My Tax Return Says I’m Poorer. My Garden Says Otherwise...
What if a lower income could be the key to a richer life? This article reflects on how the 'Economy of Nature' offers a type of security that a tax return simply can't measure.
Yesterday, I was staring at my computer screen, tallying up my income taxes for the year. By the government's standards, the ones that measure everything in dollars and cents, it looks like I’ve had a "small" year. My income is certainly lower than it was when I was working a traditional 9-to-5 5 days a week job. My "contributions" to the economy look smaller.
Then, I went to the garage to add kitchen scraps to our worm composter bin.
I looked at the big container of dark, rich worm compost that will help fertilize our garden this summer to grow abundant and healthy fruit and vegetables.
Looking at that "black gold," I thought about the last Seedy Saturday event, where we were promoting the Seed Savers Club and Seed Libraries. I remembered the look on people’s faces when I handed them vegetables and flower seeds for free.
There is a specific kind of discomfort people feel when they encounter the Economy of Nature. We’ve been conditioned to believe that if something is free, there must be a catch. We’ve been taught that value is found in dollars.
The Seed vs. The Dollar
In the financial economy, if I give you $10, I have $10 less. But in the Nature Economy, if I give you 10 seeds and you plant them, we suddenly have 1,000 seeds. Hoarding is the only way to lose wealth in nature.
When I volunteer my time a few hours a month with the community Seed Savers Club, the Francophone cultural center, or the Community Health Center, I’m not "working for nothing." I am investing in our collective Prosperity Pension Plan.
The machine economy wants you to be a decimal point in a calculation; the nature economy wants you to be a node in a resilient network.
Shifting the Ledger
To those of you feeling like a "money-making machine" in a world that feels like it’s falling apart: We are not our T4.
We are using an outdated 20th-century filing system to measure 21st-century survival.
This is why the concept of a Degrowth Economy is so vital. Degrowth isn't about "doing without"; it’s about downscaling our production and consumption to live within the Earth’s means. It’s a move away from the obsession with "more" toward a focus on "better."
When we choose Degrowth, we stop feeding the money machine and start feeding the soil and the community's well-being.
This spring, when doing your income taxes, don't just count your dollars.
Count your worms.
Count your seeds.
Count the neighbours who know your name.
This will give you a much better picture of your prosperity investment.
Your 2026 "Tax Hacks" for the Soul
Ready to start your own regenerative ledger? Here are three ways to increase your prosperity this month without spending a dime:
Borrow some wealth: Visit your local seed library. Take what you need, grow it, and "repay" the system with the seeds you harvest this fall.
Invest in Social Capital: Make new friends while contributing to a community cause. The connections you make are the best insurance policy in an uncertain world.
Diversify your portfolio: Start a worm compost bin! Turn your "waste" into the black gold that will nourish the soil that feeds your family.
Why the Permaculture Lifestyle Path?
I find this way of living so valuable because it provides more than just gardening tips; it offers a design system for life.
By following the three ethics—Care for the Earth, Care for the People, and Fair Share—and using the 12 Permaculture Principles as a guideline, we can create a balanced lifestyle.
It is a roadmap that moves us away from being "consumers" and toward being stewards who bring prosperity to all living beings.
Designing ecosystems, not just gardens
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This newsletter follows the Wheel of the Seasons calendar, arriving in your inbox eight times a year at the solar gates. Together, we explore permaculture living through a featured Perennial Peer, a plant that sustains us year after year—alongside the recipes, traditions, and resilience of the cultures that love them.
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