Welcome Hungry Readers!
I do everything in my power to live off of or repurpose things that are going to waste. Food, furniture, health products, you name it. What’s a freegan? According to Google, a freegan is “a person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods. ‘There is a need for more freegans in our wasteful society.'”
With the help of my beloved mentor, my Uncle Tommy, I’ve been able to avoid quite a bit of grocery shopping in my day by dumpster diving, salvaging food from “events”, cleaning out refrigerators, and more.
What Are the Benefits of Freeganism?
1. To help the environment. Roughly 40% of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. 2 out of every 5. 400,000 out of every 1,000,000 pizzas. That number is INSANE. Rescuing food from a landfill, prevents more energy, water, waste and exploited labor from being used to make new food.
2. To save money. The savings add up when you don’t buy groceries or household items that you can find for free or at a discount store.
3. To save time. You can often find food that is ready to eat, not to mention all the time you save from having to go grocery shopping.
4. To live more mindfully and make the physical space around me free of clutter.
5. To focus on the important things in life and cut out the things that don’t matter. The important things? Family, friends, health, freedom, security, having fun, and making the world a better place.
6. The thrill of adventure and the funny stories that go with it.
My Uncle Tommy and I’s longest streak of not buying groceries is 1 year 9 months and 4 days without buying groceries.
I want to help you on your freegan journey! I hope this website is a useful and entertaining resource to help you enjoy the fruits of freeganism. I’d love to connect! Please add to the discussion with comments, subscribe to the blog, or reach out directly!
Not sure where to start? Learn about our freegan journey here or how you can be a freegan too. No one trash can is the same and I couldn’t be more excited for you to find your own treasures.
Bon Appétit!
-Freddy