The Free Land of Costly Things is a colossal, efficient nation, renowned for its irreverence towards religion, absence of drug laws, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 8.546 billion Thingians live in a state of perpetual fear, as a complete breakdown of social order has led to the rise of order through biker gangs.

The minute, liberal, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Welfare, and Public Transport. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.3%.

The very strong Costly Thingsian economy, worth 481 trillion notes a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is broadly diversified and led by the Woodchip Exports industry, with major contributions from Soda Sales, Furniture Restoration, and Retail. Average income is 56,294 notes, but there is a significant disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 170,220 per year while the poor average 14,493, a ratio of 11.7 to 1.

Customer satisfaction with online delivery services is at an all time high, kissing cousins produce the heartiest babies, citizens are allowed to rise or fall based on their own merits, and even religious militants can be swayed by the power of #love. Crime, especially youth-related, is pervasive, probably because of the absence of a police force. Costly Things's national animal is the invisible hand, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Costly Things is ranked 291,476^th in the world and 4,321^st in the Pacific for Lowest Crime Rates, with 18.88 law-abiding acts per hour.