50 Ways to Starve the Beast

A term coined in 1985 by an unnamed staffer of the Reagan administration was “Starve the Beast”. This referred to a fiscally conservative political strategy to cut government spending by paying less in taxes. So, in the original sense, “the Beast” was the government, and people were to starve the beast by spending less and using loopholes, therefore paying less in taxes.

These days the Beast has a lot more tentacles than just the government. The system now consists of the government and all aspects of Big Business. Big Agri, Big Pharma, Big Medicine, Big Food, Big Banking and Big Oil, to name a few. It seems that now it’s the Beast doing the starving, as small businesses close because they can’t compete with Wal-Mart, the family farm is on it’s way out because it can’t compete with the huge, subsidized Monsanto mega-farms, people are going bankrupt because they can’t pay the outrageous medical bills…

Perhaps it’s time for another financial revolution – one where people group together and use the power of the boycott to starve all the arms of this Beast that would swallow us whole. If we vote with our dollars, eventually there will, of a necessity, be a paradigm shift that returns us to simpler days, when families that were willing to work hard could make a living without selling their souls to the corporate monoliths.

Every penny you spend with small local businesses is a penny that the big box stores won’t have. Everything that you buy secondhand or barter for is an item on which you won’t pay sales tax. Disassociate yourself completely with “the system” that is making Western civilization broke, overweight and unhealthy. Starve the Beast by taking as many of these steps as possible…

1. Grow your own food (this starves Big Agri and Big Pharma both)
2. Shop at local businesses with no corporate ties
3. Use natural remedies instead of pharmaceuticals whenever possible
4. Homeschool your children
5. Walk or bike instead of driving when possible
6. Get care from naturopaths and healers instead of doctors
7. Make paper logs from scraps for free heat if you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove
8. Boycott all processed foods
9. Shop at local farmer’s markets
10. Boycott corporate stores: Wal-Mart, Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot
11. Give vouchers as gifts for an evening of babysitting, a homemade meal, walking the dog, doing a repair, or cleaning
12. Join a CSA or farm co-op
13. Ditch television (and all the propaganda and commercials)
14. Participate in the barter system – if no money changes hands, no tax can be added
15. Buy secondhand from yard sales, Craigslist and thrift stores
16. Sell your unwanted goods by having a yard sale or putting an ad on Craigslist
17. Repair things instead of replacing them
18. Avoid fast food restaurants and chain restaurants
19. Dine at locally owned establishments if you eat out
20. Brew your own beer and wine
21. Read a book, purchased second-hand or borrowed
22. Grow or gather  medicinal herbs
23. Give homemade gifts
24. Attend free local activities: lectures, concerts, play days at the park, library events
25. Dumpster dive
26. Play outside: hike, bike, picnic
27. Mend clothing
28. Invite someone over for dinner instead of meeting at a restaurant
29. Throw creative birthday parties at home for your kids instead of renting a venue
30. Camp instead of staying at a hotel
31. Bring your coffee with you in a travel mug
32. Do all of your Christmas shopping with small local businesses and artisans
33. Reduce your electricity usage with candles, solar power and non-tech entertainment
34. Drop the thermostat and put on a sweater
35. Bring your snacks and drinks in a cooler when you go on a road trip
36. Stay home – it’s way easier to avoid temptation that way
37. Pack lunches for work and school
38. Make delicious homemade treats as a hostess gift
39. Close your bank account or at the very least, strictly limit your balance
40. Visit u-pick berry patches and orchards, then preserve your harvest for the winter
41. Use precious metals stored at home as your savings account
42. Raise backyard chickens for your own eggs
43. If you are a smoker, roll your own cigarettes – if possible go one step further and grow tobacco
44. Live in a smaller, more efficient home
45. Use solar power for lighting or cooking
46. Collect rainwater for use in the garden
47. Learn to forage
48. Buy heavy, solid, handmade furniture instead of the flimsy imported stuff
49. At the holidays, focus on activities and traditions instead of gifts. Go for a walk or drive through the neighborhood to look at lights, get into your PJs and watch a special movie together on Christmas Eve and make certain treats that can always be expected
50. Make your own bath and body products using pure ingredients like coconut oil, essential oils, and herbal extracts

How do you Starve the Beast? Please share your suggestions below…