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I have wanted to talk about this ever since a discussion started on my dumpster diving interview post. Basically the post discusses how one woman used the concepts of Freeganism to harvest good food thrown away by grocery stores and turn around and give it to the hungry and homeless…to the tune of $30,000. Surprisingly, it was said that this was perhaps a bit selfish….that we should consume (buy) even if we don’t need to so that we are supporting farmers.

Well, I am all for supporting local farmers and supporting earth friendly, sustainable, conscious companies with our money. But I am not for consuming just for the sake of consuming and yes I do realize that this is exactly the trend that our current economy is based upon. Consumerism may make the economic world turn…but self sufficiency is what will preserve the planet…not consumerism.

This fact was clear when I read a new prediction from Gerald Celente. This is the man that accurately predicted 1987 stock market crash, the fall of the Soviet Union, the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse, and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar. The New York Post once said of him “If Nostradamus were alive today, he’d have a hard time keeping up with Gerald Celente.” Clearly this gentlemen and his partners have a their eye on the pulse of the economy but their latest prediction will not leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. He has said, “by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more.”

Now I have no opinion on the accuracy of this prediction I can only say that for us it should show what is at the very least, a possibility. I am not about doom and gloom but I am not for sticking my head in the sand either. Can you imagine living in a country where people riot for food, protest any and all taxes, can’t find a job, or live in tent cities because they are homeless? As a spoiled American I can barely even fathom such a thing but the very idea that the current economic model of spend, spend, and spend more could crumble like that shows us that more self sufficiency is needed. And consumerism as it exists now will NEVER heal our planet. Maybe it is time I finally read that book I have meant to read for awhile: The Environmental Endgame: Mainstream Economics, Ecological Disaster, And Human Survival.

Just think about it. If you woke up tomorrow in the world Celente has predicted what would you do? Can you be self sufficient? Do you have economic survival skills? To me it seems that to rely on consumerism to drive the world forward will always be potentially risky. If I woke up in that world tomorrow I “hope” that I would have a home completely paid off, that I could grow all my own food, that I would have a nest egg saved, that I could make or sew anything I need, and that I could open my home to others and do co-housing. I would “hope” that my purchases in the years previous were smart so that I did not need much in the way of material things.

It certainly has given me a lot to think about. Even if none of it comes to pass I think I would be infinitely better off being more self sufficient. It will help me save money that is for sure.

So what do you think about Celente’s prediction? Could it happen and what would you do? Is self sufficieny selfish and is consumerism the way to keep everyone’s head above water?

Photo Credit

One of my favorite online stores is Resuablebags and they are having a big sale right now on bags, bottles and other miscellaneous items. Some HUGE deals I spotted were:

Acme Bags Earh Tote for $4.98 (50% off)

A 27 oz Klean Kanteen Bottle for $12.57!! (30& off)

A Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup for $13.97!! (30% off)

If you have been wanting to try any of these great products now would be a great time to buy!

Thanks to Amy for tipping me off to this great sale.

I spent the majority of the morning engrossed in a really awesome book entitled America’s Cheapest Family. I thought it was a timely read considering all that is going on in the world right now. On a positive note for my own family it looks like hubby’s job is safe for now (or so they say) and he has gone mute about wanting to take his old job back (which required heavy travel). I am interested in using this scare as an opportunity to evaluate our budget and see where we can whittle expenses down so we can save more. Our emergency savings needs a lot more padding than it currently has. And I fully admit that hubby and I are not very responsible with money. We have very leaky wallets and we don’t do a lot of bargain shopping. Adopting a greener lifestyle has helped oodles but that is thanks to being green not being smart about money.

That said….I LOVED this book. I think all money conscious families need to read it…now. It is written by a husband and wife who were dubbed the Cheapest Family in America several years ago by the talk show circuit. Their names are Steve and Annette Economides. Their last name ironically means “son of the steward” in Greek. The book shares all of the secrets to their success that allowed them to raise and homeschool 5 kids, pay off their first home in 9 years, buy cars with cash, pay for vacations in advance, save money for all possible emergencies, and feed their family for $350 a month all on a one income salary of less than 35,000 a year. They have an amazing story to tell and the advice is wonderful. The book is organized in categories like groceries, clothing, utilities, etc so that you can read it straight through or skip to sections where you need help.

