@Lifestyle: My Reasons Becoming A Partial-Freegan

Reject mindless consumerism

I chanced upon freeganism when reviewing my investments. I just left my stressful job (details in another post). I dreamed to retire from work by age 45 but had no concrete plans then.

I felt freeganism is a path to fulfil my early retirement dream. The idea behind freeganism is to get what you need for free and use your money only on necessities. I joined the "Freegan in Singapore" Facebook group, where Colin Lau's articles on freeganism impress me. I started dumpster diving and managed to rescue mostly merchandise and occasionally food. I spend money on bills, insurance premiums and food.

Below are my reasons for becoming a partial-freegan:

Sick of work. Mainly due to office politics, backstabbing, lack of job satisfaction and Information Technology (IT) industry are always fire-fighting. Felt physically and mentally tired. Low pay jobs have their stress and problems. Want to quit working for money forever.

No idea why I earn money. I am a thrifty person until I found something I like. Otherwise, I don't spend much money and I prefer simple living. I don't agree working for money til retirement as you never know when you die. So earning less or not working suits me better.

Want to be physically and mentally healthier. I was diagnosed with stress-induced migraines. I suspect I have mild depression and anxiety too, as I have some of the associated symptoms. I tried to exercise regularly but my busy work schedule keeps me away. I also took up meditation but has limited benefit to my depression and anxiety. I decided to change myself before change changed me for the worse.

Want to reduce stress. In my work, I am hit with the stress of different magnitude. Last minute changes, urgent requests, demanding customers, unrealistic expectations, etc. These caused me to have stress-induced migraines. Since all this stress comes from work, stop working is the most viable solution. Stop working kills work stress.

Calm my monkey mind. I naturally overthink. My mind is always busy with some thoughts or tasks to get me to work on. I have worrying thoughts but I couldn't get over them. I did try meditation but doesn't work much for me, resulting in wanting to retire to slow down and declutter my mind.

Cheapo by nature. Who doesn't like cheap or free stuff? I don't have a strong spending desire or upgrade mentality, unlike normal Singaporeans, except for IT gadgets, feng shui stuff, and Thai amulets (no longer a collector). I have financial sense due to my family not being well off, so I make sure I get the best deals. Dumpster diving achieved this purpose.

I chose to be a partial-freegan due to my desire to retire by age 45. With the benefits of dumpster diving, I only half succeed in retiring before 45. Another is changing my spending habits dramatically to suit my new lifestyle, making it sustainable to live without working.

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