Cos we're the frugal community. We were supposed to live differently from others.
But I realized that everyone has a limit to what they can accept and what they cannot accept.
When I first started early retirement. The comments I got were.
It's not possible, you're a loser, you aren't successful, your money will run out, if everyone does this there would be no economy...
And as time went by, readers left, some joined and continued reading.
Even for Mr Money Mustache or 15HWW, there would be people who think it's all a sham.
Then similarly, when I started dumpster diving casually. I've only been on 3 dives.
I get comments...
I'll become a hoarder, if everyone does this there would be no consumption, it's not healthy, you now have desires, I'm still a loser and now I've taken to picking up trash...
I had expected that the early retirement or frugal community would be more accepting of different ways of living to achieve financial freedom. But I was wrong. To some folks, financial freedom only means 1 thing and 1 way...
To earn enough money to put into investments and using the investments, buy stuff which they would normally do.
So the response to people... (there's not only 1 person saying I'll be hoarding)...
is pretty much... I've given away most of the stuff I've found. I take pictures to show what I pick up or what I have in my storeroom. Obviously I lay them out so that people can see what I've picked up and I use those pictures on Carousell as well.
If you know someone who was a hoarder... and you think I'll become a hoarder.
Then I'll ask you, did you know someone who lost money in investments?
Did you know someone who met with a car accident?
Did you know someone who had heart attack?
I've lost money in investments, and I've made money in investments. Doesn't mean I'll stop investing cos someone else has lost money.
I continue to drive, fully aware that there are accidents on the road every day.
And I still continue to eat my char kway teow once in awhile.
So I'm very sorry, that you would live your life afraid of new experiences just cos someone else has had a bad experience with something.
In fact, after starting with dumpster diving, I've been DECLUTTERING my home. *GASP* the horror.
Cos the stuff I find are better quality than what I myself own.
For example, I received 3 new T-shirts and so I decided to throw away 7 of my old T-shirts with holes.
Cos now I know, NEW T-shirts are easy to find. I don't need to keep using the T-shirts with holes.
Same for bags, my wife has taken out her old bags to list on Carousell, cos bags are plenty, I've brought many of the bags from dumpster diving to Cash Converters to sell for a couple of bucks.
Cos the idea is now... I know where to get stuff for free, why do I need to keep my old stuff anymore.
Now, it's not that I never needed to print something. I always go to my parents place to print stuff.
So when someone offers me a new printer, I take it.
Cos it's free and it allows me to print stuff and I don't need to ask my neighbours to allow me to print stuff when I'm in a rush.
Then I found 2 more.
One of them I'm going to pass to my friend.
And the other one, I'm waiting to get the wires so that I can test it and determine what I can do with it.
I'm waiting for the time I pick up an LV item. And I wonder what people would say...
Woooo... ERSG is a scam. He desires LV items...
Errm... seriously, that's a new one.
If the wallet that I find is nicer than my current wallet, looks better, is better quality... I think it's absolutely fine to upgrade it for free.
Doesn't mean I'll buy a replacement LV if that one gets spoilt.
Do I desire it? No... but if it's free and better... HUH? Why not?
I'm not complaining that I have an old wallet currently.
At ZERO additional cost... how am I being less frugal?
My spending has not increased the least bit in terms of merchandise. Cos I never bought merchandise. Just mainly food experiences. I have not even bought groceries since I came back from overseas.
But now, I do get a bit more stuff/merchandise, and the stuff all go through a process.
1. Do I need this item, does it improve my living?
A printer. This is the only thing that I have kept for myself.
2. Can I sell it for a worthy amount of money?
Anything more than $20, else I can't be bothered to meet up.
The other printer, foam tiles, baby sterilizer, these has been or will be listed on Carousell once they are tested.
3. Next are the small items which are in good condition. Can I batch sell it quickly for a couple of bucks?
It's not worth meeting anyone on Carousell for $5. Cos to negotiate and arrange a meet up is just messy and transport isn't free.
So these stuff usually go to Cash Converters. Bags, pots, pans, they accept a lot of stuff for $0.50-$6.