The first chapter I loved was about groceries. $350 a month for a large family is incredible and one big part of their success is that they shop ONCE a month. I think we all know how expensive it is to make lots of small, frequent trips to the store to get ingredients for one or two meals or one or two missing things. Shopping like that almost always means spending more than you have to and it is basically a result of poor planning. The Economides family saved on average $1,702 per year over the average family. That is equal to a nice week long vacation for many or a slush fund for car/house repairs. Their tips on grocery savings amounts to a long chapter but basically it involves shopping once a month, doing menu planning, stocking up, shopping for sales and using coupons when they can, cooking extra portions for leftovers, and freezing quite a bit.

The advice was very good but I did find a few things that would not work for our family including the buying of lots of processed foods, the lack of more expensive whole foods being bought, and the idea of doing without FRESH fruits and veggies for the last 2 weeks or so of the month. I think families that eat lots of fresh, raw, whole foods would have a lot of adapting to do but the basic plan is a good one. I would probably feel more comfortable doing bi-monthly shopping expeditions with weekly trips to farmer’s markets for fruits and veggies. 

There is a big chapter on budgets next, which is a good read. I liked the tip they had about buying gas cards to make sure you always have your gas expenditures covered. Then there is a chapter about cars…which I loved. It has lots of great tips for buying used cars and making sure you get a good car and a good deal. The section on insurance was great too. The Economides do not believe in skimping on insurance. One tip I liked was to cancel the towing benefit on your insurance and join AAA instead. That money goes a lot further with AAA.

The housing chapter had some alarming statistics about interest rates and how they would have paid $100,000 interest on their $50,000 home over a 30 year period. Their advice is to pay off the mortgage in less than 10 years if you can but ouch that is still over $25,000 you pay in interest. Sheesh, I think it might just be better to rent and then save that interest money to buy land and a nice Yurt with cash, LOL. This chapter also has advice for saving on repairs and renovations too.

The utilities chapter has lots of great advice although not too much for cold weather climates as the family lives in Arizona. Although having lived in both areas I think the utilities expenditures are pretty much the same…we just pay high energy prices at different times of the year. In AZ I had high air conditioning bills and in OH I have high heating bills. The cell phone advice was a little dated and the book was written in 2007, LOL. I am guessing that this older couple likes their land line and the kids are the ones that use cell phones. Hubby and I pretty much only use cell phones or Skype. We do have a land line but only because we couldn’t get DSL without it…I can’t even remember the number though, that is how little we use it. We hope to move soon and get cable Internet so we can get rid of our land line altogether.

There is also a big chapter about debt. Honestly I just skimmed this chapter as we don’t have debt and we don’t have credit cards but I am sure this chapter is equally good. Their chapter on medical just kind of pissed me off…not because it wasn’t good advice but because of the way our health care and insurance is in this country. I am having a hard time not being really pissy with Republican friends right now because the biggest issue we are voting on in a couple weeks for me is health care. I think only one candidate wants to fix health care and the other has plans so stupid I am getting hot just thinking about it. Better change the subject…anyway I have had insurance my whole adult life and I still racked up over $100,000 in EXTRA charges in a ten year period, so while this book’s advice is good in theory I see some problems because the insurance people are criminals and no amount of “personal responsibility” (inert GOP talking head) will change that. If taking personal responsibility means paying 4-500 hundred dollars a month for coverage and then having to pay 100 grand out of pocket and then calling it health care…well what more can I say? The advice on staying healthy was good though and personally I think that is the only/best option for many these days.

The chapter on clothing was fabulous with lots of great ideas for clothing your whole family for cheap as was the chapter on FREE entertainment. Entertainment is a BIG expenditure here so I need that advice. The vacation info was really practical and kind of amazed me that some families do go into debt to have vacations. I am not smart with money I totally admit that, but even I would never do that. The last chapters were about raising money conscious kids and about emergencies….lots of great info. I HIGHLY recommend this book! AND you can get it new for only $10.36 on Amazon or used for around $7.

