98% of tissue is made from virgin trees). A pack of 24 rolls was $14.00 with tax. It made me pause.

I realized that I am part of a tiny portion of humans that use toilet paper, and it seemed like an outrageous expenditure both personally and environmentally. Millions of trees are cut annually to make fibre for a cleaning method that few use. But the few use a LOT - the bum tissue market is a multi-billion dollar per year enterprise. I decided it was time to change my routine and initiate Sheryl Crow's One Square Limit immediately.

I am adopting the ways of over a billion people on the planet, and have been using water and my left hand. I visited India several years ago for a few months so feel somewhat comfortable with this method. Still, after a lifetime of being exposed to the all pervasive advertisements for the softest toilet paper in the known universe, it is hard to overcome the programming. For the time being I will allow myself one square to dry off afterward.

Taking living with less to extremes, I calculated how long I could stretch my current tp stash. The package has 24 rolls, and each roll has 280 squares. In all there are 6720 squares. That means the pack should last for about 15 years. My patient partner in simple living will need some too, so including her allotment let's say we have about 5 years worth. We're good to 2015.

After that I am quitting toilet paper altogether. The period of weaning should make it a gentle transition to joining the majority of the human race that has never seen ultra-plush, four-ply, pillowy soft tissue. Or scratchy single ply for that matter. One small wipe for a man, one giant swipe for sustainability. Thanks, Sheryl.

Do It Yourself Laptop Stand

DIY Laptop stand is simple, free, and effective

People love their laptops. The beginning of 2010 saw sales of laptop computers increase 43% over the previous year. That could be because laptops are minimal, portable tools. I like mine. But I discovered they are hot in more ways than one.

The demise of a laptop is often described using words like 'meltdown', 'toasted', and 'fried'. This sizzling language is accurate because it is usually a heat-related issue that ends up killing a laptop computer.

A laptop's compactness leaves little room for fans or air circulation, so they run hot. So hot that you could risk 'toasted skin syndrome' if you do extended laptopping on bare legs.

Since excessive heat could mean the end of a laptop, a stand of some sort that allows good air circulation could be a good investment. Minimizing heat build-up in your laptop could potentially double its life.

Tools and supplies for prototype

In the name of making my laptop last as long as possible, I began to investigate ways to keep it cool. The variety of manufactured stands has proliferated along with the increased demand for laptops.

A store bought stand will cost you from $50.00 to several hundred dollars, which may be worth it for the extra computer life they may bestow.

However, in keeping with Depression survivors' advice, I decided not to buy something I thought I could make myself, and started doing some research. I found several do it yourself projects on the net. Many were creative, functional, and attractive. All cost less than the pre-built variety.

But, I was looking for a solution that was completely free, completely easy, and built with resources and tools readily available.

My design uses a free material many people have in their homes - the ubiquitous cardboard toilet paper roll. No tools are required other than a pair of scissors, and no expertise is necessary other the ability to measure or estimate where you make the cuts.

New improved double-walled model

It is imperative to cut the roll into four equal sections, or the finished stand will not be stable. On the other hand, if you mess up, toss the cardboard into the recycling and start over.

It helps to set the laptop and stand on a rigid board of some sort to make it easier to move around. I use the backing from a block of watercolor paper, which is a rigid paper board a bit larger than my laptop. Everything is easily transportable once you get used to it.

My prototype used a single cardboard roll. I cut four equal pieces, and placed them on the board, under the laptop. The prototypes could not handle the weight, and they pancaked over the course of a few days.

Since then I have used two rolls and doubled up the pieces resulting in a more steady stand. The double walled version is more robust, and has proven itself over several weeks - no pancaking!

A laptop can generate as much heat as a 100W light bulb

I bought my laptop in 2005. It had a catastrophic meltdown last year. At that time I replaced the hard drive rather than buy new, and vowed to keep it, and my pocketbook cooler. Therefore, my minimalist DIY laptop stand.

The laptop stand is easy to make and use, is constructed with common materials and tools, and is 100% free. It effectively lifts a laptop up about 3 centimeters, and allows cooling air to circulate around it.

Heat is a computer killer. Extend the life of your laptop with a free DIY stand that you can build at your kitchen table.

