Oprah, the Freegans and My Personal Experience in Cutting Back

If you don't watch Oprah, you may never have heard of the group called freegans. Freegans are people who have declared themselves to be anti-consumerists, and employ alternative living strategies, by salvaging discarded, usable food and other items from dumpsters and other places.

While I am not a freegan, I too have made a choice to buy less and recycle and reuse more things. The first thing I have done to help the environment, and my budget, is to stop buying. That is really the key - buy only what you need and will use. Also, shop the sales and clip coupons. This really helps your budget. By spending an hour a week at my desk, I typically save over $200 on our groceries, just by reading grocery sale fliers, and choosing my coupons wisely.

I also drive less. We used to go home to my family's house once a month to visit. That 20-hour round trip was costing quite a bit, even though we have small 4-cylinder cars that get almost 40 miles per gallon on the highway. This year, we decided to only go home twice this year. It's tough on the family, but is definitely saving us money, and is our small contribution to help with the gas crisis.

I also help out by trying to throw nothing away. Clothing and other items are listed on eBay or other online auction websites. If they are not sold through these auctions, I keep some things for my yearly yard sale. However, most of the time, I give these items away. I belong to several local Freecycle and Cheapcycle groups, as well as some other similar websites in my city. When I am finished with items that still have life left in them, I list them on these groups' message boards. If anyone wants to come my items, they are welcome to them. Things that aren't sold or given away are donated to a local thrift store that is run by veterans.

In the kitchen, I also recycle. Paper and newspaper and plastics are put in bins, and I drop them off at our local grocery every week or so. They are donated to a local Boy Scout chapter that sells them to a recycling center, to get funds for their Scout troop. Aluminum cans and other metals are also recycled at my home. These are taken monthly to a local recycling center that is near my work, where I can sell them and make a little extra cash.

Most food items are also recycled at my home. If we have left-over food items that we don't eat, I put them in a container in my back yard, to use for compost for my garden. And, instead of buying fertilizer for our garden when the compost pile empties, I stop by my local Starbucks for coffee grounds. Every Starbucks location collects their used coffee grounds and offers them free of charge to their customers. These are great fertilizer, and I can pick them up on my way home from work. You can't beat that price.

I also grow my own veggies, and some fruits. This is a lot healthier for my family, and again, helps our budget. Thanks to my small garden, and other ways that I have cut back, my husband and I will be able to put our children through college, and retire comfortably.

While my choices are good for my budget, and help others, they are also good for the environment. Though not many people embrace the freegan lifestyle, it is possible to cut costs and save the planet without resorting to freeganism.