Some interesting thoughts about opting out of the money economy, courtesy of WiseBread.
The money economy? Yep, there are other types. Bartering, the “gift economy”, and more. Not for everyone, but definitely some interesting tips, and thought-provoking writing.
This blog is about practical tips and personal stories on living with a reduced reliance on expensive and time-wasting technology. It’s not generally a place for comment and opinion. However a couple of days ago, I spotted a brief “news” story from which I think we can all learn a small but valuable lesson. According to London’s Metro “paper” (it’s not really a “newspaper”, more a collection of adverts peppered with tiny articles):
“Virgin Rail is to refit all toilets on its £600million fleet of super trains - because passengers keep getting locked in… Many passengers have had strangers walk in on them after failing to lock the doors properly. A Virgin spokesman said: ‘We are looking at a refit of signage and buttons.’”
Now just hang on a second. I’m sure most people reading this will have experience of train toilets. They fall into two categories: (1) those with a simple mechanical lock on the door that everyone can understand and use; and (2) those with a ludicrous system of levers and buttons that nobody understands, and with a sliding door that takes forever to close, leaving you blinking sheepishly at people seated outside as you wait to be sealed in.
How on Earth can there possibly be a reason to design, build and install toilet doors that nobody understands? How can people seriously think that “refitting the signage” will help? The solution to this non-problem is to take the Luddite approach: put the fancy, expensive gizmos in the bin, and use a sliding bolt like everyone else.
Virgin Trains clearly need to get in touch with their inner Modern Luddite. Bless.
Why don’t you just switch off your TV set and go out and do something less boring instead? Sound advice from a hideous, erm, TV show of the seventies. Lord knows the average number of hours people sit in front of the TV, developing back-aches and mushy brains. The question is, do you really need that TV time? What does it do for you? Does it actually, genuinely entertain you? Does it really help you relax? Probably not as much as reading a book, or trying 15 minutes of meditation, or phoning a friend, or writing a letter to your gran, or learning a musical instrument, or going OUTSIDE, or…. anything! (more…)
The “latte factor” refers to the cumulative cost of purchasing coffee from high-street vendors. Every morning you visit Pret, Starbucks, or Costa for your tall-skinny-mocha-frappucino, you fork out a little. Maybe £1 or £2, maybe more? But if you’re like me, that’s every morning, and quite often at lunch time as well. So maybe that’s £4 per day. And that’s £20 per week, if you only do it on weekdays! Of course it doesn’t stop there. Think of the amount you spend on sandwiches at lunchtime. Maybe another £5 per day? On top of that coffee, that’s going to add up to £40-£50 per week! That’s a silly amount of cash, and that’s the latte factor. So how can you reduce it? (more…)
I’ve often wondered what is the most efficient way of heating up food, microwave or conventional oven? And what about heating water, which is most efficient: microwave; electric kettle; or stove? Which uses the least power, and hence saves the most cash? (more…)
