What the Heck is 3 Trillion Dollars?

Does it feel like Washington D.C. has gone delirious? I'm not living in fear but continue to remain cautious about the imbalanced euphoria in believing that spending will set anyone free. Personal experience dictates otherwise. Freedom!

Benefits of a 4-Day Fast

Just completed a 4-day fast: 3 days of water only and 1 day of juice only. Today, and the rest of this week, I will gradually return to my next-to-regular-way of eating with vegan intakes. Already, I only eat chicken, fish, shellfish, and turkey products. I gave up pork quite a while ago and beef in the last year. I still enjoy the taste of red meat but my body does not digest it well at all so I let it go - even the occasional steak went bye-bye. (I will taste it if invited to someone's home and I live to tell about it. Not a big deal. (smiling))

Here were some of the benefits of my recent fast:

• Fasting allowed my body to rid itself of toxins as it also forced me to slow down and rest. I rested in the same way you might do when you have the flu except I had no fever, cough, or runny nose. (There are many websites that explain this process. Check them out. keywords: benefits of fasting.) I still got a lot done!


• The fast temporarily relieved me of chronic hay fever-like symptoms and I breathed clearly without any obstructions.


• My mind became decluttered and my anxious tendencies were calmed. Often my stomach jitters even after a full meal and throughout the night. No jitters during the fast.


• Fasting forced me to focus on the basic needs for rest and rejuvenation. I also meditated through prayer. As I realized my helplessness to complete this journey without some supernatural help, I simultaneously became strengthened in my spiritual connection to Almighty God.


• On day 4 when I began drinking 100% juice and water, my energy increased exponentially and I felt an unusual wellness within me. I didn't crave any food at all. Throughout the day, I only consumed about 50 ounces of juice and I felt very content and inner peace ruled the me!


• Fasting brought on clarity within my mind, heart, soul, and spirit. It gave me an incredible boost in being able to plan personal activities and projects for the months to come whereas before the fast, I had hit a "wall" or obstructions in my thinking.


• I feel like I can take on the world today as my positive attitude has been reinforced!

Another side benefit of fasting: no dishes to wash and less waste. I became keenly aware of how much time I use, just to eat, by how much time became available from not washing dishes, preparing meals, and storing food. I had nothing to throw away and nothing to clean. Already, I don't eat out much which takes more time to find parking, select items, order the food, wait for the food, eat, and wait for the check, wait for the change, you get the picture.

I am hoping the vegan diet this week will reset how I consume food for the rest of the year. It's all an adventure! I will likely fast at least 2 more times this years. It's quite liberating to go without food for a while! Freedom!

Which States Have No State Income Tax? Increase the Bartering!

If you are thinking about moving to avoid state income taxes, the following list from about.com leads the way to go:

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and
Wyoming.

Two states tax only dividend and interest income:
New Hampshire - a flat 5% tax on dividends and interest income over $2,400 per (or $4,800 if married filing a joint return).
Tennessee - a flat 6% tax on dividends and interest income over $1,250 per year (or $2,500 if married filing a joint return). More Tax Planning: U.S. Quick Tips
zSB(3,3)

Though I have no intentions of leaving my home state of California anytime soon, anything is possible in the future. Based only on state taxes and weather, of course, I would likely consider Texas or Tennesee. However, taxes are likely higher on property, sales, etc. Still seems best for me to live on as little as possible and do as many d.i.y. projects as I can manage. I can only be taxed when government currency exchanges from one source to another. Otherwise, life remains tax-free. When will we all wake up and increase the bartering or simply increase helping each other without charging? Furthermore, check out the federal rules for giving tax-free gifts of under $12,000. It reiterates that we can't give "gifts" for services. Well, I do like to show appreciation to those who help me so I simply won't call it a gift if we decide to barter over and above a $12,000 project in a very moral way. (laughing).

Government can't legally tax us for being friendly, neighborly, or loving and so, it is in government's best interest for us to distrust each other, keep our distance, and pay for all services and goods so that it can collect a tax and spend, spend, spend it in the name of plutocracy. Hmm! I don't want to live that way!

