Bailey Reutzel, a 26-year-old business journalist, quit her job to find out how some Americans are living independently of a financial system that’s failed them.
The U.S. is a composite of countless economies: The one experienced by the homeless population camped out under the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago will necessarily differ from the economy occupied by Millennials embarking on guerilla farming projects in Cleveland, who in turn might not recognize the system inhabited by the Bitcoin believers of libertarian New Hampshire. And a lone bicyclist who’s sold all his belongings to head west may live in a makeshift market of his own.
These are just a few of the people and subcultures documented in Moneytripping, a blog by 26-year-old financial journalist Bailey Reutzel. Reutzel, a former co-worker of mine, decided this summer to quit her job and drive across the country interviewing people about how they are making do (or not) in post-Financial-Crisis America.
In my admittedly biased opinion, Moneytripping serves as a missing supplement to mainstream economic reporting. Too often, stories are focused on drawing a broad conclusion about the way the American economy is changing—either the problem is Amazon’s impossibly demanding, performance metrics-obsessed workplace culture, or the trouble lies with services like Uber and AirBnB that are replacing steady jobs and predictable hours.
While the issues identified in these narratives are real, it’s also important to stay attuned to the differences in the way people live and work. Moneytripping puts a spotlight on the strange, idealistic, and unruly individuals and groups who are forging their own systems of value and exchange. It’s important to hear diverse stories about how smaller segments of the U.S. population are operating outside the financial mainstream so we can imagine broader alternatives to a system that’s failing so many.
Reutzel plans to roll through 48 states in five months, spending at least three days in each place she visits. So far she’s has written about the mixed effects of The Heidelberg Project, a collection of polka-dotted houses and makeshift art installations that attracts hordes of tourists to an East Detroit neighborhood. Another post observes the class divide between affluent Lollapalooza revelers and the homeless population they hardly register. And she’s also interviewed the last few residents of a Pennsylvania coal town seized by the government in 1992 under eminent domain.
I spoke with Bailey during her stopover in Portland, Maine—the ninth state she’s visited since starting her journey in August—to talk about the people she’s met on the open road. The interview that follows has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Bailey Reutzel: My initial idea was to write about money and how people in different cultures and demographics think about it. But as I’ve gone along, the project is changing to a focus on political economics. I’m looking at how different cultures move money and interact with economics and the financial system.
Todd: Your introductory post on Moneytripping says you’re looking for stories about what journalist Paul Mason calls the post-capitalism movement in the U.S.—people using local currencies, time banks, cooperatives, and other systems that subvert mainstream financial tools. What examples have you run into so far?
Reutzel: I was just up in New Hampshire, which is big on libertarian ideas. One guy I met is a professor in mathematics who’s into Bitcoin and tutors people as a side gig. When we were at a Bitcoin meet-up, the server offered to take care of the professor’s $30 bill in exchange for his next tutoring session.
Todd: Bartering in action. Do you think there’s a bigger cultural shift underway toward these kinds of systems?
Reutzel: I think local currencies are still an outlier. But in terms of cooperatives, I think that’s definitely a part of the economy that will continue to grow. The biggest question of the next decade is going to be what goes global and what stays local. I think more people are going to be willing to choose local even if that means they have to pay more—especially if they know the disadvantages of buying things on the cheap from large corporations.
Todd: What has surprised you about the places you’ve visited so far?
Reutzel: Cleveland and Pittsburgh were surprising in the best way. Since manufacturing jobs disappeared, Rust Belt cities have been trying to reinvent themselves, and they both have great arts scenes and downtowns. It’s good to see that cities can be adaptable. And the people too—they’re chameleon-like, bouncing around from job to job, and also pursuing big ideas like opening their own businesses.
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