So there were some big winners and some big losers in July's Pseudo-Freegan Challenge...to begin with, Arduous totally kicked my ass (unless she's holding out on some undisclosed $400 purchase, which I doubt)!  But despite spending $760 in a month where I was trying to spend nothing, I don't think I did all that badly.  I spent a lot less than I did the previous month, and if I strip out the two events planned in advance, the birthday trip and the bridal shower, I end up with $241.52, way less than my usual set of expenses. 

Like Arduous, I ended up feeling a little ambivalent about freeganism.  I like the concept of reducing waste, especially food waste, but I also found myself in a weird bind in which I was trying to live as cheaply as possible.  This precludes the habits I've cultivated since Fix ended, which require that I spend a little more on my day-to-day expenses, as with organic and farmer's market food, for example.  In other words, cost became the only criterion for purchasing, which is the mindset I was trying to overcome with Fix -- I think we buy so much crap because it is too cheap.  My preference for socializing over principles also became clear again: I would rather buy brunch with old friends than be the weirdo just having a coffee (which I buy all the time, btw); I barely gave these instances a second thought.

Still, the current economy and my financial goals might encourage me to continue for another couple of months, though there are some things I've already bought - a couple of nice dinners, some gifts, a reference book, etc.  I will try to remain vigilant against needless spending and remember the winners and losers in this experiment:

The Winners

1.  The bike/MTA

I've already raved about biking to work more often: it puts me in a good mood, I get more exercise in an average week, and I spend more time in the sunshine.   I would like to continue riding my bike and figure out how to get the right combination of Metrocard and riding so I save even more money in the future.

2.  The fridge/freezer

I made a serious effort to empty my fridge/freezer: I got rid of a bunch of stuff by trying new recipes and making some weird meals.  Because I end up eating the same things all the time, I don't ever touch the special/wacky ingredients I've socked away in the freezer and cabinets.  At month's end, my freezer has a lot more room, I have some homemade veggie burgers for quick meals, and I've discovered a yummy pasta and bread crumbs recipe that will help me get rid of the million pounds of crumbs still in there.

3. Laundry

Same issue with laundry.  We all know I like wearing the same thing over and over, which means I do the laundry a lot.  But if I actually wear all of the clothes I have, I really don't have to do laundry very often.  And then my clothes would last longer.  Bummer it's not more of a savings - I only saved $10 by waiting until Aug to do the wash.

4. Cigarettes

I didn't buy any in July.  I also didn't beg the bodega for singles.  'Nuff said.

The Losers

1. The bike/MTA

Despite the benefits of riding my bike almost every day, it didn't end up being such a money saver...in fact, I saved a grand total of $2.80! I rode the subway more often than I thought I would and I spent my MTA dollars really inefficiently - I would buy cards with single rides because I decided to take the subway/bus at the last minute. I imagine with more practice I might figure out how to do this better.  Or I could just stay home more often, which probably won't happen.

2. The fridge/freezer

Yes, I am so lucky to get food and leftovers from work.  Between those and working on the fridge/freezer, I ended up in great shape for food last month.  But I could go for even another month on the random things that are clogging up my kitchen.  I'll lay off the leftovers and try to continue to be creative.

3. Homemade toothpaste

It's messy and tastes gross.  I'll use up what I made and probably go back to Tom's.  I gave it a good shot, but I'm afraid it's not a keeper.

It can really only mean one thing: pancracks! This lonely yogurt was hanging out at the back of the fridge - leftover from a work breakfast, I'm sure. I was thinking I'd have to wait until the end of the pseudo-freegan challenge to go buy some yogurt and try these babies, but it turned out I got to skip the PB&J and have something delicious for dinner on the last night. These pancakes are super-fast and easy to make - a big plus for a poor cook like myself. Singles, note: you'll be perfectly stuffed if you use the 6oz yogurt and multiply all the recipe's measures by .75.

I used another savory pancake recipe earlier in the week to clean out my freezer. From the great Vegetarian Planet cookbook, I'm renaming these the Anti-Food-Waste Pancakes, as you can literally use any leftover vegetables in these, as well as a whole cup of leftover rice. I had some spinach that was going bad so I cleaned it and steamed it for a minute and stuck it in the freezer - it went right into the batter and tasted great! I also had some carrots going south so I grated 'em up; zucchini would work well, too. The only veggie that doesn't seem negotiable is the green onion, but I'm sure a creative cook could come up with a good substitution.

