Today I wanted to feature a few frugal articles that caught my eye this week. Curl up in your favorite reading nook and enjoy. Hopefully these encourage you to live frugal lives!
A Counterculture Spirit Flourishes, Preserved Under Fiberglass Domes by Patricia Leigh Brown
When I was in college, I lived in an old residence hall with a drab blue carpet. I didn’t get much of a choice about where I lived or roommate. Thus, I was socked away in a hall that was perpetually too hot and overcrowded. But there’s another, cooler way. Over at UC Davis, there’s an incredible cooperative community residence hall. They grow plants, vote democratically, and are all around awesome!
Oxfam Study Finds Richest 1% Is Likely to Control Half of Global Wealth by 2016 by Patricia Cohen
The New York Times’ Patricia Cohen found that major economic studies suggest that about 80 people have the wealth of 3.5 billion people. Oxfam and other charities/NGOs are working to educate everyone about this vast income and wealth inequality that affects us all.
The Possibility in Blank Spaces by Cheryl Moreau
The consumption culture tends to find empty spaces… for lack of a better term, empty. Finding something blank or empty feels like a void — as if something is missing that should be present. Cheryl writes about this problem, and how she looked past emptiness and saw freedom. Brilliant thought piece!
Why Is No One Talking Medium-Term Financial Goals? by Stefanie O’Connell
Stefanie asks one of the most important questions about creating medium-term financial goals. Unfortunately, most people don’t plan or budget for the middle years particularly well. Retirement accounts may grow, and emergency funds might protect, but there’s often this palpable absence of the medium-term. Stefanie takes a crack at fixing that for us.
The Oxfam article reminds me of this thing my economist friends told me about Keynes. Apparently Keynes believed that periods of great economic inequality, like the one we’re in now, were only sustainable / could avoid revolution if those with great wealth were actively investing into public goods. Like the railroads or large construction projects in the Gilded Age. By hoarding their money, the wealthiest only serve to ensure their own vilification. Which makes me wonder, what are the very rich actually doing with their money anyway?
I think you accidentally linked to me in #2 š
Oh no! That was a carried over link from the previous week! Thanks for catching that and letting me know.
Thanks for the shout out Sam! Happy weekend!
You’re welcome! š