The word recession is getting thrown around in the media a lot lately. We are told that we may be in for some very difficult times and truthfully I am already feeling the pressure. My husband works for a company that pays their winter payroll with loans. They do this because the winter is not their peak season and they simply use loans to keep production going until Spring when their business goes through the roof. Times are so good in the spring and summer in fact that my hubby was getting $200 bonuses for each day of overtime he worked. For winter though his company relies on credit and our current financial meltdown has meant they couldn’t get the loans they needed and they laid off a lot of workers. They are talking about laying off more and my husband would probably be included in that second batch so we are preparing for that.

As if that isn’t enough to deal with my hubby has sprung on me that all this economic strife has made him want to go back to his old job possibly. For newbies to this blog this means that he would go back to traveling all but 4-5 days a month….so yeah…we would never see him. We did that for 5 years and finally he came home in late winter of this year…now he wants to leave again, which has me so upset I can’t even tell you. I was basically a single mom and would be again if he does this. But he hates job insecurity and feeling helpless like this and it is making him want to do drastic things.

But sorry for vomiting all my problems on you…the point of this post was that I think it is important during tough times like these to come together and help each other. Corporations don’t need our money, people do. It is even more important to shop consciously. Here are a few of the ways you can do that.

Garage Sales and Craigslist - Stop buying new and check out garage sales and your local Craigslist. Not only are you buying second hand which is way better for the environment, you are directly helping local families too and they will be greatly appreciative I am sure. When my hubby needed a motorcycle helmet recently we turned to Craigslist and I already have several Christmas gifts bought that I got from garage sales.

Buy new from families too - Small family, indy businesses are are all over the web. They have their own web sites and you can find them on Etsy. When I needed a backpack for my daughter recently I knew I could buy one for $10 at Wal-Mart but I wanted my money to go further so I checked into Etsy and found the perfect backpack hand-sewn by another mom. When you start purchasing for Christmas think about how many items you can buy direct from other families.

Freecycle before you donate to Goodwill - Now I realize that some families can not ignore the tax savings you can get by donating to an organization but for families that just take the standard deduction (like mine) you do more good by Freecycling. Goodwill is a great company but they do charge for the items and if you Freecycle them you end up putting much needed items into the hands of another family for free.

Barter - Do you have a skill or a service you can barter for goods? Perhaps you can trade web design, carpentry work, knitting or tailor work, babysitting, food from your garden…anything you can think of…use your skills to trade with other like minded families. Look for local bartering groups or start one on Yahoo Groups if there aren’t any.

Swap - Local groups and online groups designed to help moms swap clothes and household goods are getting more popular. You can even host a swap party for friends and neighbors. Have everyone bring a couple bags or bins of clothes their kids have outgrown and let everyone start swapping.

Support your bloggers  - My friend Carrie wrote a great post a few weeks back about supporting your favorite bloggers and she highlighted a common practice among mom bloggers…buying through each others affiliate links. Many bloggers use affiliate links when they link to products or stores and they get a commission whenever people purchase. When I need to buy an item from Amazon I will always try to buy from the link of a fellow blogger so they get a little something from my purchase.

Don’t discount Amazon - Amazon is a big corporation but many of the products on Amazon are sold by third parties which may be small family businesses. I buy lots of used books from small sellers on Amazon. eBay is another good place to buy to support small sellers.

Get cooperative with your community - Starting or participating in a community garden is a great way to help feed your family and get community support. You can also volunteer to work for local CSAs who will then give you a discount on fresh produce and this can be very helpful if food is taking a big bite out of your budget. Look into herd sharing agreements as well for cheaper meats and raw milk. And whenever you can buy from your local farmers and farmer’s markets. Patronize your local Amish community if you have one.

As I said…during tough times we really need to come together and support each other and one of the ways we can do that is by eliminating the middleman and going directly to other families with our business.

Got any tips to share?

Here in the US the news has been taken over by talk of the financial crisis, the Federal bailout proposal, our current state of recession, and the much worse recession we are told could be looming. I am not going to get into my opinions of the bailout. I will just say that I am torn between wanting to letting corporate greed die the slow death it deserves and protecting people who may lose their retirement funds in the stock market if we do allow that to happen. My parents were already hit pretty hard in that regard…I would hate to see them lose everything they worked to accumulate over the past few decades.

