Lists, lists and more lists....
I told you in the first post that this has been a process. You just don't wake up overnight, in the middle of winter, and expect to eat locally. Well, not if you want to eat. I live in my head quite a lot and so I have been buying locally in my head since about July and been slowly trying to start the change over process.... I realized I needed to have a goooood plan to accomplish this. So I gave it a good shot.
I first made a list of everything we buy on a regular basis. Milk, food, laundry detergent, face wash, chapstick, contact solution, hand lotion, shampoo, dog and cat food and chicken food.... The list is huge and varied.
And then I started sourcing all the items on my list. It is exhausting. I use the present "is" because this is an ongoing process. It doesn't require the time or energy it did when I started, but still. Its not natural yet. And its inconvenient. I have to pass Walmart. And Target (sigh). And Aldi's. And cross all across the closest big town to get to a grocery store that is Oklahoma owned. That is a pain, people. It wastes my time and my diesel. Not a fan.
So what is a girl to do? She shops smarter. I don't get to run by the store a couple times a week. My grocery list becomes extremely important if I only see that store once every 2 weeks. My kids MUST learn how to use my grocery list. There is no telling mom you are almost out of deodorant, because mom wont remember 9 days from now. No she will not. She will remember when you reek in her car and she asks you if you put deodorant on....
I sourced quite a few things through our Oklahoma Food Coop which is a LOVE. I order online once a month and pick everything up from toilet paper made in OK, to pastas, toothbrushes (oh yes), to eggs, to butters, to the best cheese ever and a ton of other little things that are made in our precious state. I get to use products made by local peeps.
And guess what I found? I found I saved money. Oh yes I did. I saved money because these people in Oklahoma aren't shipping their products all across the country. The cheese is cheaper than the fancy stuff at Target. And its organic. And its raw. And its better for my fam. And my toilet paper is cheaper. And my paper towels. And the money I spend stays right here in my state. Its not run through some multinational corporation and done who knows what with.... Its used to fill up someone's gas tank. Its used to put diapers on a baby's butt. Its used to pay their mortgage.
But life isn't easy. I don't want to pay grocery store prices for my contact solution. I don't. Its twice what WM is.... Honestly, there may be a WM run December 31, 2014, before this thing starts. I am being honest with you people - this thing is going to be hard. And rewarding - I cling to the rewarding. Lord, let it be just 51% rewarding....
I first made a list of everything we buy on a regular basis. Milk, food, laundry detergent, face wash, chapstick, contact solution, hand lotion, shampoo, dog and cat food and chicken food.... The list is huge and varied.
And then I started sourcing all the items on my list. It is exhausting. I use the present "is" because this is an ongoing process. It doesn't require the time or energy it did when I started, but still. Its not natural yet. And its inconvenient. I have to pass Walmart. And Target (sigh). And Aldi's. And cross all across the closest big town to get to a grocery store that is Oklahoma owned. That is a pain, people. It wastes my time and my diesel. Not a fan.
So what is a girl to do? She shops smarter. I don't get to run by the store a couple times a week. My grocery list becomes extremely important if I only see that store once every 2 weeks. My kids MUST learn how to use my grocery list. There is no telling mom you are almost out of deodorant, because mom wont remember 9 days from now. No she will not. She will remember when you reek in her car and she asks you if you put deodorant on....
I sourced quite a few things through our Oklahoma Food Coop which is a LOVE. I order online once a month and pick everything up from toilet paper made in OK, to pastas, toothbrushes (oh yes), to eggs, to butters, to the best cheese ever and a ton of other little things that are made in our precious state. I get to use products made by local peeps.
And guess what I found? I found I saved money. Oh yes I did. I saved money because these people in Oklahoma aren't shipping their products all across the country. The cheese is cheaper than the fancy stuff at Target. And its organic. And its raw. And its better for my fam. And my toilet paper is cheaper. And my paper towels. And the money I spend stays right here in my state. Its not run through some multinational corporation and done who knows what with.... Its used to fill up someone's gas tank. Its used to put diapers on a baby's butt. Its used to pay their mortgage.
But life isn't easy. I don't want to pay grocery store prices for my contact solution. I don't. Its twice what WM is.... Honestly, there may be a WM run December 31, 2014, before this thing starts. I am being honest with you people - this thing is going to be hard. And rewarding - I cling to the rewarding. Lord, let it be just 51% rewarding....
Comments
Post a Comment