I have been reading the blog "Mr Money Mustache" from the beginning recently (very entertaining) and through that blog found the website Equal Shared Parenting. I was excited to find this website! This is what my husband and I have been doing for the past 6 years since our son was born. We both have been working part time, and sharing his care. It is awesome to see other people doing the same and being advocates for this cause!
My husband loves being able to be such a big part in our son's life! I'd say our main area that needs work is the housework -I still do most of the housework. But sites like this give me the motivation to keep at it!
When I give birth to baby #2, I will be leaving work for a little bit, but I plan on going back 2-3 days a week when baby is almost a year. We are planning to work out a schedule between the 2 of us.
I am also blessed to have my parents and sisters all within 20 minutes, along with my husband's family. (one our reasons for staying in this high cost of living area!) and they are extremely helpful to have around!
Obviously if you are a single parent this set up would not work, but for couples, how do you feel about Equal Shared Parenting?
Katie
Friday, July 26, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
How I found minimalism or how minimalism found me.. Part 2
So after my debacle of being sick, I moved home with my parents to convalesce. I had a lot of time in between sleeping/taking medicine, and during this time I felt motivated to go through all of my stuff. I organized my closet and drawers in my room, and got rid of a lot. At the time I wasn't even conscious I was downsizing. I just was surrounded by the stuff from my life and didn't want there to be so much of it.
2 months later I had another set back when I got Lyme's disease. I can laugh about it now, after being so sick I get a tick bite and Lyme's disease. More medication etc. Luckily, I healed quickly from this.
And then, a month after that, I got pregnant.
That was a surprise. My doctors were surprised after my whole situation I even got pregnant. My boyfriend (now husband and I were surprised, as I was on birth control. But, nothing is ever 100%.
We decided if we were having a baby, we might as well get married now (as opposed to later). My parents had money set aside ear marked for my wedding fund. We had a decision to make. Wedding, or save the money for our future (2 young people not out of college raising a baby).
We chose to have a small wedding with family and close friends at a local park. Total cost: $500.00
I have no regrets about this. While I didn't have a traditional wedding, we had a beautiful day celebrating our love and didn't go broke.
And having a little cushion when starting out in the world with a small family and no job really made a difference.
When we had our baby, some of my minimalist ways I developed after I was sick went out the window. I became caught up in the modern baby "stuff" culture.
My husband was the voice of reason through all this. He was actually the one who pushed for minimal television and less toys. I guess he had the foresight to know his college degree (music performance) was not one in sync with the "Keep up with the Jone's" culture.
Never have been living on a low budget, I soon realized what it took to be creative and survive on a low income. We went through 3 rentals before we found the current home we live in now (about 900 square feet, not tiny, but small.) I can remember during these times feeling very discouraged, the "when am I going to get to live in a 2,000 square foot house and drive an SUV/ mini van like all the other moms?"
The changing point was a monumental shift in attitude, that stemmed from reading this article
Simple Mom- the opulent ability to give. Once you look outside yourself, and your realize how large problems are the world, how many people have less than you, all the sudden all of the other stuff becomes stupid. It took my back to where I was after I was sick, thinking about the people with so much less than me, and I got to a place where I was like "who gives a @#$ if my house is small? SUVS are horrible for the environment! I embrace my small car! I have a place to live with a working toilet, I am damn lucky."
And when you stop focusing on stuff and all the unimportant stuff gets falls out of the way, you realize what really matters in life. Minimalism allows my husband to have his dream career even if it is not high paying, and allows me to work less and spend time raising my kids. Because we don't spend a lot of money on stuff we don't need, we don't need to make as much. It's still a work in progress, but we're getting there and we're happy.
2 months later I had another set back when I got Lyme's disease. I can laugh about it now, after being so sick I get a tick bite and Lyme's disease. More medication etc. Luckily, I healed quickly from this.
And then, a month after that, I got pregnant.