Today, I received $18 from Cash Converters. Previously $17.
4. Then the stuff that is left over... there's the Recycling program by Veolia where they come once a month to collect the stuff and you can sell stuff to them.
Like paper, clothes, old appliances, etc
So my spoilt microwave and Tefal iron, I will try to sell it to them when they are doing this program in my area.
I'm checking out how much Veolia is willing to take these items. If they aren't accepting it for much, then there's no point in me stocking up my house with rubbish and holding it for 1 month before they arrive to clear it from me. So this step is pretty much still under exploration.
5. Then there's stuff that's even left over after that!!!... And this goes to anyone else with a cause.
Charities, like the one whom I contacted to collect my 4 big bags of toys.
Other freegans who send stuff overseas to help poor people.
Etc...
Whenever I dumpster dive, I think through this process. Does it fall into any of these categories. If not, then I don't take it. I don't take pillows, markers, pencils, magazines, even though I have ways to pass them on.
I admit, one of my rooms has gotten more cluttered, cos my wife's bags which used to be in the cupboard are now taken out and in that room, cos she wants me to list those on Carousell as well.
So yea. If that counts as cluttering, then fine, you win.
Now, of course I'm still experimenting on how best to process my items. Whether they make sense to do certain steps. Some freegans skip the whole selling process straight out, cos they can't be bothered to meet up with people to sell stuff, they go directly to their cause or support someone else's cause.
For me, currently, I still want to make some money out of it, but if items still sit around for too long on Carousell without being sold, then I might just push everything out to Cash Converters, but I'm still trying out different methods to process my items.
So really... no I don't ever think I'd ever be a hoarder. Simply cos I have a process to clear these items and I want to clear these items. I'm doing this for fun and want to make some spare cash out of it.
I dumpster dive or join the freegan community to prove a point. Not cos I need the items or the money.
The point is... JUST COS IT CAN BE DONE.
That there is no reason to be poor, that there is no reason to be hungry.
I still go for my meals at restaurants with my wife. Most of the time I don't eat dumpster or salvaged food.
My expense has not increased since last month.
I've only dumpster dived 3 times. THREE TIMES! And I'm going to be a hoarder... or have new desires and have started being less frugal...
It's like when a child fails his PSLE and is branded that he's going to be a failure for the rest of his life.
Seriously...
I'm not really angry or frustrated...
Rather, it's a blend between disappointment and sadness.
Cos the early retirement/frugal community is supposed to be different from the usual consumer sheep.
So I thought, we find good deals, lobang, good rebate cards to make our dollar stretch longer.
But when the game changes... or when I try something really out of the norm... even out of the norm of the financial / money management bloggers.
I start getting FREE stuff... I don't even need to stretch the dollar.
Suddenly all the negative comments come in... HUH?!
Ok there are constructive comments, and then there are just negative comments.
Let's put it this way... what's the worst that can happen due to early retirement?
Well... I run out of money at 80 years old and I'm still alive. Most likely this won't happen, but there's always a chance...
And what's the worst that can happen due to me trying out dumpster diving?
Well... I become a hoarder... Most likely this won't happen, but there's always a chance...
Similar jump to conclusion comments but just different topics.
And this left me scratching my head... cos aren't we supposed to be the bunch that lives differently from the mice on the wheel? To think differently?
Then I thought again... maybe it's really that some people just can't accept some things/ideas. That certain things are just too extreme... early retirement is extreme enough... anything more than that just gets rejected.
Or maybe there was some negative events in that person's life.
Like I don't gamble in casinos cos I had certain negative experiences there. Not that I lost large sums of money, but I saw someone who did, lost money, and started borrowing from friends and family and continued to gamble, and I saw how it strained the relationships.
So yes, I do agree that I may end up being a hoarder, if I don't have sufficient discipline.
Similar to someone who gambles without discipline. But that doesn't mean that everyone should not enter a casino. It's entertainment, just do it knowing the risks.
So if you're warning me that I may become a hoarder if I don't take care. Then I thank you for the warning.
If you're saying that I WILL become a hoarder... then never mind... I think I know myself better than you know me.
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