We have so much potential to collectively work around taxes and so many people already know and practice these opportunities. I am enjoying thinking about the possibilites! I will keep seeking! Freedom!

"Death of a Dream?" Really?

Check out "Death of a Dream," by Joel Kotkin in the Newsweek article online. It's a perfect example of negative voices that focus on splotches of evidence among a minority of California residents without considering the dispositions of the majority. Over 30 million people live in California. Mr. Kotkin decided to focus on a tiny sliver of the plutocracy which primarily includes politicians, Hollywood, and the dotcom industry to summarize his views of an entire state in the middle of crisis. While I respect his point-of-view, I can't allow it to debase my own thinking about creating and maintaining a fruitful life that can positively impact my own "little world." No matter where you live, it will not be perfect.

I've learned that wherever you go, there you are. I must make my life work for me no matter who is "in charge" because dreaming, working, seeking are all personal responsibilities. I do not put my hope in bureaucracy, government policies, politicians, the wealthy. No. My hope remains in the source, God.

Please don't be discouraged by the negative critics. Analysis, yes! Negativity full of doom and gloom, no! I'm learning that life's beauty remains more of an internal process than external. I can be very content in the middle of crisis. I don't need to run when trouble strikes. I'm learning to ride the waves and surf through it all especially in California! Freedom!

Enjoy Life!

We have so much to be grateful for and I intend to enjoy it! The best things in life are still free! Freedom!

Tax Me More, I'll Spend Less

The State of California finally passed a budget full of tax increases. No need for me to panic or spend my life's energy caught up in a debate that I am powerless to solve or erase. However, I have choices in how I behave with my own money: Frugal people like me will likely spend less or utilize more ways to pay for items out of state and have them shipped to us.

Our new budget will raise the sales tax which will motivate me to buy fewer and fewer unnecessary items, sticking ony to the necessities. Already, I cook most of my meals at home and eat out about twice a month. I don't take big vacations any more, so all of the taxes that slip in to vacate don't apply to me. (Plus, there are lots of less taxing options for travel such as trips to state/national parks, monuments, and venues. Luckily, they did not raise taxes on gas, which almost happened.)

I rarely pay for big ticket entertainment like I did many years ago, so extra spending that revolves around parking, souvenirs, snacks, etc. will not fall on me. Still, the best way to avoid sales taxes is to not buy taxable goods and services. Then, they can continue to blame the economy on people who won't spend. Yikes! A co-worker recently told me living like this isn't fun. To me, it's more fun choosing a meaningful lifestyle that doesn't revolve around spending money - which remains an unnatural, inorganic way to live.

Personal income tax increases will motivate me to increase tax sheltering options or make less money and stay at home. Hmmmmm, contrarian thinking. The less I can live on, the less I need to work, the less in personal taxes I will have to pay. I can enjoy more of what money can't buy and I highly value free time to creatively do whatever I want to do which, as of now, can't be taxed!

If a person has a lot of debt or lives a highly consumeristic lifestyle, furlough days and pay cuts are extremely frightening. While I don't like pay cuts, I see this recession as an opportunity to rethink and tune up what I value most and it's still freedom. So, what else can I cut back on in the weeks to come so that I won't have to pay more taxes? What else do I need to let go of so that I can spend more time at home or in tax-free community with others? I refuse to waste my energy working up a sweat about what politicians are imposing on me. Since I am a native Californian with no intentions of moving to another state - at least not yet, this is my best personal response: change my own behavior and work around their humpty-dumpty system. It's challenging. It's uncomfortable. It's empowering! Freedom!

Creating Levity

(Please feel free to use these photos in your own publications.)

Spinach growing in my garden.

Jade plant in the front yard.

Lilacs blooming on side west side of my house.

Calla lily in the front yard.


African lily in the back yard.

