The No Spend Year - Michelle McGagh - Part 3

The No Spend Year: How I Spent Less
and Lived More - Michelle McGagh

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 45

 February 14, 2017 

Book 14 - The No Spend Year
by Michelle McGagh (2017)
 Part 3 - Pages 112-152
Reading Time - 45 minutes

Can't say that this part really grabbed me. A chapter on how to get free money - employer-matching pension plans - which seems to be a relatively new invention in the UK.

A chapter on how to spend less on beauty products and how horrible it was to go without moisturizer. Followed by a chapter on investing tips. This is pretty UK-centric so not as interesting to me.

The No Spend Year - Michelle McGagh - Part 2

The No Spend Year: How I Spent Less
and Lived More - Michelle McGagh

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 44

 February 13, 2017 

Book 14 - The No Spend Year
by Michelle McGagh (2017)
 Part 2 - Pages 47-111
Reading Time - 1.5 hours

I rather liked this section. The author gives some tips on ways to have fun that don't cost anything... or at least not a lot. Given that she lives in London, England, there are way more "free" or "low cost" options than over here.

One neat idea (which I think we have already discovered) is "wild swimming". Instead of going to the pool, head for the stream or the lake or the ocean to go swimming. Crazy concept!

She admits that one thing she wished she had kept in her budget was bus transportation. During her No Spend Year, she was limited to either walking or riding her bike. While bike riding can be fun in the spring, summer and fall, it is less so in the winter time.

She intersperses her experiential chapters with ones on financial advice. These seem a bit skimpy to me. Watching your credit rating and the different types of mortgages. Meh.

I thoroughly enjoyed her chapter on Pedal-Powered Adventures - how they went on a 6 day bike tour with their tents (wild tenting!). It sounded like a hoot and they actually got to relax (cause she couldn't buy admission tickets to any of the sights).

My take-away from this is... it's really worth while to check and see what events are on around town that are free (EventBrite is a great place to start).

The No Spend Year - Michelle McGagh - Part 1

The No Spend Year: How I Spent Less
and Lived More - Michelle McGagh

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 43

 February 12, 2017 

Book 14 - The No Spend Year
by Michelle McGagh (2017)
 Part 1 - Pages 1-46
Reading Time - 1 hour

Confession time: I am reading Aldo Leopold's The Sand County Almanac and am a bit stuck in it. So, I've jumped to another book... which happens to me quite a bit sometimes. I end up reading 4 or 5 books on once. I figured this new book, which actually isn't on my reading list, is a quicker read and I can keep up with the blog posts.

Sooo... I came across The No Spend Year on a news site and thought it sounded interesting, so I ordered it. It's written by a British author so some of the details are more relevant to UK readers, but the overall idea still works here, across the pond.

The Friday after American Thanksgiving has become known as Black Friday - the biggest shopping day of the year. In some minimalist and anti-consumerism circles, it is also known as No Spend Day, sort of a counter-balance to the crazy shopping that usually takes place. The author thought that it required more than just one day and toyed with a week, a month, and then decided on a year.

Other than the necessities, she couldn't spend money on eating out, coffee shops, car or bus transportation, no gifts, no holidays. Basically, she could spend money on groceries and toiletries. Her husband, who wasn't bound by the no spend challenge, did join her for the grocery challenge.

This first section looks at how to save money when shopping for groceries: buy no-name brand, shop the discount grocery stores, don't shop while hungry, plan your meals ahead of time, etc. A lot of this stuff isn't new to me so I can't say there were any ah-hah moments in there.

She also touched on the issue of saving. Pay down your consumer debt and make sure you have an emergency fund. Yup, got those covered.

I'm hoping there might be some better tidbits of wisdom in upcoming chapters.

History Thieves - Ian Cobain - Part 1

The History Thieves - Ian Cobain

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 42

 February 11, 2017 

Book 13 - The History Thieves
by Ian Cobain (2016)
 Part 1 - Pages 1-320
Reading Time - 4 hours

Another book not on my official reading list. This one came more from a personal, research interest. I had read Cobain's other book, Cruel Britannia (how Britain has used rendition and torture) a few years ago.

This book was disturbing. To learn that the United Kingdom is one of the most secretive democracies in the world. The UK has a long-standing culture of secrecy, rooted in the class system. The upper classes, who generally rule the country, have always had that sort of gentleman's code. Don't talk about stuff. The thing is... "nothing is more carefully concealed than the extent to which concealment is being practiced".

Secret archives that are denied to exist... until they are revealed.

Colonial archives that document torture as the UK empire collapsed in the 1950s and 60s. Archives that were either weeded and destroyed or shipped to the UK to reside in the aforementioned secret archives.

Secret trials that are becoming more and more commonplace.

Declassified files that are released to the National Archives, until they cause a commotion and then are quietly removed back into a government department.

I didn't know that the UK lacks a right to "Freedom of Speech". I didn't know that all official documents are automatically considered secret. But I will say this... having just read 1984 by George Orwell, I now have a better understanding of what he could see coming in the mid 1940s when he wrote the book. What is happening in the UK today is Orwellian.

Cutting Your Car Use - Randall Ghent - Part 1

Cutting Your Car Use -
Randall Ghent & Ana Semlyen

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 41

 February 10, 2017 

Book 12 - Cutting Your Car Uses
by Randall Ghent with Anna Semlyen (2009)
 Part 1 - Pages 1-128
Reading Time - 1 hour

I saw this book on the New Non-Fiction shelf at the library and couldn't resist. It's a tiny little book and a quick read.

