I used to listen to Dave Ramsey and just couldn’t take the non stop Christian preaching and belittling the poor while he’s making money off of them. I’m here for all you have to say about budgeting and gardening and politics. Thank you 😊
While the preaching is a challenge for me to overcome, the Ramsey plan, Baby Steps, Debt Snowball, etc, works! I checked out the books from the local library, and used the methods I learned about. We got all the way out of debt, and managed to actually set aside enough of retirement savings to go with my Military retirement pay to enjoy our later years. No matter which religion you follow, (or don't) the practical steps to get out of debt, and stop paying interest to the banks, works! Best of luck to you!
@@jameskniskern2261It works IF you have money to work with. Regardless, his attitude about people who are poor or who live paycheck to paycheck is unconscionable.
I was raised by a coupon clipper in the 60s. I base my meals on what's in season, what's local and what's on sale. I won't buy pineapples or bananas because I know the story behind them, instead, I buy local apples - from a farm or farmer's market whenever possible. The biggest change was no longer buying presents. Large family. I now cook meals and bake for my gifts. As Bucky said: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
@@CBT5777 "Banana Republic" comes to mind. Since the early 1800s, multinationals have kept banana farmers in poverty, destroyed the land and with the direct help of the CIA, overthrew the government to keep their profits flowing out of South America which led to a multi-decade war and genocide of Mayans. Unfair Free Trade Agreements with the US have locked farmers into abusive working and sub-poverty living conditions. Same story, more-or-less, with pineapples. Just a different location.
So refreshing to hear intelligent people discuss the ending of capitalism. Late stage leads to fascism and slavery. Before I retired I was told I’d never be able to retire without x dollars in a 401k, I.e. big donations to Wall Street. I’m living comfortably with gratitude and contentment on nothing but Soc Sec. “Poorer” and happier than I’ve ever been.
Late stage? All stages of capitalism involve fascism and slavery, hopefully not a shock to anyone. Just because the slavery isn't directly in front of us doesn't mean rich capitalist nations don't benefit from the slavery in the global south, which they directly create and influence.
It was quite the wake up after being on the inside of the "machine" working without questioning for 44 years and then deciding to retire before colleagues older than me. I realized that what most Americans think of as retirement age is dictated by the rules of Social Security and Medicare. Nothing else. In that light I would say I was retiring late rather than early, because breaking from the "head down and work" mantra when I was ready, not when it was dictated to me, was bucking the system. Like being in The Matrix and then waking up. I am pretty sure the wave of slient quitting in the pandemic and losing my mom were the catalist. I did the math: age 0-16, I was not working (16 yrs), 16-60 working (44 yrs), 60 to mother's age (28 years)...means half my life on planet Earth was given to making money from a business owner by someone else.
In 2002 I received $9,400 in inheritance money from my late biological father's estate at the age of 21. The lady at the bank wanted me to immediately use it to open a Roth IRA. Imagine trying to convince a 21yr old to use their less than $10k inheritance for a retirement fund, post 9/11. Insane times to be alive.
Not being part of the binge and purge economy is a first step to breaking up with consumerism. The cycle of decluttering only turning around a rebuying the same items. Replacing shoppertainment with making art, music, gardening, and crafting. Activities that build community feed our need for friendships.
“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” ― Karl Marx
I never thought of using a "year of no purchases" as a stick to beat maga with, but you know, it's brilliant. Especially if we plan ahead, get smart & collaborate.
Thanks for saying that. It's my plan as well. I also downloaded the Goods Unite Us app so when I do have to buy i know which companies donate to the GOP and avoid those completely.
Already there. Been prebuying ahead of the next admin. Spending now, so I don't have to over the next 2 years. Jan 20th, I'll be canceling several things from companies that donated to all of this. Stocked up on seed and I can always throw a couple of chickens in the backyard hen house.
Excellent conversation! In my 20’s I lived in a cabin on a mountain that I hiked into. EVERYTHING I needed or wanted had to be carried in and back out by me. There was no power and no water. I collected and carried water from a creek. It changed my life. I quickly stopped using single serve drink containers, limited tins, restricted plastic,…on and on, learned to make, reuse, conserve. That was in the ‘80’s. Things have changed: consumerism is at warp speed and mindless. 🐇🇨🇦
My situation was similar. There wasn't a road to our cabin. 20+ feet of snow in the winter. We did have water, sewer, and electricity but not phone or TV (this was pre-internet and cell phones). Definitely make choices when you have to carry everything in and out on your back.
I always reflect on the Indigenous people- how they lived and travelled. Their idea of great wealth was the give away or potlatch. The nomadic tribes could pack up all of their possessions within an hour or less and be on their way. The way of the canoe, tobogganing, snowshoeing is truly amazing. They shared the gifts of knowledge and innovation. 🪶
Yes. Around the 80s there seemed to be an awakening in the consumption driven powers. I think they realized the movements spawned in the 1960s were dangerous for capitalism. Remember how suddenly everything got bigger, shinier, more … shallow? And, of course, people were turned toward it because of the unrelenting drumbeat of advertising, popular culture and political rhetoric. And here we are!
Grow your own food, support trading and sharing commodities between neighbors like books, clothes, food. Promote creative outlets like art, poetry, sewing within your communities. And touch grass, no seriously go out and hike and revel in what you are doing this for.
I agree but do find a lot of people, even when struggling financially, aren't willing to accept anything used or slightly scruffy. Even with food, some people don't trust it if it isn't wrapped in cellophane.
I feel like you are the only other person in our country with whom I share these views. Intellectually, I know this isn’t the case, but we live in a very rural, conservative area. It’s lonely. Thank you for explaining your perspective with so much detail.
2 thoughts that might help - join online communities that align with your values and talk to people you know about little things you think they might resonate with. Have you tried bringing up small things one at a time to the people around you? This can help in 2 ways, at least some of your values you can feel less alone in, and you might make a dent in other people’s minds and habits to better the world. I am nearly vegetarian for both moral animal cruelty and environmental reasons. I got some decidedly standard meat eater acquaintances to try some high protein vegan cereal for their picky eater son, because it tastes good and he doesn’t eat a lot of protein or verges otherwise. It’s chickpea based. I see them once a year, found out they now buy it regularly. It’s a small step, but now in casual conversation at dinner I might bring up other vegetarian things, and slide in some benefits without turning people off like PETA seems to do for so many. You know your friends and acquaintances, so maybe this will work or maybe it will just get you stares. I don’t do this with everyone, and try not to be the over the top preachy vegan stereotype.
I live in a suburban area in the South, near a major city, but I still don't meet many people who share these views/values. People just don't get it. It is lonely, you're right. Thank goodness for youtubers so we can connect with others who feel the same way.
There's nothing wrong with a very rural, conservative area. It can be lonely but since it's very rural, the friends you make tend to be really close friendships. Unless you like a lot of people with a lot of shallow friendships, go to the city.
I'm a communist living in MN. It's difficult going through every day seeing more evidence that the people around me are ignorant to what is happening and what has happened. Some have some shallow knowledge of these matters and just chose to turn a blind eye to it all and that's just as bad. Even when I try to speak on these matters, a lot of people either don't take it seriously or actively try to not be part of the conversation.
This is baked into the system Capitalists expand into each others markets Pay their workers too little to consume or even have kids It's mindlessly self destructive
I have always tried to live frugally. A Consumer Credit Counselor once told me that I was one of the only people they'd ever talked to that lived below their means. It made me feel proud and sad at the same time. I've never gotten paid a living wage. Let's face it, minimum wage does not guarantee it will be enough money for basic food, clothes, and shelter. It's not only Corporations taking advantage of their employees but also some small business owners.
My manager and I were talking politics a while ago. He was disparaging Gen Z- the generation that I happen to be a part of. He was saying how Gen Z are nihilistic and therefore don't save for the future. I pointed out that I'm putting about a quarter of my income into retirement, and another quarter into saving up to buy a house. (A quarter goes into housing, and then the last quarter is for all my other needs) He was genuinely surprised. Even _he_ doesn't put that much away for his retirement, and he's only a decade or two out from retirement. Sure, I'm acutely aware that the world is going to shit (just like the rest of my generation), but that's why I try to live well below my means. I know that social security and pensions won't be a thing, and I know that my money will be practically worthless by the time I get old, which means I need to put a LOT of money into retirement, and I need to invest in things that will prevent costs when I get older. I'm trying to get my health to a semi-reasonable level. I want to buy a piece of land that I can put a small house and a subsistence farm on. All so that I don't need to pay as much for food and housing in the long run. But my manager got a large pavement princess truck and a large suburban house with a lawn. I buy silly things too, but it's usually like $20 of yarn for a pretty scarf I intend to make, not big ticket items.
