People have begun to notice my lifestyle and I’ve been fielding a lot of flack. I’ve been called a “bum” and a “freeloader” multiple times. I am convinced that these otherwise kind people are simply suffering from slight envy of my situation. I was also told that I should pick a real cause. I will address that now. Freeganism is not my cause. My cause is consumerism and freedom. I like to remember that I don’t need a big fat cushy marketing job to live comfortably. I’m not saying my job is cushy, but it has definitely lead to a complacency that I do not enjoy. If I can cut my living expenses way down, I won’t need to make a lot of money to collect material possessions that will doubtless lead to my happiness¹.

Besides, if I’m not paying for my food, I have more money to give that animal Sallie Mae.

I think I’m buying a MacBook Pro² this week.

Day 15

Today I had an apple for breakfast

and an egg roll from the accounting stash for lunch.

Cake³. My roommate gave me a potato and I made fries for dinner. I also incorporated the enriched rolls from week1. Good thing they’re enriched⁴, I guess. Anything normal or healthy would definitely be spoiled by now.

Day 16

This morning my coworker Andy saw me in the break room and told me he had an extra baked good if I was interested. He read last week’s post. I, of course, was interested and enjoyed a ridiculously good scone for breakfast. It was from this bakery in east Nashville, Sweet 16th.

I’m planning on eating some of the chinese food from accounting for lunch. It’s only a couple days old. Don’t be grossed out.

Day 17

Today I had a number of free items. This “Lasagna” was by far the most interesting. Note the cheese whiz.

So much for my attempted health kick, I guess.

Day 18

Jesse Wayne bought me an ice cream cone from McDonald’s. I have a feeling it wasn’t really ice cream. I realize more every day that I am anti fast food.

Tonight was a delight. I stumbled upon a treasure trove of meats at a cook out. I sort of ignored the whole “bring your own” thing. No one said anything to me though, so I guess it was okay. I ate way too much, but I wasn’t sure when I’d see another opportunity for such serious protein.

The cook out really paid off socially. I met two girls who are interested in starting a dinner group with me called “Dumpster Diving for Dinner.” I need to spend next week checking out the dumpster scenes. I am seriously considering making this a real deal. Though I’ve suffered a bit over the last three weeks, I’ve had a pretty good experience. I wonder if I can find a way to sustain myself outside of the generosity of others.

Day 19

Sunday=Slowday
I really didn’t get to eat. I went and did some background vocals for some artist from Austria, Son of the Velvet Rat. I was sort of hoping to snag some more free food, but they wrote me a sweet check instead. Of course, I can’t buy any food with that sweet check, but I’m one step closer to my material desires.

This is my last apple.

Day 20

Today seriously worked out. Holly from accounting baked cookies and practically force fed me. I must have had 40.

I hung out with Jesse and he brought me his leftovers.

I was the subject of a photo shoot and got paid in leftover groceries! This is completely righteous.

To top the whole mess off, this kid I never talk to asked me if I would eat dinner with him. I am not normally so rough, but straightaway I asked, “Are you paying?” He said yes and I said I was down. I met him at Panera and ordered as much food as I possibly could get away with. I will have leftovers.

Note the delicious salad. I wasn’t able to get a picture of everything I had. I just quickly snapped a shot when he got up for a minute. I figured it wouldn’t go over too well…

Day 21

Last night’s Panera provided lunch.

I also enjoyed some sweet pizza. I was so hungry I didn’t let it cook all the way. I still have quite a few big doughy pieces in the fridge. I am feeling pretty good. I think I’m adapting pretty well. I’ve still been working out and haven’t been overly tired or anything.

Now if I can just get these obnoxious hipsters⁵ off my back. If one more little dweeb in skin tight pants tells me I’m not really a ‘true freegan,’ something real bad is going to happen. If you’re worried about my lack of dedication, perhaps you should return to my first post, in which I made the statement,

I’ve recently been fascinated by the concept of “freeganism.” Since I have essentially no gripes with capitalism, I’ve decided to adapt this concept to my own personal selfish lifestyle. In other words, I choose to conserve resources I typically use on food in order to waste additional resources on material possessions. I have a long list of expensive things I would like to own in the near future1. Some of them are accidentally eco-friendly, so maybe the spirit of freeganism will still live on through my manipulation of its precepts.

1. Facetious-not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.
2. MacBook Pro is one of the items on the original list of desired material possessions.
3. Not actual cake, term used to describe something as being easy: piece of cake.
4. Enriched- another word for “unhealthy”
5. Hipster- A noisy person of no real worth or consequence who tends to engage in combat over ridiculous things real people find unimportant. Let it be known that I have been called “tragically hip” on a number of occasions. This is a misnomer.

Last week was easy. What I lacked in sustenance, I made up in excitement and anticipation. I imagine this week will be considerably harder. I’ve started a new craving that’s making life miserable. I just want to eat a salad. I keep picturing delicious salads with all these wonderful tomatoes and sunflower seeds and all kinds of good things that grow out of the ground. I think this week I need to figure out how to get my hands on some produce. I hear grocery stores throw stuff away all the time…

“In the United States, Canada, and Europe, some bakeries, grocery stores, or restaurants will routinely donate food according to a Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, but more often, because of health laws or company policy, they are required to discard food items by the expiration date, because of overstock, being overly ripened, spoiled, cosmetically imperfect, or blemished. If disposed of “as is” and not destroyed, some of this food may be made “safer” for consumption if properly decontaminated and spoiled ruminates are removed.” -Wikipedia

Day 8
Today was easier than it should have been. I’m on the “safety committee” at work and we had a lunch meeting today. I don’t think freeganism is the healthiest way to live.

