Adapted from a blog post and comments for Evoke
Since I started downsizing my life, I had to develop parallel skills. I learned:
to appreciate what I've got
to accept genuine gifts
to step on my pride with humility
to have compassion for people that need money to express their dreams
to face hardships such as hunger, physical pain, exhaustion
to be self-reliant
to be interdependent
to network extensively
to be resourceful
to create value out of trash and to talk about it without any shame
to educate myself and try new things
to inspire others
What does one really need in life? Is it about money? Money is indeed a powerful tool, but it's one of many many resources that one can rely on. There's a lot of other stuff out there: kindness, waste, goodwill, free spaces, trading and sharing opportunities, nature, existing structures..
Be interdependent.
Live low - get to the core of the experience...
What I am saying is not an ideal - it is possible and I believe useful in the current wasteful context.
In a perfect world running only on money, it would maybe be abusing from society (or I would earn money from what are currently moneyless activities in my life). In a perfect world running on free economy, relationship to waste would certainly be different and I would have to adapt greatly. And if everybody would be doing now, there wouldn't be much production of goods and services, since I mainly transform waste to create value. My lifestyle is currently sustainable because the societies I insert myself in are wasteful and diverse. Any lifestyle choice must be adapted to the society it inserts itself in. I don't think it would be fully sustainable in Africa, for example.
I rely on a few things for living:
- Working - even unpaid or bypassing money. I obtained some of my computer hardware while translating from Dutch to French, because I was asked to. The person knew my limits (I don't speak Dutch - I could understand it because of some automatic translation tools, patience and persistence) and accepted my offer because the offer seemed good to them. I consider hitchhiking as a professional situation, I represent all hitchhikers to a driver and provide a service to them, being careful to their needs, adapting to their shifting reality - from the spiritual seeker listening to Christian rock to the murderer on parole that just insisted I should sleep with him, from the single mother of five to the expat working abroad to feed his family back in his country, from the Armenian stolen car dealers to the Swiss sex worker. Then I need to carry this work of broadening my perspective, and other people's. Isn't what I'm doing here? Isn't this creating value, even being unpaid?
- Optimizing waste: waste in car spaces, waste in the trash, from food to toilet paper holders, things that I consume or things I give away, feeding the gift economy. Books, furniture, clothes, gadgets, lots of things.
- The power of gift - I seldom say no (I don't say never, because I might have done it but do not remember it) to anyone requesting help to me, sizing my resources. People know most of it isn't money. Still, It can be money (the entirety of my capital is currently lent to a friend from my brother in Germany since a little more than a year, and he's slowly getting out of his debt at the pace that suits him and as I need this money now). That money was lent to someone before, it just changed hands. I do not have a Euro bank account (Tip from 2015: it's not that hard to open a bank account in Germany, also if you're not a resident), so that's how it's managed for now. But most of what I offer to people is intangible in matters of money: go and see them when they ask me to come over to them, if we can't meet up because they have no time to travel, volunteer online and organize workshops and conferences, and accept invitations to do more when it's on my way, carry good wishes, gifts, connect people, listen, support, advice whenever I can, organize information in wikis.. etc. This gives me (at least in my mind) legitimacy to ask for help (but everybody should feel that legitimacy, as a valuable contributing member of society). Think of it as a form of Karma, or Pay it forward situation.
- The beauty of sharing : everything I find or am given can become shared. The 20$ a driver gave to me became a shared meal and a game I bought for a role playing night. That game is currently at a friend's place because he lives in a community that is more likely to use it than me just now. I found over 100$ worth of organic chips in the trash, 150$ of organic good quality bread - they were shared with more than 7 households until now. The step-mom of a friend gave me maple syrup while hitchhiking, and it got shared with about 10 people until now. To me, everything tastes better when it's shared. And of course, people do shared their electricity with me, their toilets, their water, their sleeping spaces, their books, their fridge and freezer, their hugs, their thoughts, their hopes and concerns.
- Downsizing: Walk as much as possible, find free to perform social activities, eat less in restaurants, not watch tv, using a cellphone sparingly (less than 25€ per 3 months), avoid dependency on anything, consume no or very little alcohol or drugs, however common they are, adapt my nutrition to local standards, avoid buying meat products, stop using toilet paper, not having fashion needs, accepting imperfection.
Further thoughts on the topic:
- A few people in my network do not use money at all. Sadly that means they can never take public transportation, or fraud it, which I don't usually do. Therefore, public transportation eats up 70% of my budget.
- You have way more resources than just money. Its called social capital, and of course it makes me and other people cringe when I get to that. But when you live on a low budget in a money-wealthy society, there is a bit of paradigm shift: you deserve to be helped. Not because you're pity-able but because you are a valuable member of this community. To help myself get through this paradigm, I think of my life in a professional manner and put care in all I do. I also try to help people, especially if they ask for help, if not directly, then at least by putting them in touch with someone that can.
- Cheap, nutritious staple foods I sometimes buy: lentils, red kidney beans, chick peas, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, all types of dried peas and beans (and trust me, there are!), couscous and bulghur. But the main expensive things I buy are garlic, spices and olive oil. Learn to sprout stuff!
- You live in an amazingly wasteful country. Curious about techniques ? Google Trashwiki, and you'll get tons of info from the pros. Bakeries are good too. You might find people with experience about this in a local social kitchen (such as Volksküche in Germany) - often part of the food served is dumpstered.
- Many activities can be free, so you do not have to cut down on social activities - you have to rethink them. Board games, poïs, a small musical instrument or playing cards ... Why go for a cup of coffee? Invite your friends for a cup of tea (much cheaper usually), suggest you have coffee at their place, or try to find an alternative coffeeshop where you're not forced to consume to be there, and alternate.
- Accept offered things. It's a good way in starting to give properly.
- Finally, a huge resource: sharing! Organizing a potluck at your place can end up being a great party, a movie night at yours (or at a friend's place!) People put together what they have, collective cooking maybe? You'll be amazed by what you can create together, all tasty, healthy food.
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