Finding Other Ways to Get Stuff

We think there's only one way or one set of places to get stuff, but we're wrong

My next task to avoid giving money to billionaires is to make a list of the products I regularly use and find places locally to buy them. If I can't find them locally, I can try to find a small vendor online. Here are a few examples:

Dr. Bronner's almond bar soap - Rollin Oats (local grocery store)

Bar shampoo - I can probably find this locally made by an artisan. I need to do some more research on it. I've used and loved the bar shampoo by Naples Soap Company, but because there isn't a local place to get it, I'm paying shipping on something that otherwise needs no packaging.

Optimum Wellness whey protein powder - This is a big one, especially with regard to shipping. I will try to find it locally but can order it directly from the manufacturer for a higher price than Amazon. It's an Irish company whose largest shareholder is a group of farmers.

Kashi Go Toasted Berry Crunch - This is a tough one. The regular-sized box of this is tiny, so I prefer the Family Size. Well, it is impossible to find anywhere other than Walmart. It's bizarre as they have the regular size in my local grocery store.

Systane Balance eye drops - Did you know many eye drops cost as much as $28 per OUNCE? It's a huge racket. These drops cost up to $15-20 for one tiny bottle. I always bought them at Walgreens until they raised the price significantly. I just found them for $23 for a two-pack, which is really good. It's a company called OTC Superstore out of Framingham, MI. Are they trustworthy? Not sure.

This process will continually evolve as I find new vendors and products become available. With tariffs and scarcity of materials, getting things may prove more difficult in the future. I suggest you start thinking about the things you can't live without and how you will obtain them if production and distribution are interrupted like they were during Covid.

I know it is comforting to think that we can keep living the way we do indefinitely, but I fear that will not be the case. The world is changing, and we need to evolve with it to some extent. Capitalism is not sustainable in ANY WAY. It never was. None of the relative “luxury" we experience in this country is guaranteed.

When our lives experience upheaval, we tend to go through a period of denial. We think things will right themselves quickly. But then time goes by, and we don't change our habits to reflect our new situation. Right now is the time when we all should be practicing how to live with less. Because we're going to have less. And the more we prepare, the less painful it will be. The less we prepare, the more painful it will be and the more we will fight it (to no avail). When I'm scrolling Facebook, I see so much denial. In fact, I think the entire American experience is denial of the true state of the world. When we buy cheap things from Temu or Shein, that is a denial of the damage those companies do to people's lives. But we can't see that damage, so we happily order from them. Americans are uniquely responsible for so much damage to poor countries, whether through our “wars" on them or through our diehard support of capitalism. And, I get a special feeling when I hear people say, “I'm poor and that's why I shop at Walmart/Temu/Amazon/Shein.” Those companies will make sure you and your neighbors stay poor (and the world slides further into climate catastrophe).

I'm getting ready to invite my women friends to get together to discuss our finances. I was having coffee with a friend recently, and during the conversation she told me how much money she had in the bank. I was surprised that I had more than her. And I was reminded that we never talk about money with our friends. I want us all to share what we have, what we have coming in, how we spend our money, what our plan is for our retirement, what our plan is if the bottom drops out of the economy, etc. We are all in our own little silos trying to figure this out on our own when we could be sharing ideas and supporting each other. This isn't poker. We don't need to hide our hands.

Boycotts

Y'all, boycotts are great! And very effective! But, please please please do your research before following a random static list of companies to boycott that you find online. The best way to decide if you want to boycott a company for political reasons is to check OpenSecrets. It is the most established source of political donation information. I'm seeing people online saying they're going to boycott LL Bean or Tito's because of some crazy list they found, neither of which supports conservative agendas. There's a new “Goods Unite" app that is very inaccurate. I don't recommend using it. There's also a difference between the company or its CEO donating to political causes and just other of its employees. You can’t control what all your employees do, and those actions don't necessarily represent the views of the organization.

Please before wasting your precious mental energy to boycott a company, do your research. If you want to boycott, start off with these easy ones: Starbucks (they are union busters), Home Depot (racist), Chick-fil-A (support anti-LGBT causes), Hobby Lobby (deny employees birth control coverage and try to impose their religious beliefs through legislation), Publix (big GOP supporters and supported J6 rally), Target (rolled back DEI and severed relationships with Black vendors), Temu (exploitative). If you are boycotting a company, you should be able to tell someone the specific reason you're doing that and provide evidence. This is the most effective way to get someone to listen to you and join your boycott.

Sharing Your Stuff

A big part of life outside capitalism involves sharing your stuff. Sometimes, that means giving stuff away or swapping your stuff for other people’s stuff.

It can also mean lending your stuff to people. I found this cool app while strolling around the interwebs. It’s the Toolstash app.

I haven't tested it out yet (as I don't have much storage for things to lend out), but if you do, I'd love to hear about your experience. It appears to be only for iPhone.

Self Care

Now, more than ever, I am trying to force myself to engage in self care. This means drinking water, taking vitamins, keeping my apartment clean, exercising, etc. I set these items up as “tasks" in my task app (Taskito) so they will be right in front of my face every day. Not only does engaging in these tasks reduce my stress but it keeps me healthy so I'll hopefully need to spend less on medical care.

What things could you be doing on a daily or weekly basis to take care of your physical and mental health?

⏰️ Currently

💰 Trying to focus on saving money as much as I can

🏡 Keeping an eye on properties up north and the situation in the world

🧘‍♀️ Practicing deep breathing and being in the moment