Anti-Food-Waste Pancakes

1 egg

1 1/3 c. water

1 c. unbleached flour

1 c. glutinous rice flour (or additional cup white flour)

1/2 t salt

1 c. cooked short-grain brown rice or 1 cup glutinous rice (any rice is fine, IMO)

8 oz. firm tofu, cut into small cubes

2 large carrots, grated

6 scallions, green and white parts chopped fine

3 T canola or corn oil

Whisk together the egg and water. Stir together the flours and salt, and then add the egg mixture slowly. Add everything else - and your extra veggies (diced or grated, cooked already could work). I also like to add sesame seeds to the batter. Cook pancakes in a skillet using the oil. Spread the batter with a spoon - it takes about 5 min per side.

Meanwhile, make some dipping sauce:

3 T soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t dark sesame oil

1 t apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar or lemon/lime)

1 pinch chile flakes or hot sauce

1 pinch sugar or honey

This is kind of approximate - it should be sweet, salty, spicy, tart in the relationship that you happen to like. It is important because the pancakes can be a little bland on their own. The batter will keep for a couple of days so you can keep whipping yourself up some fresh, tasty, veggie-laden pancakes. (Appx 3 filling servings)

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The challenge has been great in getting me to clean out my fridge and use up the stuff in there that has been lingering unnecessarily. I found a pasta recipe that uses bread crumbs, something I have by the ton in my freezer; I also made some veggie burgers out of some beans, bread crumbs, and rice that had been sitting around. The truth is, I have about another month's worth of food in there - I may have to continue trying to eat freegan indefinitely!

Or Coffee.  Or Movies.  Once upon a time I was doing well on this challenge but no longer.  I mean, it's summer and I really need ice cream.  Especially if all I'm eating is PB&J.

Actually, this weekend wasn't so bad in comparison to my June or May spending, but still I spent more than I thought I might.  I took a friend out to a movie and met some other friends for brunch.  And I took the subway a whole lot, mostly because I wanted to continue reading my book.  I skipped the bike a couple of times last week and it's been a little tough getting back into the habit.  I also realized this weekend that I forgot to cancel my Netflix!  I had been using a gift subscription but decided I should probably put my account on hold for awhile.  It's time to get real and use the library - I haven't watched a movie since April! 

What would you like for a prize, Arduous?

Something I hear a lot, and that I'm particularly sensitive to - on eco-blogs and in my regular life - is that things were better the way they were before.  Before what?  Before women could vote?  Before penicillin?  While I agree that the self-reliance and simpler values of the past were pretty neat and perhaps worth emulating, there were a lot of things about the past that frankly sucked.  For example, when my neighbor gets all nostalgic about how rad NYC used to be in the good old days, I think to myself, "yeah, easy for you to say, burly dude, but I couldn't have lived with the same kind of freedom that I have for the last 10 years."

Of course it all depends on whose perspective you're looking through, and even with the feel-good vibe of the personal environmental movement, there is occasionally hostility towards people incapable of making the changes so celebrated on our blogs.  OK, maybe they're lazy or distracted and you don't want to carry the lazy on your back.   But maybe they're sick, maybe they're disabled, maybe they're poor.   And when you're sick, disabled, or desperately poor, you probably can't ride your bike or grow/buy/prepare local food.  Or maybe just I can't.  I was given plenty of time to think about this over the weekend, in bed for a couple of days.  I was too dizzy and weak to ride my bike when the work week started, and too hot and tired to make anything for myself after not having eaten for a couple of days.  And I was super glad that the modern conveniences of the bodega, the subway, and Haagen-Dazs were readily available.  

I started the weekend by going upstate to a party; when I asked the hostess if she wanted me to separate the watermelon rinds for composting, she wistfully noted that her parents had given up on taking care of the compost heap in their old age. (Being old - another reason not to be an environmental super-hero.)  We celebrated a bride, a good reason to spend during the July Pseudo-Freegan challenge.  But the whole wedding thing is so mysterious to me - this is one instance where I generally let the marketing get the better of me.  Unsure about "traditions" and people's expectations, I usually spend a ton of money (though generally on experiences rather than stuff) and hope that I haven't come off terribly gauche or otherwise insensitive.  Ick.

