Today's thought on a #SpendingStrike. I guess I've effectively been doing it for a while, as part of my goal to #OptOut of the capitalist death grind as far as one (globally privileged) person can.
But I'm finding it helpful to codify the idea a bit more.
I've concluded there are basically three different ways to withhold spending from the billionaire class :
AVOID - e.g. don't buy it/spend it at all. We don't need that "labour-saving" gadget, or disease-ridden cruise.
REDIRECT - e.g. shop local, co-op, secondhand, sole trader, farm gate. Redirect transport spending to an ebike, good walking shoes and/or a transit card instead of a fossil fuel car.
POSTPONE - e.g. rediscover old- fashioned thrift, like sewing on a button, using leftovers creatively to make a new meal instead of throwing them out, getting every last scrap out of tubes, squeeze bottles and jars.
I think these categories help me to up my #SpendingStrike game. "How can I avoid/redirect/postpone this specific spend?"
Always looking for more ideas.
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@MelissaBenyon
If being poor and owning nothing hurt capitalists they would have stopped creating poverty decades ago.
Better to support those needing support, helping those needing shelter and food.
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@kevinrns This is not about being poor and owning nothing.
Some of those best placed to do this are those with enough discretionary spending to support, say, local craftspeople instead of buying mass-produced stuff from a big chain.
If you haven't read Jason Hickel's "Less is More" I recommend it.
And a #SpendingStrike in no way precludes doing the things you mentioned. I think there is far too much argument about doing this v doing that, and far too much discouragement about small actions. We need to do everything we can.
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@MelissaBenyon
I agree, support local crafts people, small enterprises, avoid corporate spending where you can, identify the worst threatening businesses, like Musk, etc.
Spend to house, spend to feed, support, build capacity.
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@kevinrns @MelissaBenyon That too. People needing shelter and food need to be brought up into the doughnut of doughnut economics, in the west and in the rest of the world. They're not the ones causing the climate crisis (and all the other planetary boundary breaches). But people who are outside it on the other edge need to move down into it, and we rich westerners are often blind to privilege, and we feel powerless. Capitalism as a system needs a market, and small changes can have big effects.
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@lindawoodrow @MelissaBenyon
So many words.
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@kevinrns Yes :) I'm a writer. I like words. Maybe too much. But not all words. I garden food too. And give a lot of it away.
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@MelissaBenyon This speaks to where I’ve been living recently. Someone on Substack shared a great image of a pyramid for thinking about this, with Buy New as the smallest tip on top and all the rest underneath the alternatives. I’ll have to find it to share here.
I already committed to limiting new clothing purchases back in 2020. But I’m renewing my interest in a few other areas. For example, identifying local farms to reduce grocery purchases and reconnect w/ neighbors.
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@foodnpolitics Yes, same.
We're lucky enough to be able to grow a lot of our fresh produce.
I started thinking more deeply about the value and detail of a #SpendingStrike when I saw a few people posting about a general labour strike as a way to force an end to humanity's disastrous trajectory.
The consensus seemed to be a) it's the only option left and b) it's impossible, and the #SpendingStrike idea is a kind of rebellion against that quandary.
I think withholding our spending holds more promise as a scalable action than withholding our labour, and I'm going to keep exploring that promise in my posting over the next little while.
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@MelissaBenyon Love seeing your coriander series! We’ve pared down to basil + tomatoes. I want to do more greens but critters are a problem atm. My top 2025 goal is getting a good composting system set up for spring.
Something about the US election results being framed by media as about the price of eggs while Wall Street celebrated did it for me. Don’t want to give these idiots a dime more than I have to.
Here’s the link to that pyramid visual: https://substack.com/@asmalllife/note/c-83847585
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@foodnpolitics Yes, the election result was a turning point for me as well. I said to my husband that I felt as if I'd spent eight years watching for the monster to come over the hill and now it has. Clearer than ever that no one is coming to save us. Not that I'd been politically or personally inactive before, but still felt that I needed to ramp up my efforts, and the #SpendingStrike idea seemed like something that could build.
Re critters eating things, I hear you! I'm picking most of my tomatoes at the first flush of colour before anything has decided it's time to sample them. They still ripen kn the house and taste just as good.
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@MelissaBenyon @foodnpolitics
Growing your own food is like printing money and the food is way healthier plus it makes you healthier. Don't forget about foraging either. Hiking about is good for your soul and comes with benefits. We preserved about $200 worth of Maitake last fall.
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@MelissaBenyon #BoycottAmazon #BoycottMeta #BoycottMusk
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