Freeconomy Blog
Wed
11 Jun
Hints and tips on living more freeconomically...
| 9 comments |
As you all know, the Freeconomy Community is all about making the transition from a life focused on money to one where sharing, generosity, kindness and community rise to the fore. Whilst in the area of sharing skills, time and tools our philosophy is unique, thankfully we are not doing it alone, as there are many other organisations in other fields that are founded on the same ‘pay-it-forward’ foundations that this community is built on.
Living without money isn’t easy, especially at the beginning. At the same time, working fifty hours a week just to be able to barely pay the bills isn’t easy either! So today I want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who wants to move towards a trust based, as opposed to a money based, society as possible. And I hope that through it you not only get to save more money in a increasingly difficult economic climate, but that you’ll also catch the ‘sharing bug’ and inevitably meet lots of great people around the world, and more importantly, in your own neighbourhood.
Here are my recommendations of organisations to join if you want to live freeconomy style!
1. Material Goods:
There are a number of websites out there which enable members to swap the things they own but don’t want for stuff they don’t own but do want. The best I have come across is Swap Shop which enables you to swap most things, while projects such as ’Read it Swap it’are great for books.
However, out there by far on its own, is Freecycle, and is our definite recommendation. Not only is it a run away success with over 4 million members worldwide now, but it also kept 2 million tonnes of crap out of landfill last year, and stopped a lot of completely unnecessary production.
2. Traveling and accommodation:
Given that most people still live pretty busy lifestyles, it’s not surprising that many want to escape from it all and have a brief glimpse of the good life. However, it is getting increasingly more difficult to find true adventure, and to meet open, friendly, generous people.
As regards getting to your destination, there are a number of options. If you have taken the decision not to own a car for whatever reason, then the most fun, and cheapest, way of getting around has got to be hitching. Personally, I love it, and have done it since I was a kid. I’ve met so many wonderful people through it, many of whom help you get off the beaten as they usually have lots of local knowledge to boot.
If you do have a car but want to cut down on your fuel consumption, then there are a number of great websites also, Liftshare, My lifts and Freewheelers being the best I have found. Not only do does it allow you to get in a vehicle that is already going to a certain place anyway, but it also allows you the chance to do the same for everyone else and hence reduce your carbon footprint.
Of course if you want to reduce it completely, why not try a walking or cycling holiday. Fresh air and exercise at a beautifully slow pace of travel, just grab your tent and panniers and take to the road! For me, this is the ideal.
If a tent isn’t your thing though, there is a plethora of free accommodation projects out there. The most famous of these is probably couch-surfing, an organisation which functions on the same ‘pay-it-forward’ basis that the freeconomy community does. If you don’t like the look of that one, there are many others - Global Freeloaders, Hospitality Club, Stay for Free, Travelhoo, Servas and the Esperanto speaking Tejo project, all of which cater towards different types of people looking for different types of experiences.
3. Skills
Obviously the best in this area is the Freeconomy Community, but we would say that! Whatever it is, it is certainly unique, given that all other ‘alternative economy’ systems involve some sort of barter or exchange. With freeconomy, you help because you can, no other reason needed. And so not only does everyone get the help the need of someone, but they don’t have to then go and do lots of admin work to work out who owes what in credits. For me, that is just another form of money, even if it is a lot more local and fair.
If you feel like you are not quite ready for ‘unconditional giving’ yet though, there are a number of barter systems out there, LETS and Time Banks being the two most known.
However given that the freeconomy community is growing at a much greater rate that these, I believe that humanity is really starting to shift from a ‘what about me?’ mindset to a ‘what about us?’ mentality.
4. Food
For me this is the most critical one. For the vast majority of people, the ability to grow your own food has been taken away, or at least limited. This was an ingenious move by the powers that be. Because we need food to live but can’t grow it, we need to do something else from which we can receive an income and then trade for our basic needs like food and shelter.
However, fear not, even if you do not own land, there are still a number of ways to get your food for free without having to take part in a system that I feel takes a packet of slavery, chucks it in a pot with a cupful of marketing and a pinch of fear, and mixes it into the most nausea-inducing soup I have ever tasted!
The first thing to remember is that even though we have covered our countries in concrete, there is still lots of food that can be foraged for free, especially coming into this time of year.
If that is not your thing, then you could do a lot worse than asking your local Freegan community for their advice on where you can best do some urban foraging, better known as skip-diving or dumpster diving.