On a political board I frequent someone asked how we were preparing for a recession or at the very least for a financial future that is up in the air at best. I didn’t know how to answer in a general sense because I feel that green folks (myself included) will be much better equipped to deal with a recession. Green folks already have many of the answers I think. Just yesterday I was talking to an older mom who said that she was green before it was popular….back then it was called CHEAP. Just think about all the ways you have already gone green and saved your budget and all the ways you still can.

Reducing Your Expenditures on Energy - Even if you don’t have programmable thermostats, motion sensing lights, or LED light bulbs you can save energy and money by wrapping/insulating your hot water heater, using blankets and quilts to insulate windows, using draft stoppers to plug drafts, hanging your clothes to dry indoors and out, turning your thermostat down a couple degrees in winter and up a few in summer, turning off all power strips at night, etc.

Check out this awesome list of 21 Ways to Save Money on Home Heating Bills.

Reducing Your Expenditures on Food - Healthier and greener choices are more expensive but I truly feel that in a times of recession local foods would come down in price. Your local growers can’t survive if they don’t have customers. Now would be a great time to get to know the local food growers in your area. You can also grow your own. Each and every item you grow yourself is one more thing you don’t have to rely on other people for. Bartering is also very green…check with your local Amish (if you have any) or other food growers and see if you can reach trade agreements. I know my local farmer’s market organization was willing to barter food for web design and marketing help. Your local growers might also be willing to take on help with labor in exchange for free or discounted food. Cutting out or reducing meat consumption would also be a big boon for the budget.

Reducing Your Expenditures on ”Stuff” - You just don’t need much of the stuff that corporate America says you do. Living with the principles of voluntary simplicity might be useful right about now. We don’t need paper plates, plastic baggies, dryer sheets, techno gadgets, new books, the latest music tracks, etc. Reusable items are a green person’s best friend already and they help us save so much money.

Reducing Your Expenditures Gas and Travel - There are no easy answers for this one other than to drive less by walking, biking, using mass transit or staying home. My family has recently come to a decision that we can’t live in our small city and be frugal on gas and travel because my hubby works so far away in a larger city. Yes, we love the corn fields all around us and the clean country air but we can’t justify the waste of gas and resources that commuting presents. We hope to move into the city in late spring/early summer and eventually settle into an area where we can walk or take the bus most of the time.

So what do you think? Are you worried about a recession? Do you feel good about being able to handle it if comes? My take is that even if this all works out okay we need to learn a valuable lesson here…as a country. Times like these should help us to prioritize and get our own economics in order. Now more than ever personal accountability and responsibility should be paramount.

Green living is a hot-button issue, and is something that many are trying to transition into.  The problem is, sometimes green living appears to be far more expensive than just keeping things the way they are. There are some things you can do, however, to live greener without stretching your budget too thin.  Below is a list of five things you can do to live green and be able to afford doing it in the process.

1.  Buy what you need when you need it.  Making a shopping list is very important, especially when buying green.  Since some green items cost more than their less eco-friendly counterparts, it can be tempting to forego the green items to save money.  Remember that increasing demand for greener, more sustainable goods helps to eventually bring prices down.  Try eliminating impulse buying to bring your shopping bills down. 

2.  Join a co-op.  Co-ops are a great way to support local growers and merchants and can help you to save money at the point of sale.  Most co-ops require a little bit of volunteer time each month to maintain membership, but this is time well spent where you can connect with other like-minded individuals who are also trying to maintain a better way of life for themselves as well.

3.  Buy in bulk.  Another piece of advice when it comes to living green and ultimately saving money is to buy in bulk.  You can save a lot of money per unit if you buy more.  Recycled paper goods, such as toilet paper and napkins, are cheaper when purchased in large amounts.  The same goes for many packaged organic foods and snacks. 

4.  Shop around online.  There are many excellent websites where you can purchase green goods for far less money than you would pay in stores.  Shopping around online is especially convenient, as you don’t have to leave home or travel far across town to get the things that you need to live green.  Online shopping for green goods gives people who live in areas without green alternatives the ability to procure the items they want at an affordable price.  Buying directly from the company also cuts out the middleman, thus saving you more money.