10 Things On My "Buy It For Life" List

I will probably never have to shop for leather hiking boots again.

When you have to buy something, choosing the quality and durable alternative means you may never have to buy that thing again. For those of us that don't like shopping much, that is a very attractive situation.

One of the best ways to make things last is to acquire quality things. It may cost more to begin with, but over the long run they outlast their cheaper counterparts. Also good would be buying items that you can repair if needed, which will also make things last a long time.

Good quality items, along with gentle use and proper maintenance, could conceivably last several lifetimes. A good set of hand tools, or a cast iron frying pan fall into this category.

Other items may not technically last a lifetime, but in a world of disposable this, and throw away that, having something that lasts a long time deserves an honorary inclusion. Sturdy clothing would fall under this category.

Here are 10 practical and durable items on my "Buy It For Life" list:

1. Cast iron frying pan - we are using one handed down through 3 generations.
2. Wood cutting board - cared for properly, it can last a lifetime
3. Binoculars - essential bird watching tool that if cared for will bring birds into focus for many years.
4. Sturdy furniture - cheap furniture is not worth buying. I prefer older, second hand sturdy stuff.
5. Pots and pans - don't let them sit empty on a hot burner and everything will be fine.
6. Stainless steel thermal mug - indestructible items that keep liquids hot or cold longer.
7. Basic tools/garden tools - buy good stuff and enjoy a lifetime of gardening
8. double-edged safety razor - bomb proof, and the blades are waaay cheaper than modern razors.
9. Guitar - WIlly Nelson has had his guitar for over 45 years.
10. Leather hiking boots - my first pair lasted decades, and the next will probably be my last.

These frugal choices are the opposite of the throw-away economy. They reduce waste, and save money in the long run. Plus, old things take on a personality, character, and beauty of their own, as in the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi.

I have found that it is usually better to look for things like longevity, energy efficiency, repairability, and low total cost of ownership when making a purchase, instead of just what is least expensive. 

The frugal choice may not be the cheapest choice, but instead the more expensive option that may never have to be bought again. 

What are some things on your "Buy It For Life" list? 

Living Without A Microwave

A microwave is not the only way to be energy efficient -
hot soup below, leftovers warming above

In an interesting turn of events, our faithful 22 year old microwave oven broke days after I wrote about it in a Make It Last post. Linda and I took it to the local appliance recycling depot, then talked about (shudder) going shopping for a new one.

"We didn't always have a microwave", Linda pointed out. We wondered if we needed one now. It is true that microwave ovens are a more energy efficient method of cooking, but then so is a crock pot, and we still have one of those.

"But what will I do without a microwave?", I thought in a moment of semi-hysterical kitchen nightmare panic. It passed quickly and I got down to some more rational thinking. Was it time to banish 'Mike" from my kitchen?

What microwaves are really for is speed and convenience. A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as an hour of cooking in an electric oven. But at this point in our lives, we are more into a slower pace, and don't want to sacrifice quality for convenience. I enjoy cooking, and there is no need for me to rush.

I gathered my courage and suggested to my sous chef that we try living without this 'essential' appliance and see how things go. It was my Chef Ramsay moment, and Linda was fully supportive of our move toward slow cookery.

We didn't really cook in our microwave anyway. Reheating/thawing - yes. Cooking - no. But it is taking a while to adjust from the instant, on-demand heating of the old magnetron exciting the molecules in our food. It feels like camping, and for me that is a good thing.

I have to think differently now, and adopt a more purposeful approach to heating food. My local electricity utility estimated that, "using a microwave instead of your oven four times a week could save you more than $20 per year on your electricity bill."

What about the energy required to mine minerals, process the raw materials, manufacture the different components, assemble the product, ship it to me from overseas manufacturers, then dispose of it at the end of its life?

For a hundred dollar microwave it would take five years just to break even on the energy savings. For us it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Shopping trip averted - balance restored. We are living without a microwave. What's next - living without a fridge?

The Occupy Movement: Making Peaceful Revolution Possible

Last week an Occupy San Francisco encampment was shut down by police. Occupy Denver will be shut down tonight, and in New York it appears that Mayor Bloomberg, after saying protesters could stay as long as they wanted, wants the peaceful occupiers out. The excuse he is using is that the park needs to be "cleaned", but cleaned of what?

