• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
The Greening of Gavin
  • Home
  • Our Green Shop
    • Little Green Workshops
  • Green Workshops
    • Cheese Making
    • Soap Making
    • Soy Candle Making
  • eBooks
    • Clay Oven eBook
    • Keep Calm and Make Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
    • TGOG Podcast
    • TGoG Podcast Archive
    • Little Green Cheese
  • Vlog
  • Cheese
  • Green Living
    • Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Soap Making
    • Recipes
    • Climate Change
    • Peak Oil
    • Solar Power
  • Resources

What’s In A Name?

June 23, 2015 @ 20:36 By Gavin Webber 10 Comments

I’ve been doing a bit of thinking lately about what I call my lifestyle.  I have followed this line of thinking by reading blogs I wouldn’t normally seek and by listening to a few good podcasts to confirm my thoughts.

I have come to the realisation that what I call Sustainable Living or parts of it, could and does, go by other names.  Some lifestyles that I can totally identify with that I have found so far are Simple Living, Voluntary Simplicity, Downshifting, Minimalism, Frugality, Slow Food, and Slow Living.  There are probably many more that I haven’t found.

Bee 3

However, all have a common denominator which is pretty easy to explain.

It is the act of changing from the current consumer culture where we consume to try to become happy (so the media tell us), to a counter-culture whereby the goal is the pursuit of less stuff, exiting from the rat race, and treasuring simple contentment and a simple life.

People start this process in different ways.

Some have a life changing experience as I did which propels them down this path.

Others have a health scare and change to healthy living and one thing lead to another towards simplicity.

Others wake up one day, have a watershed moment by realising that they are wasting their life and want less that leads to contentment.

Others get sick of being slaves to debt and change to a more frugal lifestyle.

IMG_0614

In fact, all of these things end up with the same common outcomes.  Less stuff means less consumption, which means less environmental impact, and also means less debt to the individual or family taking the action.  Smiles all round I reckon.

Then in most cases, because they are now part of this growing counter-culture, they start to look for others that live the lifestyle they now identify with.  It starts to snowball and before they realise it, they are caring for backyard chooks and growing their own veg, along with decluttering their home, enjoying their families, and becoming the most contented they have been in years.

However, there is a trap that one could fall into which I discovered about a year into my journey.  That trap is that instead of keeping up with the Joneses, you may end up trying to keep up with a different set of Joneses, remaining on the same vicious cycle of consumption.

Bread wine and wensleydale

My advice to avoid this trap is just to travel your own journey, take it slowly day by day, live within your means, and just do the best you can.  It’s not a competition, because there is no finish line.

So like every journey, it starts with one small step and it doesn’t matter how we identify ourselves, we are all skipping towards the same endgame.

All you have to do is take the first step.

What do you call your lifestyle?  Share below via comment as I would love to discover more “movements” that I can identify with.

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Filed Under: Downshift, Frugal, green, Green Psychology, Happiness, Simplicity, Sustainable Living

6 Warning Signs that Your Debt May Be Out of Control

March 23, 2015 @ 16:05 By Gavin Webber 11 Comments

5 warning signs that your debt is out of controlEveryone runs up a little credit card debt, right? A personal loan or two?

I reckon that’s what many people tell themselves to justify carrying heavy debt, however the simple fact is that out-of-control spending and poor credit card management are serious problems that are not sustainable and have to be tackled head-on.  It’s not limited to credit cards, but that’s what I will mainly focus on within this post.

A recent study by Barclays uncovered some shocking statistics.  They found that,

“Australian households are the most indebted in the world, according to research by Barclays, which warns that the country would be vulnerable in the event of another global financial shock.  When it comes to household debt – which includes mortgages, credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans – Australia leads the global field, with credit continuing to pile up while the rest of the developed world is paying it down.”

The signs are all around us that this can’t continue for very much longer.  Local shop fronts empty for much longer than usual, people using food banks more frequently, continued rampant spending at all times of the year and not just Christmas, and people just living for the moment and not thinking what the future may bring.

I blame this partly on our consumer culture and a Veruca Salt mentality, so therefore individuals should be educated to be more aware of the traps and pitfalls to avoid when it comes to their personal finances.

So, with that in mind I have looked back at our experiences so that I could document the 6 warning signs that your debt may be out of control, and what you may be able to do to get back in check.  Not all of these things have happened to us, but we have close friends that we’ve helped who nearly went all the way, so to speak.

Just so you know, I am not a financial planner, nor able to give specific financial advice.  The list below is just common sense ways to get your spending back in control.

1.  You Pay for Everything with Credit Cards

You used cash when buying groceries, filling up the car, or to pick up a quick takeaway, but now you whip out the credit card for virtually all your regular daily purchases. If this sounds familiar, you are probably either in trouble or on the verge of it. While plastic is easy to use, the credit card balances you are building will come back to haunt you.  If you are already carrying a large balance on your card, your new purchases will likely just hike up the amount of interest you’ll be charged each month.  Paying off the minimal amount will not get you out of debt anytime soon.

Keep that in mind when you’re making your next purchase.  It may help change your habits. And if you’re relying on credit because you just don’t have the cash, it’s time to take a realistic look at your budget and consider taking necessary changes.

2.  You’re Adding New Accounts

What happens if you can’t pay your credit card or other bills?   Some people may try to solve this problem by opening up new credit card accounts and using balance transfers to zero interest cards, or take cash advances to make required payments on their existing debt.  They might also add a new account if their old cards have reached their credit limits.

This may solve the immediate problem, but it also digs you deeper into debt. If you’re in this position, it’s a sure sign that you need to get a handle on your debt and alter your spending habits as soon as possible.