@MayDay-yn3bw corporate oversight isn't a thing. Most corporations can pay off any fines they get from hurting the public or usually they don't even get fined. Exonn dumped oil into the Ecuador Amazon and never paid a penny, poisoned and killed the native people, animals etc. Then they jailed and sued the lawyer who tried to get them stopped or to pay. Small businesses don't have that leverage to hire hundreds of lawyers to do that. Incomparable really
I decided to become more sustainable 7 years ago. I raise all my own meat (rabbits and poultry), all my own eggs, and most of my veggies. Started a Fruit Forest 3 years ago; Ill be getting apples, plums, pears, peaches, cherries, every berry you can imagine, and some exotics like paw-paws and kiwi! Loving it!
Thank you for posting this, you've given this disillusioned, like-minded Canadian a breath of relief to hear someone else say the thoughts that are in my head, instead of everyone shaking their heads at me and demanding more highway lanes. Peace.
Thank you! I enjoyed this. I've always been inherently anti-capitalist. It feels normal. It's not until I speak with others that I see the glaring difference. I suppose people think I am just old and out of touch. I guess I am. And that's ok with me.
Spot-on! Teach your children: your money is your freedom; that is the most valuable thing you can buy with it, so don't fritter it away on trivialities.
One of the big lessons I took from risk management training was the absolute importance of harm reduction. Just like with risk, harm can be: - Isolated, - Mitigated, or - Accepted If we can't isolate the harm, at least we can mitigate it. And sometimes our mental health requires accepting harm because it is outside our control.
as someone who’s painstakingly tried to find leftist frugal content like this but has always managed to be blind-sighted by conservative bootstrappers (hello dave ramsey) or those who fell down the frugal/crunchy to alt-right pipeline - THANK YOU! i just found you but im already a big fan.
Anti-capitalist, witch mama here. I'm considering creating content to help others on this very topic. Is this something the internet needs more of? I want to help in the same spirit Angela does.
I'm not on tik tok, so I'm not familiar with those folks. However, I can see how the service industry class is exploited by liberals. I do have many thoughts on that. Thanks for the idea. I'm thinking of using instagram and RUclips. I'm very radical, and if Angela has been kicked off of tik tok, I think I'd share the same fate. I want to help our country, and I see this as one way to do so.
I'd like to help people thrive in late stage capitalism. I've been at this for quite a while, and have found a lot of success for my family. I see people struggling within capitalism, and I want to help us heal these wounds, and thrive despite this exploitive system. I'm a healing witch. Mama of 5 kids. Working class farmer and my husband owns a mechanic business. We don't like capitalism, but we've found a way to live by our principles, raise a family, fill our freezers and find community. I want to share this with others to bring hope. This is my offering to the country. I hope to figure out how to do this soon, and be guided to those who seek this connection. Blessings to all.
That psychological pressure to conform to consumer trends is powerful. Had coworkers who all struggled financially but who would drop $100s on a “designer” purse and the latest smart phone. They were not dumb people or even pretentious. They were simply oblivious to an alternative way to live.
I also use voluntary poverty to learn stuff. My friend did some intentional homeless travel in the early 2000s so I gave it a shot in 2009. Spent the summer biking around Crescent City, CA, slept under a cascara segrada tree in huge blackberry patch by the beach on the edge of town. The local herd of elk had made a bunch of trails through the blackberry so I switched backpacks at a friend's place, camping gear in a big one and a daypack with my laptop for chilling at coffee shops during the day. Trimmed weed 4-5 times a month and volunteered for a primitive skills daycamp. Made enough money to get to a seasonal job at the Grand Canyon that winter, then back to a seasonal job in VT with employee housing. Started camping out on friend's land from May-Oct in 2012. Loved it, camping is way better than living in a house. Tried all sorts of tiny hobo flow options, like a couple years in a homemade 4x7 ft ice fishing shanty trailer I bought on craigslist, good fun. Living in an open-air but covered bay behind a friend's house this winter in VT while working PT as a cashier. Main career is gardening, so I do whatever during the winter. But I still save up fast with low pay because my life is so cheap. I feel a sense of satisfaction for walking my talk, doing hard stuff to live my values. And like neuroscientist Anna Lembke says, healthy forms of discomfort help our brains feel joy and motivation. Next year I am ramping up my gardening work to save up for some raw land to make a permaculture orchard garden to create an overwhelming abundance. I will eat from it and host work exchangers to come help harvest in excxhange for experience and good food. Have camping cookouts around the fire. I want to use my land to nourish me and other people, but also to make more natural gardeners, to infect people with the green thumb. I used to want to get land to retreat, now I want to use it to increase my connections with the world and human society, no withdraw. I want to be a seed, but a strong one, like amaranth. Such a tiny thing can grow such a big powerful plant that produces many thousands more tiny seeds, each one so powerful.
@moon-moth1 Good point, I hadn't thought about that. I take that part for granted. Some killer or criminal might still come after me, but way less likely.
@@moon-moth1 The best way has been camping on friend's land. You could do that one. Also, lots of cool little schools for primitive skills and permaculture, you can learn a lot in a safer context that way. I learned so much from my month of classes at BOSS. That place is pretty hardcore, somewhere like Roots in VT is a good type for starting out. Probably some small family run bushcraft school around you. You could bring your hubby or boyfriend or friends to feel safer.
Thanks so much for this great video! I found you when I was looking for permaculture information and found a woman after my own heart - except that you articulate these issues so much better than I can. Just brilliant
My biggest qualm with the ideas presented is the assumption that people can live within their means when so many of us simply do not earn enough to live. There are a lot of things not being addressed, such as the ableism of being able to be self sufficient with a garden, the privilege it takes to be able to choose to live at a poverty level to pay off an education, there are just a lot of caveats not being considered. Perhaps they will be in the rest of the series.
Yea like it used to be simply enough to not buy new things when you didn’t need it and you’d be fine, but now it takes so much more than that. Being frugal when you don’t need to can definitely help you save up for when you do need it, but it’s just not the same world as it was 40 years ago.
You are absolutely correct. I live in a Ford Explorer, and I'm able to live very frugally and consume little, and people are often quick to romanticize the good things about this lifestyle ... but it took me YEARS of trial and error to learn how to make this work out for me in a way that doesn't cost a bunch of "poverty tax" (I can fairly conveniently cook food instead of having to rely on prepared foods, I burn less gas in winter after many gradual insulation improvements, stuff like that) AND I have a family member who pays for all vet care for my dogs AND I have good friends to lean on when it's not convenient for me to manage laundry and showers on my own AND I live in a state where Medicaid and foodstamps are fairly well administered AND I'm an articulate white women with the self-advocacy experience and knowledge needed to detangle routine systemic snafus with my benefits. I can consume little and survive off selling my plasma and spend most of my time crafting and cuddling my dogs BECAUSE of an incredible amount of privilege. People romanticize the idea of "vanlife" (ugh even homelessness is getting gentrified now lol) but if I were a man, especially older, especially-especially of color, cops would get called on me constantly. If I had a slightly different dice roll of physical and mental health issues, I wouldn't be able to survive, much less thrive, living like this. And god forbid anyone ever suffer this lifestyle with a human child! Thank Obama I was able to get my tubes removed so I'll never have to worry about that 😂 And again, it's taken me years of experience and customization and hard work to make this situation functional. I LOVE where I'm at now (despite the ongoing struggles I'm still mitigating -- sigh, my primary solar power setup is being a brat right now lol) and I'm proud that I'm not a wage slave and not wasting 30+ gallons of water daily on using a flush toilet ... but I wouldn't recommend the trade-offs for most people. There is no easy form of poverty under capitalism. Every possible lifestyle has pros and cons. Surviving in this system requires privilege, period, or secondhand privilege in the form of a support network of privileged people. We just don't hear from the people who don't "make it back home" (alluding to the war planes/survivorship fallacy concept) because they're the ones who quietly disappear and end up victims of violence or dying of exposure.
