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About this Blog

In April 2019, the original Back to Basics Blog was moved, at which time the focus was sharpened. Originally encouraging a broader goal — to live simply — this new format is similar, but it is now focused on something more specific: Useful information about how to NOT buy stuff.

You might call this, “information the greedy capitalists don’t want you to hear.” It’s a sad fact that today’s corporations are treated like people, yielding them too much control over our culture and our way of life, as if they were our teachers or mentors. Led more by economic desires than moral wisdom, we as a nation have gotten overly adept at shopping and buying, often to the detriment of our collective common sense.

I am not declaring that every corporation greedily exploits us any more than I deem all consumption as wasteful. I do, however, start to worry when our first reaction to every need is to grab the credit card. I worry about the fact that our every action brings a reaction to some boardroom out there. We need a beacon to lure mankind back from our hyper-dependence to capitalism, because we don’t deny the problem exists, we just pretend to be powerless to its hypnotic charms.

Stemming from an old-fashioned perspective I’ve favored all my life, I have information those board members hope I never share. This includes three basic facts:

1.) Know-how is a valuable possession.

2.) Much can be acquired without having it wrapped in plastic and delivered in cardboard.

3.) The independence that comes from not buying stuff — especially foreign-made junk — can be more exhilarating that shopping.

You’ll never find this in any advertisement, because this information won’t sell products. It will just connect you to a reality rooted in a do-it-yourself culture, appreciation for the planet, and a love of independence.