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The Moneyless Man Summary

April 11, 2020 by Tom Goodwin

The Moneyless Man tells the story of Mark Boyle, founder of freeconomy.com, who attempts to live an entire year without money. Humorous, inspiring and packed with practical advice, this is a book that will get you thinking about your own conscious consumption.

The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle

The Moneyless Man is a remarkable first hand account of living ‘off-grid’.

 

Taking a decision to live without money for an entire year, Mark Boyle sets up shelter in a borrowed caravan, generating his own energy, foraging for food and bartering for bare essentials, with humorous results.

 

A great read for aspiring minimalists, eco-warriers, activists and outdoor types, this book will get you thinking about your own role as a consumer in an capitalist economy that damages our planet, impacts our health and seperates us from one another.

 

Below are some of the key insights I took from this book:

Key Insights 

    • Money has no inherent value. 
    • Money, by it’s very nature, incentivises competitive behaviour that has both huge benefits but also huge costs. 
    • To change the world, Gandhi advises us to ‘be the change’ we wish to see. 
    • Creating your own rules helps enforce self-discipline. (Discipline)
    • The basic essentials: Shelter, Energy, Food, Transport and Communication can all be purchased but can (alternatively) be secured with minimal or no expense.
    • Absolute poverty is defined as below 40% of the average income of a country.
    • Without money, everything takes more time. We live in a world where money is consistently exchanged for time and vice versa. (Time vs. Money)

 

  • Social norms always favour consumption over free alternatives (e.g. Hitchhiking, Bin-raiding, Minimalism) 

 

    • The national grid has to overproduce energy in order to meet human needs. 

 

  • The industrialisation of our food network creates low cost produce at the expense of producers, environmental cost, nutritional value and our own mental health. (Food) 
  • Living without money makes you appreciate the change in the seasons and see the true value of human input into each consumable good.
  • The internet has empowered the freeconomy movement, making it easier to live without money then ever before in human history.

 

  • The value of a single person’s actions/kindness can ripple outward by inspiring others to take up the cause. (Paying it Forward)

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