Corporations make their wishes known through 'lobbying'. Big Money sends out lobbyists with suitcases full of cash to shower on our politicians when votes go the right way. The lobbyists are welcomed by our 'leaders', who then go on to influence policy that affects the corporate world's greedy plans for market domination.

In stark contrast is when the people make their wishes known. Then it is called "protesting". Citizens become "protesters", or "hippies", or "anarchists". A group of such citizens are a "mob", and they are dangerous regardless of how peaceful they may appear. The police, agents of the state, move in.

"Bad protester - Go Home!"

Lobbyists are given a seat at the table, while citizens exercising their free speech rights are harassed, arrested, jailed, then told to go home and wait for the next election.

In a democracy we have a responsibility to be engaged in our political system at all times. When we see injustice it is our responsibility to speak out and demand change from the individuals we vote to represent us.

If we are not allowed to do this peacefully, then do we really live in a democracy any more?

Corporate media will tell you that the Occupy Movement does not have a coherent message. For those that are actually listening, and are not threatened by the truths within, the message can be heard loud and clear:

"Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system - neoliberalism - that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. Neoliberalism is worldwide - it is the reason you no longer have a job, it is the reason you cannot afford healthcare, education, food, your mortgage. Neoliberalism is your future stolen. 

Neoliberalism is everywhere, gutting labor standards, living wages, social contracts, and environmental protections. It is "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It is a system that ravages the global south and creates global financial crisis - crisis in Spain, in Greece, in the United States. It is a system built on greed and thrives on destablizing shocks. It allows the 1% to enrich themselves by impoverishing humanity. 

This has to stop!
We must usher in an era of democratic and economic justice.
We must change, we must evolve. 

On October 15th the world will rise up as one and say, "We have had enough! We are a new beginning, a global fight on on all fronts that will usher in an era of shared prosperity, respect, mutual aid, and dignity."

- From occupywallst.org

Let's make peaceful revolution possible. On October 15th let your elected officials know how you feel about the present state of the world. Do something to express your freedom of speech and celebrate our democratic rights.

• write a letter
• send an email
• make up a sign with a catchy slogan, and picket City Hall, or a bank, or a country club.
• vow to spend as little money as possible on corporate crap
• support local small businesses in your community
• Work hard, have fun, and change the world - it is your right, and your responsibility

Rubber Time

Life is "wheely" short. The transition from baby carriage to wheelchair can seem like a quick one.

Life can be short. Way too short to waste in activities like shopping for things we don't need. Or working jobs we dislike, or staying in relationships that are toxic.

But when we concentrate on the things that are important, like sitting quietly beside a brook and listening, time can stretch out. When I play guitar or garden I am not even aware of the passage of time. Timelessness.

Seneca was a stoic philosopher that left us with a collection of ageless wisdom related to the art of living and the nature of time.

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. 

So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it. 

You are living as if destined to live for ever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don’t notice how much time has already passed, but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply. You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire. 

You must match time’s swiftness with your speed in using it, and you must drink quickly as though from a rapid stream that will not always flow…" 

- from Seneca’s book De Brevitate Vitae, or "On The Shortness of Life"

Life can be short, but it can also be long enough. From experience I can say that there is a time shift when we abandon the distractions of Consumerland. Life is different on Rubber Time - it stretches and life feels not only better, but also longer.

Less pursuit of luxury, and more of simple living is not only ecologically approved, but Seneca approved as well.

Walking To A Better World

In the 5 years I have lived in Sooke I have never walked into town. That is probably pretty common as I am sure that most of my neighbours have never walked into town, either, regardless of how long they have lived here.

Well, my bike is still out of service, not only because of a flat tire, but also due to wear and tear. I may have ridden this pony as far as it will go. So when it came time to visit the library and grocery store, I thought that I might do the walk - all 8 or 9 km of it. Could I even make it? Would I collapse half way there? I was up for the challenge.

I took a glance at my vehicle as I passed it in the parking lot. Clutching the key that would get me into town in about 5 minutes, I thought of my backpacking days in the Rocky Mountains. Back then 9 km would have been a small hike. I have done long hikes in the Sooke Hills recently, but have never pounded the pavement into town.

