Skip to main content

Freeganism: Gains and losses


Image from: http://www.freegan.at/en/kontakt.htm




Freeganisim enlightens me to look beyond materialism and what I have gravely misunderstood about how I can live my life. You need so little to survive and what's more, there are so many freebies out there that doesn't make sense to try so hard to earn money.

— Dickson Idlier








I adopted partial-freeganism (I still spend money, but mainly necessities like taxes, bills, food, etc) for more than two years now. Mainly involved in dumpster diving and Filiporean Project. I retired from work since 2018. My life changed dramatically but is what I always wanted. Here I would like to give some details of the gains and losses til now.









GAINS





  • More free time. I try to improve my health by exercising more often and spending my time managing my dumpster diving activities, writing blogs and reading manga. Just doing what I want.
  • Retire from work. Since I don't spend much money, practically I don't need to work to earn money. I have enough savings and investment to get by.
  • Financial Independence. My investment in unit trusts are doing well and also my endowment just matured so I have decided to reinvest in more unit trust to get monthly returns. These dividends will pay for my insurance or my wants.
  • Creativity. I think I am more creative now, in how I handle my personal matters or like writing a blog. I have better ideas or what to do write compared to my previous busy and stressful life.




LOSSES





  • Stress. Without work, the stress level dropped to almost zero.
  • Toxic relationships. It becomes clearer what is the intentions of people around me and I trashed most I think are not worth keeping. Those trying to use, back stab, waste my time, negative people, deviate from my interests are gone. Such people are better to minimise contact, avoid or get rid of from your life.
  • "Fire"(anger) in me. I felt like the Hulk (He is always angry). I suspect anxiety, anger, stress, injustice and unbalanced feeling caused this. Even if meditation calms me a lot, I suspect my retirement helps more. I don't really felt the "fire" much nowadays.
  • Weight. After my retirement, I actually lost close to 8-9kg of my body weight (From 65Kg to about 57kg). This was my ideal weight in my 20s. I am also into Intermediate Fasting (I am on 12-16hrs fasting, 8h eating routine). I look healthier and fitter now. The dumpster diving activity and routine exercise does wonders.
  • Stiff muscles. I have less still muscles on my shoulders and back now. Saves money to go massage every month.








Related post: Uniquely Freegans In Singapore, One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BrainTeasers: Joy Of Giving And Sustainable Charity — Filiporean Project

Giving out the stuff to villagers. Image from:   Giving and Taking Free Stuff Facebook Group You don’t have to be rich to donate. All it takes is having a little compassion and willingness to give. —— Dickson Idlier The “Filiporean Project” is started by Freegans In Singapore co-founder, Colin Lau. The project collects small usable items (details in posts from “ Giving and Taking Free Stuff “ Facebook Group) from public donors or dumpster-dived stuff from Freegans In Singapore (FIS) and donates to Filipino maids in Singapore. The main reason is shipping cost is cheapest to the Philippines. This project has caught up in the news and media in Singapore, so more donations have been pouring in so the maids (numbered to 300) are kept very busy.    Colin saw many usable small items when dumpster-diving around his neighborhood but has no use for them. When he found that Filipino maids wanted these items to bless their family, friends, and neighbors back in their village, he...
Post a Comment
Read more

IdlierStories: Appreciate Everything You Have Got

Positive Brain Facebook Group A man once telephoned Norman Vincent Peale. He was despondent and told the reverend that he had nothing left to live for. Norman Vincent Peale invited the man over to his office. "Everything is gone, hopeless," the man told him. "I'm living in deepest darkness. In fact, I've lost heart for living altogether." Norman Vincent Peale smiled sympathetically. "Let's take a look at your situation," he said calmly. On a sheet of paper he drew a vertical line down the middle. He suggested that they list on the left side the things the man had lost, and on the right, the things he had left. "You won't need that column on the right side," said the man sadly. "I have nothing left, period." Norman Vincent Peale asked, "When did your wife leave you?" "What do you mean? She hasn't left me. My wife loves me!" "That's great!" said Norman Vincent Peale enthusiastically. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BrainTeasers: Better To Live Cheap Under Budget, Than Live Luxuriously In Debt

Desire for a better life gets us more entrapped in the web of desires to overspend. Only by cutting away these threads of desires can we free ourselves and live a less stressful and more rewarding life by spending below our means.  ——  Dickson Idlier There are two ways to live life: 1. Live in a way that we spend less than we make. 2. Live in a way that spends more than we make. Spending exactly as you make does not happen as emergencies happen all the time, so is still in the second group. People would rationally choose spending less than we make but most don't.  In our civilized society, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements promising a better life than you have... if and only if, you are willing to spend to get it. This is so ingrained in our subconscious, from the moment we become sensible, we subtly and unintentionally fall into this trap. Increased income doesn't quench our desires. Offers for better life grow with our income... nicer cars, bigger houses, ...
Post a Comment
Read more