We have all heard it said that money doesn’t make you happy, but it doesn’t stop us wanting it.
That’s why I was interested to read an article this week about a man who gave up money for two years.
Mark Boyle was interviewed by The Telegraph about his experiment and it made compelling reading.
He said: “The time I lived without money, I’ve never been happier or healthier.”
Mark launched his project in 2008. He moved into a caravan that had been donated to him, bought a small solar panel and began living his frugal life. He volunteered at a local farm, grew his own food and used a wood-burning stove. He used a compost toilet, travelled on a bicycle and washed himself in a river.
He said: “I came from a very conventional background and everything was new to me. How I eat, how I get from A to B, and how I brush my teeth. All these things were new, and I felt the lack of perceived security that money gives us.
“After two or three months I just started to trust that everyday my needs would be met somehow.”
I don’t think I would be brave enough to go quite as far as Mark, but it does make you think. I took part in an experiment recently to record just how much food my household threw out in a month and it was a shocking amount.
I’m sure we could all take a leaf out of Mark’s book and just waste a little bit less.