The walk into town was exhilarating. I couldn't believe all the new things I was seeing as I ambled along. Cycling, although slower than driving, is still too fast to carefully observe your surroundings. A saunter is an ideal pace so you can stop whenever something strikes your fancy.

Before long I found myself in town and conducted my business. I felt free and unencumbered. I exchanged library books, stuffed my backpack full of groceries at the market, then started to hoof it home.

The trip home was less "pleasant stroll" and more "just get me and my stuff home". I did notice however, the road construction on the highway. I was moving faster than the traffic was, and this put a boost in my step. All those people captive in their idling steel cells not going anywhere, and I under my own steam navigating my way home unimpeded. But I could feel the steam running out.

The last 1 km of my walk was difficult as I thought about things like my fitness level, weight bearing exercises vs. non-weight bearing, and fixing my bike. Certain muscles started to hurt before I even got home. When I dragged myself through the front door I looked at the clock and saw that it took me about 2 hours to complete my voyage. Driving takes 10 minutes, and cycling about 35 minutes, but who is counting time anymore? My adventure was a blast from the past, a time when everyone was walking, and it was very satisfying to know that I could do it.

Now that I have recovered from my experiment in the most simple self-propelled travel ever devised, I am thinking that this is probably more in line with future conditions than we would like to think. I might as well get used to it. And you know, getting used to it will not be that hard.

I turned a 10 minute drive to town into a 2 hour epic personal challenge. Today I feel strong. This change will be good for us, and I look forward to it. I am committing to walking toward a better world, even if it does mean sore muscles for a while.

These Boots Lasted, But They're Done

Good bye old friends.

In 2010 I did a post about making my old boots last. At that time they had logged 22 years of faithful service. Then I used them for five more years. Now I am going to start making a new pair last. They probably will be my last.

I try to make my possessions last as long as possible.  It is part of my anti-planned obsolescence, anti-upgrade, anti-progress-for-the-sake-of-progress crusade. Or put another way, my pro-make it last plan.

A case in point would be my leather hiking boots. In the 27 years I used them they passed over thousands of kilometres of this beautiful Earth, ranging from mountain tops to endless sandy beaches.

My new boots were a steal of a deal in 2004. But I wasn't done with my old ones yet - they were only 16 years old at the time. Just getting started.

Hello new friends.

However, I knew that I would eventually need new boots, and have been carrying the new ones, waiting for the time me and my old boots could agree on a retirement date. Now, with separating flattened soles and wrecked rands, we agreed the time has come.

Enter the newly treated brand new-ish pair.

If these boots last as long as the old ones, I will be an 80 year old dude snowshoeing through the woods, my "new" boots as weathered as I am. There is a goal to work toward. It starts tomorrow - the snow is great.

Pillowy, powder prevails in the back yard woods.

How To Not Buy Anything

Bend back the bars of consumerism - try not buying anything.

Some people try buying nothing for a day, or for a holiday such as Christmas. Some are not buying anything that they have ever seen advertised, including food. Others try not buying anything (or anything new) for a year.

My partner and I have been enjoying not buying anything (except necessities) as an ongoing lifestyle. It is permanent - we do not plan on going back to a high-consumption way of life. We have discovered how much we already have, and how little we need.

Our move toward buying less was motivated by a desire to reduce our environmental impact, and live more sustainably.

We also wanted to reduce the number of hours of wage labour we needed to engage in so we could enjoy life more, and nurture our priorities.

Along the way we have become better at not buying anything. These are some of the things that have helped us move closer to our goals:

