How much money would you throw away?

[KosmicKat]

Think about this. How much money (coins, notes, valuables &c.) would you put out for garbage collection in a week?

The reason I ask is, western civilization is undeniably wasteful; I throw away packaging, I throw away wasted food, I throw away cat litter. I even spend money on bags to hold all the waste.

What I am really doing is discarding money.

Today I should be putting in another fence post that was given to me by the forest. The only cost to me was a little energy and time to collect it. This is a lesson I am trying to learn, and build on.

[DeDukshyn]

Sure we paid for all that stuff, but it is all crap anyway - stuff we should never buy ... the whole circle of consumerism is stupid.
The story of stuff might be fitting for this thread (it may be slightly off the main topic but close I think) - at least it may give a little more insight for others into consumerism. There's a few other good mini-docs on this sight as well:

http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/

[StarDust]

Sure packaging cost money but that is built into the price of an item. However, I recycle just about everything so I don't feel that bad about it.

[ghostrider]

the trap of the matrix, buy stuff, use stuff, throw away stuff, buy more stuff, we really only need food , water, shelter. the rest is just stuff. I wish there was no money at all , if we shared, and looked out for one another, no one in the world would do without. give the bailout money to the entire U. S. population it would be less than 800 billion and everyone's a millionaire with no debt.

[Carmen]

The idea and implementation of sustainability can be satisfying and fun, and is a total "rethink" of the "throw away" mentality!! All of our left over food is eaten or utilized in some way. My fridge soup and fridge casseroles are legendary in my family. Consists of all the fridge leftovers creatively recreated!! Otherwise spoilt foodstuff goes to the hens or the pigs or the compost.

Op shopping for clothes is a very cost effective exercise and it's amazing the clothes that people discard or maybe grow out of.

Buying tools and machinery to create for oneself is a counter to wasteage. I have a grinder to grind my own flour, plenty of gardening tools including a sythe to cut grass and crops. Most of my tools are hand tools not dependent on electricity.

This change of thinking from throwing away to usefulness, doing without and sustainability takes a bit of change. I have had the privilege of knowing about earth changes and social collapse for about thirty years. I was very dismissive and shocked for some time but as I very gradually started making some changes and one change built on the last. Also when prophesies started to eventuate it hastened my action. The most difficult part is making a start! Once we do that, ideas and action come thick and fast. It is never too late to change our mind.

[gypsybutterflykiss]

Ahh, yes... "stuff". Who could live without it? I'm joking. "Stuff" drives me crazy some days. ((sigh)).

[conk]

Just last night I was tossing out broccoli stalks....STOP, wait, think, oh yeah, the dog's love this stuff. So, slightly cooked and chopped, they make an excellent supplement for our canine kids. Now, if I could just get them to eat my old tennis shoes.