No More Chasing The Dragon
Today, on a break from work, I was surfing the net, thinking about the medicinal plants I want to add to our garden (as a side note, sometimes I have to laugh at the irony of my cyber-job and my oh-so-low-tech-life), and I came across an article in Mother Earth News featuring modern homesteaders and the advice they had to offer. A lot of it seemed like stuff I was already doing or already working towards but one person's advice really stood out: "Produce more than I consume..."
Bam! This is it. It's a hard act to follow - the act of consuming. From a small age we are trained with reward systems that enforce external rewards as a sign of success, yet it is never ending, meaning we always need to be re-enforced. This pattern is coupled with the modern notion that we need outside help for almost everything- we can't possibly get what we need right in our own un-fancy "backyard." Eat your veggies, and you'll get a treat. Get good grades, and you'll get a new bike. Go to college, earn a degree and you'll make lots of money. Make lots of money and you'll be able to buy lots of things. Buy lots of things/experiences and you'll be really happy. I know, a simplified synopsis, but think about what most of us do with most of our waking hours? Work! What do we do with the money we make from working? Buy stuff. And how much of our lives have we exchanged for that money to buy "stuff." And not just a new pair of shoes or funky things at vintage shops or the latest gizmo razzmatazz, but services are a huge part of our monthly budgets.
Over the past 3 years I've worked to cut out the fat in our monthly spending and over and over I've told myself "this is it! I can't cut anymore!" Then I realize I'm paying $1,500/year for a "smart" phone (just how smart is that?) Or I realize by going out for 3 average meals a week (for 3 people) ends up costing us $5,000 a year. When I re-examine my spending, I find more fluff that I can live without (remember, that $75 a month spent on random items "on-sale" is $900/year!) I've cut about $3,000 from our monthly budget from 4 years ago (which seems obscene now!) and I know I have more to cut. But where?! The gym membership is gone. No more cable. Cell phone is the basic plan for emergencies. We've cut our insurance on extra vehicles. We've cut our health insurance. We buy our meat by the animal, grow our own veggies and berries, and our cow supplies all our dairy. We only drink wine on the weekends now, for Christ's sake! We could stop our once a week out- to-eat ritual. We could cancel our cell phone. We could live in the dark and freeze to death....
My goal is to squeeze another $300 out of our monthly budget. I'm sure I can increase my income but what I really want is to cut my expenses. I want to not be at the mercy of that nagging "have to have" mentality. I know for a fact people lived just fine, actually had more free time, before they were so indebted. It's a hard addiction to break. I want to produce more than I consume.
Bam! This is it. It's a hard act to follow - the act of consuming. From a small age we are trained with reward systems that enforce external rewards as a sign of success, yet it is never ending, meaning we always need to be re-enforced. This pattern is coupled with the modern notion that we need outside help for almost everything- we can't possibly get what we need right in our own un-fancy "backyard." Eat your veggies, and you'll get a treat. Get good grades, and you'll get a new bike. Go to college, earn a degree and you'll make lots of money. Make lots of money and you'll be able to buy lots of things. Buy lots of things/experiences and you'll be really happy. I know, a simplified synopsis, but think about what most of us do with most of our waking hours? Work! What do we do with the money we make from working? Buy stuff. And how much of our lives have we exchanged for that money to buy "stuff." And not just a new pair of shoes or funky things at vintage shops or the latest gizmo razzmatazz, but services are a huge part of our monthly budgets.
Over the past 3 years I've worked to cut out the fat in our monthly spending and over and over I've told myself "this is it! I can't cut anymore!" Then I realize I'm paying $1,500/year for a "smart" phone (just how smart is that?) Or I realize by going out for 3 average meals a week (for 3 people) ends up costing us $5,000 a year. When I re-examine my spending, I find more fluff that I can live without (remember, that $75 a month spent on random items "on-sale" is $900/year!) I've cut about $3,000 from our monthly budget from 4 years ago (which seems obscene now!) and I know I have more to cut. But where?! The gym membership is gone. No more cable. Cell phone is the basic plan for emergencies. We've cut our insurance on extra vehicles. We've cut our health insurance. We buy our meat by the animal, grow our own veggies and berries, and our cow supplies all our dairy. We only drink wine on the weekends now, for Christ's sake! We could stop our once a week out- to-eat ritual. We could cancel our cell phone. We could live in the dark and freeze to death....
My goal is to squeeze another $300 out of our monthly budget. I'm sure I can increase my income but what I really want is to cut my expenses. I want to not be at the mercy of that nagging "have to have" mentality. I know for a fact people lived just fine, actually had more free time, before they were so indebted. It's a hard addiction to break. I want to produce more than I consume.
I'm still trying to nail down a budget factoring in a third little being. His needs are changing so quickly. I think one of our best decisions is membership with the community play group. For $20 a month, we have access to a large play space and clothing swap. We haven't had to buy new clothes for M since joining. As soon as he grows out of a size, we sort through the next size up bin, do a little laundry and voila.
ReplyDeleteI've cut all my personal beauty items (stylist, high end cleansers and cosmetics), but struggle with this. I just don't feel "pretty" anymore, which is silly, but I guess I am a girly girl ... even at 40.
That reminds me ... our cell phone contract ends this month. Snip snip snip.