How To Not Buy Anything

1. The best way to not buy anything is to reduce your desires. Ask yourself if you really need the item in question. Really need. No, really. Keep on asking. Life can be complete, exciting, and rewarding without spending money.
2. Consider (as much as possible) the full environmental and social consequences of your purchases. That alone will make most stuff less attractive.
3. Lower your income. The less money you have, the less you will spend. If you like your high income work, save the money you would otherwise let slip through your fingertips. Share it.
4. Don't pay for anything that you can make or do yourself. This includes cooking, haircuts, riding a bike or walking for transportation, repairs around the house, and growing a garden. The potential list is huge, depending on your skills and how much time you have. Public libraries and the Internet are the go-to places for free resources to learn how to make and do new things. It is fun.
5. Separate socializing and commerce. This is a hard one since the majority of social outings are based on spending money. Suggest meeting on a bench somewhere, and bring a thermos of hot beverage and a snack from home. Have a picnic in a park. Meet in a public venue with bag lunches. Go for a walk together.
6. Don't buy anything that is not good for you or for others. Processed foods, snack foods, restaurant food, alcohol, and violent movies are things that probably are not so good for us - why spend money on them? We cut our gas purchases by 50% this year because burning fossil fuels degrades our collective resource - the atmosphere.
7. Resist the urge to upgrade. Upgrades are expensive and wasteful. Ask yourself if it is really necessary to replace perfectly good devices with ones that are questionably 'better' or 'improved'. When you buy something, try using it until it wears out and dies a natural death. Many things you may never need to buy again.
8. When you go out take food and water with you. Even crappy fast food and pop or bottled water are temptations when you're thirsty and hungry. We never leave home on longer outings without food and something to drink. This makes spontaneous picnics possible, and we have them frequently. Costs less, and no garbage is generated.
9. Do not compare yourself to those around you. It does not matter what other people have, or think you should have. It does not matter if those around you go for annual vacations in warm third world destinations. The Joneses lost the house, gave up, and left the neighbourhood years ago.
10. Make what you already own last as long as possible. Use your things gently, maintain them, keep them clean, and lower your cost per use.
11. Try not to be guilted into buying things. Reduce the obligations that you do not agree with that make you feel like you 'have to' buy things.
12. Number 1 is worth repeating. The best way to not buy anything is to reduce your desires.

The antiquated idea of 'the one who dies with the most toys wins' is dead. We have the capacity to be happier with less. The more we live this way, the more we wonder what all the other stuff was for.

The high consumption lifestyles that we are trained to aspire to are looking obscenely wasteful in an increasingly wasted, famine-ridden world.

We hope our tips will help you not buy anything except the necessities - for a day, a Christmas, a whole year, or as an ongoing, low impact, sustainable lifestyle.

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.

Make It Last: Bar Soap

Much smaller than a fresh bar, but still lots of hand washes left.

You can live life as if nothing is sacred. I prefer to live considering everything sacred. All life, all matter, everything. This world view allows me to see value and purpose in everything that surrounds me. Even itty bitty flakes of soap.

Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do with bar soap as it shrinks in size. There have been times in my wasteful past that I might have thrown little remnants of soap in the garbage. Then I started to weld little soaps on to a fresh bar, with varied and often frustrating results.

I made self-soaping pot scrubbers fashioned from saved up soap bits and mesh produce bags. A small bit of soap would still sometimes be wasted.

In my perpetual quest to simplify, I gave some thought to coming up with a more straight forward solution to making bar soap last.

The smallest soap flake I have ever made - one more hand wash here. Maybe two.

I have been trying an experiment to see how small I could get a bar of soap. Could I use an entire bar right out of existence? Apparently I can. In the process, I created the smallest bar of soap in the world. I need a magnifying glass just to find it.

Why not just throw it away? Because that tiny flake of soap is better than no soap at all. Using it all up in this way honours the soap, the ingredients of the soap, and everyone that had to work to get the soap to me.

 It is all that, and more. I do it because everything is sacred. Even tiny flakes of soap. Perhaps especially tiny flakes of soap. You know what they say about cleanliness.

Conflicted

Stick your finger in the map - it smells of the open road. 

Do you yearn for a life on the road? Or a simple life, anywhere? Does thinking about the 9 to 5 make you nauseous? Need more than a mainstream life of conformist mediocrity?

NBA reader Hagan is feeling the disappointment of mainstream life. Like many of us, he is not feeling spiritually enlightened by materialism and the work-shop-work cycle. He left a comment on our post called Rubber Tramping.

Hagan said,

I am feeling so conflicted. I have been spending the last almost 2 years, waiting, pacing back and forth. Figuratively speaking; I've been banging my head against a wall because I don't want to live a 9 to 5 lifestyle. 

I feel stuck. I feel decompressed and restricted. I am a decently talented artist/ musician who has lived the same place in Colorado my entire almost 23 years of life. And I don't think I will be able to just.. be. 