At the beginning of the July experiment I had to pay .75 for air for my bike tires - totally ridiculous - because that's what the gas station closest to my house sells it for. Since then, I've been on the lookout for free air. Last week, I remembered that my local bike shop gives away air when it's open (which requires a little planning). Last week I also went riding with a friend who has all the bike gear: a great bike, clips, shorts, water bottles, etc. He was giving me a hard time about my tires, indicating that I might be able to keep up with him if only I had more air in my tires. With his words ringing in my ears and perhaps feeling a little bad about my beater bike, sneaks, and secondhand gloves, I stopped at the bike shop for the free air. Now listen, I didn't think my tires were really flat, but since he's got all the gear and obviously knows all about bikes, I filled my tires as full as I could and rode away. Later that night, I'm working peacefully in my apartment and of course one of the tires explodes! So now I've got to change the tube - lucky for the Pseudo Freegan Challenge I had one kicking around - and go back to the .75 place!

All for a little free air. Serves me right.

Yeah, so I might have been winning the July Pseudo-Freegan Challenge last week but this week I am a goner.  Like Arduous, I was in an unsustainable city having a blast eating, drinking, and driving, with a little swimming, biking, and shopping thrown in.  And lots and lots of ice cream.  I kind of forgot that when people go to new places they go shopping, I guess to see if the tacky crap they have is different from the tacky crap they sell at home...?  My friend and I were no exception, which is funny 'cause usually I can't stand shopping.  Luckily Austin has some great thrift stores and one that sells clothes and gifts by local designers only.  I managed to walk away from the mainstream sexy shoes and designer jeans I tried on and stick with a goofy belt, new sneaks, and some pants that I'll probably end up cutting into shorts, all from a thrift store.  As for the rest, the only durable goods I bought were a catalogue for an exhibition I saw and a newspaper.  Oh, and I bought the sunglasses before I left, partly as a way to ward off a big splurge over the weekend.

A goofy couple of days not thinking about consumption kinda makes the rest of my low-impact life possible.  It's not that I hate living on nothing or resent trying to make conscious habits unconscious, sometimes it's just nice not to think about it so much.  Of course it's all about the journey, but rewards are nice, too - why go to all the effort if there's nothing to enjoy at the end of the day?

JFK Airtrain - $10
Hotel & car - $210
Food - $85.56
Beverages - $50.75
Things (thrift store, catalogue, newspaper) - $21.64
Experiences (pool, museum) -  $11

Total trip: $388.95 (excluding the airfare - I paid for that a long time ago!!)

I'm off on an adventure this weekend, where the money (and probably margaritas) will flow freely, so I wanted to post something to record my pre- fall from grace.  So far I've spent $46.74 - on food, gifts, entertainment, laundry, and air for my bike tires.   I find that number shockingly low for my usual tally, but when I examine the items, I certainly could have gone without all of them comfortably, except maybe the 75 cents for air. 

Using Arduous's methodology, comparing last month to this month, last month I spent $11.41 on food per day (times 10 days that would have been $114.10).  I also spent $11.49 on health/beauty; $4.50 on entertainment (shows, drinks, etc.); $21.99 on travel, gifts, and etc. -- these numbers are all per day.  With this (albeit a little crazy) logic, by June 10, I would have spent $493.90.   That means I've reduced my spending by 90% - not too bad.  Putting the Pseudo in the Pseudo-Freegan Challenge, I'd say.  This weekend it will be nuts in comparison: I haven't yet paid for the hotel or rental car, so that will be a considerable amount of cash.  I'll also be paying for meals and drinks and shows, with some thrift stores thrown in -- I may be up to the $493 by the time I get back...

The biking is a terrific success, putting me in a great mood by the time I reach the office each day.  I have noticed something, though: I'm whizzing by a bunch of amazing smells on an empty stomach...normally I would (seriously!) stop and grab something delicious (a coffee, bakery item, egg sandwich, etc.) but had to remind myself of the challenge this week.  There is plenty of perfectly edible food available once I get to work.  Food was one of the things I allowed myself to buy during Fix (in moderation), so it's almost like a knee-jerk reaction to treat myself...last year I wrote a lot about how buying is really related to our rewards systems, making it a much more psychological beast than it might seem at face value.  This just cements the idea even more for me, particularly now that I (unconsciously?) hooked buying to a real physical desire - hunger.  Sure am looking forward to that barbeque and ice cream this weekend!    

