AMPro's Journal

This is something I tend to do once a year, usually at the end of the year. I've put it in two books so far, How to Care About Humans and the upcoming The Problem With Earthlings, so I guess I consider it pretty important. Ok. Here goes.

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Automotive:
Gas - I do about 60 miles a week on my bike, so I'd probably to 80 per week if I had a car. 80 x 52 x (3.25 I think that's what gas cost this year / 20 miles per gallon (I think that's realistic)) = $767.00
Maintenance - (thank goodness the imaginary car only broke down twice this year) = $860.00
Insurance - (just a guess) = $1,100.00
Car Note - (just six years left to go) = $2,760

Total savings from not having a car = $5,487.00

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Habit forming substances:
Alcohol - Avg $15 per week going out + $14.50 case of beer twice a month + $6.00 bottle of wine 5 times annually + $15.00 bottle once a year = $1,173.00

Drugs - (Let's say I would keep it to a $300 / year pot habit) = $300.00

Cigarettes - $5.80 per pack x .9 packs per day * 365 days = $1,905.30

Coffee - $1.50 x 5 per week x 52 weeks = $390.00

meat - (might as well(just a guess)) = $450.00 (not including fast food listed separately below)

Total savings from skipping all that = $4,218.3

plus the extra health care costs from that one trip to the hospital from that crazy night with the blood alcohol poisoning set me back a $200 deductible (fortunately my employer ate the $640 in higher insurance premiums since it hypothetically happened last may). = $4,418.3

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Atire costs:
Wardrobe - I spent about $100.00 total on my wardrobe this year = $780.00 (under what I am guessing used to be spent on clothes for me)

Shoes - About $32.50 on shoes this year = $235.00 (savings)

All those crazy chemical smells people put on themselves after showering = $92.00

Total of $1,107.00 saved.

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Other costs
No cable television - (guessing) = $360.00

No fast food restaurants - (guessing) = $639.60

No department stores (cheap plastic crap) - (guessing) = $1,430.00

Total of $2,429.60 saved

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And, since all of that money would be debt for me, and I would be debt servicing with about 25% APR in interest you can pile on another $3,360.48

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For a grand total of $16,802.38 that I did not give to evil corporations in 2007 which I do fully believe they would have used to hurt my fellow human beings of the planet Earth.

Much of this stuff I'm just guessing about since I'm not really up on what it costs, but I'm glad to not spend it whatever it really costs.

Thus ends another year in my own personal struggle against consumerism.

be Well,
-Alex