That was a surprise. My doctors were surprised after my whole situation I even got pregnant. My boyfriend (now husband and I were surprised, as I was on birth control. But, nothing is ever 100%.
We decided if we were having a baby, we might as well get married now (as opposed to later). My parents had money set aside ear marked for my wedding fund. We had a decision to make. Wedding, or save the money for our future (2 young people not out of college raising a baby).
We chose to have a small wedding with family and close friends at a local park. Total cost: $500.00
I have no regrets about this. While I didn't have a traditional wedding, we had a beautiful day celebrating our love and didn't go broke.
And having a little cushion when starting out in the world with a small family and no job really made a difference.
When we had our baby, some of my minimalist ways I developed after I was sick went out the window. I became caught up in the modern baby "stuff" culture.
My husband was the voice of reason through all this. He was actually the one who pushed for minimal television and less toys. I guess he had the foresight to know his college degree (music performance) was not one in sync with the "Keep up with the Jone's" culture.
Never have been living on a low budget, I soon realized what it took to be creative and survive on a low income. We went through 3 rentals before we found the current home we live in now (about 900 square feet, not tiny, but small.) I can remember during these times feeling very discouraged, the "when am I going to get to live in a 2,000 square foot house and drive an SUV/ mini van like all the other moms?"
The changing point was a monumental shift in attitude, that stemmed from reading this article
Simple Mom- the opulent ability to give. Once you look outside yourself, and your realize how large problems are the world, how many people have less than you, all the sudden all of the other stuff becomes stupid. It took my back to where I was after I was sick, thinking about the people with so much less than me, and I got to a place where I was like "who gives a @#$ if my house is small? SUVS are horrible for the environment! I embrace my small car! I have a place to live with a working toilet, I am damn lucky."
And when you stop focusing on stuff and all the unimportant stuff gets falls out of the way, you realize what really matters in life. Minimalism allows my husband to have his dream career even if it is not high paying, and allows me to work less and spend time raising my kids. Because we don't spend a lot of money on stuff we don't need, we don't need to make as much. It's still a work in progress, but we're getting there and we're happy.
Monday, July 22, 2013
How I found Minimalism (or how Minimalism found me) Part 1
I wasn't always into simple living. Isn't that how it goes for most of us? We're living in the world of "average American" (for me at least, because I am in the US) and then something shocks us out of our stupor.
Well, I'll save you a lot of time by summing up the first part of my life in a nutshell. I had a great childhood. I lived in suburbia with middle class family. I have great parents, and my mom was a stay at home mom. My parents loved me and (still do) took care of me. I had no wants.
Although my dad made a decent living, my parents were very anti-debt, anti-credit card etc., so while not minimalists, they were both raised by depression-era parents, and instilled good financial values in me. (I was a later in life baby :) )
Fast forward to me being 20 years old, and away at college. I went away to a college in an inner city, and it was a stressful environment, especially for someone like me who had never been exposed to poverty. This was my first experience in an environment nothing like I was used to.
Until I got sick. It started with inconsistent diarrhea for 2 weeks, and culminated to me passing bloody mucus and diarrhea upwards of 60 times a day. Obviously at this point something was very wrong, and for some reason I didn't tell my roommate (I don't know why. Was I embarrassed? Really? Why are people so embarrassed by bowel functions? Everyone has them). I was only an hour away, so my dad picked me up and took me to the hospital.
Over the course of 4 months, I was admitted to one hospital 3 times, and because they couldn't help me, I was eventually transferred to another hospital (via ambulance) and spent a total of 40 days in the hospital. I was diagnosed with colitis, put on anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. But, I still wasn't getting better.
Then, I was also diagnosed with a bacterial infection call clostridium difficile. I took antibiotics. I seemed to be getting better, then I would relapse. I could not digest any food. I had track marks to rival your neighborhood addict, and eventually I had a pic line sewn into my arm, where I was administered parental nutrition (because I could not eat). I lost 30 pounds. I had to drop out of college.
