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Life&Style

 

Austerity Month: Prelude

Penny-pinching and
personal planning

By Sophie Isbister,
Staff Writer

emember October? |

do, because October
was the epitome of
decadence. I had three
Thanksgiving dinners.
Turkey, times two, and
ham. It feels like just last
week that I ate bowl after
bowl of fun-sized Mars
bars (it’s okay if they’re
fun-sized!) that were
supposed to be for trick-
or-treaters. I attended
harvest-themed dinner
parties, Oktoberfest beer
bashes, and hockey lock-
out ice cream pity parties.
And now it’s November,
the darkest, rainiest
month here on the wet

Talk to me

Tips for becoming a
better conversationalist

By Joel MacKenzie,
Staff Writer

iD» you recognize the

power of everyday
conversations? They are
an easily overlooked
necessity of life, and
yet even the smallest
ones can be enough to
instantly connect people
or destroy their opinions
of each other. Especially
in a modern society that
reduces the amount of
time we spend in face-
to-face conversations,
these skills aren’t used as
often, and thus perhaps
less known, but are still
as necessary as ever to
connect us. Conversing
is a complicated subject:
how to do it changes

coast, and I’m think-
ing it’s time for a little
austerity. The October
hangover has set in,
leaving my bank account
a little smaller and my
waistline a little larger.
When I hear the word
“austerity,” I think of it
in economic terms like
“austerity measures:”
I think of governments
tightening their belts,
depression-era grannies
rationing eggs and but-
ter, and those poor folks
in Greece forced to pay
luxury taxes on their
pools. I don’t usually
think of ways the word
can apply to my personal
budget and lifestyle.
But this sad and cold
November, I’m thinking
of ways to streamline
my life like only the
government knows
how to. By cutting costs

between cultures and
even situations; it can’t
be summed up in a few
short points. But a few
simple pieces of advice
can help people’s skills
immensely by at least
allowing them to under-
stand the finer elements
of the structure of con-
versations, and at most,
help them establish close
relationships with ease.
The most useful piece
of conversing advice that
I’ve ever received is to
always respond with a
statement and end with
a question. This comes
from the free podcast
Manager Tools, from
the episode “How to be
Effective in Everyday
Conversations.” The
statement, which can
be as simple as “Oh,”
or as complex as a brief
summary, acknowledges
that you have understood

and slashing services!
November is the
best month for it. The
only thing November
really has going on is
Remembrance Day,
which seems to fit the
theme of sober-saving
and life reflection. The
11th month is also home
to Buy Nothing Day, the
long-running interna-
tional campaign to crush
consumer culture, and a
perfect event to highlight
during my month-long
project. Austerity,
defined as an extreme
plainness and simplicity
of style or appearance,
is now the name of my
home economy game.
When cutting
personal costs and
expenses, the easiest
place to trim fat is in the
food and drink category.
The amount of money

what the other person
said; your question
encourages him or her
to continue speaking.
These simply encourage
you to listen to others,
but also clearly show
them that you are doing
so, which encourages the
conversation to continue.
Listening goes hand
in hand with this skill.
Listening is simply
focusing on what other
people are saying while
they are saying it. It can’t
be done while focusing
on replying, something
that, while trying to
consciously listen, I’ve
noticed myself and others
do. Listening leads to
a relaxed environment,
as the listeners drop
their egos to respect
the speakers, and the
speakers feel more heard,
and are encouraged to
speak.

myself and the average
college student usually
spends on beverages

is absurd. The old me
wouldn’t think twice
about dropping $3.50
on a Vitaminwater, but
not anymore! No more
coffees out, no more
coconut water, smooth-
ies, or even a two-dollar
tea from Waves. No
more Thai takeout on
the way home from a
long night at the library.
And certainly no more
impromptu Wednesday
beer-and-nacho par-
ties at Boston Pizza.

I pledge to be as
severe and stern as a
Dickensian orphanage
director. I used to make
excuses to go shopping:
I needed a new tank top,
or I needed a shower orga-
nizer. But when | think
about my needs, are

A skill that closely
ties into this one, and is
immensely important, is
to not interrupt people
while they are speaking.
At all. Interrupting
says nothing more than
“My words are more
important than listening
to you.” It throws off the
flow of the conversation,
and breaks the harmony
between its members. It’s
(admittedly) tough to do
if you're used to cutting
others off. But it shows
a great deal of respect to
those speaking that—in
my experience—they
often appreciate and
reciprocate.

The last tip is more
of an internal change
rather than an act:
depersonalizing the
right conversations.
Sometimes conversations
need not, or should
not, be very personal.

cheaply manufactured
clothing and household
goods really essential?
Every time I feel like
browsing Metrotown in
a consumer’s frenzy, my
ancient hunter-gatherer
instincts propelling me
to the far reaches of the
mall in search of the
exact right floppy hat or
black flats, I’ll stop myself
and ask: am I being
austere? Do I really need
this item now, or can it
wait until December?
During November’s
30 days I'll think of ways
I can spend my time
without spending my
money, and I'll share
those ways here with
you, dear reader. Please
read along as I chronicle
my latest personal experi-
ment: Austerity Month.

Talking about ideas,
rather than feelings,
keeps the conversation
light, and keeps anyone
from feeling they have
to share anything
personal that makes
them uncomfortable.

In confrontational
situations,
depersonalizing keeps
the focus on the problem,
rather than any blame
or insult that is not truly
related to it.

Conversing is a very
important skill, but not
always easy. Improving
it, like all skills, requires
knowledge and diligence.
With enough, you can
make conversations as
relaxed, comfortable, and
fulfilling as possible.

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