Well, Philip is turning in his notice at his job today. This means we have 2 and a half months to really save up before we have to really suck it in to keep the bills paid and the savings afloat.
Somehow, organics and saving money don't seem to go together. This distresses me.
I went to the grocery store yesterday, and because of the yuckiness on the roads I couldn't hit Greenlife, so I went to Publix instead. Publix tends to have a better selection of organics and humanely raised meats than Bi-lo, but still leaves something to be desired. For example, can a sister get some organic bacon in a chain grocery store????? Not in Chattanooga, apparently. I settled for Boar's Head, because after watching Food, Inc. there was no way in you-know-where that I was going to buy a standard, national brand. Still, I have my doubts and would prefer to buy my bacon from the meat case at Greenlife....but I needed it now!
Second, why don't large grocers have bulk bins? Why, why, why? I need my cane sugar, but I am not going to pay $4 for a container of the stuff when I could get the same amount for around $2.50 from the bulk bin and put it in my own container.
And don't even get me started on cereal. My husband eats a gigantic bowl of cereal every weekday morning. Cereal is expensive, but before my foray into the organic world, I bought huge quantities on sale using coupons and saved unbelievable amounts of money on cereal. Now....not so much. Geez. Even the Publix Greenwise brand of organic cereal is freakin' expensive. The flax flakes are affordable at $2.35 a box, but everything else is over $3.00....the same price as the Kashi, Cascadian Farm, and other organic/natural brands. With this, I have a problem! Plus, I have bought Philip flax flakes for two weeks now, and the man needs his variety! I swear, I need to learn to make my own cereal!!!!
I did manage to get some Seventh Generation stuff with coupons at Target.....dish liquid and dishwasher gel. If you go to their website and register, you can print their coupons too. And if you haven't heard of Mambo Sprouts, check it out...in fact, most major organic producers do offer some coupons. You just have to keep checking back.
To me, though, this is all a matter of principle. I am determined to do this, to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. I will eat out less....and honestly, the more I cook really great food at home, the more restaurants lose their appeal. I guess that's a good thing! I will cut back on spending in other areas to make this work. I will sell my wares (Pampered Chef, painted glass, jewelry) to finance my lifestyle. I'll do what I have to do....this is part of my calling.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
In the Beginning.....
Sometime mid-December, 2009....can't remember the exact date....Philip and I watched Food, Inc. on the instant-viewing feature of Netflix. When we turned it on, we had no idea that our lives would never be the same...
Okay, so that's a little dramatic. But just a little. That documentary really is a life-changer.
Let me give you a little background.
We watched Super Size Me in late 2005. I can count on one hand the number of times that we have eaten at McDonald's since.....and I haven't eaten there at all since summer of 2007 (Philip had one guilt-ridden slip-up around Thanksgiving....). Fast forward to summer 2008...we are bored, watching OnDemand, and Philip finds Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. I have been to Wal-mart exactly twice since viewing that doc...once to buy something, once to return it. Let me remind you, we live in Wal-mart country. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked how I can survive without going to Wal-mart. It can be done, people. It can be done.
So now you know I tend to take things to the extreme. I'm okay with that. I feel like we as a society like to complain but don't like to do anything about it. We tend to think that we, as one person or one family, don't have the power to make a difference. But we do! I recommended Food, Inc. to a friend a couple of weeks after watching it, and she decided to stop buying factory-farmed meat, too. So if she recommends it to one person who does the same, who also recommends it to one person who does the same....you get the picture. That, my friends, is how we make a difference.
So, here's what we are doing:
1) No more factory-farmed meat, eggs, or dairy. None! I will buy from suppliers that I trust. Certified organic is best, but sometimes smaller producers don't pay the price to get certified even though they really meet organic standards, so knowing where your food comes from is key.
2) Buying organic fruits and veggies as much as possible. If not organic, then local. And in season when it's possible, although not much is in season right now. This spring, we will start a square foot garden to grow our own fruits and veggies.
3) No more fast food! Okay, not none. There are a couple of regional fast-food restaurants that I still like whose standards I have always felt were a little higher than most of the others. But still, fast food is a very rare occurrence.
4) If I can make it at home, I will! I puffy-heart love my bread machine. It rocks my world, and it ups my carb consumption. Not saying that's a good thing, but here's the thing...
We have lost touch of where our food comes from, how it's made, what's in it....heck, how it tastes! I want to know what's in my food....if possible, to know who made it, where it came from! It costs more, and that's hard for me. I am very frugal, and right before starting all of this I was very into the "couponing" trend. But this is important to us, and it's about more than money....to us anyway. As Philip likes to say, and of course as the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all evil...and the love of money leads our food industry to deceive us, to mistreat humans and animals, and to feed us disgusting slop that we don't even think twice about eating. I, for one, am sick of it....and I know people think we're a little nutso, but I don't care! This is about something bigger than us.
Okay, so that's a little dramatic. But just a little. That documentary really is a life-changer.
Let me give you a little background.
We watched Super Size Me in late 2005. I can count on one hand the number of times that we have eaten at McDonald's since.....and I haven't eaten there at all since summer of 2007 (Philip had one guilt-ridden slip-up around Thanksgiving....). Fast forward to summer 2008...we are bored, watching OnDemand, and Philip finds Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. I have been to Wal-mart exactly twice since viewing that doc...once to buy something, once to return it. Let me remind you, we live in Wal-mart country. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked how I can survive without going to Wal-mart. It can be done, people. It can be done.
So now you know I tend to take things to the extreme. I'm okay with that. I feel like we as a society like to complain but don't like to do anything about it. We tend to think that we, as one person or one family, don't have the power to make a difference. But we do! I recommended Food, Inc. to a friend a couple of weeks after watching it, and she decided to stop buying factory-farmed meat, too. So if she recommends it to one person who does the same, who also recommends it to one person who does the same....you get the picture. That, my friends, is how we make a difference.
So, here's what we are doing:
1) No more factory-farmed meat, eggs, or dairy. None! I will buy from suppliers that I trust. Certified organic is best, but sometimes smaller producers don't pay the price to get certified even though they really meet organic standards, so knowing where your food comes from is key.
2) Buying organic fruits and veggies as much as possible. If not organic, then local. And in season when it's possible, although not much is in season right now. This spring, we will start a square foot garden to grow our own fruits and veggies.
3) No more fast food! Okay, not none. There are a couple of regional fast-food restaurants that I still like whose standards I have always felt were a little higher than most of the others. But still, fast food is a very rare occurrence.
4) If I can make it at home, I will! I puffy-heart love my bread machine. It rocks my world, and it ups my carb consumption. Not saying that's a good thing, but here's the thing...
We have lost touch of where our food comes from, how it's made, what's in it....heck, how it tastes! I want to know what's in my food....if possible, to know who made it, where it came from! It costs more, and that's hard for me. I am very frugal, and right before starting all of this I was very into the "couponing" trend. But this is important to us, and it's about more than money....to us anyway. As Philip likes to say, and of course as the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all evil...and the love of money leads our food industry to deceive us, to mistreat humans and animals, and to feed us disgusting slop that we don't even think twice about eating. I, for one, am sick of it....and I know people think we're a little nutso, but I don't care! This is about something bigger than us.
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