The economy, stupid

When my wife and I consulted a financial specialist about our plan to sell our house and move to France he started, startled: ‘traditionally you would get more money by raising your mortgage, and use that extra money to finance your plans.’

This, of course, only inflates the economy: the money we would be spending is not real, it has just been invented by the bank because we promised we would pay them back with interest. It also would enslave us even more by further raising our already considerable monthly dues just to function in this society.

We are the driving force behind the increasing prices by wanting to have things, borrowing from the future. On its own, a house is worth nothing. By keeping it inaccessible to others, it becomes worth something. Banks keep creating money by loaning it to us, so we can ‘afford’ all the stuff.

We automate and outsource things, like washing, dishes and child care, in exchange for money. Now we can work earning just a bit more money and spend the difference on things we think we want (phones, vacations), and interest on the things we already have (house, too big a car).

The automation and outsourcing has enabled traditional households to have two working adults in stead of one, so they are inclined to pay more for the house they want just to get it, which means that nowadays workers need two incomes to even be able to live in a modest house.

Even though this spiral continues to occasionally depress me, we have since sold our house and spent some time in the mountains, trying to live a good life.

Chalets

Here, most of the chalets are empty most of the time. Some are empty the whole year round. Still they are heated, probably because the stuff inside (waterworks, flatscreens) may not stand winter temperatures. The minority of wealthy people takes up a lot of space! The grounds of these chalets are fenced up rendering the old plains (Champraz means: plains of Praz) hard to navigate on foot, sometimes you have to take giant detours around the quasi gated communities. This is not how I envision a pleasant society. Can we revolutionise this? Bring back the commons? Share more?

We have been living in a small apartment (er… room) for a couple of months now. We found out we really don’t need much more. A little sun would be nice (we live on the North side of the building…), and it is not very comfortable to video-call at the same time in the same room. That’s about it.

Let me show you our room

It sounds a bit unappreciative to call it a room, but rest assured that we thoroughly realise how fortunate we are that we have been able to live here in the mountains, close to the wonderful city of Chamonix, drinking weekend-coffee in La Rose du Pont, getting to know wonderful musicians in Maison des Artistes.

Interior photographs

The main feat of our living space is this retro-couch. It is not very comfortable. But using a lot of cushions helps. It used to be under the cupboard to the left, but Nicolien moved it so we look directly outside while we sit on it. Note the heater next to it, to combat the chilly winter evenings.

Directly opposite the couch is our dinner table, and a door to our little garden.

Behind the couch is our bed. It’s pretty comfortable.

To the right, seen from the couch / bed, is my workspace in the corner, and a cupboard with a small seating area we do not use (other than look at our rabbit-clock-thermometer), where the couch used to be.

This is the workspace. It works fine, though I am looking forward to a slightly larger desk with space for my Wacom tablet (that is now stowed away in the white closet).

To the left is the entrance to our kitchen. Yes, we have purchased a relief-map of the region, like regular tourists, as a reminder of our wonderful time here.

The kitchen. Very small, but practical.

The kitchen contains this really crappy oven, but it has served us well! Quiches and cakes, even the occasional pizza, come out hot and delicious.

The wall to the left of the kitchen had a generic poster that we promptly hid in a closet. Nicolien put up these hanging plants ❤️

Nicolien keeps her snowboard gear next to the cupboard. You can see the entrance to the bathroom.

The bathroom is larger than the kitchen. It contains a bath, electrical radiator, sink and, of course, a bidet. We have not used the bidet.

Last but not least, the rather roomy (relatively) toilet.

An internal wall with closet space (here to the left) divides the area where the bed is from this little hallway where the entrance to the toilet and bathroom is. I love the sturdy woodwork.

Sturdy woodwork with traditional door fittings.

Next to the dinner table is the tiny (electrical) heater. Fortunately, the person who rents this to us left an extra heater we positioned next to the couch.

Detail: bookshelf above my workspace…

Nicolien could not resist this little bag.

Exterior photographs

The room is located in the north side of this chalet that houses many more rooms and apartments. This is one of 11 chalets on the grounds, interconnected under ground by a large network of corridors and spooky rooms and at least one parking garage (where our car survived the winter).

Our room (with the shutters open) on the ground floor. Between the two buildings you can see the massif du mont blanc ❤️

This neighbourhood (Champraz) is completely surrounded by mountains, it is a delight to take a stroll any time of the day, but especially nearing sunset.

Entrance to the parking garage. The electrical door broke so our remote control was for naught. But it was fixed within a couple of weeks!

The entrance hallway to two adjoining chalets, the door to the right enters our corridor.

The corridor. The opening to the right leads to the elevator and staircase through which you can enter the bowels of this complex.

We are located right next to the entrance. I love the large knob in the center of the door, it is very practical, not only for grabbing with thick gloves, but also to hang something while you reach for your keys, without it obscuring the keyhole.

Spooky

I confess to not being in the washing room often.

Much like the post about our previous home in the mountains, this is a document to remember this by. Please forgive the lamenting about the economy at the beginning. I could not resist. It occupies my thoughts sometimes. I hope you enjoyed the rest and the photographs.