Oprah and Lisa Ling Go Freegan

SavvySugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:33:58 -0800

If freegan were a Balderdash word, I probably would have scribbled down a definition like 'a dietary group that restricts the consumption of anything that lives freely,' or something else equally insensible because I'd have no idea what it actually meant. But thanks to our mogul friend Oprah, I'll always know the definition of freegan if needed (I can already picture being carried on the shoulders of my teammates at trivia night!) To find out what exactly a freegan is just read more.

Freegans are a subculture of people who purposely live outside wasteful consumer society and act on their beliefs by using only what they need. Lisa Ling ventures with a freegan group on one of the standard practices of freegan culture - she goes on a trash tour where undamaged produce, packaged goods, and discarded dairy and meat items with sell-by dates that haven't yet come are salvaged by the group.

Madeline is one of the people who sits down with Oprah to discuss her freeganism, and the former six-figure earning exec says that she only spends about $10-$20 on food every week for she and her husband by living a freegan lifestyle. A young couple, Daniel and Amanda (a doctor and an engineer), are freegans because they believe in living simply - not because they can't afford to not live that way, but because they think an emphasis on purchasing the newest products is wasting our world's resources.

Savvy Read: In Cheap We Trust

SavvySugar — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:30:30 -0700

You can never have too many books on your reading list, and this suggestion might bring some variety to those you've already cracked open. Former reporter for Reuters and Newsday Lauren Weber just published her book In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue, which focuses on the evolution of thrift, from the Puritans to the freegans. She keeps the text fresh by including personal anecdotes - she describes her economist father as "compulsively cheap" and admits that once he tried to ration toilet paper.

Lauren chatted with The New York Times about how she embraces the word cheap because living within her means has allowed her the freedom to never stay in a job that she didn't love. That's pretty powerful. The author is a pro at budget traveling and swears by public transportation and street food while she's on a trip.

I like that Lauren speaks from experience and keeps her topic from seeming stale by including her own stories. In Cheap We Trust is on my list as the next book to get me through my commute.