Life is pretty much back to normal.
I still really like the idea and mentality, so please, don't think that I'm writing anything bad about it.
I've left a couple of the chat groups, cos they have gotten too big and it's kinda messy for me, I'm not someone who likes big groups.
Some of the groups have moved on to do bigger things like distribute food to other charitable organizations so it's pretty cool.
What's left in my house that's "new" stuff is...
11 golf clubs, a $500 steam iron which I want to try to use for my clothes, couple of bottles of perfume, a couple of nice bags (some new enough to gift to people), couple of nice posters which I plan to hang once I clean them up...
It's not that I just "gained" all these stuff, I also managed to clear of a bunch of stuff which I have no use for, gave them away to people and all that. So the amount of clutter in the house has remained pretty much the same in terms of volume, except that they have now changed to stuff which I find interesting and I can do something with them...
I'm also trying to sell some of the stuff, like the golf clubs and maybe a couple of the bags.
There's a couple of spoilt electronics which I'm trying to sell to some karanguni... they're supposed to come and pick it up soon, else I'll just try to find some other way to dispose of them, trying to determine how much these things are worth. Always good to find out... never know what we're throwing away... I mean like, if it's worth $10, means previously when I dumped my old TV, I could have effectively threw away $10...
Ok... so where do I go from here?
I did think about it... more recently... cos I took a break from freegan activities and I realized that my life didn't change much...
Like, I didn't collect any free vegetables, and I didn't do any dumpster dives recently.
Weekends are normal weekends, means I go out with my wife and do anything she wants to do, eat out, walk around, etc... that's our main expense, we don't buy stuff...
So previously I thought I would be able to get vegetables to help me with my grocery bill... But I realized, it's not worth it... as in... for the both of us, a head of cabbage lasts us one whole week, and that costs $1... That's less than the transport it takes for me to collect the vegetables and back. So it isn't worth it on a normal basis.
Doesn't mean I won't go to some of their collection events, there are some stuff I would like to get if possible to try, but on a regular basis, it doesn't make much sense for me.
Then there's the meat, which is possible but supply is unstable. Meaning, I can't really get what I want, when I want. That's what money buys, convenience. Exactly what you want, when you want. But if you're willing to accept random stuff, you can get it free and in large quantities.
I don't eat lunch on a regular basis, unless I go out with friends so... extra groceries don't do much for me...
Then there's dumpster diving, until now... I haven't gotten anything which I really wanted, except for a printer, (if no one gave me a printer, I would have kept one printer which I found), and a Visions pot, but besides those 2, the other stuff that I picked up aren't stuff that I really want or need. Most of the stuff I got are quirky stuff which I find interesting and are fun to have for a short while for slight interest.
I've given away some stuff, sold some stuff, given to charity some stuff, given to old folks homes, etc...
It's really an experience, cos I've never given stuff to organizations before.
There are folks who ask me to reserve stuff for them and they don't bother to come and collect, so I'm kinda annoyed by this, so now I don't reserve stuff for people and just give to anyone who is willing to come to my place to pick it up, else I just sell them off quickly at Cash Converters.
I kinda get the feeling that dumpster diving isn't for me cos there's nothing I'm looking for, but I'll start it again for a bit to try it out a bit more once the rainy season lets up... cos a wet dumpster is just miserable. The stuff is all wet and soggy and I have no mood to go out and even try to hunt for stuff. I really hate going through wet stuff. Not to mention if it rains halfway through my journey, it's also a mess cos I'm carrying a whole load of stuff and it's hard to get back home.
I still really like the whole idea, and I love the people I meet, there's a bunch of really nice folk whom I'd love to keep in contact with.
But for me, I think maybe the whole freegan thing doesn't do much for me as a lifestyle decision.
I mean I'd still join in their activities and all that and trade stuff and give stuff away, etc, and meet up to chat with some of the folks and all that.
It's something like what I said about being a freegan minimalist.
I don't have much stuff at home, and I don't want stuff, if something is spoilt, I'd likely try to get a free one when the time comes, like for now, I'm looking for a desk to replace the current mahjong table (which is serving as a desk), and I can take my time to find a suitable desk with the dimensions which I'm looking for.
Once again I need to say it straight out, else people may take this post out of context. I'm not saying freegan mentality is bad. I still like the whole idea. For me and my lifestyle, it doesn't make sense to do this on a regular basis, cos transport costs more than what I need in terms of food.
For material stuff, I don't need or want much, so collecting them doesn't do much for me, I will still keep a look out for stuff that I want replaced and try to obtain them for free.
Oh... and I've gotten lazy in tracking my expenses... it really is a hassle to me. As a challenge, I would really love to drop my discretionary expenses from $1000 to $500... but if I really needed to do that, then I should just get a job or find another source of income. So as an alternative way of "tracking" my expenses, I'll just be more mindful in my spending and if someday, I realize that I'm prepaying my telco bills on a regular basis, that would mean that I have managed to consistently push my monthly spending down.
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