When I was finally released the last time, I moved back home with my parents, where I was on a regiment of medication and an extremely strict diet.
I want to tell you now that that was 8 years ago, and other than having irritable bowel syndrome, I have made a full recovery and I have not had another bout of colitis or infection.
This was the first life changing event that made me rethink my priorities in life. When you spend your days in a hospital bed, unable to eat, you start really thinking about your life and what you want out of it. You start to realize $50 spent on jeans is stupid, and that validity of the statement "your health is the most important thing".
Having this experience at such a young age was actually beneficial, because it forced me to step back and say, "what is important? what do I want?" when I think for a lot of people this does not happen until they are older.
To Be Continued..
Well, I'll save you a lot of time by summing up the first part of my life in a nutshell. I had a great childhood. I lived in suburbia with middle class family. I have great parents, and my mom was a stay at home mom. My parents loved me and (still do) took care of me. I had no wants.
Although my dad made a decent living, my parents were very anti-debt, anti-credit card etc., so while not minimalists, they were both raised by depression-era parents, and instilled good financial values in me. (I was a later in life baby :) )
Fast forward to me being 20 years old, and away at college. I went away to a college in an inner city, and it was a stressful environment, especially for someone like me who had never been exposed to poverty. This was my first experience in an environment nothing like I was used to.
Until I got sick. It started with inconsistent diarrhea for 2 weeks, and culminated to me passing bloody mucus and diarrhea upwards of 60 times a day. Obviously at this point something was very wrong, and for some reason I didn't tell my roommate (I don't know why. Was I embarrassed? Really? Why are people so embarrassed by bowel functions? Everyone has them). I was only an hour away, so my dad picked me up and took me to the hospital.
Over the course of 4 months, I was admitted to one hospital 3 times, and because they couldn't help me, I was eventually transferred to another hospital (via ambulance) and spent a total of 40 days in the hospital. I was diagnosed with colitis, put on anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. But, I still wasn't getting better.
Then, I was also diagnosed with a bacterial infection call clostridium difficile. I took antibiotics. I seemed to be getting better, then I would relapse. I could not digest any food. I had track marks to rival your neighborhood addict, and eventually I had a pic line sewn into my arm, where I was administered parental nutrition (because I could not eat). I lost 30 pounds. I had to drop out of college.
When I was finally released the last time, I moved back home with my parents, where I was on a regiment of medication and an extremely strict diet.
I want to tell you now that that was 8 years ago, and other than having irritable bowel syndrome, I have made a full recovery and I have not had another bout of colitis or infection.
This was the first life changing event that made me rethink my priorities in life. When you spend your days in a hospital bed, unable to eat, you start really thinking about your life and what you want out of it. You start to realize $50 spent on jeans is stupid, and that validity of the statement "your health is the most important thing".
Having this experience at such a young age was actually beneficial, because it forced me to step back and say, "what is important? what do I want?" when I think for a lot of people this does not happen until they are older.
To Be Continued..
Friday, July 19, 2013
Low Waste Baby
I have mentioned before that I am pregnant. 5 1/2 months along, with boy #2.
Being low waste is harder with kids. It is. It is a lot easier to control my waste than that of someone else.
Right now I want to talk about low waste babies. In the baby and toddler years, you pretty much have control of everything going in and out of your little one's life. When I was pregnant with Boy 1, I was really young (21) and so was husband (24). To say we had no clue is probably an understatement. We were just to college kids embarking on having our own kid. Scary.
So, when I was pregnant with Boy 1, I went along with the flow of things. My family threw me a baby shower. I remember walking into Babies "R" Us to make a registry, wielding that scan wand thingie at everything the people told me I would need. Bottles, bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer, plastic tub, basically any plastic junk marketed toward baby. Cloth diapers were not even on my radar.
I got a lot of it. Unfortunately, most of it turned out to be plastic junk that I really did not need. At the time I swore I would never have another kid, but if I did, I was not doing it this way again.
