Rudassity is Badassity

RUDE Boy came into the bedroom whilst I was in bed snoozing yesterday morning, and says “have you read Money in The Age newspaper yet?”  He was keen to let me know there were two relevant articles for Rude Record.

Here is the link to the first article by Catherine Robson Financial Planner at Affinity Private

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4598270/financial-freedom-through-frugality/?cs=9

Our Rudassity Philosophy is pretty much the same as Mr Money Mustache’s [MMM] Badassity Philosophy.  However we are no match for  MMM,  because Peter Adeney is a frugal-living internet sensation, according to Financial Planner Catherine Robson .  And just a quick peak at his blog, tells us RUDE Guys he is a frugal-living celebrity!

We we are not internet celebrities but we do walk our talk.  RUDE Girl retired from part-time work at 52 and RUDE Boy could have retired at 56 but is enjoying a transition to retirement program or what we call our ‘money for jam’.

We are not much into advice from celebrities of any kind, and do not need to follow MMM’s tips.  We have been doing most of these tips for decades.  However MMM’s words of ‘Badassity’ wisdom [in all it’s amazing detail] are not to be ignored, that’s if you want to retire early and rich. He, like us RUDE Guys, is definitely ‘on the money’ due to spending less than he makes.

Us RUDE Guys enjoy writing our simple blog and sharing some little stories but unlike MMM, we prefer to stay away from ‘how to’ advice on anything.  Why?  Because there is so much of it out there.  And oftentimes it is presented well and worthy of note, like MMM’s blog, for example. 

We prefer to inspire and hopefully motivate by storytelling in short blog format with a few pics and maybe a vid.  No financial gain is desired by us, because we are virtual volunteers, who are happy to share our frugal experiences, for free.

However, like MMM us RUDE Guys are on a  global mission albeit a much smaller version to Peter Adeney’s, to hopefully make people think about consumption, and the lifestyle of liberation that frugality can offer up.

It’s funny because the last sentence in this article above states, ‘One DIY haircut at a time.’  That’s what RUDE Girl had planned after getting out of bed yesterday morning, for RUDE Boy to give my hair a trim.  Cost $0.  I make no money from paid employment these days, so I am not going to spend $50 on a trim.  Simple Rudassity economics.

And if your interested here’s the link below to the second article.  It ends with this sentence as follows:

“No one thinks that a house full of children’s toys is a sign of financial success, but that’s what many of us are unwittingly choosing.”

Us RUDE Guys have been to houses where grandparents also have toys galore for when the grandchildren visit or get minded.  We have also been to TIP SHOPS  with shelves and cots full of toys.

Beat The Man!!

http://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/do-your-kids-get-too-many-presents-theres-an-app-for-that-20170414-gvl8wu.html

Scavenger Shopping

RUDE knows that you have to break the rules if you want to stick it to The Man

 

From the movie School of Rock [on sticking it to “The Man”]

Yes! But, you can’t just say it, man. You’ve gotta feel it in your blood and guts! If you wanna rock, you gotta break the rules. You gotta get mad at the man!

 

RUDE Boy and RUDE Girl had light bulb moments years ago to play the game Beat The Man

RUDE [Reusers of Unloved Discarded Excess] have been living off the junk of others from TIP SHOPS [shops in sheds at landfills or adjacent to landfills] for over 6 years.  It has been our mission to showcase and share, to any person who may be interested, what can be reused and repaired to save the planet, hip pocket and encourage creativity and resilience.

We share our frugal lifestyle most days on Facebook at Rude Record and weekly here on our WordPress blog.

We commenced ‘shopping’ at TIP SHOPS as soon as OP SHOPS [charity and thrift stores] started to go the way of small retail businesses on the high street.  We found that the days of rummaging around in a dusty and musty OP SHOPS was all but over.

We are now sadly finding, that TIP SHOPS are going the way of OP SHOPS, and are cleaning, organising and sorting the stuff that is dropped off.  We are glad we found TIP SHOPS six years ago, before the rush by others, including traders, to ‘discover’ them all over again, albeit in a made-over OP SHOP sort of way.

People often ask us about our scavenger ways, and are curious to know why we live the way we do.  Our lifestyle is definitely not mainstream, and we make some confronting, oftentimes unspoken statements by our actions [photo below taken at a wedding].  We choose to live this scavenger lifestyle but it is not out of financial necessity.  So, why do we choose to reuse and repair stuff, when we can afford to go to the mall and buy brand new items?