At a certain point the cutting of expenses can't cut anymore. That's where we are in this country. The silent cost-cutters have nowhere else to go and will become vocal. A Robin Hood just took out the UHC insurance robber barron guy. It won't stop there. It's called come-uppance.
@ poster mentioning Europe. Is she in Europe? I'd say with bikes and public transport so ubiquitous, and the low medical expenses, living in Europe could be done with less capitalist consumption and less money. We can't duplicate the transportation here. But we can sure as hell fix the medical and health system.
Felt an immediate kinship there with you and your views. Permaculture applied to all of life, is what I am about too. I am a 62 year old Permaculture Gardener and Hen wife, upsetting the apple cart in the Western Isles in Scotland ( it doesn't take much) Anyway I will just say I enjoyed your video. It is not often I hear someone calling a spade a spade, when it comes to talking of capitalism. thank you.
Gen X here. Like you, I also don't care what others think of my economic and/or aesthetic choices. I became aware of Thoreau in high school and my mantra became "The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it." I practice delayed gratification and extreme thrift. It works for me. Not having debt makes me feel more free and less stress than having things or even experiences that cost more than I'm willing to spend for. Glad to have found your channel.
Your money or your life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, was also life impacting for me. When my husband was in college we used the envelope method for budgeting. Kids clothes always came from the consignment shop. Keeping within our means allowed me to stay home and homeschool my kids. The kids also had freedom from the tyranny of fashion learning at home.
Your Money or Your Life... In the late 1980's I remember borrowing the 10 cassette series from a non-profit community event-- listening to the whole thing in one weekend.... It was a fundamental way of thinking my whole life!!!! OMG the Tightwad Gazette -- Yes the monthly newsletter for $10 a year!!! Amy had all her own drawings. This video is just a blast!
I watch RUclips a fair bit and this is the first time I have listened to someone who has made me want to comment. Everything you said resonated with me so much. I was just watching thinking "I love this chick". Love Ur passion and would listen to videos like that all the time
We’ve lost our collective humanity for 💵. Greed & hubris brought down the Roman Empire. Ironically, this will only heighten the exploitation as we see the US hegemony lose its grip on world domination. Excellent video drop. TY.
I just don't see a way to buy a house, or a small holding, build a small shopping centre, start a business, without having to raise capital. That's the basis of capital-ism, isn't it? I would also prefer to have decent roads, a national health plan, and a recognised document (passport) so I can go & visit family in other countries, & I'm willing to pay off the top (taxes) for those.
@@carolannhartley359 You're calling it "capital" but it's just resources. What makes it "capital" is questions of ownership and control. Capitalism = the people with the most resources have the most control. No one needs any capitalists to do anything. They need resources and the ability to labor.
Wow. This was great. I agree with you. I'm politically active too and do much of what you mention. It's comforting to know there are more of us out there, especially now. PS. My parents almost couldn't buy their house many, many decades ago because they had no credit. They had paid cash for everything. More of this kind of video please!
I belong to a food buying club and buy bulk organic from Azure Standard. Local Organic is not subject to tariffs but prices will rise a bit due to equipment and farming costs going up, might as well eat better for the same money or less. Buy produce from local coops or Farmer's Markets and you can avoid the supermarket even more along with mass food recalls. You can start a food buying club if you don't have one nearby but it's an amazing way to buy local quality food and have some for storage.
Will you run for US office? Start with US rep and go to Senator? We need people like you representing the people. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, experience, life-lessons.
I know most municapalities require garbage service, fortunately my county does not, so I take my trash to the dump twice a year. I have 4 cans. I compost, recycle, and burn paper a couple times a year. My total cost for the last 3 years is $19( minimum charge) x2 per year, plus a 30 mile round trip. I combine other stops also. My neighbor's pay $55 bi-monthly. I can use my small utility trailer, or 34 year old truck which I put less than 1000 miles a year on. I don't think I spend $300 a year for fuel. I paid $850 for the truck 3 years ago, and it hauls dirt, gravel, and a lot more saving on delivery charges.
I am so glad I found you. Your beliefs line up so much with mine, as well as your upbringing. I grew up poor and have remained poor throughout adulthood, but my family has not gone without our basic needs. When you held up your broken mug, I pictured all of the broken dishes currently sitting in my cabinets that we use on a regular basis. I have tried so hard to live a frugal life in this complicated world, but at the same time we have a beautiful home and beautiful things without the need for keeping up with the neighbors. Thank you so much for your insights!
I'm delighted to have stumbled upon your videos! It's refreshing to hear someone unapologetically advocate for fair share, etc. I'm glad you have the courage it takes to put this type of content out there. I commend you. Thank you!
I’ve done the same…at work once a woman was telling me about when they “ need” money, they borrow it from her parents ( she is in a marriage where both work full time at well paid jobs).. I asked her what she “ needed”? She said a new car or a house addition. I told her that was a WANT…I consider a need maybe a child of yours sick with cancer or something else dire. She didn’t get it…
I literally had this conversation with my parents. My mom works herself to the bone in overtime because she doesn’t want to turn down extra money. I told her, you’re doing fine, what do you need that money for? She said “you can always use more money!” lol
Loving these tips! Especially not buying things brand new and not buying things on credit. I cut up most of my credit cards this year and made the conscious decision to not put huge purchases on credit, because I realized that I’m taking away from my future self’s financial freedom.
This is such an important video for these times (and all times, frankly). You are so right that the first step is being ok being counterculture. This has been easy for me as an intelligent outspoken woman who never conformed to the expectations for the women of my generation. Permaculture ethics resonate with me despite the fact I never heard the term before. Grateful for this channel
OH MY GOD! I am literally in tears. You just outlined my life and my mindset to a TEE! Even with the discovery of permaculture back in the 90s. What a relief to know that I am not alone, even though no one I know understands me or seems to care about anything the way I do. I instantly subscribed. The only thing you said that I view differently is your side comment on population. I do feel that a population size does matter. Often I hear, there is enough space on the planet for even more humans than we have now. My reply is, we are not the only Earthlings on this planet and they need space to be without human encroachment. Our impact on the planet, even with present levels of pollution per capita would be negligible if our population was a total of say, a million humans on the planet. So, to say that population isn't a factor is not accurate. Now, to say that the present levels of human suffering is because of our present population size is also not accurate. It is the unjust distribution and the exploitation that is causing it. I think that is what your point is. Population size is not a valid excuse.
I truly appreciate your posts! Smart and concise and so so relevant. You are extending my knowledge in more practical ways and giving . I am glad to have came across your channel.
I’m watching this as I’m properly putting away previously used synthetic braiding hair for future use. I’ve been frugal for a while, but I need to reel it in. This year has been a tad soendy. I have some audacious goals, so spending will be coming to a screeching hault 2025 and beyond.
Repurposing stuff and repairing things when they break or need maintenance just makes me feel more competent and that I can handle whatever happens. Excellent video
I love all of this so much! I'm old enough to remember life before corporations took over everything and life really was simpler. Better in so many ways. We lived mostly as you describe in this video. Most people did. And life was good. I also agree you can't fix this. It has to be dismantled. I don't know what that looks like, but what I do know is I know how to survive and live on not much. Some people will really struggle.
It’s both great and painful to listen to. I realise no matter how ‘stingy’ I am with purchases, only buying after usually much thought, deliberation and whether I think it is worth the price, I still suffer from the capitalist mindset. For example, wanting to sell spare plants as a way to recoup some of the money I spent on compost (don’t make enough yet, getting there). I do share with friends & family, but beyond that I have a bit of a hoarder mentality! This conversation is awesome as it makes one examine the aspects of capitalism from a different view and makes us question better instead of just accepting the status quo ❤
How is selling spare plants for compost money capitalist? You're not paying any workers a wage to do that, and you're not using any means of production to sell them
Being anti-capitalist doesn't mean you can't want nice things. Relax! In my opinion it's more important to organize and get politically involved than obsess over every toothbrush you buy.
Much love to you and your perspective. There will come a time when the Earth and her people are put before profits but it will only come about through conscious observation and action at the right times.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been trying to find some real advice on how to be a better human and this is some of the most useful info I have found!