I invite you to silence your radio, turn off your TV, walk away from your computer and toward whatever creates levity in your life, if only for a few minutes. Plants help me regroup and eliminate stress. I choose to enjoy more of what the economy will never provide for me and realize that I am and will be fine! God is my source!

Freedom!

My Little 1995 Truck Passed the Smog Test Today!

First, if you live in California, cars older than 6 years old must be tested every two years to make sure they aren't over-polluters. It's a great racket, uh, business. I found a coupon at http://www.smogtips.com/ which helped reduce the cost by $30. I paid a total of $59 - just $9 more than I paid 2 years ago.

I sat in the lobby trying not to hold my breath because although I've kept up the maintenance on the truck, thoughts kept piercing through telling me, "It's an old truck with almost 200,000 miles, don't be surprised if it doesn't pass, girlie!" Ha! It passed!

The best part about the experience, after the price, was talking to the owner of the business: He was a man who wanted to talk and had something to say. So, as he finished the testing, we connected in a very friendly, platonic way.

Get a load of this: Yesterday, I intentionally visited another Smog Check business on a holiday in the pouring rain with the expectation of making a deal. I was absolutely the only person who walked in for the test and was ready to pay cash. What these shops charge for the service isn't regulated by the state. The guy told me he was going to charge me $69 to start plus vehicles from 1995 and older now need a 2nd "new" test for which he was charging another $20. (I verified the new test on the Internet last night as I also found the online coupon.) I said, "Okay, I'll check around elsewhere, thanks."

As I walked out back into the pouring rain, he told me if I find it cheaper, he'll do it for $10 less. WHAT????? You have got to be kidding me, right? The man who wants to make a buck often finds a way to not let money walk out of the door during a recession on a rainy day. Why would I come back to him if I find it for less? I thought, he really doesn't want to make any money today. He let me walk out of the door with cash in my purse. I came to do business but he let me walk away! I was stunned! Yes, I had mumbling words that were sarcastic! Please, God, forgive me.

Glad to have choices in doing business! Glad I didn't wait until the last minute to get this done which gives me far more options to pay less. Freedom!

Living Outside of the Debt and Stuff Enslavement System

Just before Thanksgiving 2008, I finished Harriet Tubman by the brilliant researcher Catherine Clinton who, by the way, wamly responded to my email that I sent stating how she enlightened me.

Tubman remains one of my favorite real life heroes but I was struck by how she crafted dozens of runs to free so many slaves but did not adequately prepare for her own retirement in Canada: Over the course of many years, cash flowed into Tubman's life from abolitionists yet she did not put any of it away for later living: She struggled to make ends meet in old age. (From another source I learned that her contemporary, Sojourner Truth, lived in a paid for home in the 1800's. Certainly, if Truth can do it, I can too!)

Another odd and interesting fact: Tubman was committed to freeing her family and was able to motivate her aging parents, siblings, and their families to run and live outside of the slave system. Her husband, John Tubman, however, chose to remain a slave. This broke Harriet's heart and I know we can read into the variables affecting his decision but it baffles the mind to know someone who can set you free yet we choose to remain enslaved. He remarried another slave and stayed within the system. (Guess she said, "I love ya, baby, but I got to go. Can't live like this no mo'. (LOL))

This is exactly how I perceive many people who don't want to live outside of the "being broke with debt and stuff system or being an enabler."

The broke enablers don't want to confront the addicted or extremely dependent ones they are supporting so they claim that this self-destructive behavior of giving away huge sums of their earnings is what they are on the earth to do. Some people seem to prefer to remain broke decade after decade and will recite the "the comforts of enslavement" to you. They are only fooling other slaves, not the frugal and free. I'm not convinced that such a line of reasoning correlates to God's best for mankind.

An incredible body of information to financial freedom can be found online and, of course, libraries, bookstores, etc. Most folks know at least one wise individual or couple who are exceptional in handling their resources and money. Often, the broke folks shun the wise and free as if they are intergalactic aliens when coins are jangling in their pockets yet, praise the same when they spend their last dime a few days or weeks before payday.