And now, 7 years later, I am pregnant again, but older and wiser. I will not be stepping foot into Babies "R" us. I am not under the delusion there will be no waste, but I am shooting for minimalist/low waste baby.
In the coming months, I plan on sharing what we will do (and get), and what works (and what doesn't).
As of right now I plan on cloth diapering, nursing, and using cloth wipes. Clothes are all coming used from family members and friends with babies. We have not yet figured out our sleeping situation. Boy 1 never slept in his crib, we pretty much co-slept until he was 5 (unintentionally), but I am thinking we will get some type of sleeping apparatus for Boy 2.
Stay tuned for my chronicles of raising baby minimalist/ low waste! Have you been successful in minimalist/low waste child rearing?
Katie
Being low waste is harder with kids. It is. It is a lot easier to control my waste than that of someone else.
Right now I want to talk about low waste babies. In the baby and toddler years, you pretty much have control of everything going in and out of your little one's life. When I was pregnant with Boy 1, I was really young (21) and so was husband (24). To say we had no clue is probably an understatement. We were just to college kids embarking on having our own kid. Scary.
So, when I was pregnant with Boy 1, I went along with the flow of things. My family threw me a baby shower. I remember walking into Babies "R" Us to make a registry, wielding that scan wand thingie at everything the people told me I would need. Bottles, bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer, plastic tub, basically any plastic junk marketed toward baby. Cloth diapers were not even on my radar.
I got a lot of it. Unfortunately, most of it turned out to be plastic junk that I really did not need. At the time I swore I would never have another kid, but if I did, I was not doing it this way again.
And now, 7 years later, I am pregnant again, but older and wiser. I will not be stepping foot into Babies "R" us. I am not under the delusion there will be no waste, but I am shooting for minimalist/low waste baby.
In the coming months, I plan on sharing what we will do (and get), and what works (and what doesn't).
As of right now I plan on cloth diapering, nursing, and using cloth wipes. Clothes are all coming used from family members and friends with babies. We have not yet figured out our sleeping situation. Boy 1 never slept in his crib, we pretty much co-slept until he was 5 (unintentionally), but I am thinking we will get some type of sleeping apparatus for Boy 2.
Stay tuned for my chronicles of raising baby minimalist/ low waste! Have you been successful in minimalist/low waste child rearing?
Katie
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Things that seem normal to us but has friends and family members thinking we're not..
Over the course of time my husband and I have made changes in our lives. These were due to budget concerns, environmental concerns, etc. They have become normal and routine for us, but I find friends and extended family members think we are a little "off". Here are just a few.
1.) No television
We own a television. It is hooked up to a vcr (yes, we still have one) and a dvd player. But, we have no channels. We used to have the basic channels, but when things went digital, our 1995 model tv no longer broadcasted them (and we were to lazy to get a converter. No regrets.) My son watches shows on the computer (and so do we), and we rent dvds from the library. This seems totally routine for us, but often I get, "you don't have cable?" "no." "Basic channels?" "No". "??"
We do have and pay for the internet, that was non-negotiable (except when we couldn't afford it, and we didn't).
2.) As long as were on technology, neither one of us has a smart phone. Or a GPS. We each have a cell phone (and we have a family ipad). We survive with the phone and maps. Really. We do.
3.) Paper towels
I stopped buying paper towels about a year or so ago. I had an old flannel sheet that I cut up into rags. Is it gross? Yeah, sometimes it's gross. But you get over it and get used to it, and now I refuse to spend money on a paper towel when I can use a regular towel just fine. We have a "rag bag" system in our kitchen, there is a clean bag of rags, and a dirty bag of rags. When the dirty bag is full, I wash them.
4.) Tissues
Once again, like paper towels, I use a hanky. If our snots are really bad, we use a roll of recycled toilet paper. It works fine.
5.) Homemade yogurt.
