Free Stuff

Not too long ago, I would jump at any opportunity that came my way with the word "Free" attached to it. I ordered free samples of products online, would visit fast food chains when they offered free food, on and on. It's a common characteristic of we frugal folk, particularly when we're new to living a frugal lifestyle.

But I didn't stop to think if my cache of free goodies were neccessary, sustainably produced or how much energy it took for me to get it. My eyes glazed over and my brain went numb at the mention of the word Free.

However, all this living green on the cheap has changed me. The last time I opened a heavily packaged free sample I ordered online, something slapped me awake. There was far more packaging than product, and the fabulously free product was a toxic cleaning supply I would never use. I stopped, looked at the pile of trash for one small (disposable, no less!) cleaning item and thought--What the hell am I doing?

Why should I require that a (disposable, people! DISPOSABLE!) small sample of a product I don't give a crap about be stuffed into a package (dead trees) and shipped across the continent (fossil fuels) just because it's free? What exactly is free about that?

So, if you're wondering why I no longer alert you to all the free samples and goodies out there, it's because I finally realized I don't need them (and by default, I've decided you probably don't need them either. I could be wrong). Since I live within my means, I don't have a sense of scarcity anymore. I don't need to grab every free item within my reach (or the reach of my laptop), because I'm not fearful of running out. I know I have enough. And I know there's nothing free about a product being manufactured, packaged and shipped to my door. Someone is paying the price, and I've yet to find a freebie worth the true cost.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'll still pick up that free sample of cheese while I'm pushing through the grocery store or pack away the shampoo bottle when I'm in a hotel room. But I no longer go out of my way to get useless crap simply because it's "free."