Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Oprah and Freegans

Freegans....You may be asking what is a freegan? "This growing grassroots subculture is made of people who have decided to live outside consumer society. Freegans say our culture's emphasis on buying the newest products—and throwing away perfectly fine older things—is a waste of the world's resources. Instead, they focus on buying less and use only what they need. One of the main ways freegans do this is by salvaging food and other goods from the trash."

This is what was on Oprah today. She had people (lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc) who are tired of society and what we have caused. They do not buy new...even food. They showed how much stuff the grocery stores and department stores throw out because of expire dates, blemishes, etc. They found bunches of lemons that had been trashed - no blemishes, no softness, nothing...why thrown away? They found 100 bags of coffee beans that where thrown away due to an expiration date...Does coffee actually expire? They also found 30 boxes of cereal, whose expiration date had yet to expire.

Now I really don't want to go dumpster diving for food.. But what this does is make me realize how much our society waste things! Our deparment stores, grocery stores, and resturants support waste and our media promotes that in order for us to be the best we need more stuff!

Since about Oct/Nov the subject of waste, stuff, living simple has been coming up in my life thru conversations, blogs, tv shows, etc.

We are soooo controlled by our society, goverment, and Hollywood. They tell us how to live, what to buy, what clothes are in style, what cars to drive, what houses we should buy....wow!

I am to a point in my life that I am refusing to live by others standards. I want to live simply and the way God intended for us to. Now unfortunately I can't make this change overnight. But there are things I can start doing....

- Eat out less. By cooking in more, it will provide more time for me and my husband to connect. Cook with family and friends - spend more time fellowship and less money. Can do alot healthier than eating out - more control over the ways things are cook and portion control - use leftovers.

- Buy groceries and meat from farmers market or better yet grow my own. I'll know where things are coming from and what they've been or not been sprayed with. I'll be contributing less to the lining of the big marts pockets and wasteful ways.

- Shop less - ensuring I really need something before buying it, not worrying about what is "in" and instead being my own person and going with my own style - does it really matter if chuncky or small heels are in style, or the color green is whats hot this season. Buy from thrift and consignment stores. Look for clothes that are durable and will last a long time - not something that will shrink or come apart after the third washing. Recycle - needing storage containers - what do I already have that would work - a short vase that was my grandmothers can be used to hold pens/pencils, a teacup saucer can be used to hold a candle...etc.

- Run less - Less gas - do we have to do out of town two or three times a week. Instead of going to the movies why not rent one and have a picnic in the living room, or go to a friends house and make spaghetti, or move a tv outside and have a picnic outside...

God is putting these topics in my life for a reason. I've been working on a few of them on and off. It's time to get serious. What I want to do is live on a small portion of my income and give the majority to charities, to my church and to others. This is my goal and one day I will make it reality!

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