Make it, don't buy it! With a little practice, you can make much--MUCH--better stuff than you can buy at any price at a regular store...or for those with funds but not time, purchase direct from a small scale artisan, blacksmith, knitter, ect.
Omgoodness- 2 people living on a $35 per month grocery budget in 2001? I’m going to speculate that you traded some of your vegetables and maybe fruits to neighbors who have chickens for eggs? That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing your story.
I am familiar with permaculture in the gardening sense but have not heard of it used in the sense you are referring to which was really interesting and informative. Thank you and i look forward to learning more.
I read the same books many years ago and this led me to read many other things about simple living, eco-living. Late in life it's still my love and my focus. Bless your journey.
This is quite inspiring. I am sadly not very frugal. I was very poor growing up and i'm the opposite of you. Its very hard for me to deny myself something i want. So.....???? I don't know what to do to change that lifelong habit.
I think a lot of our problems with money is that we don’t look at it as being extremely closely linked to our emotions. We think money management is a logical problem to deal with, but your comment shows that it’s very tied to our feelings. What feelings come up when you ‘want’ something and can’t seem to resist buying it?
@@leannichleirigh2607 excited to get it, happy. TBH, i am somewhat better now. I don't get myself into debt any longer. Only because i don't have credit cards. I can only spend what i have.
Thank you for your words of wisdom. The people who are facing a future they can’t imagine need experienced anticapitalist leadership. Yours is much appreciated.
Sheeeeit, your mum sounds like an incredible woman. She sounds like a hoot of a person to spend time with 😄 I love my mum deeply too, it's an incredibly beautiful relationship to have ❤
Introduced to permaculture from another video on socialism, and the algorithm brought me here. Great video, new sub. Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for exposing us to a way out of capitalism and working together with others to make this world better.
Great video. I'm fascinated with the permaculture idea and am hopeful about incorporating some of it into my life. I have near zero life outside of work and obligations, so thanks!
I am so thankful for this message from you. I have believed this way all my life and all ways struggle to be able to explain this to other people. Thank you so much.
19:00 yes they're trying to replace democracy with capitalism. Years ago I was amazed when I used the phrase "fair share"" at a dinner party once. A working class person went ballistic at me and explained how awful the idea of sharing is. It was Thanksgiving and I remarked how sad it is to see more and more homeless people. It was 2015- just before the election of a billionaire whom the masses think will restore America. This is the smartest thing I have seen in a long time. So glad I found you.
I want all this, but also with the ability to travel and help people whenever I want. I recognize the power of the dollar in these situations in terms of who gets a say of what happens, when it does happen collectively - there is always money involved.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. I bounce back and forth between participating in overconsumption and behaving completely anti-capitalistically. Once again, I’m in a tough financial position that I put myself in and even though my values and ethics line up with exactly what you’ve describe, I struggle to employ to self-control (ADHD impulsivity is so much harder to manage when everything is a click away). This video is validating, empowering, and motivating. I feel excited to live according to my values, and I’m making it a life goal. 🙌🏽
I feel like you and I should be best friends 😂 I had such a similar upbringing and experiences with poverty, and exactly the same lifestyle now of extracting every possible aspect of my life from capitalism and living by permaculture principles. ❤ So glad I found your channel!
You would be wonderful for us if you were a congresswoman ❤❤❤ the changes you would be able to make in our country would be life changing for so many people who can’t stand up for themselves.
I think before going anti-capitalist universal single payer health care would be a much easier step, and even then that’s probably impossible in the USA. Capitalist health care is a crazy unjust idea, but we live it here.
Being from the UK and learning some lessons from Thatcher, you NEED to introduce some sort of decommodified housing. We used to have council housing, which were owned by the local government and rented out for cheap to those who needed it. Thatcher introduced "right to buy" which allowed tenants to buy their houses from the council at a ridiculous discount. She stated that the idea behind this was to essentially create an entire generation of capitalists.
@@TheCam920you’ve basically got the whole answer right here! To be “anti-capitalist” one must be “anti-commodity” because the commodity is the base upon which capitalism grows. Capitalism turns healthcare into commodities; it turns labour into commodities (life-hours in the language of the video); it turns all of the natural world into “things” to be bought and sold. That’s part of the “fair share” I think too since it would imply an abolition of private property and the “de-commodification” of the natural world.
I need a new drill or something. So, I go out and spend $200 for the drill. But with time, taxes, the cost of feeding and maintaining ourselves while we work, etc., the drill actually cost me $400 in income to purchase. You buy something for $200, you had to earn at least $400 or more in wages to have that money to spend. A penny saved is several pennies earned!
I truly resonant what you’ve said. This is how I’d like to live but still working towards. I feel like it’s extra hard being so conscious when making these choices (environmental, people, fair share) living in poverty (which I am). It’s the constant living in survival mode that narrows your thinking so you see what’s in front of you and not the whole system. I’d like to learn how to find out which products and places are more ethical so that in the future my purchases can reduce harm. I hardly participate in consumerism because I can’t, I live frugally, and share the same mindset that if something is functional I still use it regardless of what it looks like. I fix and re-use whenever possible. It’s hard to find information on things unless you know what questions to ask. I strive to have a good mindset like you.
This was great and thanks for the information! I’ve been trying to live by similar standards for decades. I do worry now, though, that so many things we really need (not want) like healthcare for example, are so ridiculously expensive that it will wipe out all of our good attempts to live frugally and somewhat freely in one bad stroke of luck. Kind of feels like the decks of capitalism are stacked against us.
I also try to engage with anarchist activism to build non-hierarchical structures within this capitalist system (the prefiguration theory). Being anti-capitalist is also opposing the system, going on to protests, educating people or engaging with the groups like Food Not Bombs. Taking direct actions, fighting anagins f*scim, quuerphobia, misogyny is also a good practice to be involved into.
You're just built different. I relate to everything about your formative years but in my case that has had the opposite effect where I just am not good with money.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I used to listen to Dave Ramsey and just couldn’t take the non stop Christian preaching and belittling the poor while he’s making money off of them. I’m here for all you have to say about budgeting and gardening and politics. Thank you 😊
Well said! 💥
Me too Rolande6342.
Yes! Same here!
While the preaching is a challenge for me to overcome, the Ramsey plan, Baby Steps, Debt Snowball, etc, works!
I checked out the books from the local library, and used the methods I learned about. We got all the way out of debt, and managed to actually set aside enough of retirement savings to go with my Military retirement pay to enjoy our later years. No matter which religion you follow, (or don't) the practical steps to get out of debt, and stop paying interest to the banks, works!
Best of luck to you!
@@jameskniskern2261It works IF you have money to work with. Regardless, his attitude about people who are poor or who live paycheck to paycheck is unconscionable.
I was raised by a coupon clipper in the 60s. I base my meals on what's in season, what's local and what's on sale. I won't buy pineapples or bananas because I know the story behind them, instead, I buy local apples - from a farm or farmer's market whenever possible. The biggest change was no longer buying presents. Large family. I now cook meals and bake for my gifts.
As Bucky said:
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
I am going to think on this quote a bit today bc exhausted from fighting.
True
You're awesome! What's the story behind bananas?
@@CBT5777 "Banana Republic" comes to mind. Since the early 1800s, multinationals have kept banana farmers in poverty, destroyed the land and with the direct help of the CIA, overthrew the government to keep their profits flowing out of South America which led to a multi-decade war and genocide of Mayans. Unfair Free Trade Agreements with the US have locked farmers into abusive working and sub-poverty living conditions. Same story, more-or-less, with pineapples. Just a different location.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
So refreshing to hear intelligent people discuss the ending of capitalism. Late stage leads to fascism and slavery. Before I retired I was told I’d never be able to retire without x dollars in a 401k, I.e. big donations to Wall Street. I’m living comfortably with gratitude and contentment on nothing but Soc Sec. “Poorer” and happier than I’ve ever been.
Late stage? All stages of capitalism involve fascism and slavery, hopefully not a shock to anyone. Just because the slavery isn't directly in front of us doesn't mean rich capitalist nations don't benefit from the slavery in the global south, which they directly create and influence.
