Cheers! to a new adventure!

The past few months I have increasingly awakened to the lack of frugality in my life, which is not suprsing, seeing as how I come from a poor background. Raised on Salvation Army 5 dollar "stuff-a-bag" sales, periods of foodstamp use, and the phrase "we can afford it when the financial aid check comes", I think I represent what can happen when someone from a low-income family earns a steady paycheck. In my case, the dreaded monster Compulsive Shopper mated with that devil called Must Have Nice Things, and subsequently produced a bad habbit called Wastefulness. Its a rebound, a cringing away from previous poverty that society looks down upon. In this materialistic society, having alot of really nice things is one way to prove that you are better than society first suspected.

Of course, nothing is wrong with having nice things; however, I cannot help but to feel that having too many nice things is over-indulgent and wasteful, particularily when they cost an arm and a leg.

So in the spirit of creating change and knowledge, I have decided to live frugally for a year.

How do I propose to do this? By returning to the tricks every person raised in a low-income or impoverished family knows:

(The list is quite extensive, so I listed my personal favorites.)

*Bookswaps.

*By shopping at Goodwill or any thrift store, one can build a decent and stylish wardrobe for a steal. I can't remember how many times I found American Eagle hoodies, Banana Republic sweaters and Paris Blue jeans for less than 10 dollars at a secondhand store.

*Public transit saves alot on gas... but so does riding a bike. It also saves you money.

*Coupons, coupons, coupons!

*Cooking your own food curbs your spending and eating habbits.

*Rice. Its cheap, easy, and delicious.

and etc...

Over the next year, I plan on living as frugally as possible and proving to myself that living in a materialistic society does not mean I have to partake in those values. I also want to prove, at least to myself, that frugality could be a key to rebelling against our capitalist economy.

Any suggestions? Hints?

Saying an Overdue Goodbye

I don't recall the exact moment in time when I first
loved you
and where my body ended and yours began,
tangle of limbs,
tangle of hair.

My life revealed itself in your hands, the
thread trailing taunt from your fingers
and I couldn't help but to follow the bright colors
and the shape of your eyes in the afternoon sun.

The line has become slack,
and I can't seem to find my way without it;
everything I did was never for me,
only for you and us.
I don't know how to find my way without you singing
it in my ear,
singing lyrics from your favorite songs as if
they held clues about our existence.

Forgive me for clinging to your memory,
for thinking of you when I am alone,
for missing your touch.
You were the only one for me.

The little laws that bind us, can Set us Free.

Here is a secret;

our lives are ruled by signs
amd shaped by silent laws.

"Reserved Parking" when translated
becomes "You are not Important".

A stop sign, because it is red,
makes you waste gas at 2:00 a.m.
idling your engine while looking
for cars that aren't there.

Here's another secret;
when you know the rules
you can begin to break the rules.

A water bottle snuck into a theatre.
Walking down a train track at night.
Picking a flower from a neighbor's lawn.
Parking in a grocery store lot and

hoofing it to your job a mile away.

Suddenly fences will appear friendlier,
begging you to climb them.