3.  Your Debt’s Just Getting Bigger

Here’s a sad fact: Even if you don’t keep spending and stop right now, your outstanding credit card balances may keep growing if you make only the minimum payment each month. That’s because the interest rate you owe on your outstanding debt is lumped in with your balance and grows. You then have to pay interest not only on your past purchases but also on that added interest.

Once again, it is time to get real and write down your income and outgoings in a budget plan that will help you to get your head above water and start paying down the debts.

4.  You’re Missing Payments Each Month

Missed payments help no-one, and the added stigma increases your unhappiness and affects your capability to think straight.  If you get to this stage all is not lost.  Ask for help from your creditors, whether it be your bank, building society, or energy/phone company.  Remember that it’s always a good idea to contact your creditors as soon as you can when find that you can’t make a payment and ask about temporary reduced payment plans, or other options.  This step could help you prevent a bad credit rating or cancelled account, or even the threat of court action.

5.  You Avoid Paying Your Bills

You have a stack of unpaid bills that just keeps growing. You screen phone calls or hide behind the lounge chair so you don’t have to talk to angry and persistent bill collectors.

If you’re in this situation, you won’t be able to sidestep the problem forever.  You need to get a realistic sense of where you stand financially and begin contacting creditors, cutting you spending or taking other necessary steps (filing for bankruptcy) to get your financial life back on track.

6.  Address the Root Cause

Spending more than you earn is the root cause and the path to misery.  It is as simple as that.  I once learnt this basic financial rule from a wise author the following quote;

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.”― Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

We’ve been there, we know.  At one stage our credit card debt was over $23,000 at 18% interest. We just couldn’t get ahead in life. We were chasing the almighty dollar, thinking that the more material things I owned, the happier I would be.  It doesn’t work that way.  In hindsight we were very, very sad.

What saved us was setting a budget and we began to live within our means.  It was one of the reasons we chose to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.  We know we couldn’t save the planet, if we couldn’t save ourselves from debt first.

Drafting a Budget

Setting a budget (yes I know it’s a dirty word for some) is the only way you will know if you incoming earnings and spending match or preferably you have a little bit left over that you can begin to pay down your debts.  Once your creditors have been contacted, most will allow you to start a payment plan that will go a long way to getting back in control.  You may have to seek financial advice to roll all your debts into one single low-interest loan so that you can spread the payments.

You can find a very simple and easy to use budget calculator over on the ASIC MoneySmart website.  This site is a wealth of information which you can learn so much about personal finance matters.  It is my go-to site if I need learn anything moneywise.  Best of all, it’s free.

Shake the Consumer Tag

If you use it, it will help you to discover where the unplanned spending is occurring.  Once you figure that out, it is as simple as reducing your spending or begin selling off unnecessary stuff to pay down those burdening debts.

Note; I haven’t used the label of consumer during this entire post until now.  I believe that because we were not born with this label, it shouldn’t be used.  We are just ordinary people trying to find our way in the scheme of things.  This label is one given to society as a whole by the media.  I detest it.

So friends, what do you say?  Have you ever paid off large amounts of debt and got back on track?  How did you do it?

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Filed Under: Affluenza, Debt, Denial, Education, Frugal, Happiness, Health

TGoG 104 – Budget Cooking without Waste

March 12, 2015 @ 23:46 By Gavin Webber 3 Comments

Listen to the Episode Below (00:43:55)
Download Listen in a New Window iTunes Stitcher SoundCloud Leave a Review Clammr It Subscribe via RSS Subscribe on Android RSS Patreon

Budget cooking without waste is our theme this week.  We talk about all the ways we save money in the kitchen feeding our family.  Includes 101 things to do with Zucchini (just joking)!

Also during the show we talked about using quality ingredients, growing and using herbs, growing your own veg, how to get your kids to eat veggies, how to use leftovers effectively, how to get 3 meals out of a single roast chicken, and how you can save up to $75 a week by taking your own lunch to work.  We also drooled over Kim’s freshly baked Cranberry & Macadamia cookies and Chocolate Muffins.

Kim's home baking

Kim’s home baking

This episode is chock o block with tips and tricks to save money, and still be green in the kitchen.  Budget cooking without waste!

Don’t forget that this show is financially supported by you, the listener, via Patreon.  If you believe the show adds value to the sustainable living community and you would like to support the show, please pledge your support at http://www.patreon.com/greeningofgavin.  Any pledge small or large is most welcome, as it keeps the show growing week by week.

Become my patreon!

And finally will this podcast episode help someone you know? If so, help them out by sharing it using the social media buttons now!

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Filed Under: Cooking, Frugal, Locavore, Organic, Podcast, Sustainable Living, TGOG Podcast, vegetables, waste

Next Page »

Search This Blog

Follow my work

About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

Delve Into the Archives

Visit Our Online Simple Living Shop

Little Green Workshops

Latest Podcast Episode

Subscribe on iTunes

Top Posts & Pages

Black Aphids On Garlic
Broad Bean Rust
2 Fruit Marmalade
Outdoor Solar Shower
How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites
African Horned Melon
Hot Chilli Chutney
Dripping at the Co-op
Repeat After Me. I Will Never Plant Potatoes With Pumpkins Again
Feta Cheese Tutorial

Recent Awards

Recent Awards

Local Green Hero

Categories

Favourite Daily Reads

Debt Free, Cashed Up, and Laughing

The Off-Grid Solar House

Greener Me

The Rogue Ginger

Little Eco Footprints

Down To Earth

Surviving the Suburbs

Little Green Cheese

Eight Acres

The Witches Kitchen

TGOG Readers On-line

Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

Carbon Offset website

Copyright - Gavin Webber © 2025