Yogurt is like the gateway to making things from scratch. Once you've made yogurt, you get the "heck, I could make anything!" feeling going. The funny thing is, it is pretty easy to make, and cheap/ I make a half gallon of yogurt for $2.50 (the cost of a half gallon of local farm fresh hormone free milk sold in returnable glass bottle).
Do you have things that you do that have become routine but have people thinking your a little off when you tell them?
Katie
1.) No television
We own a television. It is hooked up to a vcr (yes, we still have one) and a dvd player. But, we have no channels. We used to have the basic channels, but when things went digital, our 1995 model tv no longer broadcasted them (and we were to lazy to get a converter. No regrets.) My son watches shows on the computer (and so do we), and we rent dvds from the library. This seems totally routine for us, but often I get, "you don't have cable?" "no." "Basic channels?" "No". "??"
We do have and pay for the internet, that was non-negotiable (except when we couldn't afford it, and we didn't).
2.) As long as were on technology, neither one of us has a smart phone. Or a GPS. We each have a cell phone (and we have a family ipad). We survive with the phone and maps. Really. We do.
3.) Paper towels
I stopped buying paper towels about a year or so ago. I had an old flannel sheet that I cut up into rags. Is it gross? Yeah, sometimes it's gross. But you get over it and get used to it, and now I refuse to spend money on a paper towel when I can use a regular towel just fine. We have a "rag bag" system in our kitchen, there is a clean bag of rags, and a dirty bag of rags. When the dirty bag is full, I wash them.
4.) Tissues
Once again, like paper towels, I use a hanky. If our snots are really bad, we use a roll of recycled toilet paper. It works fine.
5.) Homemade yogurt.
Yogurt is like the gateway to making things from scratch. Once you've made yogurt, you get the "heck, I could make anything!" feeling going. The funny thing is, it is pretty easy to make, and cheap/ I make a half gallon of yogurt for $2.50 (the cost of a half gallon of local farm fresh hormone free milk sold in returnable glass bottle).
Do you have things that you do that have become routine but have people thinking your a little off when you tell them?
Katie
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Week 1 Plastic Tally
About 2 weeks ago, I saved every all of my plastic trash that I used for a week. It includes everything I used, and things that my family used that I used too. It does not include just things my husband and son used. I am also posting it here Show your plastic.
So, without further ado :
And much to my dismay my nearest loose bulk food store is 12 miles away, which is discouraging when I like in biking distance to a town less than a mile away with plenty of stores. My nearest Whole foods is a 45 drive (uh).
Followed by bath products :
The hair products are an easy fix. I am going to try some shampoo bars, as there is no bulk shampoo near me, and the baking soda/apple cider vinegar thing made my thick curly hair a nightmare. The other thing is a floss pick (guess I only flossed once that week, oops!) which, so far I have not found any replacement for dental floss. I tried thread, and that was a nightmare.
Lastly is my junk mail plastic envelopes:
I have listed my name on all the stop junk mail websites. Hopefully this will help.
I have to say participating in this challenge has depressed me. I am hyper aware of all the plastic waste around me. Every time I see someone slugging a plastic water bottle I cringe, and I just want to cry. It feels like one person's reduction isn't going to make up for the millions of others.
But, I keep on, with that classic Gandhi quote, "you need to be the change you wish to see in the world." It's a start.
Katie
So, without further ado :
I filled 1 plastic grocery bag with plastic trash. Just for a week! It is hard not to feel discouraged, although I will say that most of this plastic is from things I bought before I got on board with the plastic free/low plastic lifestyle. Most of my plastic waste is from food products :
And much to my dismay my nearest loose bulk food store is 12 miles away, which is discouraging when I like in biking distance to a town less than a mile away with plenty of stores. My nearest Whole foods is a 45 drive (uh).
Followed by bath products :
The hair products are an easy fix. I am going to try some shampoo bars, as there is no bulk shampoo near me, and the baking soda/apple cider vinegar thing made my thick curly hair a nightmare. The other thing is a floss pick (guess I only flossed once that week, oops!) which, so far I have not found any replacement for dental floss. I tried thread, and that was a nightmare.
