And I was talking about getting a new desk and I got "suan" by SMOL that a new desk isn't considered renovation. LOL. Yes, he's right. I had nothing more to write about in my previous post.
Anyway... YAY I got my "new" free desk today. That's why my post is pretty late.
And I got a side table to store my stationary and stuff.
Ok... so the condition of both the items aren't perfect. The table is a bit bent in the center cos of too much weight in the center for an extended period of time. No problem for me, I'll just put a counter weight and eventually it will revert back to a flat table top again.
The side table is also pretty old. I'm not complaining. I needed a desk and a side table so that I can store all the stationary so that the table will be nice and uncluttered.
And of course, best of all, both of them were "free"...
Yes yes... it's not really free. I had to make the effort to go down, left house at 7:15 am, take an MRT change to a bus, reach the home at 8:30 am, dismantle the table, put them both on my trolley, walk 1km back to the MRT cos I could not get on a bus with a trolley... then at the MRT station, they almost didn't allow me past the gantry cos it looked like a lot of items... I told them the space I took up was the same as a wheelchair, and after some chatting, the station control told me to wait til 10:30 am where there would be less people. So I sat around for 30 minutes and they allowed me in with some words of advice, to move slowly and be careful and to go to the last cabin... all of which I was intending to do anyway... Then I had to walk back from the MRT to my own home and clean up the items and reassemble the desk. After cleaning up and everything is around 12:30 pm.
So around 5 hours of "work" and transport fees as the cost of the items...
The retail value if these were new is likely around $120 or so?? I don't know.
Anyway, these are second hand. So maybe they are worth half that amount... it doesn't matter.
I'm not thinking about this on a per hour basis... that's not the point...
If we always think about our lives on a per hour basis then no one would ever retire cos every additional hour worked would generate X amount of income.
I found the experience very interesting... cos I intentionally did not drive. Cos it would not be worth it in terms of transport costs, and I would likely get hit with ERP charges as well.
I was really crossing my fingers at the MRT station cos I felt it was a 50/50 chance. If they turned me away then I would likely have to walk back home!!! OMG! It's really really far.
So now that I got a new desk, the old "desk" which was a mahjong table is now redundant. I posted it on my neighbour chat to give it to anyone and someone was willing to take it... how wonderful.
Now my only challenge is to unbend the table. Cos it will take some time to flip the table around and put a weight on the underside of the table and wait for the table to unbend.
Ok so some people would have instead recommended that I drive Uber or take up a part time job for 1 day and just buy new items. The amount of time and effort would probably have been around the same.
As strange as this may sound, that might not work... cos IF I had worked for the money... I would likely NOT have bought a new desk. Cos... the mahjong table was good enough. It's a table. Good enough. It's like I have a good enough dining table. It would be nice to have a nicer looking one. But my current dining table is good enough to eat on. Similarly, the mahjong table was good enough to double up as a study table for my wife to work for maybe 2 hours after dinner if/when necessary.
You see... when money gets involved, things change, the mental perception changes. At least this is the case for me. I know some people wouldn't even bat an eyelid to buy stuff... but that's not me... And I think everyone has their own things which they feel is "good enough" and won't need a replacement even though it is good to have a new one.
It's the same as when I help out at Pasir Panjang... If/When I was working, I never helped out at charities or donated money... simply cos... I didn't know which organization was worth my money or effort... but when money has been removed from the equation, then I am more willing to help out. Cos I have time and I can slowly explore.
It's also the same as why I would give my extra mahjong table to my neighbour... previously, I would just fold it up and keep it in the storeroom "just in case"... that's the thing about it... many of the things we do, we do it just in case, we stock up and keep stuff in the storeroom, just in case... and it becomes excess clutter. Now that I get my stuff for "free" or at least I perceive it to be free cos I'm not spending money, but I'm spending effort, the "value" of things is really different.
Now, I'm not saying money is bad, money is great, it allows us to do a lot of stuff. But after a while, money may get confusing, our perception of value changes. We think of our time as an hourly rate, or people may hoard money without knowing why... especially for folks who don't want much.
It's like... I know a rich guy who will never be able to spend all his money... cos his expense is less than $200 per month... and he admitted that he worked an additional 10 years for nothing... cos 10 years ago he already had all his finances in shape. But he didn't know how to quit.
But after he started freegan living, he's very happy, his money will never run out and he knows he won't need much for the rest of his life... his finances are healthy, he is properly insured, etc etc...
The thing about it is that the freegan way of living gave him the mental security and confidence to quit his job cos it helped him reduce his expenses as he managed to find many ways to obtain things for free and not touch much of his capital.
Anyway, I've rambled for too long... I've gotten a nice new desk and side table... That's all that today's post is supposed to be able...
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