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The Moneyless Chicken - Veggie - 01-01-2022
Have you ever heard of the Moneyless Man? He spent a year living without money, scavenging for food in skips, foraging, scrounging, travelling by bike and sleeping on sofas and in tents. You get the idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Boyle_%28Moneyless_Man%29
Whilst I can't and don't want to, live without money, I can live with less. I've acquired a lot of useful stuff recently on the freebie site - and given quite a bit of "clutter" away too and that has shown me how many usable things are given away, because they've been bought on a whim, maybe?. No more impulse buying for me.
My cupboards and freezer are full of food; if the shops all closed tomorrow, I could survive for months. Also, if I tried harder I could grow a lot more food.
Say Hello to "The Moneyless Chicken" (MC). MC's plan is to buy only food that has been reduced in price (apart from a few staples that are never remaindered like coffee, sugar, butter and dog food).
MC will not buy any clothes or toiletries in 2022 (I have a stockpile of both). Don't worry, I'll still smell sweet. Books will be exchanged or preloved. Seeds will be swapped, saved or bought from ethical seed producers. I'll eat more of whatever I grow and grow more of whatever I eat.
As far as possible, I'm going to avoid buying anything if I already have something similar that is edible/usable/wearable/growable.
By the end 2022, I hope to have less clutter, less food past its date and an easier conscience.
There you have it, the Moneyless Chicken has set out her stall. Care to join me in setting out your Moneyless plans?
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Admin - 01-01-2022
I would love to join you but......
I enjoy life's luxuries a little too much, I do intend to increase the amount I give to others though.
It saddens me to see people struggle and wish and want to do more, not the big established charities that pay 6 figure salaries to the boss, but local or directly.
Small gifts that make a big difference
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Small chilli - 02-01-2022
I’d also like to join but a little tricky when I still have to buy lots of very expensive new things for the build. Having said that lots of stuff for the build will also be second hand or free ( most of the things that will actually be visible). I do intend to grow a lot more of our own food (when the garden has moved) and share with others in the village. This is the main reason I’ve dropped my chilli business. So I have more space for other crops. Obviously I’ll still be growing chillies and I’ll never buy chilli powder or sauce ever again, but number of plants and varieties will be considerably reduced. Also want to give to (mostly wildlife) charities. I agree with your philosophy on seeds veggie. I’m going to be doing that. As for clothes. They come from charity shops or gifts. The only things I buy new are my work trousers, about once every 6 years. Although that has been reduced this time round. Who knew actually doing some work, like building a house wares your clothes out quicker
. And welly’s is the only other thing I buy new. Also not an annual event. I currently have a box full of stuff to go to the charity shop.
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - JJB - 02-01-2022
I applaud you all. Whilst not joining in wholeheartedly, my purchasing ethic is similar. I need very few clothes, use the yellow stickers as much as possible, but shopping only once a week tends to restrict what might be available. My purchasing ethic will be, as it always has been, admire it, discuss with myself do I want it, do I need it, then talk myself out of it because the answer is usually no. Perhaps another area of concern is travel on both the large and small scale. I assess whether I can combine 2 or 3 jobs on one car journey and rarely take the car out more than once a week on shopping day.
I think, in a nutshell, the aim for 2022 should be to be more mindful of our purchases and actions rather than impulsive, not quite as drastic as minimalism but equally beneficial perhaps. Another is something we all practice I'm sure - reduce food waste. It's frightening what the country throws away.
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - SarrissUK - 02-01-2022
I wish I could! But living in a new house means I need new blinds, the garage needs extending, door on the front of the house, new roof), new flooring throughout in the house (the hideous cheap laminate is damaged in every single room), and the garden will need some infrastructure putting in place before I start in earnest to plant it up. A pizza oven will be built in the social area of the garden.
But.. having said that, I reuse wherever I can. For example, we took down the blinds in the kitchen, and one of them has been put up in my little office, to replace the outdated curtains that the previous owners left behind.
I also try to shop locally - I buy spuds from a local farmer, who also supplied goose fat for Christmas. I buy as much as I can from the local guy running a corner shop directly opposite me, who also has a post office in the shop - he's invaluable!
I buy almost all of our meat from a surplus shop that is dirt cheap, and I have a huge chest freezer, an upright freezer and the freezer in our American fridge freezer full of bargain priced food.
I pledge to grow more of my own in 2022.
I also will try to get the local council to convert the field behind our house to allotments, as the village doesn't have any and thus help other people in the village to eat healthy, cheaply and locally. It would also stop them building houses on it!
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Veggie - 02-01-2022
When I say "No buying" I don't include the essentials - like housebuilding supplies and repairs. I'm in the middle of having new garage doors fitted - they're necessities to keep the place secure. I mean the day-to-day stuff, the spur of the moment items that you don't really need.
I'm just back from picking up a free 2022 Diary so called in Morries as I was passing. Spent £5.67 on fresh meat for the dogs, 4 plaice fillets, bread, nectarines and a huge Buddha Box salad - all yellow stickered, of course. All will be eaten or frozen for another day. I feel no guilt.
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Admin - 02-01-2022
Had a wardrobe clear out today, 4 suits, 15 shirts and countless ties. The charity shop never wanted any of it as apparently means clothes don't sell!
Put it all in the Air Ambulance collection bin.
Popped into Asda a picked up some half price cod loins for tea tomorrow
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Veggie - 02-01-2022
I was spun that line about men's clothes too. Maybe men don't wear suits these days?
I like those clothes collection bins - much more user friendly than going into some charity shops!
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Spec - 02-01-2022
Like the Boss I give to a local charity, run by unpaid voluntary workers, who help provide meals at greatly reduced prices, the money donated helps to feed families that can't even afford to pay the reduced prices. So sad that this happens in Britain today, all clothes that go out due to shrinkage, some never worn, goes to charity, rather than the modern way of selling online, there are too many people with needs greater than mine, I also intend to grow more veg in smaller quantities, rather than having more of anything I can't use, though a lot of my surplus goes to my family and neighbours
RE: The Moneyless Chicken - Mark_Riga - 03-01-2022
Reading this thread, I think Capitalism may be in crisis in 2022.
When I was young, foodbanks had not been thought of. Generally, one wage was sufficient to keep a household.
Rough sleepers did exist, often casualties of WW2 and soup kitchens were in existence.
My main outgoings this year (as last) will be rates, tax, heating and a couple of medical aid charities. Discretionary spend is kept to a minimum. My wife went shopping for milk at the coop today and came back with some yellow stickered choux buns as well. I wouldn't have been tempted - make a list before going and stick to it, obviously if free range organic turkeys were 1/2 price, that would be different.