It was quite the wake up after being on the inside of the "machine" working without questioning for 44 years and then deciding to retire before colleagues older than me. I realized that what most Americans think of as retirement age is dictated by the rules of Social Security and Medicare. Nothing else. In that light I would say I was retiring late rather than early, because breaking from the "head down and work" mantra when I was ready, not when it was dictated to me, was bucking the system. Like being in The Matrix and then waking up. I am pretty sure the wave of slient quitting in the pandemic and losing my mom were the catalist. I did the math: age 0-16, I was not working (16 yrs), 16-60 working (44 yrs), 60 to mother's age (28 years)...means half my life on planet Earth was given to making money from a business owner by someone else.
In 2002 I received $9,400 in inheritance money from my late biological father's estate at the age of 21.
The lady at the bank wanted me to immediately use it to open a Roth IRA.
Imagine trying to convince a 21yr old to use their less than $10k inheritance for a retirement fund, post 9/11.
Insane times to be alive.
That’s where you’re wrong. The end of capitalism is socialism and the end of socialism is anarchy, and then the capitalist economy is restablished.
Not being part of the binge and purge economy is a first step to breaking up with consumerism. The cycle of decluttering only turning around a rebuying the same items. Replacing shoppertainment with making art, music, gardening, and crafting. Activities that build community feed our need for friendships.
“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” ― Karl Marx
We have even more reason now.
After January 20, 2025,
Just stop buying.
Nothing but the essentials, and those local whenever possible.
#JustStopBuying
I never thought of using a "year of no purchases" as a stick to beat maga with, but you know, it's brilliant. Especially if we plan ahead, get smart & collaborate.
@@juliettebobcat704i’m joining this.
Thanks for saying that. It's my plan as well. I also downloaded the Goods Unite Us app so when I do have to buy i know which companies donate to the GOP and avoid those completely.
@@KathyThomas-u3x Thanks for sharing the name of that app. I was looking for something like that.
Already there. Been prebuying ahead of the next admin. Spending now, so I don't have to over the next 2 years. Jan 20th, I'll be canceling several things from companies that donated to all of this. Stocked up on seed and I can always throw a couple of chickens in the backyard hen house.
Excellent conversation! In my 20’s I lived in a cabin on a mountain that I hiked into. EVERYTHING I needed or wanted had to be carried in and back out by me. There was no power and no water. I collected and carried water from a creek.
It changed my life.
I quickly stopped using single serve drink containers, limited tins, restricted plastic,…on and on, learned to make, reuse, conserve. That was in the ‘80’s. Things have changed: consumerism is at warp speed and mindless. 🐇🇨🇦
My situation was similar. There wasn't a road to our cabin. 20+ feet of snow in the winter. We did have water, sewer, and electricity but not phone or TV (this was pre-internet and cell phones). Definitely make choices when you have to carry everything in and out on your back.
I always reflect on the Indigenous people- how they lived and travelled. Their idea of great wealth was the give away or potlatch. The nomadic tribes could pack up all of their possessions within an hour or less and be on their way. The way of the canoe, tobogganing, snowshoeing is truly amazing.
They shared the gifts of knowledge and innovation. 🪶
@ True. And they revered the earth and realized everything from earth was a gift and deserved appreciation. Acknowledging gifts creates generosity. ♥️
Yes. Around the 80s there seemed to be an awakening in the consumption driven powers. I think they realized the movements spawned in the 1960s were dangerous for capitalism. Remember how suddenly everything got bigger, shinier, more … shallow? And, of course, people were turned toward it because of the unrelenting drumbeat of advertising, popular culture and political rhetoric. And here we are!
Grow your own food, support trading and sharing commodities between neighbors like books, clothes, food. Promote creative outlets like art, poetry, sewing within your communities. And touch grass, no seriously go out and hike and revel in what you are doing this for.
I agree but do find a lot of people, even when struggling financially, aren't willing to accept anything used or slightly scruffy. Even with food, some people don't trust it if it isn't wrapped in cellophane.
I feel like you are the only other person in our country with whom I share these views. Intellectually, I know this isn’t the case, but we live in a very rural, conservative area. It’s lonely. Thank you for explaining your perspective with so much detail.
2 thoughts that might help - join online communities that align with your values and talk to people you know about little things you think they might resonate with.
Have you tried bringing up small things one at a time to the people around you? This can help in 2 ways, at least some of your values you can feel less alone in, and you might make a dent in other people’s minds and habits to better the world. I am nearly vegetarian for both moral animal cruelty and environmental reasons.
I got some decidedly standard meat eater acquaintances to try some high protein vegan cereal for their picky eater son, because it tastes good and he doesn’t eat a lot of protein or verges otherwise. It’s chickpea based. I see them once a year, found out they now buy it regularly. It’s a small step, but now in casual conversation at dinner I might bring up other vegetarian things, and slide in some benefits without turning people off like PETA seems to do for so many.
You know your friends and acquaintances, so maybe this will work or maybe it will just get you stares. I don’t do this with everyone, and try not to be the over the top preachy vegan stereotype.
I live in a suburban area in the South, near a major city, but I still don't meet many people who share these views/values. People just don't get it. It is lonely, you're right. Thank goodness for youtubers so we can connect with others who feel the same way.
We’re here. Georgia here, been knowing that I voted with my dollar for decades. ✌️
There's nothing wrong with a very rural, conservative area. It can be lonely but since it's very rural, the friends you make tend to be really close friendships. Unless you like a lot of people with a lot of shallow friendships, go to the city.
I'm a communist living in MN. It's difficult going through every day seeing more evidence that the people around me are ignorant to what is happening and what has happened. Some have some shallow knowledge of these matters and just chose to turn a blind eye to it all and that's just as bad. Even when I try to speak on these matters, a lot of people either don't take it seriously or actively try to not be part of the conversation.
I feel like capitalism and billionaires are ironically breaking capitalism. At some point there will be no more resources or people to exploit.
The danger lies in capitalism transforming into ecofascism (asuming climate change, atomic war or any other calamity doesn't end us first)
As an EVE Online player your comment is hilariously ignorant.
This is baked into the system
Capitalists expand into each others markets
Pay their workers too little to consume or even have kids
It's mindlessly self destructive
That's why they are afraid of the comunist
Horrifying to think of the most basic resources such as water and air being commodified by them.
I have always tried to live frugally.
A Consumer Credit Counselor once told me that I was one of the only people they'd ever talked to that lived below their means.
It made me feel proud and sad at the same time.
I've never gotten paid a living wage.
Let's face it, minimum wage does not guarantee it will be enough money for basic food, clothes, and shelter.
It's not only Corporations taking advantage of their employees but also some small business owners.
My manager and I were talking politics a while ago. He was disparaging Gen Z- the generation that I happen to be a part of. He was saying how Gen Z are nihilistic and therefore don't save for the future.
I pointed out that I'm putting about a quarter of my income into retirement, and another quarter into saving up to buy a house. (A quarter goes into housing, and then the last quarter is for all my other needs)
He was genuinely surprised. Even _he_ doesn't put that much away for his retirement, and he's only a decade or two out from retirement.
Sure, I'm acutely aware that the world is going to shit (just like the rest of my generation), but that's why I try to live well below my means. I know that social security and pensions won't be a thing, and I know that my money will be practically worthless by the time I get old, which means I need to put a LOT of money into retirement, and I need to invest in things that will prevent costs when I get older.
I'm trying to get my health to a semi-reasonable level. I want to buy a piece of land that I can put a small house and a subsistence farm on. All so that I don't need to pay as much for food and housing in the long run.
But my manager got a large pavement princess truck and a large suburban house with a lawn. I buy silly things too, but it's usually like $20 of yarn for a pretty scarf I intend to make, not big ticket items.
In fact sometimes corporate entities are slightly better. Small businesses have no oversight.
@MayDay-yn3bw corporate oversight isn't a thing. Most corporations can pay off any fines they get from hurting the public or usually they don't even get fined. Exonn dumped oil into the Ecuador Amazon and never paid a penny, poisoned and killed the native people, animals etc. Then they jailed and sued the lawyer who tried to get them stopped or to pay. Small businesses don't have that leverage to hire hundreds of lawyers to do that. Incomparable really
Most small businesses in my long experience. Been treated fair by some large companies. None were loyal to me and I returned the favor
I decided to become more sustainable 7 years ago. I raise all my own meat (rabbits and poultry), all my own eggs, and most of my veggies. Started a Fruit Forest 3 years ago; Ill be getting apples, plums, pears, peaches, cherries, every berry you can imagine, and some exotics like paw-paws and kiwi! Loving it!