When the guy came to our office to talk about the company's 401k plan, he asked the group of new employees to consider how much they spend on a weekend.  He then asked us to compare that to what we spend during the week and paused for emphasis.  "When you're retired, it's the weekend all the time."  His company's estimate is that people spend three times as much on the weekend as they do during the week.  So I was a little concerned about how much I might spend or be tempted to spend over the three-and-a-half-day weekend.  I got away with spending $5.15 on food -- not too bad, I think.

Admittedly, I was at home a lot - I have a big project I'm working on and I was a little sick - but still I went out a few times and saw a couple of my friends.  I went to a free museum party for the Fourth - an option my friend and I were both delighted to find.  After we left, we found a stoop out of the rain and talked for another two hours; neither of us felt like buying a drink or dessert we didn't really want just to be sitting somewhere.  (If it had been nice, we would have just gone to the park.)  On Saturday, I went to another friend's to use her food processor to make veggie burgers and bread crumbs out of stuff from my freezer (and the jalapeno I bought).  An expert cook, she watched me clumsily make my way around her well-appointed kitchen and take an extraordinarily long time; I enjoyed catching up with the details about her upcoming wedding and honeymoon, her job, and various other bits of news.  Finally, I had my first face-to-face meeting with Julia from blogland; we went to a freegan meal together (more on that tomorrow or Tues).  The funny thing is, I contributed $5 for the "freegan" dinner; the sign they had posted over the collection jar noted that they were trying to raise the $36 that they had spent.  I'm sure I could have gotten away with not contributing but it was such a lovely meal.  Free is never really free, is it?  Someone has to collect the ingredients and make the dishes, even if it is a great time.

I took money out of the ATM on Saturday, just to have some, but didn't end up spending it, probably a first for me in an NYC weekend.  Without any pressure to spend money (errands, etc.) - indeed, the pressure to not spend money - I feel like there is more space to concentrate on the things I want/need to be doing.  The only thing I got far enough to turn down was a pair of $19.99 polarized sunglasses at the drugstore, where I went to pick up a prescription.  The headaches have been killing me, and I'm wondering if some dark or polarized glasses might help.  Twenty bones is a lot for this little experiment, except last week I looked at some that were $200 and almost got 'em as a Happy Birthday To Me.  I might change my mind this week - $20 seems pretty reasonable in comparison.        

So, Megan, you're gonna be a freegan for a month? OMG, what are you going to eat?!?! Don't freegans eat out of the trash?!?!!

I'll be eating food.  I have a nice advantage in that my office feeds me two meals a day, four days a week.  The amount thrown out at the end of every day is astonishing.  I guess this could be considered eating out of the trash.  And I guess eating my own leftovers, thrown in the freezer to be eaten at some unforseen date, could also be considered eating trash.  I'd like to see how low my food budget can go (despite the work food, it remains surprisingly high): I have tons of stuff just sitting in my cabinets and fridge, making me feel guilty for letting it hang around so long.  I also tend to make and eat the same thing over and over - it's about time I get a little creative with what I've got and venture into new territory!

OMG, what if you need something?!?!!   

I'll buy it.  This isn't about killing myself.  But realistically, what do we really need?  We have physical needs, social needs, professional needs.  My most basic needs are pretty much met all of the time.  I live an incredibly rich life by global standards, with consistently clean water and functioning electricity every single day.  A lot of people asked me last year why I didn't buy nondurable goods during Fix, like soap and toilet paper and toothpaste.  Well, a lot of the time the need for these items, or particular kinds of these items, are manufactured by the companies that make them.  I wanted to challenge myself to evaluate if I really needed something when I ran out of it and if there might be a more earth- and people-friendly option.  Plus, some of this stuff, like cosmetics and other "health and beauty" items, have a way showing up and hanging around: in a gift basket, as a giveaway, etc.  So I don't really need them very often.          

How will you get around?