 

TOTALLY TIP TOP in swanky Sorento, Victoria

 

Basically, it boils down to strong competitive drives to Beat The Man, and our rebellious streaks to break the rules, associated with buying stuff and services.  Many have asked what does that all mean.  For us, The Man is symbolic of those in power, with a mission to make the masses consume, so that The Man gets richer at the expense of the majority.

The Man never frightened RUDE Girl.  In fact she was hell bent on ignoring his inappropriate advice

For RUDE, the way we stick it to The Man, is not to consume by shopping at the mall or purchasing services that we feel are a waste of our time and money.  It’s an easy and simple way to be an anti-consumer activist, and should not involve getting arrested! 

RUDE does not go to the mall even for the sales!

However, we agree that shopping for stuff can be fun.  It’s great to get something new for the house or to wear.  We ‘shop’ and we ‘buy’ for these reasons, like most people do.  It’s just that while the masses mall it, we trek to the TIP SHOPS and buy ‘new to us’ stuff, not brand new stuff.  Although, saying that we have oftentimes found brand new things at these TIP SHOPS, usually after Christmas. 

 
Here’s a good article if you want to know more about TIP SHOPS.  It inspired RUDE’S blog post today.

 

Go Beat The Man, but to give it a decent try, you have to feel it in your blood and guts!  And you will definitely feel freedom if you break free of The Man’s shopping rules.  Go visit a TIP SHOP for fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Rags to Britches and Riches

RUDE Boy loves these very old Wavezone shorts.  I do imagine any other guy wearing them for two summers, and then using the fabric as rags.  Or more than likely, discarding the shorts into the recycling bin because they were no longer ‘on trend’.

RUDE Girl even made a movie of these shorts this year.  It was sent it to Mr Wu CEO Wavezone in China.  The movie did not attract a response.  Never mind, it was not expected that I would get a reply.  I only hope it received a reaction of incredulous disbelief.

You can watch the first video here which was created for Fashion Revolution Day 2015.

RUDE Boy wears these shorts A LOT!!  Since the first video was made, he has worn more holes through the thinning fabric and previous patches.  For RUDE Girl, it has become like a quest to keep these shorts wearable, and out of the rag-bag.  I work at creating layers for durability and strength.  My inspiration comes from sashiko method of patching and stitching.

Here is the second video in the life of RUDE Boys Wavezone raggedy britches.  It explains how I have mended and patched them for the third time.

RUDE Boy, go Beat The Man [Mr Wu from Wavezone] and keep rockin saggy britches a la scavenger style! 

RUDE Boy loves his raggedy and rude britches

Rude and Ragged

For me, clothes are kind of character; I don’t follow fashion or understand trends.  Meryl Streep

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.  William Penn

“Cultivate a relationship with your clothing, an investment that directly connects the grower with the maker and the wearer. Repair is an extension of that sentiment, and a deepening of the relationship through wear, and repair, and the honoring of all the embedded stories that led to it.” REWARDROBE Eco Fashion Talk by Sass Brown

Photo below:  RUDE Girl revived this 1980s frock in under an hour for no cost.  It’s what I term a house dress, and I love it to bits because it reflects my mission to always mend and make new.

For RUDE Girl there is probably no better feeling that RE-vamping a fast fashion garment.  Why?  Because it is a radical gesture.  Many people would not bother to take the time to fix a rag.  And most fast fashion after it is worn and washed a few times, is only good for the rag-bag.

Yesterday, I revived this 1980s rayon frock in the above photo, which I consider to be fast fashion for its time.  The tag had been removed, and the edges had been over locked stitched.  It was probably a little bit better quality than a current cheap fast fashion dress.  Why?  It is rayon not polyester, and has some bust darts to give the bodice shape.

This maxi frock was discovered in a huge pile of clothes at a community garment swap at a local sustainability festival. It was missing a button and had a split up each side.  Both splits had ripped further up the side seams.  The over locking stitch had come away in parts, and there were three tiny holes in the fabric at the front of the dress.  Most people, I believe, would have considered it a rag.  Even the sorting ladies at the local charity shop would have ditched it!

But the frock spoke to me of opportunities for comfortable days around the house. I liked its A line shift style.  I could wear a vintage petticoat under it and in cooler weather a long-sleeved top.  A perfect old dress that sort of reminded me of a dress style from the 1920s and 1960s.

       
Photo above: The front skirt piece had three small holes which I covered with crocheted circles from old doilies.

Photo above:  The bodice required reinforced over locking under the bust line. As were the side and centre back seams

Photo above:  The hem was shortened from maxi to knee-length and a cotton lace attached to the over locked hem edge.

Beat The Man and revive a ragged frock to good as new, if not better than new fast fashion!