Freegans

Yesterday I was watching Oprah while I walked on the treadmill. She introduced me to Freegans. Freegans are people with money who very well could afford to buy the things they want, but choose instead to get their food, their furniture, and clothes from trash dumpsters. I decided that I have a little bit of Freeganism in me. As you know, I love a bargain. Can't tell you how many times I've pulled to the curb on trash day and loaded up something being discarded. This beautiful chest is an example. The legs were broken off, the veneer top was peeled back. There's not much I can't fix by refinishing, reupholstering, painting or remodeling. This chest is now one of my favorite pieces of furniture.

I think my dad may have been a pre-freegan freegan. He raised pigs and arranged with the manager of a nearby grocery store to pick up their daily discards for the pigs. It didn't take long for him to decide that much of what was being thrown away was too good for pigs. He started delivering things around town to widows, single-parent families, college students. I certainly have not resorted to getting our food from a trash dumpster, but I do think we are a wasteful throw-away generation. I always loved President Kimball's little quote about Fix it up, Wear it out, Use it up, or Do without.