Thank you for posting this, you've given this disillusioned, like-minded Canadian a breath of relief to hear someone else say the thoughts that are in my head, instead of everyone shaking their heads at me and demanding more highway lanes. Peace.
Currently leaving my libertarian phase < 3 trying to educate myself on socialism!~
Thank you. I came to the conclusion years ago that Libertarian was a synonym for stupid. Thanks for leaving it.
being open minded without bias is great ^__^ its good use of these platforms to educate ourselves
Thank you! I enjoyed this. I've always been inherently anti-capitalist. It feels normal. It's not until I speak with others that I see the glaring difference. I suppose people think I am just old and out of touch. I guess I am. And that's ok with me.
Spot-on! Teach your children: your money is your freedom; that is the most valuable thing you can buy with it, so don't fritter it away on trivialities.
One of the big lessons I took from risk management training was the absolute importance of harm reduction.
Just like with risk, harm can be:
- Isolated,
- Mitigated, or
- Accepted
If we can't isolate the harm, at least we can mitigate it. And sometimes our mental health requires accepting harm because it is outside our control.
Stop using someone else’s breast milk and eating tortured dead animals. Please and thank you.
as someone who’s painstakingly tried to find leftist frugal content like this but has always managed to be blind-sighted by conservative bootstrappers (hello dave ramsey) or those who fell down the frugal/crunchy to alt-right pipeline - THANK YOU!
i just found you but im already a big fan.
Anti-capitalist, witch mama here. I'm considering creating content to help others on this very topic. Is this something the internet needs more of? I want to help in the same spirit Angela does.
@@PotatoChicken-gg1ju
I 100% agree about classism! That's a big part of what I'm thinking about.
I'm not on tik tok, so I'm not familiar with those folks. However, I can see how the service industry class is exploited by liberals. I do have many thoughts on that. Thanks for the idea.
I'm thinking of using instagram and RUclips. I'm very radical, and if Angela has been kicked off of tik tok, I think I'd share the same fate. I want to help our country, and I see this as one way to do so.
Please do
I'd like to help people thrive in late stage capitalism. I've been at this for quite a while, and have found a lot of success for my family. I see people struggling within capitalism, and I want to help us heal these wounds, and thrive despite this exploitive system.
I'm a healing witch. Mama of 5 kids. Working class farmer and my husband owns a mechanic business. We don't like capitalism, but we've found a way to live by our principles, raise a family, fill our freezers and find community. I want to share this with others to bring hope.
This is my offering to the country. I hope to figure out how to do this soon, and be guided to those who seek this connection.
Blessings to all.
Yes!
I wish I could like this more than once.
That psychological pressure to conform to consumer trends is powerful. Had coworkers who all struggled financially but who would drop $100s on a “designer” purse and the latest smart phone. They were not dumb people or even pretentious. They were simply oblivious to an alternative way to live.
I also use voluntary poverty to learn stuff. My friend did some intentional homeless travel in the early 2000s so I gave it a shot in 2009. Spent the summer biking around Crescent City, CA, slept under a cascara segrada tree in huge blackberry patch by the beach on the edge of town. The local herd of elk had made a bunch of trails through the blackberry so I switched backpacks at a friend's place, camping gear in a big one and a daypack with my laptop for chilling at coffee shops during the day. Trimmed weed 4-5 times a month and volunteered for a primitive skills daycamp. Made enough money to get to a seasonal job at the Grand Canyon that winter, then back to a seasonal job in VT with employee housing.
Started camping out on friend's land from May-Oct in 2012. Loved it, camping is way better than living in a house. Tried all sorts of tiny hobo flow options, like a couple years in a homemade 4x7 ft ice fishing shanty trailer I bought on craigslist, good fun.
Living in an open-air but covered bay behind a friend's house this winter in VT while working PT as a cashier. Main career is gardening, so I do whatever during the winter. But I still save up fast with low pay because my life is so cheap. I feel a sense of satisfaction for walking my talk, doing hard stuff to live my values. And like neuroscientist Anna Lembke says, healthy forms of discomfort help our brains feel joy and motivation.
Next year I am ramping up my gardening work to save up for some raw land to make a permaculture orchard garden to create an overwhelming abundance. I will eat from it and host work exchangers to come help harvest in excxhange for experience and good food. Have camping cookouts around the fire. I want to use my land to nourish me and other people, but also to make more natural gardeners, to infect people with the green thumb. I used to want to get land to retreat, now I want to use it to increase my connections with the world and human society, no withdraw. I want to be a seed, but a strong one, like amaranth. Such a tiny thing can grow such a big powerful plant that produces many thousands more tiny seeds, each one so powerful.
@moon-moth1 Good point, I hadn't thought about that. I take that part for granted. Some killer or criminal might still come after me, but way less likely.
@@moon-moth1 The best way has been camping on friend's land. You could do that one. Also, lots of cool little schools for primitive skills and permaculture, you can learn a lot in a safer context that way. I learned so much from my month of classes at BOSS. That place is pretty hardcore, somewhere like Roots in VT is a good type for starting out. Probably some small family run bushcraft school around you. You could bring your hubby or boyfriend or friends to feel safer.
Thanks so much for this great video! I found you when I was looking for permaculture information and found a woman after my own heart - except that you articulate these issues so much better than I can. Just brilliant
My biggest qualm with the ideas presented is the assumption that people can live within their means when so many of us simply do not earn enough to live. There are a lot of things not being addressed, such as the ableism of being able to be self sufficient with a garden, the privilege it takes to be able to choose to live at a poverty level to pay off an education, there are just a lot of caveats not being considered. Perhaps they will be in the rest of the series.
Yea like it used to be simply enough to not buy new things when you didn’t need it and you’d be fine, but now it takes so much more than that. Being frugal when you don’t need to can definitely help you save up for when you do need it, but it’s just not the same world as it was 40 years ago.
I feel it's somewhat applicable in Europe but in the US in a big city it seems complicated from what I see online
You are absolutely correct. I live in a Ford Explorer, and I'm able to live very frugally and consume little, and people are often quick to romanticize the good things about this lifestyle ... but it took me YEARS of trial and error to learn how to make this work out for me in a way that doesn't cost a bunch of "poverty tax" (I can fairly conveniently cook food instead of having to rely on prepared foods, I burn less gas in winter after many gradual insulation improvements, stuff like that) AND I have a family member who pays for all vet care for my dogs AND I have good friends to lean on when it's not convenient for me to manage laundry and showers on my own AND I live in a state where Medicaid and foodstamps are fairly well administered AND I'm an articulate white women with the self-advocacy experience and knowledge needed to detangle routine systemic snafus with my benefits. I can consume little and survive off selling my plasma and spend most of my time crafting and cuddling my dogs BECAUSE of an incredible amount of privilege.
People romanticize the idea of "vanlife" (ugh even homelessness is getting gentrified now lol) but if I were a man, especially older, especially-especially of color, cops would get called on me constantly. If I had a slightly different dice roll of physical and mental health issues, I wouldn't be able to survive, much less thrive, living like this. And god forbid anyone ever suffer this lifestyle with a human child! Thank Obama I was able to get my tubes removed so I'll never have to worry about that 😂 And again, it's taken me years of experience and customization and hard work to make this situation functional. I LOVE where I'm at now (despite the ongoing struggles I'm still mitigating -- sigh, my primary solar power setup is being a brat right now lol) and I'm proud that I'm not a wage slave and not wasting 30+ gallons of water daily on using a flush toilet ... but I wouldn't recommend the trade-offs for most people.
There is no easy form of poverty under capitalism. Every possible lifestyle has pros and cons. Surviving in this system requires privilege, period, or secondhand privilege in the form of a support network of privileged people. We just don't hear from the people who don't "make it back home" (alluding to the war planes/survivorship fallacy concept) because they're the ones who quietly disappear and end up victims of violence or dying of exposure.
At a certain point the cutting of expenses can't cut anymore. That's where we are in this country. The silent cost-cutters have nowhere else to go and will become vocal. A Robin Hood just took out the UHC insurance robber barron guy. It won't stop there. It's called come-uppance.