Did you know 25% of all car trips in America (I presume North America) are less than 1 mile? I know we are culprits ourselves... the corner store is just down the hill, 6 houses away and... well... we often jump in the truck and drive! Mea culpa!!

We all know this... walking and biking are healthier for us... and better for the environment. Better for our pocket books too. When I read this book last week, I was all psyched to get my bike out of the shed, pump up the tires and take it for a spin but... we got smacked with a winter storm and 25 cm of snow. So much for snow biking.

Part of the problem, I realize... is that we do not live in a very walkable neighbourhood. Houses in our neighbourhood have a Walk Score of 11, which means, "Almost all errands require a car". Oh pooh. (Mind you... the house I grew up in back home, has a Walk Score of 3, so I guess things could be worse!)

You can check your Walk Score for your house on www.walkscore.com. Just enter your address and see what pops up. After that, you can use the Travel Time Map to map out how far you can get with 20 minutes of walking, 20 minutes of biking, etc.

The city in which we live has an average walk score of 45, which is not great... Just out of curiosity, I entered my sister's address. She and her family live in Kitsilano, Vancouver... Yeah... her place has a Walk Score of 97!!! (A Walker's Paradise). Ugh.

Down by the waterfront, here at home, you can get a condo with a Walk Score of 86. Not bad...

The thing is... I know that if I jump on my bike, I can be in most places I need to get to in 10-15 minutes. That doesn't include Superstore, Costco, Home Depot or any of those Big Box Stores that we frequent in the name of affordability. Would we save money if we shopped at Country Grocer and Home Hardware? Possibly... I'd sure get a work out if I rode my bike home with a backpack full of groceries. Maybe it's not all or nothing... but a compromise.

And... I know... I haven't mentioned transit at all... cause I've never tried it. Although I do use it all the time in Vancouver. Anyhow, this book got me thinking... about how we use the car. And about our alternatives... given our Walk Score of 10.

Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer - Part 4

Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 40

 February 9, 2017 

Book 11 - Eating Animals
by Safran Foer (2009)
 Part 4 - Pages 203-267
Reading Time - 1 hour

This is where the shit hits the fan. Or maybe the rubber hits the road. What to do?

Look, we all know factory farms are horror shows. The very term "factory farm" is an oxymoron. Factory and Farm would have been considered two complete opposites 100 years ago.

Factory - urban, mechanized, hectic, efficiency
Farm - rural, pastoral, peaceful, patience

Animal husbandry (taking care of animals) has been replaced by something else... And we are the driving force. We look for shampoo that hasn't been tested on animals but.. we buy meat that is produced in exceedingly cruel systems. All so we can have some cheap meat... or meat every day.

Does the pleasure justify the means?

The thing is... factory farms have succeeded because they have divorced us from our food. We don't know where our meat comes from anymore. We can't go and visit the farms and learn where our sirloin steak comes from.

The author makes a case for vegetarianism. I get that. It's his personal decision. I don't know that I can make that same choice. I still want to eat eggs and cheese and meat. But... I don't want to eat any of it if it has suffered the way factory animals suffer.

Sooo... we are researching local farms. There's a bison farm somewhere near here. There are small-scale chicken operations. There are sheep farms. I want to support the real farmer - the 1% of farmers who are NOT factory farmers. So...

• Eat Local
• Eat less meat - maybe 3 times a week or less
• Shop at Farmer's Markets
• Raise our own chickens/ducks for eggs

It's a start. We know it will likely cost more. But if we eat less meat, it should balance out.

Ultimately... it comes back to my experience in Vietnam. Seeing dogs and cats in misery as they went to a miserable death before ending up on someone's plate. It's the same with pigs, chickens, cows, sheep. Misery is misery. I don't want to eat flesh that has had a miserable existence. The only way the system will change is if we vote... with our feet... with our wallets... with our shopping carts.

Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer - Part 3

Eating Animals -
Jonathan Safran Foer

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 39

 February 8, 2017 

Book 11 - Eating Animals
by Safran Foer (2009)
 Part 3 - Pages 123-202
Reading Time - 1.5 hours

I can't even begin to describe this section of the book. Let's just say... the 1918 Spanish Flu (you know, the one that killed millions) started as a bird flu. You've heard of H1N1 too? Another bird flu with a bit of a pig flu strain in there. Sick birds are more likely to create another pandemic bird flu... and guess what factory farms create? Yup, sick birds. Scary stuff.

The author describes the slaughter process for chickens. It's not pretty. What's more concerning though is that 95% of chickens are infected with E. coli. And that 39-75% of chickens in retail stores are still infected. That's due to the contamination with fecal matter (chicken poo). And let's not enough talk about the botched executions. Bottom line... our sustenance, our cheap meat comes from misery.

The other thing... well, there are many other things... but this one other thing... the environmental problem of what to do with the 1000s of tonnes of shit that get produced by chickens, pigs and cows. It wasn't always a problem. Farmers would take the poo and turn it into manure (which takes time) and then spread it on their fields as fertilizer. A nice cycle. But nowadays, because we eat more meat than any culture in the entire history of the world, factory farms are producing shit faster than anyone can use it. So what happens? It leaks into the ground water and the surface water and causes health problems in surrounding and downstream communities.

The American Public Health Association has urged a moratorium on factory farming, citing health concerns. But will we give up our cheap meat? Cause the only thing that will make a difference is if WE demand a change.