The Moneyless Man

I find it quite fitting that the morning after beginning this blog (that is still a secret- shhhh), husband drew my attention to this news article about a man who lived for over a year without the exchange of currency.  He basically lived on a piece of land in exchange for labor in a garden, where he also drew his food.  In reading the profile of him, he sounds so upbeat and positive about the freeing effect that his experiment has had on him.  Without money, he began to trust others, appreciate food, and ultimately slow down and enjoy life.  I am pretty sure I would never worry about my weight or what I just ate if it took me thirty minutes just to brew a cup of tea.  Rather, I think that tea would be the most delicious and savored drink ever.

Yes, the idea of this kind of excites me, but husband shouldn't worry too much (yet!) because I do not see us giving/selling off all of our posessions, home included, anytime soon.

What I can see happening though is getting really jazzed up about the awesome homemade Christmas gifts I will be giving (again?) this year ;)  For those of you on my "list"- I'm pumped about this year's venture :)  P.S. if you are rolling your eyes right now, then maybe you need to be moved to the naughty list?  Just say the word ;)

Oh- and I almost another great thing about this story!  With the money he made from selling his houseboat, he started a website called Just For the Love of It, which is a forum or social networking site that links people to the free exchange of skills sets (like learning a trade or skill), resources, and space (e.g. office space for a non-profit gathering or storage space, etc.).  This site is absolutely FREE and (so far) without any scammers, frauds, or other sheisty behaviors.  The site also has a neat feature where you can locate yourself on a map and then find other members within a 1-25 mile radius of you.  Unfortunately, this site has yet to catch on in rural west Texas.  Bigger cities are probably A-Ok.  This may just be the new Craigslist/Facebook- so all of you trendy hipsters- go ahead and get in on the ground floor :)

And, last but not least, he wrote a book called, "The Moneyless Man: A Year Of Freeconomic Living," , from which the proceeds will go toward buying land and starting a "Freeconomic Community."  (Kind of smacks of a doomed utopian society, but more power to him.)

So here's my question to you, (phantom) readers: Is there something you wish you could live without buying?  Is there something that you are going to try to do without?  Are there ways in which you have tried to simplified your life?  What were your struggles and triumphs?

I'll start:
I really do not like to spend money to eat or drink outside of the house because it feels frivolous.  And, the last time husband and I were on our way to a movie theater, I was so filled with guilt that we had to turn around and drive home because I could not get over feeling bad about spending $20 to see a movie, when that $20 could be better used in other ways or given to a charity.  Even though I really like Clinique facial products and fancy shampoo, I have been reaching for the dime-store variety for the past few years because it just seems like too much to spend.  (haha.. I can see a post coming soon about Balance.  And by balance I mean, balancing out all the other hundred things I "splurge" on for the sake of quality, health, dignity, etc.)