@ poster mentioning Europe. Is she in Europe? I'd say with bikes and public transport so ubiquitous, and the low medical expenses, living in Europe could be done with less capitalist consumption and less money. We can't duplicate the transportation here. But we can sure as hell fix the medical and health system.
Felt an immediate kinship there with you and your views. Permaculture applied to all of life, is what I am about too. I am a 62 year old Permaculture Gardener and Hen wife, upsetting the apple cart in the Western Isles in Scotland ( it doesn't take much)
Anyway I will just say I enjoyed your video. It is not often I hear someone calling a spade a spade, when it comes to talking of capitalism. thank you.
Gen X here. Like you, I also don't care what others think of my economic and/or aesthetic choices. I became aware of Thoreau in high school and my mantra became "The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it." I practice delayed gratification and extreme thrift. It works for me. Not having debt makes me feel more free and less stress than having things or even experiences that cost more than I'm willing to spend for. Glad to have found your channel.
Yep. My tolerance for debt has always been zero.
Your money or your life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, was also life impacting for me. When my husband was in college we used the envelope method for budgeting. Kids clothes always came from the consignment shop. Keeping within our means allowed me to stay home and homeschool my kids. The kids also had freedom from the tyranny of fashion learning at home.
I absolutely STILL love that book!
Hi who is the author as there are many books with that title! I want to get the right one!
@@samchambers5934 by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
@@samchambers5934 Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
Your Money or Your Life... In the late 1980's I remember borrowing the 10 cassette series from a non-profit community event-- listening to the whole thing in one weekend.... It was a fundamental way of thinking my whole life!!!! OMG the Tightwad Gazette -- Yes the monthly newsletter for $10 a year!!! Amy had all her own drawings. This video is just a blast!
I watch RUclips a fair bit and this is the first time I have listened to someone who has made me want to comment. Everything you said resonated with me so much. I was just watching thinking "I love this chick". Love Ur passion and would listen to videos like that all the time
Yes, this is the stuff I love learning about.
We’ve lost our collective humanity for 💵. Greed & hubris brought down the Roman Empire. Ironically, this will only heighten the exploitation as we see the US hegemony lose its grip on world domination. Excellent video drop. TY.
I just don't see a way to buy a house, or a small holding, build a small shopping centre, start a business, without having to raise capital. That's the basis of capital-ism, isn't it? I would also prefer to have decent roads, a national health plan, and a recognised document (passport) so I can go & visit family in other countries, & I'm willing to pay off the top (taxes) for those.
@@carolannhartley359 You're calling it "capital" but it's just resources. What makes it "capital" is questions of ownership and control. Capitalism = the people with the most resources have the most control. No one needs any capitalists to do anything. They need resources and the ability to labor.
Wow. This was great. I agree with you. I'm politically active too and do much of what you mention. It's comforting to know there are more of us out there, especially now. PS. My parents almost couldn't buy their house many, many decades ago because they had no credit. They had paid cash for everything. More of this kind of video please!
I sold my home to such a couple. I rented the house to them for 6 months while they worked with the banker to establish credit.
Thank you for being an example of how we can live with less harm on the environment
I belong to a food buying club and buy bulk organic from Azure Standard. Local Organic is not subject to tariffs but prices will rise a bit due to equipment and farming costs going up, might as well eat better for the same money or less. Buy produce from local coops or Farmer's Markets and you can avoid the supermarket even more along with mass food recalls. You can start a food buying club if you don't have one nearby but it's an amazing way to buy local quality food and have some for storage.
Thank you for this. Looking into.
Will you run for US office? Start with US rep and go to Senator? We need people like you representing the people. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, experience, life-lessons.
I know most municapalities require garbage service, fortunately my county does not, so I take my trash to the dump twice a year. I have 4 cans. I compost, recycle, and burn paper a couple times a year. My total cost for the last 3 years is $19( minimum charge) x2 per year, plus a 30 mile round trip. I combine other stops also. My neighbor's pay $55 bi-monthly. I can use my small utility trailer, or 34 year old truck which I put less than 1000 miles a year on. I don't think I spend $300 a year for fuel. I paid $850 for the truck 3 years ago, and it hauls dirt, gravel, and a lot more saving on delivery charges.
How do you live like this? How do you manage to drive so little? I need to know your ways.
Commenting so I can learn more about this. How tf
Thanks for being so open about your influences and thinking.
I am so glad I found you. Your beliefs line up so much with mine, as well as your upbringing. I grew up poor and have remained poor throughout adulthood, but my family has not gone without our basic needs. When you held up your broken mug, I pictured all of the broken dishes currently sitting in my cabinets that we use on a regular basis. I have tried so hard to live a frugal life in this complicated world, but at the same time we have a beautiful home and beautiful things without the need for keeping up with the neighbors. Thank you so much for your insights!
I'm delighted to have stumbled upon your videos! It's refreshing to hear someone unapologetically advocate for fair share, etc. I'm glad you have the courage it takes to put this type of content out there. I commend you. Thank you!
Bro the RUclips recommendation gods are BLESSING ME TODAY
I’ve asked people over and over what enough means? The shocked looks I get.
That's an excellent and important question. I'd be curious what kind of answers you've gotten, if you're willing to share.
I’ve done the same…at work once a woman was telling me about when they “ need” money, they borrow it from her parents ( she is in a marriage where both work full time at well paid jobs).. I asked her what she “ needed”? She said a new car or a house addition. I told her that was a WANT…I consider a need maybe a child of yours sick with cancer or something else dire. She didn’t get it…
I literally had this conversation with my parents. My mom works herself to the bone in overtime because she doesn’t want to turn down extra money. I told her, you’re doing fine, what do you need that money for? She said “you can always use more money!” lol
Thank you for this and the books and movies mentioned. I am seeing my over consumption. I hope these resources will help me change.
Loving these tips! Especially not buying things brand new and not buying things on credit.
I cut up most of my credit cards this year and made the conscious decision to not put huge purchases on credit, because I realized that I’m taking away from my future self’s financial freedom.
Noooooo if everyone defaulted on their credit card debt it would kill consumer capitalism!
Nah use cashback credit cards and pay them off early to build up your credit! I get $30 back using them for my living expenses monthly
Love it!! Keep going girl! You found the words most of us have felt but knew not how to express! God Bless! 🌈
This is such an important video for these times (and all times, frankly). You are so right that the first step is being ok being counterculture. This has been easy for me as an intelligent outspoken woman who never conformed to the expectations for the women of my generation. Permaculture ethics resonate with me despite the fact I never heard the term before. Grateful for this channel
OH MY GOD! I am literally in tears. You just outlined my life and my mindset to a TEE! Even with the discovery of permaculture back in the 90s. What a relief to know that I am not alone, even though no one I know understands me or seems to care about anything the way I do. I instantly subscribed.
The only thing you said that I view differently is your side comment on population. I do feel that a population size does matter. Often I hear, there is enough space on the planet for even more humans than we have now. My reply is, we are not the only Earthlings on this planet and they need space to be without human encroachment. Our impact on the planet, even with present levels of pollution per capita would be negligible if our population was a total of say, a million humans on the planet. So, to say that population isn't a factor is not accurate. Now, to say that the present levels of human suffering is because of our present population size is also not accurate. It is the unjust distribution and the exploitation that is causing it. I think that is what your point is. Population size is not a valid excuse.
I truly appreciate your posts! Smart and concise and so so relevant. You are extending my knowledge in more practical ways and giving . I am glad to have came across your channel.
The big collected Tightwad gazette was amazing to get when I was in college
I’m watching this as I’m properly putting away previously used synthetic braiding hair for future use. I’ve been frugal for a while, but I need to reel it in. This year has been a tad soendy. I have some audacious goals, so spending will be coming to a screeching hault 2025 and beyond.
Same here!
Adding my support for getting the word out and helping with the algorithm. Good job.
I'm so glad you came across my feed, this is exactly why I became interested in permaculture.
Repurposing stuff and repairing things when they break or need maintenance just makes me feel more competent and that I can handle whatever happens. Excellent video
I love all of this so much! I'm old enough to remember life before corporations took over everything and life really was simpler. Better in so many ways. We lived mostly as you describe in this video. Most people did. And life was good.
I also agree you can't fix this. It has to be dismantled. I don't know what that looks like, but what I do know is I know how to survive and live on not much. Some people will really struggle.
