Voluntary simplicity- my reasoning behind it and how it plays out in my life

I spend less, use less, and recycle more for many reasons. Almost everything we purchase costs the environment in terms of pollution during manufacture, transportation, and depletion of resources. By reducing, repurposing, and re-using I can eliminate some of those environmental costs. If enough of us do this there is less overall demand, with, we are told, a reduction in price for what we do consume.
When I buy less I can spend my money more ethically by being able to afford organics, fair trade, cruelty free, and local products. Yes, these items cost a bit more per each, but overall I am spending much less money, and am supporting processes that are much more ethically acceptable to me. If I cannot condone cage raising of animals, then how can I pay money towards the cruelty of modern mega farms. If I don't want excess hormones in my drinking water or my meat, then I must needs support a permaculture or agriculture that doesn't utilise them. The less I purchase the less packaging I force into the environment. If I don't use disposables the environment benefits greatly as does my pocketbook.
Another cost we tend to forget is the labour and lack of autonomy required to earn the income to buy the junk. Earning an income costs a portion of that income. Most jobs entail special clothing, the need to make or buy lunch, the costs of getting to and from work, and more. So we spend x percent of the income on earning the income. Then there is the assumption by most employers that ones ethics are theirs. I have been ordered to lie, been lied to, been knowingly safety compromised, and more by my employers. In case you think this is exceptional, the last employer to do this to me was the department of health in Manitoba under an NDP government. I am going by their actions, not their words. There was all kinds of lip service to keeping us safe.. As long as it didn't cost any money. These things are unacceptable to me. So I now do odd jobs, which means that if an employer and I disagree on what is OK, we can end the relationship, with no real harm to anyone. Losing a fulltime job for refusing to lie is very hard on the employee. Jobs are hard to get. If one is a good worker and arrives when he says, then part time jobs are easy to find. Casual Labour is also really easy to fit into your schedule, rather than fitting your life into your work schedule, as most full and part- time jobs do. I like being able to go somewhere when I want.

Many people who drive a car forget to cost into each trip a portion of the cars original cost, the financing necessary to pay for it, insurance, drivers licence, traffic tickets, taxes for cops for traffic tickets, taxes for infrastructure necessary for the vehicle, cost of the land and garage to park the vehicle, etc… Then there are all the environmental, health, visual, noise, traffic "accident", and other miscellaneous costs involved. When you figure out how many hours of work that is a week, add on the costs of working for those hours and translate that to hours, add in time to pay the taxes on the income, you'll often find that most any other way to get to work costs less. Especially when you add in the health benefits from walking or riding a bike to work. So I bike or walk to work. I get to enjoy the scenery, My vehicle and I kill a minimal amount of insects, as ossposed to the current slaughter of all kinds of wildlife on our streets, roads, and highways. I've seen road kill of insects, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, and birds. I get to talk to and acknowledge more people. I get a relaxed sense of the flow of time. The cash costs are minimal. The benefits are ongoing.. And you should see my legs :D

When you purchase food, unless your cash is limited, you lose a lot of control over what goes into your food. Many items going into the food aren't labelled. Excess packaging is making a wasteland of our oceans. Medications and hormones in our animal products are harming us and the environment. Modern farming practices are destroying the soil and the web of life. People starve while we waste hordes of edible food due to classist, ineffective and unnecessary food safety rules. GMOs are rapidly polluting our food stream. Transportation comes with environmental and monetary costs. Our food intake directly affects our health on many levels. I need to have as much control of this as possible. So, I grow what I can in my embryonic polycultural permaculture. I barter for or buy from friends and neighbours for veggies, fruit and animal products that are environmentally and ethically raised. When I have to purchase from elsewhere, I try to get organic, fair trade, from as close as possible in bulk so as to reduce frequency of transportation and packaging. There are huge problems with the organic standards council now, and so I do not always trust that "certified organic" means what I think, or would like it to mean. This means I want to know the farmer as often as possible, and preferably be it. At present, I am a landless farmer. I have 3 large 6x80 raised veggie beds [produce shared with friends, food bank, and fellow community gardeners] in the community garden, a medium sized 30x45 Carbohydrates garden, and a share of 2 family gardens in exchange for labour and some seed. A friend and I are also sharing 7 hens and a rooster, which we range in chicken tractors on her land. We get plenty of high vitamin eggs, and are hoping for chicks for replacement egg layers and some stewing fowl. I forage for wild foods of all kinds-salad components, cooking greens, shellfish, mushrooms, berries, and more. I do eat meat, mostly local and free range. Some of it is raised as a functioning part of a polycultural farm. Polycultural raised meat on marginal land contributes to our diet while enhancing the environment. My diet is quite varied and contains a huge amount of natural vitamins and minerals. Because I am gluten intolerant I am still paying a lot of money for my food. However I knowingly pay extra to hopefully get organic grains. I want to support healthy farming practices, and maintain a good balance of nutrients in my diet. Better nutrition and a greater range of nutrient sources means better health. Better health means less personal and health care costs. I've also come to the conclusion that multi-national agri-corporations have purchased our government when it comes to agricultural, environmental and chemical issues. By choosing to support the little farmer who doesn't use their stuff, I cut off some of their money. The less money they have the less they can influence my government. I do eat out and I tip well. This isn't about doing without. It's about being happy about where my money goes. I preserve my food in a way that uses as little electricity as possible. Solar dehydration, dehydration above the wood stove, curing and canning are my favourite ways to do so.

