I've been thinking an awful lot about lifestyles and the differences between the people I have got used to at home and the people I am now seeing every day on my commute. The difference must be money, surely? You would not put yourself through the commute unless you were getting rewarded for it financially, would you? Well, that seems logical to me anyway, however, what I am actually seeing is people in fairly ordinary jobs who are having to put themselves through one hell of a commute every day, I can't believe that the financial rewards are always worth it.
I am staying with friends in a small hamlet near Dartford and the train journey into London is 50 minutes (to London Charing Cross) and costs pence under £70 a week. It's basically taking me 2 hours in each direction (including walking, tubes and changes). If I were doing this every day it would cost me £3600 a year in travel and 1000 hours commute a year. So are the financial rewards still worth it? The friends I am staying with are a lovely couple, one of whom, for 16 years, had done this commute and he will hand on heart say that it is not worth it. He has recently given up his job in central London and is working down the road, short term, for less than half the salary he was on. Long term, they have wonderful plans - they have bought a 3/4 acre plot of land in France and are starting to build an eco house there later this year and will move over with very little money but embracing what life is really about, it doesn't include 1000 hours a year commuting funnily enough.
I am thrilled to hear of anyone who is changing their lifestyles and suddenly I am surrounded by people who are living differently in certain ways. During the rehearsals for the opera I am doing at the moment there is often hanging around to do and people fill the time in different ways. What is interesting this time around is that one girl is currently spending this time crocheting and has shown me photos of the huge blanket she is doing out of granny squares (I was proud to know the term having read your blogs). Another girl, who is singing the very famous part of the Queen of the Night, is sitting in the corner wearing a home knitted jumper and a knitted hat and is currently knitting something else (another hat I reckon), She looks like she would be more at home on a farm than in a rehearsal room really. As do I. Why do I have so few clothes that don't have holes in or paint splattered somewhere on them (sigh)? The girl who is the wardrobe mistress recently moved, with her husband, to a little cottage in Norfolk where they have access to a field, besides growing veggies, she is currently owner of 4 chickens and 2 pigs. being wardrobe mistress has massive advantages because she can basically make anything! I have known her for 10 years and have so enjoyed watching the transformation of her happiness since she moved there. Her long term plan is self sufficiency.
So are we at the edge of a frugal living revolution? are more and more people getting it? I hope so, although I doubt it when I look at the miserable faces on the commute. But every single person who gets it a bit, is a step in the right direction and I am certainly seeing much more of it than I was before.
Dont get me wrong i love London to visit. I was born in South London,moved away when young.Commuted in for a secondment and hated every minute of it,not working in London but as you say the extra hours added onto your day.
ReplyDeleteA lot more people are trying the frugal lifestyle i think we are all fed up with how materialistic life is becomming. I used to dream of winning the lottery ( i would have to do it first)and buying a massive house, now i would stay in my house but just have it exactly as i want it and have a peaceful non worrying life.
Hope your feeling better
x
I am feeling much better, still a bit snotty, but my voice has returned, thanks.
DeleteWhen I was using public transport, my uni commute was 4 hours a day- when I started to use the car it reduced it to 2 hours, but at least we got nice long holidays. I can't imagine doing that day in, day out for work, with no end in sight. I've only ever been to London once- it just doesn't hold any attraction for me, and I have to admit to being relieved when K's fiance didn't get a job he applied for down there, but got one near Chester instead. I think more people are 'getting it' , but I'm afraid that we are still in a very small minority and will continue to be, as we live in a world where the majority measure success and happiness in financial terms.
ReplyDeleteDay in, day out would be horrendous. London has lost its appeal for me (as you know), there are much nicer places to visit. One thing I have noticed here is that it is all about the olympics, every news item seems connected. All about spending money!
DeleteI agree with you Dan, there does seem to be more 'frugality' around. I do wonder though, how many of them, given the opportunity would return to their old ways once this recession is over and they are free to spend, spend, spend. It definitely is a mind thing I think. I feel it begins there, then if it is allowed to, permeates through the body and embodies your soul. If it stays just in the mind, it has a high chance of being eliminated if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI think that a certain number would return to the old ways if they had their income back, because, as you so rightly said, it is a mind set thing. You have to want to do it, even if you don't have to do it financially.
DeleteHope you are feeling better Dan. I have just been finished from work due to ill health and I see lots of positives coming out of it. I have been growing small amounts of veg over the last couple of years but I am now taking the opportunity to grow more, including fruit. I have started making jewellery and have learned to quilt, producing my first pieces for my grand daughters. I have so many plans and now the time and space to do them.
ReplyDeleteTake care
S x x x x
Much better thanks. That all sounds fantastic, I could work in my garden for hours a day - think I should have been a gardener really.
DeleteWow, brilliant to hear of more frugal people, especially in central London!!
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely NOT do a 1000 hours a year commute. How crazy! I work about 4 miles from where I live, so I drive if I'm starting at 5am, or cycle if it is a more reasonable 7am start.
Now that I'm moving to Bristol for Uni, I need to start looking for a place close enough to walk to Uni. In Cardiff, everyone lived within a 5-15 minute walk to the Uni and it was dead cheap, so I'm hoping for a similar location! We shall see! Definitely ditching the car though, and growing my own veg (even if it's in a tub in my living room!!)
Well I can't say they were central London people - as all three of them are doing what I do and living somewhere else and staying with friends. I think Londoners are perhaps a little behind - mind you, how can they find time to grow veggies with 1000 hours of commuting.
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me is that London is currently the place if you're a bee! Lots of hives with many bees and loads of honey - all in the city - just amazing.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is so true, people seem to be embracing bees here.