Ever. Not like this. 

I'm asking you all for advice. How do you make a living on the road.? I've talked with good friends about this topic and a lot say spanging, wire wraps, jewellery, all the way to selling dollar beers, and grilled cheeses at music festivals. 

Please give me insight if you could as I am in need of all the advice I can find.

I responded,

Hagan,
I have been thinking about your comment since you left it here. I, and many people that visit this blog, know how you feel. Your need for freedom is palpable, and it is serious. 

You must act. 

I don't know about making a living on the road, having never had to do it before. But I do know a bit about living with as little as possible so I can be as free as possible, both on the road, and off. 

Cut your expenses, and make the life you envision happen. It will be hard, and at times scary. But it absolutely can be done. And should be done. A life of conformist mediocrity is a hard row to hoe as well, so you might as well be free. 

Be free. Do whatever it takes. That is my only advise. And let us know how it goes.

That doesn't seem like much help to this young, suffering soul, but it is a complicated situation. Pretty much everything in our way of life is meant to stifle freedom, not augment it. You will work for us. You will give us your hard earned cash in exchange for trinkets and distractions.

Obey. Conform. Wanting a simpler life and more freedom seems like a natural reaction to an un-natural exploitive system. I think Hagan is on the right path.

My own quest for simplicity has been a decades long adventure. But I do remember feeling similar feelings when I was 23. There has never been a time in my life that I envisioned doing the same things as everyone else around me. I wanted to find, and take, the road less traveled.

Regular life is not for everyone. Maybe a life such as what we have for the masses today is not for anyone. Now seems like a great time to explore alternatives, on the road, or off the road. Anywhere.

Rubber tramping. Leather tramping. Tramping. Being free. Being.

Do you have any advice for Hagan, or others (young or old) looking to live more simply and with greater freedom? How does one get off the 9 to 5? How do we break free of the chains of mainstream culture and the consumer capitalist system?

Black Friday (Blue Pill) vs BND (Red Pill)

Blue Pill enjoy shopping and blissful ignorance. Red Pill stop shopping, start living, be free.

The Shoppingtrix


NBAeus: Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to Not Buying Anything. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Neo: Consumerism.

NBAeus: Yes. Consumerism is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

Neo: What truth?

NBAeus: That you are more than a worker drone and consumer, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into wage slavery, consumer debt, and an endless shopping cycle. Into lifestyles that are excessive, unsustainable, and unlikely to bring happiness. The truth is out there, but it is your choice whether to accept it or not.

The Choice

Take the blue pill and you take the easy way out. You will ignore harsh realities and live in blissful ignorance.


You brave the elements and traffic jams to do your Black Friday shopping with thousands of other frantic bargain hunters. You continue consuming and do not notice that you are not happy. Ecological limits, notions of our fair share of the Earth's resources, and moderation don't exist for you. You desire more.

Take the red pill and you will have a free-thinking attitude. You will wake up from the "normal" lifestyle of work/shop/sleep/repeat. 

You will observe Buy Nothing Day and spend the day doing things that actually make you happy. You awake to the fact that the thing wrong with the world is conspicuous consumption and greed. You see the individuals and institutions that are destroying life and freedom, and you develop ways to distance yourself from them. You desire simplicity.

Go with the red pill and you prefer the truth, no matter how gritty and painful it may be, because you know it is the way to freedom.

An ancient Zen philosopher said something that relates to what happens if we choose the red pill. The philosopher talked about how he did not do what other people do, did not have what other people have, and did not think the way other people think.

He was talking about how he was different from those who choose the blue pill.

"Do not think the red pill is easy" the free-thinking philosopher warned, "because to take it is to walk through a pit of fire." I have found this to be true in my own life, and I have the burn marks on the soles of my feet to show for it.

It is hard going against the grain, but the rewards for doing so are ample and worthwhile. Don't listen to advertisers that are blue pill pushers. Listen to your soul. Answer its pleas and choose the red pill.


NBAeus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.

You take the red pill - you continue to visit Not Buying Anything and I show you how joyous simplicity can be.

Oniomania: When Shopping Becomes Unhealthy

It is hard to change behaviour if it is not seen as a problem.