Lastly is my junk mail plastic envelopes:
I have listed my name on all the stop junk mail websites. Hopefully this will help.
I have to say participating in this challenge has depressed me. I am hyper aware of all the plastic waste around me. Every time I see someone slugging a plastic water bottle I cringe, and I just want to cry. It feels like one person's reduction isn't going to make up for the millions of others.
But, I keep on, with that classic Gandhi quote, "you need to be the change you wish to see in the world." It's a start.
Katie
Saturday, July 6, 2013
My 333
As I have mentioned, I have really been eager to jump on board with Project 333 and Courtney is starting a new round in July, so I decided I would jump on board with my maternity addition.
At first I thought 33 items was going to be hard (read the rules here: getting started) but honestly I had no trouble at all. I really do wear the same things over and over again anyway, and I am not much of a jewelry person so pairing down was pretty painless. It is summer here and it is hot and humid. My lifestyle in the summer is stay at home mom who hangs by the pool with kiddies, so my clothes are pretty casual.
Here is my list:
Shoes:
2 pairs of sandals :
Fancy and comfy.
Accessories:
2 pairs of earrings
1 watch
2 bracelets
1 pair of sunglasses
1 scarf
1 purse
(sunglasses, scarf and purse not pictured)
Tops:
3 sleeveless
7 short sleeve
Bottoms:
4 Skirts
3 Dresses
At first I thought 33 items was going to be hard (read the rules here: getting started) but honestly I had no trouble at all. I really do wear the same things over and over again anyway, and I am not much of a jewelry person so pairing down was pretty painless. It is summer here and it is hot and humid. My lifestyle in the summer is stay at home mom who hangs by the pool with kiddies, so my clothes are pretty casual.
Here is my list:
Shoes:
2 pairs of sandals :
Accessories:
2 pairs of earrings
1 watch
2 bracelets
1 pair of sunglasses
1 scarf
1 purse
(sunglasses, scarf and purse not pictured)
Tops:
3 sleeveless
3 Longer sleeve
Bottoms:
4 Skirts
3 Dresses
2 Sweaters (not pictured)
a purple long sleeved cardigan
and a grey shrug
So that actually only comes out to 32 items, unless I count my lovely maternity bathing suit, which I do spend a lot of time in. I figure it also gives me a little wiggle room if I want to add something. I really feel like I should have pair of pants in there somewhere, but I love my elastic waist skirts!!
That is my 33 for 3 months :)
Katie
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Project 333 Maternity?
I have to admit I have been lurking on the blog Project 333 for a while, loving all the minimal wardrobes, with their mix and match clothes.
I am no fashionista. At all. I also hate wearing anything uncomfortable, tight, etc. and I tend to wear the same things over and over again. I have been wanting to participate in the project, I was getting ready to before I became pregnant.
Since I have become pregnant I have put it off with the excuse that my size keeps changing ( and it does). I am at month 5 and still in a hodge podge of regular and maternity clothes ( which I have gotten all for free- about that later).
But with July here and a new season of project 333 starting, I have decided to take the plunge. The difference being I am not going to donate my pre pregnancy stuff just yet ( we'll see how my size is after baby).
We all have different reasons for hanging on to clothes ( things too! ) Mine seem to be guilt ( i tend to anthropomorphize things and assign them feelings ) and the hope that I might someday be stylish.
I am learning to accept myself as is - i really don't enjoy things like make up and nail polish ( both make my skin/ nails feel like they can't breathe), I hate high heels and tight pants, and I seem to be the only person who cannot stand wearing jeans! Denim is so rough and scratchy! Give me 100% cotton any day. I have had this feeling I was missing on some girl gene (sorry that is sexist, I know, the pull of societal influence can be strong) and I hate clothes shopping! (Online clicking is just fine, thanks as long as I don't have to try it on in a dressing room I am good).