DeleteI think a lot of people "get it".
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that a lot of people are trapped in the system. Most employers require employees to be in the office everyday, so people have no choice. The other problem is that in a place like london most people cant afford to live closer to work.
If you think about it there are very few jobs which cannot be done remotely. But employers do not like or encourage home working. Employers have not moved with the times. Unfortunately I cannot see this changing. With all these advances in technology and computers there should be less reason to commute every day to an office.
One solution is for employers to be given large tax incentives for retaining home working employees. However, perhaps on a wider note it can be dangerous to assume that country or rural living is the panacea of lifestyle design. Rural living presents its own challenges, often there are few employment opportunities in rural areas. There is also the concern about peak oil and the hyper inflation we have seen with fuel costs.
I have seen lots of older people trying to sell up to move from rural to more urban environments where there are hospital/medical facilities and good infrastructure.
Im not sure what the solution is.
Yes, there is certainly no end of difficulty if you live in London because the property has become so expensive that people are having to live further and further away. In the years I lived in London I started out in Clapham which was zone 2 and then slowly got further and further out as it became more expensive, my flat being in zone 4. Now, 20 year on, the house I used to rent in Clapham is worth 3/4 of a million. There is no easy answer to any of it, because we are basically overcrowded and this is only going to get worse.
DeleteI empathise with the curse of the commute, mine I would love to see the back of. I hope there is a resurgence of frugal living, homespun wisdom and crafts, be so sad to see these go. As I get better at my frugal ways and learn more to make and mend myself, I hope too to be brave enough to get off the treadmill and fully embrace the life I want to live Cx
ReplyDeleteI think it is a difficult problem without an obvious solution. Wanting and needing less is the start for most people.
DeleteThere are a few of us frugal people about. Not everyone is necessarily advertising their life style. It`s only when you see people come to work with their past time activities (knitting, crochet) that it becomes more obvious. City folk have no idea what it`s like to live the way we do. Convenience is their leading way. They also have less time to even think about an alternative life style for themselves. We are still in the minority, but the numbers are slowly increasing. 'Back to basics' will be a common saying again fairly soon for many folk.
ReplyDeleteI think we are increasing, and while there are different levels of what people do, I think changing just one thing in your life sets the ball rolling. more and more people will be forced into it through necessities, but it they continue when their personal economies improve? well only time will tell.
DeleteHi there. Glad to read you are feeling somewhat better.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think there is more frugality around but, depressingly, a lot of it is enforced due to the economic climate and I think if and when things improve a lot will be forgotten. However there will hopefully be a number of people who will have realised along the way where they have been 'going wrong' and hopefully will retain their new frugal skills.
As for the commuting....urgh no way. I had to commute for IT courses back in 2002 for 3 x 1 week throughout the year and I hated hated hated it. I would never seek out a job no matter how well paid, in London. Time is a precious commodity that cannot be bought and those hours on the train are such a waste of it that you will never get back.
Take care of that voice!
x
You are probably right and much of it will be forgotten when times imrprove, but hopefully it will also change a few people along the way.
DeleteI would definately not commute more than 20 minutes to get to and from work, when I was working. How people travel on the tube and buses every day I do not know, like hell on earth I would think. My last job was three miles away, five minutes to drive there, that was enough.
ReplyDeleteCommuting is quite a depressing experience.
DeleteTo be fair Ilona a lot of ppl do it because it means they CAN work. IN this recession I'm unemployed but if I stuck to limiting my jobsearch to local roles, there would be a lot less roles I could find to apply for. Also the DWP states that you must be willing to travel I think it is up to 60 mins if not more in order to gain employment if you wish to meet the criteria for JSA. Time is pretty meaningless to me as in my personal ciscumstances time doing nothing constructive while unemployed is a total waste I would rather be working and serving some purpose and more able to meet my basic needs ie food, home etc than have all the time in the world and struggle as I am doing now. Plus I am of a strong work ethic and despite all my reading, studying and charity voluntary work there are still far too many hours in the day.
DeleteReally enjoyed reading your post this morning- great start to the week! :)
ReplyDeleteI find the duality of your life fascinating...
ReplyDeleteI would love it! ( as long as the country would dominate!)
now dan
befriend a neighbour and buy some chickens they can care for when you are away ( just three)
believe me.. you will love them
x
Believe me, chickens are something I have given an awful lot of thought to! (along with dogs and cats) Can they hold their own against cats (there seem to be a lot about)?
DeleteHi I have found your blog through another, but cant remember what blog it was. I am very interested in reading about your frugal journey. I think you are right about more and more people embracing such a lifestyle. I started crocheting at Christmas, you can do things like this for virtually nothing. Everything i have made is from thrifted wool. You mention that you like gardening, what about a career/job change? take care x
ReplyDeletebeleive me, I have been thinking hard about career/job changes. Yes, I love gardening!
DeleteI did 2 years commuting 3hrs a day (an hour and a half each way to do a 25km stretch). Yes, you're right it was to save money because I was just freshly graduated and couldn't afford the city centre rent for an apartment to myself and also I wanted to save up so as I could support myself to learn my trade abroad.
ReplyDeleteAfter 2 years of it, I emigrated and the thoughts of going back to that kind of lifestyle actually freaks me out. I have vowed to myself that I won't do it and will change my career before a commute over 40mins. The rationale at the time was "plenty of people do it". Life is too short is my opinion!
No, commuting is not what I want in my life if I can avoid it (I am sure no-one actually wants it, but some seem resigned to it) For now, I cannot avoid it, but it is temporary thank goodness. Yes, life is too short to spend hours on a train.
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