It’s both great and painful to listen to. I realise no matter how ‘stingy’ I am with purchases, only buying after usually much thought, deliberation and whether I think it is worth the price, I still suffer from the capitalist mindset. For example, wanting to sell spare plants as a way to recoup some of the money I spent on compost (don’t make enough yet, getting there). I do share with friends & family, but beyond that I have a bit of a hoarder mentality!
This conversation is awesome as it makes one examine the aspects of capitalism from a different view and makes us question better instead of just accepting the status quo ❤
How is selling spare plants for compost money capitalist? You're not paying any workers a wage to do that, and you're not using any means of production to sell them
Being anti-capitalist doesn't mean you can't want nice things. Relax! In my opinion it's more important to organize and get politically involved than obsess over every toothbrush you buy.
Much love to you and your perspective. There will come a time when the Earth and her people are put before profits but it will only come about through conscious observation and action at the right times.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been trying to find some real advice on how to be a better human and this is some of the most useful info I have found!
Make it, don't buy it! With a little practice, you can make much--MUCH--better stuff than you can buy at any price at a regular store...or for those with funds but not time, purchase direct from a small scale artisan, blacksmith, knitter, ect.
Omgoodness- 2 people living on a $35 per month grocery budget in 2001? I’m going to speculate that you traded some of your vegetables and maybe fruits to neighbors who have chickens for eggs? That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing your story.
I am familiar with permaculture in the gardening sense but have not heard of it used in the sense you are referring to which was really interesting and informative. Thank you and i look forward to learning more.
I read the same books many years ago and this led me to read many other things about simple living, eco-living. Late in life it's still my love and my focus. Bless your journey.
This is quite inspiring. I am sadly not very frugal. I was very poor growing up and i'm the opposite of you. Its very hard for me to deny myself something i want. So.....???? I don't know what to do to change that lifelong habit.
I think a lot of our problems with money is that we don’t look at it as being extremely closely linked to our emotions. We think money management is a logical problem to deal with, but your comment shows that it’s very tied to our feelings. What feelings come up when you ‘want’ something and can’t seem to resist buying it?
@@leannichleirigh2607 excited to get it, happy. TBH, i am somewhat better now. I don't get myself into debt any longer. Only because i don't have credit cards. I can only spend what i have.
RUclips suggested this video to me! I'm so glad! ❤
You are a great teacher….thank you so much for all this information!!
This is great information for me. Thanks
I went through these phases too. Thank you so much for this video.
This is amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s practical information that can be applied near immediately. Definitely subscribing.
Let's start talking about the new system we want-and where are those kind of things being implemented!
Thank you for your words of wisdom. The people who are facing a future they can’t imagine need experienced anticapitalist leadership. Yours is much appreciated.
Sheeeeit, your mum sounds like an incredible woman. She sounds like a hoot of a person to spend time with 😄 I love my mum deeply too, it's an incredibly beautiful relationship to have ❤
You are breath of fresh, we need more people like you in this world
Introduced to permaculture from another video on socialism, and the algorithm brought me here. Great video, new sub. Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for exposing us to a way out of capitalism and working together with others to make this world better.
Great video. I'm fascinated with the permaculture idea and am hopeful about incorporating some of it into my life. I have near zero life outside of work and obligations, so thanks!
Absolutely love the tips and the insight thank you for sharing🎉
I am so thankful for this message from you. I have believed this way all my life and all ways struggle to be able to explain this to other people. Thank you so much.
19:00 yes they're trying to replace democracy with capitalism. Years ago I was amazed when I used the phrase "fair share"" at a dinner party once. A working class person went ballistic at me and explained how awful the idea of sharing is. It was Thanksgiving and I remarked how sad it is to see more and more homeless people. It was 2015- just before the election of a billionaire whom the masses think will restore America.
This is the smartest thing I have seen in a long time. So glad I found you.
Thank you for your enthusiastic resistance
Thank you I love your insights and it reminds me of what my goal was before my child and I wanna get back to the goal😊
The easiest way to be anti capitalist is to have rich parents
I just subscribed and shared the video with my son and his wife. They are becoming politically active and will love your message and strategies.
I really like someone over 30 who has lived this a long time teaching us.
Being an individual is also being a trend setter. Good advice, good old fashioned living. 🌻
I want all this, but also with the ability to travel and help people whenever I want. I recognize the power of the dollar in these situations in terms of who gets a say of what happens, when it does happen collectively - there is always money involved.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. I bounce back and forth between participating in overconsumption and behaving completely anti-capitalistically. Once again, I’m in a tough financial position that I put myself in and even though my values and ethics line up with exactly what you’ve describe, I struggle to employ to self-control (ADHD impulsivity is so much harder to manage when everything is a click away). This video is validating, empowering, and motivating. I feel excited to live according to my values, and I’m making it a life goal. 🙌🏽
I love all of this! "I went through a libertarian phase. We all go on a journey." LOL! Perfection!
Your Money Or Your Life... i did the program back in the day & it changed everything for me too!
I feel like you and I should be best friends 😂 I had such a similar upbringing and experiences with poverty, and exactly the same lifestyle now of extracting every possible aspect of my life from capitalism and living by permaculture principles. ❤ So glad I found your channel!
Dopamine, food, and sleep- my 3 priorities. Thx for the advice 😊
You would be wonderful for us if you were a congresswoman ❤❤❤ the changes you would be able to make in our country would be life changing for so many people who can’t stand up for themselves.
Where have you been my new friend. You speak the dialog that has been running in my head for years. ❤
I think before going anti-capitalist universal single payer health care would be a much easier step, and even then that’s probably impossible in the USA. Capitalist health care is a crazy unjust idea, but we live it here.
Being from the UK and learning some lessons from Thatcher, you NEED to introduce some sort of decommodified housing. We used to have council housing, which were owned by the local government and rented out for cheap to those who needed it. Thatcher introduced "right to buy" which allowed tenants to buy their houses from the council at a ridiculous discount. She stated that the idea behind this was to essentially create an entire generation of capitalists.
@@TheCam920you’ve basically got the whole answer right here! To be “anti-capitalist” one must be “anti-commodity” because the commodity is the base upon which capitalism grows. Capitalism turns healthcare into commodities; it turns labour into commodities (life-hours in the language of the video); it turns all of the natural world into “things” to be bought and sold. That’s part of the “fair share” I think too since it would imply an abolition of private property and the “de-commodification” of the natural world.
I need a new drill or something. So, I go out and spend $200 for the drill. But with time, taxes, the cost of feeding and maintaining ourselves while we work, etc., the drill actually cost me $400 in income to purchase.
You buy something for $200, you had to earn at least $400 or more in wages to have that money to spend.
A penny saved is several pennies earned!
So glad I found this channel. Please do more talks like this.
Great video. Lead the way!
Yes! Yes! Everything you said, YES!!
I feel a little less alone now. Thank you so much for this video.
I truly resonant what you’ve said. This is how I’d like to live but still working towards. I feel like it’s extra hard being so conscious when making these choices (environmental, people, fair share) living in poverty (which I am). It’s the constant living in survival mode that narrows your thinking so you see what’s in front of you and not the whole system. I’d like to learn how to find out which products and places are more ethical so that in the future my purchases can reduce harm. I hardly participate in consumerism because I can’t, I live frugally, and share the same mindset that if something is functional I still use it regardless of what it looks like. I fix and re-use whenever possible. It’s hard to find information on things unless you know what questions to ask. I strive to have a good mindset like you.
This was great and thanks for the information! I’ve been trying to live by similar standards for decades. I do worry now, though, that so many things we really need (not want) like healthcare for example, are so ridiculously expensive that it will wipe out all of our good attempts to live frugally and somewhat freely in one bad stroke of luck. Kind of feels like the decks of capitalism are stacked against us.
I also try to engage with anarchist activism to build non-hierarchical structures within this capitalist system (the prefiguration theory). Being anti-capitalist is also opposing the system, going on to protests, educating people or engaging with the groups like Food Not Bombs. Taking direct actions, fighting anagins f*scim, quuerphobia, misogyny is also a good practice to be involved into.
Universal basic income for all! ❤
Yes!
You're just built different. I relate to everything about your formative years but in my case that has had the opposite effect where I just am not good with money.
I’m stoked to come across your channel; and we live in the same city! 🤘🏼🔥🖤