I have decided that I am not going to play anymore - consumer that is.
But what does that mean?
No, I am not going to live in a cave, and contemplate my navel.
I am going to keep a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and the necessary tools of day to day living such as health care and long term financial planning.
But what do I mean when I say, not playing consumer anymore?
The honest answer is that I don't know.
Maybe it's the simple, little things. Like the other day, I was going to buy my favorite BBQ sauce, at $6.95 for a 12 ounce jar. But something made me stop, and read the label, again. The ingredients were pretty simple, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, mustard, and spices. All ingredients that I have at home. I put the jar back on the shelf, finished shopping, went home and mixed the tomato paste and other ingredients together and had about a quart of delicious BBQ sauce for about 3 dollars.
I am not sure how this equates to "not playing consumer". Does saving a few dollars shopping make me less of a consumer? I still had to buy the ingredients didn't I?
Or this past weekend, when I decided to cook a large pot of tomato sauce instead of buying the usual jar or two. Organic crushed tomatoes, Organic whole tomatoes, three cans of tomato paste (organic), spices, and now sits in several containers, a gallon of homemade sauce in the freezer for less then ten dollars.
I don't go to the neighborhood restaurant for breakfast anymore, I cook at home. In the past, I probably would eat out, between breakfast, lunch, and dinner about nine times a week. In the past two weeks, maybe three times. I have noticed that I am not filling my gas tank as much and the food I am eating is much healthier now, I know what's in it, and what's not. I also know I am not paying taxes or tipping for service when I choose to cook at home.
I find that I am seeking the simple now, not denying what I am desiring, just going about it differently.
Willing to stop and think, do I really need to purchase this today? Whatever it is. Do I really need it?
I notice every month that my utility bill usage is almost cut in half from the previous year. But what changes have I really put into effect? I don't know, maybe it's just being conscious of how I use electrical power, maybe not, I just know that I am using or consuming less. Perhaps it's because I am willing to take the time to hang dry my laundry outside and not use the dryer. But I don't know for sure.
I think about when and how I want to use my car these days, think about where I am going. Without effort, I have noticed that I am using half the gas that I used a year ago. How can that be? Can it really be from just being conscious of how and when I drive? I don't know, but I am consuming less. Less driving means that I am not changing oil as frequently as before.
For the past year, I have noticed that I really don't need to buy the books that I want to read, that I can go to the library. The same for DVDs. I have not re-subscribed to several magazines that I have enjoyed in the past, they have the same content on the web now.
My bank just sent me a notice, they are not going to be sending out paper statements anymore, I can now read all my banking information online. So be it, if I am interested in my statement, now its always available, perhaps even less visits to the bank in the future.
I no longer have credit cards, cash only now, if I can't afford it, I don't need it. My debit card can be used for making airline, hotel, or car rentals if necessary. Besides, most of the time my credit cards were used for dining out, which I am doing with less and less frequency.
Someone recently scolded me, and I admit it now, I am solely responsible for the downturn in the economy. For I am not participating in the "trickle down" theory of economics. What of the wait persons, the restaurant owners, the gas stations, so on and so on?
I don't know about that, never enjoyed my economics classes, I do know that I am happier, maybe it's the real food that I prepare now, void of preservatives, or MSG. Maybe it's just the thought that I am simplifying my life, ever so slowly, but ever so forward.
I really don't know.
Brett
Friday, September 25, 2009
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Part of this post is interesting and instructive and even inspiring. Another is alarming. When we're out in the world, we see the world, we participate in it. Everyone from the person who stocks the BBQ sauce at the market, to the waiter at your favorite restaurant is part of your community. Spend too much time away from them, and you divorce yourself from your community. Hang your laundry in the summer is lovely, especially, if you have the time, but it also discourages companies from investing in the manufacture of more energy efficient goods.
ReplyDeleteYou present an interesting dilemma: Consuming is not merely the act of purchasing objects for one's own or family's use, but also a way of participating in a community. The more one is tempted to exclude the marketplace, the less agreeable society will become. Here, as in every situation, balance will determine true health—the individual's, the society's and the culture's as a whole.