Freedom from the enslavement of debt isn't a mystery. The Bible has clear instructions but if you don't believe in it, check out the non-biblical resources in the new blibliography I've posted. Universal truths are true whether or not you believe God is the source of them or not: The principles work. In 2004, I stumbled on Dave Ramsey and a plethora of information began chasing me down. I couldn't resist! It made too much sense and as challenging as it was and still is to control my human nature, as the slave system of debt and stuff beckon me back into the game, I love my freedom and I'm not going back. Freedom!

Single and No Valentine? Becoming Better, Not Bitter!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the 6 billion+ people in the world!

This message is targeted to the singles without a "special" Valentine: All you need is love! (Thanks Jesus and The Beatles!) Even if you had a special committed one-on-one romantic relationship, it's never enough. You've got to have those other friends and connections to make life balanced and fun. The more love I give, more love boomerangs back to me both from expected and unexpected sources.

One very important key to experiencing the abundant love around me is to let go of fantasies and accept whatever people have to offer: If some of the folks in my life can only offer me a paper clip, then I'll take it and make it useful... I won't put them on the shelf. Those willing and able to journey the deep waters of life with me, my soul becomes restored by their devotion and I experience incredible comfort and healing. However, I won't torture the paper clip bearers with how extensively the deep water navigators demonstrate their love for me nor will I attempt to change them. That's not fair! I just let them be! I've chosen not to feel cheated by the paper clippers because they do help my life in small ways as they do help keep small things connected and in one place. I'm taking it all in and enjoying the ride!

So, singles, make it your special day to love yourself then love others as you love yourself! I'm certainly not moaning and whining about not having one special Valentine 'cause I really have an abundance of love in my life through various healthy relationships! Love and Freedom!

Are You Blooming?

From Matthew 5:1-16 (Message Translation)
1.
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down
2.
and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3.
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5.
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6.
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7.
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
8.
"You're blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9.
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10.
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11.
"Not only that - count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.
12.
You can be glad when that happens - give a cheer, even! - for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
13.
"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.
15.
If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.
16.
Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

FREEDOM!

Please Don't Blame the Recession on the Frugal Consumers

I continue to read articles that blame the current recession on consumers who won't SPEND. Oh brother! The media somehow twist our frugal choices as harmful to the country. I find these accusations extraordinarily BIZARRE!

• Frugal people chose to spend and use our resources with as little waste or flamboyance as possible.
• Frugal people are in all economic groups and classes. Frugal people spend money we actually have instead of borrowing and re-entering enslavement.
• Yes, we enjoy many things money can buy but mostly the stuff money can't buy and far more of it. Frugal people are often very generous.

In a spend, spend, spend culture, folks are too busy to acknowledge the wisdom found in the natural world of sustainability, no waste, abundant provision without exploitation. I simply don't need more than I really need. I don't want what I don't want.

I don't want an American car. As my 14 year-old Toyota truck hits 200,000 miles in the next few months, I am saving to BUY another Toyota or Honda. My Ford Escort bailed out on me in 1995 with less than 7 years and 100,000 miles after several crazy/expensive repairs. So leave me alone about supporting the American auto industry since. I support anyone's decision to pay cash or near cash for a new or used car to help the ailing American auto industry which gave up its lead for greed a long time ago.

I want to SPEND some money in home improvements on my little house but if I can't pay cash for it, I can live without it. I can wait and save the money unless the government wants to include me in the stimulus package. Oh, but since I'm not behind in my mortgage, I don't qualify for the discussion. Of course my renegade lender regularly emails me about taking out a HELoc to spend and consolidate debts I don't have or make improvements. Are you kidding me? My one mortgage is my last debt and they want to "help me out" by giving me more debt. I surrender to Dave Ramsey's plan and he won't let me! (smiling)

I plan to buy a few items under $1000 this year using my debit card or cash. I AM SPENDING just not as much nor as fast as most big SPENDERS. Every little bit counts but it counts more to me in my emergency/disaster fund: After the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, I have no reason to believe it will quickly help if a big earthquake destroys my neighborhood. I must have enough cash to evacuate and set up a new temporary tent.

