Living on Nothing and Enjoying Less: An
Eco-Handbook for Cheap, Sustainable Happiness
The desire
to live more frugally, responsibly, and environmentally is loose
in the land now. Despite the popularity of a minimalism which
had its adherents buying more to pretend they had less, many people
have a genuine interest in living more carefully. Learning to
reduce our impact runs deeper than saving money or using those
savings to buy more consumer goods. Instead, people are starting
to question the entire consumer enterprise and to suggest alternatives.
Much of the
interest in living more affordably arises from a growing suspicion
that consumption will not lead to the ads' promised happiness.
The burgeoning interest in bushcraft, maker culture, homemade
gifts and household items, living hacks, and dumpster diving shows
that the corporate narratives have lost their power. People seeking
what might be missing in their lives are using their hands and
native ingenuity.
In this study
I tell the oft-requested story of how I avoid spending, list the
tips and tricks I have learned, discuss both the environmental
and social implications of uncontrolled spending, and offer some
insight about how happiness can be achieved without breaking the
bank. This is meant for those who want to live on less, as well
as those who still need to negotiate a society which would have
us spend the precious coin that is our lives working for the corporate
benefit instead of our own.
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