I have huge issues with much of what my government is doing right now. They do more thing that I disagree with than things they do that I benefit from. War mongering, murdering innocent women and children, condoning torture, embracing the chemical industries, supporting GMOs, trashing the environment repeatedly, bailing out those who caused the last crash, bailing out the auto makers who have refused to embrace alternative technologies, increasing the gap between rich and poor, blaming the poor for their problems, fear mongering, a hugely expensive, ineffective and classist food safety system, recanting on our basic rights and freedoms, homophobia and racism are all unacceptable to me. The current government does all those things Our health care system is awash in a sea of red tape and bureaucracy. It also denigrates holistic and dietary health care while shoving unnecessary and often harmful drugs at us. These drugs are showing up in our eco-system and creating super-bugs, which we are told we need stronger drugs with worse side effects to deal with. Our school system is based on left brain[ rationalistic, straight line thinking] while ignoring the rest, and teaching our kids to memorise as opposed to teaching them how to think critically. They are trained to follow orders and accept that those in power are unquestionable. Our roads are designed to need fixing quickly, which creates more pollution and costs us more. Our government has a prejudice against pedestrians and cyclists.. If I earn a small enough income I am not supporting them in these issues through my taxes. If I purchase less through regular channels I pay less gst or hst, and support the government less. If this means that I get less "benefits" I am willing to live with that. I cannot support the rest of what they do.

I find that a cash or plastic economy dehumanises the transactions, and often leaves both parties feeling like they could have done better. Yes I need cash. I pay certain bills, buy food and products, and deal with the government with cash. When I can I do trade, or pay as you can afford. Those type of transactions always make me feel like I've gained more than I've given. Usually the other person involved feels the same way.
I get my clothing second hand or free as much as possible. I reduce, re-use and recycle a lot. I use second-hand pickle jars to store my dried foods. I use the library and buy books and give them to the library. There are 2 libraries here, and both of them are community funded, not funded through taxes. Much of my clothing and kitchen ware came from the free store [a second hand shop that doesn't charge]. I also donate where possible to them. I cut my own hair with a 30$ set of clippers which have lasted for 3 years so far. At a haircut every 6 weeks, or, more likely, every month, my haircuts have cost less than 1$ each, even if you count in the electricity costs. I use less than 5$ worth of hydro a month. My propane for cooking costs somewhere around 20$ every 3 months. My water comes from the land. I work trade for a place to live. I cut deadfall for my firewood. I buy my art supplies from the local bookstore and support a friend through my purchases. I grow, wild craft or work trade most of my medicinal herbs. Most of my health care practices are holistic, and cost no extra cash. I get my exercise from my work and my method of transportation, as well as dancing. I get my education from online, through books and libraries, from friends and neighbours, and lastly by paying for it.I have a cell phone and a mini laptop. The cell costs 55$ a month and I dislike the health issues surrounding it. I buy a phone card for 4 cents a minute long distance. As soon as I'm more permanent I'll get a landline- cheaper and safer if I don't get cordless. The Wi-Fi internet I get from friends, neighbours and local businesses, freely given.

I have a rich, varied, fulfilling and beauty filled life. This isn't about asceticism. This is about right living, responsibility for my actions, an examined and aware life, and a relaxed way of being. I look after myself, and have access to a lot of what I consider luxuries. There are books to read when I need them. I go to music and dancing regularly. I play with art often. I have time to volunteer and contribute to community. My food is amazing and often would be considered gourmet. I get to be in nature as often as I wish. My housing would be considered substandard in the city, but I like it. It keeps me warm and sheltered. I am able to communicate with my friends both locally and across the country. Life is wonderful and I thank the goddess daily. I have more spending money now and earn less than 1/3 of what I used to earn.