If the roofing on my house caves or if I need to replace the 30-year old furnace this year, guess who will be spending cash to fix it? It's not fun to spend those funds on what I don't need or want. If I had to choose, I'd rather be dirt poor and free than owe another dime to a bailed out bank. I'm not going back to that life! Freedom!

Compassion for Mom of Octuplets Needed...Media, Go Away!

Based on my own experiences with confronting mental illness in my own family gene pool, and past periods of depression and anxiety within myself, I am assessing that the mom of the new octuplets needs our compassion far more than our judgment. Our country has a very poor record of how we address the mentally ill and I refuse to go along with how the media attempts to create opportunities to judge this woman. I find the interviews and articles frightening in setting her up as some type of scam artist. You have got to be kidding!

I want to challenge all of the pro lifers out there who have those blazing bumper stickers on your trucks, vans, and cars, (I'm a pro lifer but I don't have a bumper sticker) to contribute to improving this woman's situation and not allow those babies to fall into the rickety government-run foster care system. Although she and I live in Los Angeles County, I don't plan to become physically involved. It's easy to write a check but I'm beginning to pray about a meaningful contribution I can make than just a check so I'm starting by attacking the media in this blog: Let her be! I'm not allowing myself to get entangled in "how this could've been avoided" debates. As a realist, I address and respond to matters at hand: Those babies need a "village" if they are going to make it. Will keep you posted on my progress. Freedom!

Good News at Goodyear!

I had my free tire rotation at the Just Tires Store owned by Goodyear this afternoon. I asked the familiar sales guy if Goodyear was laying off and he smiled as he told me not only were they not laying off, but he went over his quota and recently got a raise! It was a pleasure to hear good news about his employer and his own success! I congratulated him, wished him well, and said I'd see him in another 5,000 miles.

I gathered my own free good news without satellite TV or digital switching boxes or newswriters who want to control my thinking. I know, tomorrow is a new day and they may announce layoffs. So, for now, I will enjoy the good news I gathered and I choose to broadcast it myself! Freedom!

Validation - An Excellent Short Film on YouTube

If you have about 16 minutes, check out a wonderful short film about validating others on YouTube! I discovered it from a fellow blogger. I hope you feel inspired. Freedom!

Validation

ENJOY!

My Grandmother Survived the Great Depression...Worrying, Not an Option

As crazy as generational family lines can be, all of us have ancestors who survived worse economic times than what we are currently facing. For me, worrying about the current state of the economy is simply not an option.

Fortunately, my grandmother shared many stories of being a poor teenager in rural Mississippi in the 1930's directly with me. All of her life, she lived frugally and made her own fashionable clothes/hats up until her last few years on the earth. She made most of my clothes until I was about 10 years old but later made my prom dress, a few skirts for work, and almost anything upon request. She never had much income but all of her basic needs were always taken care of and she shared what she had with others as she became very rich in other ways: My grandmother loved to cook and my mother shared stories of the dozens of the people my grandmother fed during her childhood of the 1950's. My grandmother, the seamstress, always had cash flow from sewing for clients and she stashed cash all the time!

In my 20's, my grandmother, who had given up driving when I was a child and knew how to use the fragmented public transportation system in LA County, directed me to drive her with sandwiches and soup she prepared for the homeless "residing" in downtown Los Angeles. She'd collected clothes to give away including some she handmade: She neither needed a government program nor a non-profit to feed hungry people. I will never forget the splinters of hope as we opened up the trunk and passed out what she had prepared. I can see it in my mind even as I write this blog.

I don't have the sewing talent or the willingness to periodically deliver food to masses of hungry people on my own but I did inherit the detachment of not buying if you can make it mindset from her as it was imposed by economics and limited access to education and opportunities. I also inherited trying to make life easier for others throughout the journey with my resources and abilities. I only realized what she really passed on to me in the last 4 years as I eliminated debt.

