As some of you know I turned vegan this past summer (no meat, fish, eggs or dairy), and am increasingly focused on trying to clarify where I stand when it comes to animal welfare and animal rights. That may help explain why posting has become more infrequent of late as some of my time has gone into developing blogs on those two topics (see sidebar for links if interested.)
But what does that have to do with money you ask? Why am I talking about that here on TOTPB? Well, money has more to do with it than you may realize. First, and to my delight, I've discovered that veganism has greatly lowered my grocery bills. Although it cost a bit to initially stock my cupboards with vegan fare, the basic staples of beans, rice, pasta, bread, fruits and vegetables (I picked up a 10lb bag of carrots for $1.50 the other day) are relatively inexpensive when you compare them to processed foods. Plus you don't have to buy them as often. Items like soymilk and soymilk coffee cream do cost more than regular milk and cream, but overall I definitely don't spend as much on groceries as I used to. And on a more macro level I'm convinced that if most people switched to a plant-based diet, then a lot of money could be redirected by feeding grains to hungry people rather than trying to fatten up about-to-be slaughtered animals first. Veganism could be one pivotal way to help combat both hunger and poverty. But more about that in later posts or on my other blogs.
And when it comes to animal welfare and rights, money actually plays a key role here as well. While I don't necessarily believe that money is the root of all evil, I do think that money is at the root of a lot of animal cruelty. Dog fighting, racing, rodeos, puppy mills, just to name a few, are all enterprises where making money regardless of the effect on animals is the bottom line (not to mention the mammoth dairy and meat industries who don't care how inhumanely animals are treated as long as they earn more dollars). Because they are "just" animals, some people believe that they can do with them what they like. Even in instances where cruelty may not always be at play, money is. Take the phenomenon known as foreclosure pets in the United States. Now while I have certain opinions about what level of commitment should be required before people provide a home for pets, the reality is that many are abandoning them because they believe they can no longer afford them. Money then, is not as unrelated to these topics as may first seem to be the case. So while I'll continue to post on the topics you've come to expect, don't be surprised if my three blogs overlap at times.
Have a good weekend everyone!