5.  Buy used items.  Nothing says green like reusing and recycling, and this goes for many things, such as furniture and clothing.  By purchasing used and vintage products, you are breathing new life into something that someone else decided they did not want.  Rather than encouraging excessive production by purchasing clothing from a large retailer, buying used from companies like Goodwill also puts your money toward a good cause and you can feel good knowing your money is helping others while saving at the same time.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of green shopping .  She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Over the weekend I read the book Choosing Simplicity  - Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World by Linda Breen Pierce. We live in a world where the predominant attitude is that money and the general accumulation of things brings us happiness. We are told over and over again that we should get an education, get a high paying job, marry well, invest wisely, do this, do that….and you have the recipe for happiness. All you need is more, more more! And then at some point you will be able to turn around and look at all you have accomplished and see all you have and be instantly happy. Check out this article on NPR that talks about how obsession with bigger and better housing is rampant today. But what about the people who never buy into that way of living or thinking? What about the people who look at the fast paced world around them and all the rats scurrying to better their situations, and say no thanks?

According to Pierce, the inspiration to write this book originated with her experiences living in a remote African village while in her twenties. The village had 400 people, no electricity, no running water, no convenience foods, no plumbing, and no cars save one the whole village shared. They lived in mud huts and they were often malnourished and suffering from skin ailments and ulcers. Pierce held dying babies in her arms. While most Americans might think this sounds like hell on earth, these villagers were the happiest, most joyous, most fulfilled people Pierce ever met.

According to Pierce it was difficult to distinguish work from play. They were always laughing, dancing, and singing. Huge belly laughs abounded all day long as they worked. They danced late into the night. They were happy.

Yet, even having seen this first hand Pierce made her way back to America and became a part of the fast paced, rat race. Many years later she read an article in Worth Magazine called Downshifters and it was all about simple living. She loved the article and quickly devoured other articles and books about the same subject but there was something missing. She didn’t want tips and advice for how-to live simply she wanted stories and experiences from people who were actually putting these concepts into practice. Could they sustain this lifestyle for a long time? Did they feel like they were missing out on things? Did they have regrets?

It was because Pierce was interested in finding these answers that she was inspired to start a study on simplicity and interview people who had accomplished a little of bit what those African villagers had. Was it possible? What did simple living actually look like within the lives of modern people? Frankly I find it kinda crazy that we have to wonder what simplicity looks like….that is how often we DON’T see it I guess.

This book has some amazing stories. It has the experiences of people from all over the world who have chosen simplicity. More than that actually, in my mind this is a collection of people of who have really evolved past and matured beyond the consumerism that most of us have grown up with. They have found a way to step past the smoke and mirrors and really see that the pipe dream being sold isn’t a recipe for happiness. These people are role models.

The first chapters explore some of the reasons why people evolve into a life of simplicity. Perhaps they became ill, they lost their job unexpectedly, they started a family, they were extraordinarily stressed, they lost someone they loved, etc. The in delves into personal stories of people living this life. The most surprising thing to me was that voluntary simplicity wasn’t all about being frugal or doing with less. Sometimes it might mean just getting a job closer to home so you have more free time. Perhaps it means selling a large house that sucks up your time with house cleaning and maintenance to buy a smaller one. Maybe it means that you stop spending your money on things and you are start spending it on experiences. It is really more about finding out what you want in life, drawing a straight line to your goal, and then finding out how you can resolve the zig-zaggy, going in circles path you inadvertently chose to get to the same place. It could mean living more frugally and learning to overcome materialism but it could also mean letting go of a fast paced, multi-tasking, way of life too.

It had stories of high powered corporate attorneys doing a 180. One dad decided to quit his job and simplify after his daughter drew a family picture with the back of daddy’s head showing because that is all she ever saw as he worked every night on his computer. A socialite and divorcee sold her McMansion to buy a tiny condo on the beach. Another couple moved into a commune to learn homesteading skills and then they bought their own 40 acre ranch where they could grow their own food and unschool their kids. There are many inspirational stories in this book. I really enjoyed it because this is an area that I struggle with.

Available at Amazon.com