She ironically died on Valentine's Day, 2004 a few weeks before my 40th birthday: Ironic, because she wasn't the easiet person to get along with yet, turns out, she left the best gift ever! The woman with a 4th grade education turned out to be wiser than us all in home economics and taking community responsibility. She often warned me to not become an educated fool and although I did some foolish things with money that I know she would've never done, I am redeemed by returning to the forced frugality principles she lived by with a fabulous twist in my choice to live simply. Freedom!

Can You Zumba?

I went to the Saturday morning Zumba class at the gym today and boy did she give us an invigorating workout!!! There must have been about 75 of us representing various cultures, youth, seniors, in shape or training to get there. Check it out! Have some frugal fun! Freedom!

Live Strong Website

If you haven't done so already, check out the Live Strong website. I enjoy the holistic approach to personal growth and change. Phenomenal! Freedom!

Letting Go

My Loving People small group discussed issues of letting go last night as we are all determined to facilitate personal growth together this year. Letting go is tough until it starts to ruin your life.

Our great teacher imparted the following to us:

• Loving people are growing people who are continually changing to become better people.


• Safe people are spiritual and willing to look at their "stuff" or adequately self-reflect. They are graceful truthtellers while,


• Unsafe people are religious and "perfect." They are unwilling to learn because there is nothing wrong with them, legalistic, and show little grace.


• Love cannot be fully experienced unless you are growing.


• Trying to change doesn't work but training to change does work.


• Love is seeking and doing what is best for the other person at the expense of your own desires for the relationship.

All loving relationships take focused commitment to keep them healthy and each participant needs to constantly seek personal growth to sustain bonding.

I find it easier to focus on intimate friendships by choosing to live with less debt and less consumerism. (My small group doesn't lend itself to the impact of money issues on lifestyle choices but the connection of real living and letting go of materialism is striking.) My conversations with friends center far more around real life perceptions, ideals, imaginations, and creativity than ones projected on us by all forms of media, advertisements, and celebrity gossip. Even with strangers, the right questions lead us to deeper exchanges of thought, if only for a few moments, than the blathering of radio and TV.

Enjoying more of the stuff that money cannot buy, even though it sometimes feels uncomfortable, allows me to grow into more of my authentic self! Freedom!

Power of Loving Relationships

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I John 4:11-12

When I am in the company of loving friends, the world's problems totally shrink, money problems don't exist, and global warming remains only a theory that I care less and less about. Loving and connecting defeats all fear by increasing our resolve to move forward and face another day knowing that we are not alone in the journey.

I am very fortunate to have others to reach out to only to have them reach back to me...strangers, acquaintances, and friends. I've had exceptionally intimate interactions involving connecting and reconnecting this week. I am enjoying more of the essence of life that money cannot buy: Love and Freedom!

I'm No Professional Economist But...

"Keep It Simple, Steph" has been one of my mantras for several years. While I am not a trained economist and I admittedly don't get the BIG picture of many projects because I can focus on implementing details, it just seems to me that the government is making a terrible move in the giving away of money it doesn't have. Here in California, our elected officials seem totally clueless about money and budgets. What's wrong with these snapshots?

What I do know about personal finance/personal economics still holds true on larger scales: Spending money you don't have only leads to more trouble, stress, insecurity, risk, early death - in some cases. It ends relationships, can lead to crime, doesn't promote harmony. I don't like the current government policies regarding economic stimulus based on my own past stupid mistakes with money. If I trusted government, I'd be scared to death right now. Since I trust God, wisdom, and the fruit and consequences of my own actions - both smart and dumb decisions, I can live in peace right here at home in my sweet little house without buying more stuff with money I don't have. Self control has become one of my greatest assets. Freedom!

Another Excellent Read

Just finished The Overspent American by Juliet Schor. She provides much of the research, surveys, and data that support an objective point-of-view of perilous spending of money you don't really have and how us humans are so vulnerable to traps of spending and keeping up appearances.

Check out Juliet Schor on YouTube. Rethink, react, set yourself free.

Freedom!