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I just don't anymore.
I don't buy a wire- or mechanical- puzzle I make one. If I want a tile-based game (think scrabble, qwirkle, rummy) I make them with upcycled junk and paint markers.
I don't buy bread or pizza crusts or tortillas, I make them. I can make a month of bready products in an optimized hour of work for 1/30th the price.
I play indie games by inexperienced developers who charge $4.99 because I'd rather try new mechanics even if they fall flat.
I'm currently precipitating copper into an aqueous solution on my stovetop and later I'll try electroplating the copper onto some random thing. Because this is free and fun AS FUCK. Forget going to the arcade or to a pre-packaged event show or movie.
I am just drifting away from everything that's not hand made. Fuck it already.
No shade here but do you also work a full time job? If so shit where do you find the time.
In full forensic accounting, you make/save money by getting off the "convenience" train.
Once you realize that a checkerboard costs $5 but a piece of paper and 24 pennies costs... well nothing... it starts to make more sense. Because most stuff in life, you use once then throw away or stuff into the closet and never think about again.
Breadmaking is just one great example. If I save $300 by making some bread I have to earn $300 less at work. I work less now.
I don't want 25 cents worth of checkerboard, I want a decent wooden object that doesn't make me feel like I live in a dumpster. And most people want a sturdy piece of decorated, folding cardboard that will last a century if nobody spills juice on it.
Your position sounds a lot like "why do you kids need Super Soakers anyway, we have a perfectly good hose."
(different person here)
The contradiction is that if you buy a new object every time you do end up with lots of objects sitting in your cellar or attic looking like a dumpster. And nobody's keeping a checkerboard for a century -- your heirs will just throw it in a landfill.
If you make something yourself, at least you spent some time constructing it during which you learn something and keep your mind active. Ideally you use things you have laying around the house and when you're done the thing can be re-used for a future project or recycled. And every once in a while you make something that's a little different and you have something new.
But if it makes you feel any better, your side is winning. People are indeed buying Super Soakers instead of just using a hose. And to convince them, there are ads everywhere.
People are indeed buying Super Soakers instead of just using a hose.
The point of this comparison is that they aren't at all the same thing. People don't want things that barely work and few have the time to learn new skills to craft what they want in an acceptable quality. Could any able-bodied adult pick up a knife and whittle themself a spoon? Probably. Most of those spoons are going to suck though and you can get one at Target for a couple bucks. It's a position that feels out of touch.
I'm all for taking care of what you have and repairing rather than replacing when possible, and I'd love to collectively move away from plastic crap, but saying "just learn to make bread with all the free time and functional kitchen you for sure have" helps nobody except the speaker patting themself on the back.
Well, I agree that we should collectively move away from plastic crap, so let's hope that happens.
I need to see a picture of your phone. Could you send me a chalk rubbing?
(Sorry, had to joke) More to the point, how does it take you an hour to make pizza dough, bread and tortillas? Pizza dough on it's own takes 15-20 minutes active time, and then it's a long wait
Dough is a great discussion topic to explore.
Once I learned to make dough, I realized it's actually a total of 30 minutes work distributed over 4 hours. Reorganize and re-prioritizing my time made it work. Simple planning.
If I make dough, I make 2Kg so I cut it up, freeze the chunks I wont be immediately using and I have dough for as long as I need. Why make new dough every time? Batches.
It's way simpler than you guys think. Scoffing is fun, but getting off the "convenience train" was the best thing I ever did. Requires a bit of upfront adjustment and learning, but change isn't free.
edit: Another guy above was mean/joking about not having a job. Think, guys. If I save $300 on bread that's $300 I don't have to earn at work and pay taxes on. I win big for just learning to stop the bs already and take control.
I wasn’t mean/joking about you not having a job.
I literally said “no shade” meaning I’m not calling you out over it.
Then I was questioning how much time it takes to do these things I was curious and somewhat impressed. You then replied with a comment I wasn’t really understanding. Did you say you worked in forensic accounting or was that part of your story about check boards and whatnot.
I've started making my own bread and pizza dough. It's also practice. The more you do it, the faster it takes. You think of ways to make it easier next time.
Costco was having a sale on those heavy duty KitchenAid mixers so I bought it and it makes dough. I've recently doubled the recipe and freeze half and make the other half.
Admittedly, a lot of my lessons are learned by reading which assumes you have the time already to read.
What stage do you freeze it at? I need to do this, but I've tried a few things and it didn't work well.