Early Retirement Extreme

Financial independence, frugality, self-sufficiency, ecology, capitalism, and voluntary simplicity

Money for nothing and the shirts for free

Published in July 22nd, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, freebies, frugal, recycling

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!I have noticed that there is a limited number of dominant freecyclers in my group (find your local group by going to freecycle.org) so I have started to pick up cues on who wants what. If someone offers something, [...]

15 baby steps towards voluntary consumerism

Published in July 11th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism, voluntary simplicity

8 Comments

Lately I has been made clear to me that a life without buying things can not possibly make me happy. For one, I also realized that people would have a hard time knowing what I stand for when I do not associate myself with brand name lifestyles(*). It has also been made obvious to me [...]

Letter from the establishment

Published in April 22nd, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism

5 Comments

Jacob’s posts on how frugal living and only buying what one really needs allows one to save up to three quarters of one’s income to reach financial independence and early retirement seem to be irresponsible and unsafe according to our collective mind. We would like to stress the importance of a shopping and working as [...]

Minimalist inspirations

Published in March 27th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, ecological footprint, voluntary simplicity

6 Comments

I find great utility in being a minimalist. Having less stuff makes it easier to maintain, move, and store. This frees both precious time and money, which can be used to reach a higher standard of living(*) Forsooth, I can not rationalize the tendency to accumulate stuff for the sake off stuff at the expense [...]

Big on methods, poor on fundamentals.

Published in March 24th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, culture, motivation

4 Comments

There is an abundant swath of personal finance tools, 10 step programs, weight loss programs, etc. that are all intended to fix our problems. This country is HUGE on methods but poor on fundamentals.
To beat obesity, you’ve got to consume less and burn more. There is no alternative. And to do that, you’ve [...]

Why do so many people hoard so much?

Published in March 5th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism, culture, recycling

6 Comments

In a comment, Hannah wrote:
I have to wonder: Is the inability to value one’s time (rather than hyper-accumulating Things) simply an inability to accept one’s inevitable departure from this world? Do people who have an acquisitive mentality towards life have an inherent denial of death, and thus seek to “escape” into their goods, which are [...]

Bicycle commuting: Needs vs wants.

Published in February 15th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, clothing, fitness, transport

No Comments

Lately I have been lusting for some winter/fall season cycling clothes so I have been trying to invent all sorts of excuses to justify my sudden need(*). I need a jacket because my tex jacket has this thick collar that makes it hard to see around, also it flaps a bit in the wind. I [...]

On minimizing depreciation expenses

Published in February 11th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism, cost of living, expenses

10 Comments

We don’t pay for our furniture. I haven’t paid for my watch. Also I haven’t paid for my HiFi system. If I was a little bit smarter, we wouldn’t be paying for our car either. On the other hand I have paid way too much for computers. That is not going to happen again.
How much [...]

Is your stuff holding you back?

Published in January 28th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, culture, ecological footprint

8 Comments

“Are your sofa and TV your best friends? You could change that. … . You can break free from the clutches of society and live well on a very modest amount of money if you simply give up most of the junk most of us cart around.”
A quote from How to [...]

Am I cheap?!?

Published in January 20th, 2008

Posted by Jacob in anticonsumerism, consumerism, ecological footprint, financial independence, standard of living

17 Comments

Sometimes I’m accused of being cheap or living in squalor because I prefer to ride a bike, eat at home, and because I generally don’t buy very many things. This does not sit well with the prevailing consumerist attitude in this ownership society. I suspect ownership society means that people are owned (pwned!) by their [...]

« Older Entries