Bonfire of the Brands

Eden — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:30:00 +0000

I recently discovered the Bonfire of the Brands website and book, thanks to the Good Consumer video I talked about a few days ago.

I really love the idea behind this site and I ordered the book. Below are a few excellent quotes (my titles in bold) from the website. I recommend taking more time to read it yourself—there is a lot of great content to be found.

The Basic Problem:

These are the facts: Chain stores dominate our high streets. Adverts dominate our media. And brands dominate our culture – to the extent that owning the right products defines what it is to be normal. For some people this isn’t an issue – they shop for pleasure, they love the big brands, and they feel comfortable being sold to all day. I’m not one of those people. Well, not anymore. I’ll give you three reasons why:

1. Non-essential consumption is a root cause of the situation we find ourselves in today – the environment, the economy and popular culture are all affected by the drive towards consumer growth.

2. Consumerism doesn’t work – in that it’s supposed to make us happy. Not in any sustainable way. Shopping is like a drug – the instant high is fantastic, but it’s never enough.

3. We’re starting to lose the choice. There are millions of consumer choices on the shelves. But alternatives to consumerism isn’t one of them. It’s virtually impossible to live brand-free and be normal.

Consumerism:

Buy Less Live More

If we don’t shift to a less consumerist and throwaway society, we’ll hit crisis after crisis, and it’s coming soon.

Think about it:

The Mark Of A Moron

It’s surely the mark of an individual to refuse to be branded. It’s daft to spend money on Nike clothes. The mark of a moron. Anyone who does so has been merely duped by the million-dollar marketing campaigns. To buy Nike shows a sheep-like nature and a lack of imagination and style.

Who in their right mind would want to be branded, like a cow? A brand identifies you as someone else’s property. It is the mark of a tamed and exploited animal. Brands promise freedom but they deliver the opposite: the worst kind of slavish conformity.

Bonfire of the Brands

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Looking Back on a Year Without Credit Cards

Eden — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:30:00 +0000

I started this blog in September, 2007 with about $25,000 in credit card debt. As I write today, I’m down to about $10,000 remaining. I did not add any new credit card debt and I focused my efforts on paying extra on my credit cards before any other debts. Along the way, I have paid for some car repairs, dental emergencies, and two new computers. All with cash of course!

So how did I, a credit-card-crazed-consumer who had spent $25,000 beyond my means, make such a great change?

I made a decision to stop living beyond my means.
I made a budget and started to follow it.
I destroyed my credit cards (all but one) and I don’t carry the one remaining card in my wallet*.
I used my budget and extra income to reduce the debt.

You may think you can’t get through life without credit cards—I admit that it was a little scary and difficult at first, but it is entirely possible. I’ve stayed in hotels and rented cars without credit cards. I’ve booked airline flights and handled unexpected car repairs. All you need is a debit card and actual money and you’ll be just fine.

Credit cards are tightly woven into the typical American lifestyle these days. Surely the banks would like us to believe they are necessary judging by the advertisements they flood us with. However, thanks to the current financial crisis, some of us are finally starting to wake up and realize that our current path will only lead to failure.

I’m writing to you as a normal guy who was once part of the credit-card-crazed, consumerist culture. If I can break free, you can too.

Don’t let the media fool you into thinking you need credit cards and don’t think it’s normal to spend money you don’t have. At least give the credit-card-free life a try—you can always go back to living in debt if you find you miss the feeling.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I currently have 2 active credit card accounts (the two remaining cards I am paying off) and I have 1 physical card in my possession. I don’t carry it with me and I haven’t used it for more than a year now, but it is at home and available if I every truly ‘need’ it. I plan to get rid of it as soon as I have a fully-funded emergency fund (6 – 12 months of expenses).

Looking Back on a Year Without Credit Cards

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Bonfire of the Brands

Looking Back on a Year Without Credit Cards