Well, I am fortunate to live in a city where the public transport is comprehensive and pretty affordable.  (Oh, and this is a major reason why I live here, BTW.  Cars are like kids: they cost a lot, you have to keep feeding them, you have to worry if they're sick, where you left them, etc.  Not ready for that yet.) I usually spend $80 a month on my monthly Metrocard and then a little more on cabs or fixing my bike.  This month, though, I'd like to rely more on my bike when my pass runs out on the 8th.  I've always wanted to see how much I could integrate my bike into my life - this seems like a great opportunity!  I'll reserve the possibility that I'll probably need to ride the subway late at night or if I'm carrying a bunch of crap, but I'll just pay as I go and see how often I really need it in the good weather.  Believe it or not, some people I know don't use the subway at all: they exclusively bike or walk in New York City -- even in the winter. 

Are you gonna dumpster dive?!?!

Maybe, if I find a good guide.  But I think I already do...I've been going to clothing swaps for a couple of years now, my furniture is mostly cast-offs, my books are all read by someone at least once already.  My grandparents have been teaching me about being freegan for a good long time now, and it hasn't really involved Dumpsters. 

So, as you may have read over at Arduous's blog, I've embarked on a month of not buying anything.  Anything at all.  

What does this mean?  I've paid my July rent, I'll pay my electricity and gas.  My phone and internet are paid for (work and freeload).  TV isn't an issue - I haven't had one years, though I'd love to watch So You Think You Can Dance? sometime (some of my earliest dance friends and teachers are on that show...NYC folks feel free to invite me over some Wednesday).  I have a couple of regular co-pays, and a considerable amount of debt, which I may be able to contribute a little more towards this month.  Everything else will be catalogued.  

Why?  I already did a year of not buying anything new.  I'm still sorting out what that meant...In a way Fix was pretty easy, and I'd like to investigate a little further how dependent on the system I really am.  I am constantly astonished by how much abundance and waste we live in: our solitary lives mean we have these little stores of things we never use or even think about.  There are so many free things out there that make me happy - I'd like to force myself to revisit them.  I spend a considerable amount of time thinking and worrying about money, my future with jobs that will make no money, and the things I could buy with money.  I spend so much time on these and related matters that I don't read the apartment-ful of books I've already got; I can't find the time for a long phone conversation with a friend far away; I have lists and lists of experiments I'd like to try but haven't gotten around to.  Arudous inspires me daily with her posts: not only is she a terrific writer, she considers things in a nuanced and self-aware way; I thought a friendly competition with her might challenge me to write a little more, something I'd like to be focusing on in the coming months.  Finally, with the Fix restrictions lifted, I've been a little happy with the credit card - not good in these hard times.

Generally, I think freeganism utterly depends on the abundance and waste of this society and often crosses the mooch line, which I am vehemently against.  I am not against efficiency, however, and I think a lot of people would agree that we live in a terrifically inefficient society.  "Freegan" often elicits images of unwashed bike people dumpster diving, which might not be entirely fair: I'd like to investigate.  (I'm not even against dumpster diving, BTW, but, like Arudous, wouldn't try it without an experienced guide.  There's a regular freegan dinner hosted in Brooklyn that I will try to attend this month.)  I hypothesize that, as with Fix, the real challenges start over a very extended period of time - I might just be pushing my buying to June 30 and Aug 1.   I didn't do much in the way of preparations: my farmer's market run was a little bigger than usual this Saturday, I bought some toilet paper (100% PCW of course!), and an extra couple of boxes of pasta.  I even bought my sister's birthday present ahead of time - unheard of!  But that's about it.

What are my big challenges?  I'll be going to Austin for a weekend celebration...unlike Arduous, I haven't paid for the hotel already, which will be a considerable amount of cash.  I don't intend to let the Pseudo Freegan challenge slow down the fun there, though we won't be living too high on the hog.  I also have a hard time saying no to my friends and their entertainment ideas, particularly those with whom I'm tired of arguing about Fix and related ideas.  Money is a social currency, too.  I've got a couple of class cards for dance studios around town that need using up, though I'm thinking about taking a workshop that could be pretty expensive.  I'm helping out with a bridal shower and couldn't get to the cloth napkins I promised.  I'm hoping maybe some Austin thrift stores will have some funky ones.  Worst case scenario, the bride's mom says she has some we can borrow.  And I'll probably buy some special ingredients for some dishes I'm making - but I'll try to make something with the bajillion ingredients I've already got.  Finally, I'm working on a project that opens upstate at the beginning of August; I'm sure I'll have to buy some art supplies, items I refuse to scrimp on.

Here goes nothing!