What Is Economic Insurgency?

Economic Insurgency? I'm calling the feds! Yeah, I get it. The term is a little extreme. But, honestly, that was intentional. Well, sorta. It's a long history I wont get into now, but to give an actual definition Economic Insurgency is simply living in such a way that you turn your back on the larger economy by networking with other individuals and trading skills. Think of it like a structured friendship; Tim will fix your car as long as you share what is in your garden. The more people you bring into the fold with various skills, the less you all collectively need to spend. Just imagine starting small.

Lets say you have a baker, a handyman, a mechanic, a gardener, a computer nerd, and a trauma nurse in your friend group. The gardener might have to work 3x as hard to help give everybody food as expected... but in doing so they are dropping the food bill for the group. Then the baker keeps everybody in stock of the staples to make the garden veggies stretch. Sure, everybody will still be buying food. But, less. And should they not buy food, they wont starve. They just have a limited menu. Their cars are all serviceable. Sure, they have to buy parts, but the mechanic is more than happy to do the smaller jobs since they don't come up constantly and said mechanic saves a bundle on food. Plus the resident computer geek really did them a solid getting their home office upgraded and they're able to keep track of their business way better. And the ER Trauma Nurse of course saves the group a boatload when it comes to small accidents up to needing simple stitches.

Now let's go even further. What if somebody joined the group that was a machinist and could build replacement parts for the mechanic that the computer nerd 3D scans and fixes up? Suddenly an entire industry is no longer necessary in this little micro-economy. Just keep adding roles; the seamstress, the 'guy who knows everybody', that person that randomly knows martial arts, a retired teacher who absolutely will watch the kids.

The idea in it's simplest form is this: create a group of people that the only rule is money doesn't change hands except to cover cost. Sometimes things do cost the group, and while everybody handles their own finances the more money the group has individually the more money the group collectively will have; allowing them to invest in their specialties to further lift the group. It's building a safety net by taking what you like to do and instead of turning it into a business you are turning it into a life-changing net benefit to the people that will vastly benefit your life! So that's what this site is; it's a collection of me and my fellow insurgent's thoughts, projects, and ideas, catalogued as we work through the highs and lows of figuring this system out.