I realize I can't spend all my time in yoga pants ( oh if only ), so I am trying to keep the clothes that
are soft and comfy while also looking decent. So, I am setting to work on finding my "33".
My goal is to have this done and posted by Friday- stay tuned for "Project 333" maternity( and tell you how I get my clothes for free, cheap etc.)
Katie
I am no fashionista. At all. I also hate wearing anything uncomfortable, tight, etc. and I tend to wear the same things over and over again. I have been wanting to participate in the project, I was getting ready to before I became pregnant.
Since I have become pregnant I have put it off with the excuse that my size keeps changing ( and it does). I am at month 5 and still in a hodge podge of regular and maternity clothes ( which I have gotten all for free- about that later).
But with July here and a new season of project 333 starting, I have decided to take the plunge. The difference being I am not going to donate my pre pregnancy stuff just yet ( we'll see how my size is after baby).
We all have different reasons for hanging on to clothes ( things too! ) Mine seem to be guilt ( i tend to anthropomorphize things and assign them feelings ) and the hope that I might someday be stylish.
I am learning to accept myself as is - i really don't enjoy things like make up and nail polish ( both make my skin/ nails feel like they can't breathe), I hate high heels and tight pants, and I seem to be the only person who cannot stand wearing jeans! Denim is so rough and scratchy! Give me 100% cotton any day. I have had this feeling I was missing on some girl gene (sorry that is sexist, I know, the pull of societal influence can be strong) and I hate clothes shopping! (Online clicking is just fine, thanks as long as I don't have to try it on in a dressing room I am good).
I realize I can't spend all my time in yoga pants ( oh if only ), so I am trying to keep the clothes that
are soft and comfy while also looking decent. So, I am setting to work on finding my "33".
My goal is to have this done and posted by Friday- stay tuned for "Project 333" maternity( and tell you how I get my clothes for free, cheap etc.)
Katie
Monday, July 1, 2013
My Low Waste Shopping Trip and Shopping for Special Diets
Today I went shopping and focused on trying to purchase things with as little packaging as possible.
We belong to a CSA, so I have been lucky I haven't had to buy many vegetables. (And they are all plastic free!!)
Unfortunately, when I used Bea Johnson@ZeroWasteHome.com 's "Bulk" app, the nearest Bulk food store to me is 14 miles away. Uh. I didn't feel like driving all that way, so I went to a local farm instead.
I bought 3 glass (returnable) bottles of milk (whole, 2%, and chocolate. The 2% is for yogurt making, as I have not been able to find "bulk" yogurt). My son really enjoys the chocolate milk. The milk is from a local dairy (hormone free), and at $2.50 a bottle (after the initial bottle deposit) it is a good buy.
The bananas were lose, in the front bag (bags are cotton produce bags purchased at amazon here: produce bag. I have been very happy with them, they have the tare printed on them and are machine washable. 2 pints of blueberries are in the front bag, the back bag has 4 ears of sweet corn. Next to that is 1 container of yogurt (starter for the homemade yogurt, but I won't have to buy any plastic cups of yogurt once I get the first batch started) a box of butter, and a pound of deli cheese. Cheese has been quite a problem, other than plastic I have only found cheese in a wax coating, and the only flavor available in the wax is cheddar (which my son doesn't like).
After the farm I stopped at Great Harvest Bread Company, a bread store chain we have in town. The girl was more than happy to put a naked loaf into my bread bag. Score!
My husband (and many people out there these days) is gluten free (celiac). I am having trouble finding any gluten free products (flour, bread, pasta etc.) not packaged in plastic. Most regular flour and pasta can at least be found in paper bags/ cardboard boxes, but it seems all the gluten free items come in plastic.
Also, the issue with bulk bins and cross contamination with gluten containing items I have not looked into this too much, as I said before the nearest bulk store to me is a good half hour drive. This will be something to look into.
I'm off to enjoy my local blueberries. Happy Monday :)
Katie
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