I haven’t had a can of coke in about a hundred years. I hope freeganism doesn’t make me fat.

Day 9
9:22AM
I haven’t eaten yet today. I don’t feel well. I hope my absence of health is not related to my current freegan lifestyle. I still have a microwave meal someone gave me last week if for some reason I feel hungry again. Ever.

4:51PM
I ate that microwave meal. It was Turkey and “dressing.” I heated it up before tutoring mathematics to high school students. They all complained that something smelled like chicken soup. I kept quiet.

8:22PM
After working out, I was starving. I went to my friend’s house and she gave me this guy.

Day 10
9:41AM
This morning I am starving. Jesse Wayne called me to tell me he snagged some organic raisins from the Nashville Film Festival. I’m going to try to go get them later. In the meantime, today sucks.

1:45PM

Generous coworker gave me this popcorn. I was so relieved, but burned it real bad. I still ate it.

8:10PM
Lalie and I went to Mad Donna’s. I told her I wouldn’t be buying anything. She shared her nachos with me.

They were pretty great. I decided not to let everyone buy me stuff anymore. It feels too easy.

Day 11
Today I had lunch with my band and the recording engineers doing our EP. I wasn’t going to buy anything, but one of the dudes hooked me up with a $3 kid’s meal. There were a bunch of orange slices by the drinks, so I supplemented my meal.

My mom and grandma stopped by my house on their trek from Florida to NY. At first I planned on gaining their sympathy and getting them to buy me groceries, but I really am through letting people just buy me stuff. They wanted to get me some fruit but I said no way. They did take me to dinner at Jackson’s though. My grandma didn’t finish her “Rio Roll” so I took it home.

Day 12
Today I spent all day in the studio. I heard some vague comments about “lunch,” but it never happened. There was a lot of candy though.

We finished around 6PM and I watched everyone eat burritos. Jon offered me chips, but I’ve also decided not to take just anything simply because it’s free. Last week I felt horrible. Chips are not appealing to me normally so I shot them down. When I got home I was physically shaking. Luckily my grandma’s sandwich was still in the fridge. I really need to get on the whole healthy free bandwagon soon.

Day 13
Today I was feeling pretty much done with life. I ended up taking my dog for a walk with the BF. He bought me lunch.

It was the healthiest thing I’ve eaten all week. I feel pretty good now and the day is about over.
I’ve been supplementing with organic raisins and fruit leather from the Nashville Film Festival. Thanks to Jesse.

Day 14
Today was pretty awesome. Accounting has been working overtime lately and they ordered a bunch of food. They gave me quite a bit of it. I enjoyed an egg roll and am saving the rest of this stuff.

In the background you can see the pretzel “nuggets” from the Nashville Film Festival that I’ve enjoyed all day. I also have been eating more organic raisins. I don’t know what I’m gonna do when the fest is over. It’s really keeping me together right now.

Working out was next to impossible tonight. I’m not sure how I even made it through.

Week two was a success overall, but I didn’t really do a good job of finding produce. Next week will be better.

Subways are awesome. The mass transit system that cities such as New York and Boston embrace give some lucky people relief from the high cost of car payments, insurance, and the ever increasing gas prices. Just recently, oil barrels hit the highest price ever at $113 a barrel. We’re staring down the barrel ¹ of $4 a gallon, and there’s nothing we can do about it. They have us by the…gas tank.

Exxon (and other gas companies–but I’m picking on those Exxon-Valdez jerks right now, who is this silent “Mr. Valdez” anyway?) state that the rising costs at the pump are due to the high cost of oil production/oil per barrel. This is understandable, until you hear that Exxon not only set, last year, the highest yearly profit, but most recently the highest quarterly profit (again, same story every quarter). Last year, Exxon’s profit was 40.61 BILLION. The fourth quarter profits they reported was 11.66 BILLION, not only their highest profit, but the highest of any U.S. corporation, ever.

As much as people want to say that the war has nothing to do with it, really, if the majority of these oil fields were in Switzerland would oil prices be an issue?–that’s more of a rhetorical question, but, feel free to post your opinion nonetheless.

We can’t do a whole lot to change this, despite what those annoying emails say about gas boycotts and price wars. Those hold no more truth than the chain emails that promise you the love of your life with cooperation, or certain death without. Price wars may make 10 cents a gallon difference at most. Only thing we can do is conserve, live more consciously, conserve our personal resources–I’m all about using two cans of water to fix my 62 cents a can tomato soup instead of the recommended , but then again I live on the edge.

There are other ways to save your money. You could, of course, go freegan(which means you ask for hand outs, and left overs–I may not be above trolling through Whole Foods’ dumpster for produce soon, like, in 3 hours), or you could sell a bunch of your clothes to one of those trendy consignment shops, or forget money altogether and start a band like everyone else in the world.

Also, most of us can start walking to stores and such-well at least most of you who read this, because if you’re reading this, you’re probably cool, and if you’re cool, you probably live somewhere in a really hip and trendy area, and in hip and trendy areas, everywhere is walking distance. Coffee shops have FREE! Internet! Take your MacBook and write in your blog about how broke you are and how the capitalists are killing you. Who the heck needs gas in your car when you can buy a $4.50 cup of Double Soy Sugar Free Vanilla Hazelnut Latte? Sneak a coffee mug in your bag to “refill”–for free!

Keep your eyes open on your walk to these places, you may even find a perfectly good-yet-disposed-of apple/orange/loaf of bread, and SCORE! you’re a freegan now too!

And, don’t even think about going to Europe anytime soon, the dollar sucks now there too.

1. Barrel of a gun–figuratively speaking, not barrel of oil–literally speaking