Freeganism: Is it the Life for You?

You might wonder what Freeganism is or what exactly is a Freegan. Unless you watched the recent Oprah where she talked to some people that are Freegans, you probably have never heard of this. Freegans are people that object to capitalism and the exploitation it creates so they find ways to live without money by making use of discarded goods. I think the Freegan lifestyle is based in good ideas, but it seems the take it too far. While I try to do things for the environment and not waste things, I am not about to go dumpster diving for dinner.

About two years ago my husband quit his job working or other people so he could start his own business. Our family went through a time where we had to make a very contentious effort to budget and to spend a lot less money. We did not cut done to the extreme way that the Freegans live. By our budgeting we started to consume a lot less. Currently we have moved past the point of having to carefully budget, but I still try to consume less, and make as little an impact on the environment as possible

I think it is important for the environment to consume as little as possible. While trying to save money I would often purchase second hand baby things, by doing this I was also able to help the environment by using something that might have otherwise been thrown away. My friends and I also often have trade parties, while we mainly do these for children's clothes and toys we often include other items. These parties are great because things that would have gotten thrown away are given to people who will now use them. These parties work great especially for kids toys, because kids can get tired of toys so quickly this way someone else gets a chance to use them.

Another thing I participate in to try and make less of an impact of the environment, is Freecycle. Freecycle is an Internet group that join for your community, and people post things that they don't need and they would otherwise e throwing away. Everything on Freecycle is given away for free, all you have to do is go pick it up. This is an excellent idea because it works both ways. You are able to get things that you want or need for free. Also you can give stuff away that you don't need without it going to a dump

Could you be a Freegan? Would you even want to be a Freegan? I couldn't ever take it to that extreme. As I explained earlier I have spent time budgeting and trying to consume less. But I couldn't nor would I want to become a Freegan. I think spending some money doing things you enjoy is worth it. I enjoy spending time with my family going out to dinner, and going to places we enjoy. I know money doesn't make you happy, but I don't see how spending no money makes you happy either. I think you need to find a good balance, I think balance is the key to everything.