Do you like shopping? Do you really like shopping, really need shopping? Are you suffering from Oniomania? Are we all, to a certain extent?

Definition

Oniomania (from Greek ὤνιος onios "for sale" and μανία mania "insanity") is the technical term for the compulsive desire to shop, more commonly referred to as compulsive shopping, shopping addiction, shopaholism, compulsive buying or CB. The condition has been recognized for over 100 years.

The Condition

Although not taken very seriously by an increasingly shopping-focused world, CB is a psychiatric disorder with serious repercussions for sufferers, and those around them.

Those diagnosed with this disorder - anywhere from 10-30% of Americans - represent the far end of the spectrum. But it would seem by the global popularity of shopping that we are all susceptible to this condition to some degree. Is this what evolution has brought us to - turning the process of acquisition into an obsessive mental illness? If so, what might trigger this response?

Causes of Oniomania

Could it be the multi-billion dollar marketing and advertising industries? As a small, but growing, group of humanity acquires more wealth they also increase overall consumption. It happened in North America over the past several decades of growing wealth, and it is happening now in places like Brazil, India, and China.

Trust in me...

Marketers salivate at the exploding growth, fertile ground for opportunities in encouraging compulsive purchasing. "Let us help you spend your money", they whisper, like Kaa the Python in The Jungle Book trying to hypnotise the Bandar-log. "Trust in me, trust in me, look into my eyes..."

The hypnosis techniques that the money charmers use are glossy catalogues, television shopping channels, cybershopping, and glittery malls that smell like new stuff. The snakes of commerce are good at creating 'needs', and convincing you to meet them by trading your money for their attractive, yet worthless products and services.

Experts believe that compulsive shoppers engage in their behaviour because of a need to feel special and combat loneliness. CS think that shopping will make things better, but it is an expensive therapy that is proven ineffective.

Compulsive shopping only feels good until the initial rush wears off. It may last until you reach the car and load it up with your recent amazing purchases. Or until you get home to your partner. Or until you realize you spent the rent money. Then the guilt kicks in, and the cycle repeats.

This is a global problem now as more and more people spend money acquiring stuff as they convert themselves from citizens to unhealthy consumers (just like we did in the 1950s).

In a world that worships at the altar of shopping, getting away from it can be a challenge for even the most committed anti-consumer. It is even more difficult for  Oniomaniacs as they represent the elite athletes in the game of desire and consumption. We tend to honour them and their patriotism. What is the problem? Why change?

People chuckle at T-shirts that shamelessly announce, "Shopaholic", or, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping", but this is seriously harmful behaviour for many, and it is certainly bad for the planet.

Treatment

So how to become less shopping oriented, regardless of where we fall on the Oniomania spectrum? As with many mental illnesses, treatment is difficult, comparable to the intransigence of hoarding behaviour.

Doctors would most likely prescribe therapy and/or pharmaceutical concoctions, but the most effective method is having a strong personal desire to make positive changes for the yourself and the planet.

First is recognizing there is a problem - we have to link our desire to shop and consume with the ongoing destruction of the natural world, not to mention our own happiness. Then we need a plan to reduce desire, and consumption through self-control.

Try starting with 24 hours of not buying anything, then progress to a couple of days. Once you get better at it, you may find you can go a whole week of not buying anything. That might feel so good that eventually most days are shopping-free.

You are liberating yourself from that shopping monkey riding on your back, and realizing the benefits.

Benefits of Kicking The Shopping Habit

1. Spending less, saving more. Getting out of debt = freedom!
2. With a reduced budget and no debt, you will be able to work less if you choose.
3. You could get a lower paying job with NO responsibilities (as in American Beauty)
4. There will be fewer things to store and maintain in your house.
5. It feels good to live unencumbered by a constant desire for things.
6. You will have more money for the things you really need, like food and shelter.
7. By not shopping as much you are withholding your money from the 1%.
8. All the time you would have been shopping can be spent doing more productive things like, writing a book, volunteering at your local school, helping a neighbour, learning to play an instrument, hanging with your partner and/or kids...
9. With less stuff you could move to a smaller home.
10. Your new extra time could be used to start a blog - spread the word about the joys of kicking the shopping habit.