Probably the best way to get your food for free though is to grow it yourself. I say ‘the best’ because its more about feeding yourself – the reconnection you get with nature and the heightened understanding of life is almost as important. If you are in the countryside, see if you can find someone who would love to have an extra pair of hands working the land with them and share the harvest in the process with them. If you are in a city, go and get yourself an allotment, or just use any garden space you have to grow food instead of just grass and flowers!
5. Clothing
I’ve estimated that if every clothes factory in the world shut down tomorrow, and we all learned how to repair our clothing, there would still be enough clothes in the world to last about 20 years. You might say that why on earth would we want to wear the same clothes for 20 years!
That’s where things have changed. Nowadays you can swap the clothes you don’t like for other clothes you do like. Some organisations have free clothes shops on their premises, where people leave clothes and take others. There are also club nights such as Swap-a-rama at Favela in London.
To be honest, there are still few places doing such things, but anyone out there who feels like doing something along these lines should look no further than Wendy Tremayne for inspiration. If there is not one in your area, don’t bemoan it, go do something about it!
*****
I hope all the above helps you to live a more money-free lifestyle and in the process help you reconnect with some great people in your local community. And if it happens to save you lots of money you no longer need so much, go and put it to good use, like buying a bunch of locally cut flowers and giving them out freely to strangers on the street!
If any of you know of any other projects that enable people to live the freeconomy lifestyle more easily, then please leave a comment with a link to the website of the project if possible.
Have a fantastic day
Comment on this Post:
paul brown comments ...
I'd like to echo the previous comment. The research that you are doing and the valuable information and links that you are providing is a far better tool in spreading information about your lifestyle choice than walking. Reporting on the problems you encounter, the achievements that you make means that, in this instance, it is better to talk the talk than walk the walk!! My compliments...
Madam Salami comments ...
First up , I really enjoyed reading your blog.
I found the information very useful as it can sometimes be difficult to know what to do!
Also I would just like to add to the food section, that even if you don't have a garden you can grow your own food.
We don't have a garden, only a 2x6 balcony and I'm growing 6 different types of vegetable in at least 40 different pots. All my window sills are lined with pots, I have an old fish tank on my balcony as a 'greenhouse'. It can be done even with out a garden or allotment - which I have read in some places have waiting lists rolling for years.
Also, there is guerrilla gardening, using a piece of 'council' land, reclaim it and grow your food there.
Thanks again for all this information.
Tasha
Robert Howes comments ...
We could have free food and clothes in this area if only people were interested. I've bought £20,000 worth of land for people to use, and I realise that just a field full of grass and weeds isn't very inviting, so I've bought a £10,000 mini-digger to knock it into shape, and I'll buy a tractor and implements next, but first I want to see some interest.
***
What does it take to convince people where their best interests lie. I joined this site thinking it was full of kindred spirits, but that's not been my experience so far.
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I've been a proponent of the moneyless economy for well over forty years but almost never come across anyone who understands it or agrees that it's possible other than the members of the World Socialist Movement including the Socialist Party of Great Britain. I am not a member but I've been to their meetings.
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I live in the Swansea, Wales, UK area and have accommodation for any kindred spirit that would like to move here to help get things moving.
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I can be contacted on 01792 792 442, or emailed at robertcircle1@yahoo.co.uk
Bob Howes
PS. We can save the planet with fairly simple ideas.
Jo comments ...
Don't forget www.bookcrossing.com for the best method of swapping books ever....
...and in the transport section I would like to add WWOOFing (www.wwoof.org), wild camping (http://www.mark-ju.net/juliette/wildcamp.htm), and crewing on boats (www.findacrew.net and www.7knots.com)
If you are growing your own food and have surplus check out www.vegexchange.com.
Jo xx
HINTON28Hattie comments ...
I will recommend not to hold off until you earn enough money to buy goods! You can just take the credit loans or credit loan and feel fine
RobertaGoff24 comments ...
I strictly recommend not to wait until you earn enough amount of cash to buy all you need! You can just take the home loans or short term loan and feel yourself comfortable
GabrielaDOUGLAS27 comments ...
People deserve very good life time and loans or just short term loan will make it much better. Because freedom relies on money.
SOPHIEMCMAHON25 comments ...
I strictly recommend not to hold back until you earn enough money to buy goods! You should just get the business loans or just student loan and feel yourself fine
