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Money saving food tips October 15, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: food, green living | No comments I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging, as life got crazy for a bit, but I am back with some useful tips on eating organic on a budget that I have been trying lately. Let me know if you have toyed with any of these, and if so, what works best for you. - Buy in bulk- grains, beans, grits, nuts, dried fruit, etc. Read more tips re buying bulk here. - Avoid pre-cut/pre-packaged foods. Total rip off. - Find an organic brand you like and go to their Web site for coupons. For instance: http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/. - At the farmer’s market, ask the farmers if you can buy the “seconds” for a discount — usually they have stashed some bruised/scuffed/less attractive goods in their trucks or behind the table … but you know the old adage — don’t judge a book by its cover! Poor bruised fruit is just as amazingly delicious and nutritious, and it shouldn’t have to rot when a charmed soul like you is willing to buy it if it might help you scrimp some coins. - Shop with a list - no impulse buying!! - Shop on a full stomach - or at least when you’re not ravenous. This really works. - Choose brands above and below your eye level. SNEAKY aisle stockers. - Be vigilant your check-out gal or guy doesn’t ring you truth about enzyte up erroneously. Seriously, hate to be that guy, but it’s worth it in these dire times. - COOK - geez it seems as much as I know this to be true, sometimes the ease of buying lunch (and the Java Green Sesame Soy Salad) wins me over. But honestly, it’s worth the time at night or in the morning to prepare lunch. At the very least, bring snacks and fruit that you can have throughout the day, so if you do need to buy lunch, you don’t need something huge. September 22, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: green living | 1 comment Yes, you read right: New clothes. (Good clothes.) Free of charge. No shoplifting or stealing involved. To achieve, gather some clotheshorse friends and have a clothing swap! This past weekend, a girlfriend of mine hosted a clothing swap at her home, and it was such a blast. Fifteen or so of us convened on Friday evening, each bearing a bag or two full of clothes we no longer wanted, for wine, potluck food and swapping. We all left happy with new goodies. We chose to go one by one, each person displaying what they brought — some from the depths of the closet — which I thought was a good way to do it. Interested takers got to call and “grab” (in a girly, nonviolent way) what struck them and try stuff on. If a piece didn’t work, it was up for grabs again. Allison "sells" us on a black sweater. Daniela models her new hat. I suppose you could also use a less civil method, whereby swappers rummage through laid-out clothes, but I thought our way was very nice, and fun. Inevitably, there were some rather humorous pieces (Sarah’s aunt’s designer 80s dress comes to mind), some duds, and some pieces that just didn’t fit anyone. Those that no one claimed went straight to donation. I could venture to guess that some of you are envisioning holey, tattered, stained clothes, but it was nothing of the sort! In fact, some of the clothes were very nice, new and by top-name designers — their owners just didn’t want them anymore! I made out with 3 awesome dresses (!), a new tank, a work-type shirt from J.Crew, some other blouses, a headband, and a necklace. Among the pieces other swappers left with: A never-worn winter coat, shoes, exercise clothes, purses, jeans and suits. Personally, I am not sketched out a bit by used clothes, but I know some of you may be. To those of you … you really shouldn’t be! There’s nothing a good wash won’t take care of. Plus, the fact that they’re your friends’ clothes (or even friends of friends’) should make it easier to accept. It’s a genius concept. September 18, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: green living | No comments Check out http://www.liveearth.org/pepsi/index.php and click on the light green guy (second from the right) to get a free one year subscription to Plenty magazine. Plenty is an environmental lifestyle publication based in NYC. Enjoy! September 11, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: politics | 1 comment Sick of political campaigning, smears and lies? Same!! So stop speculating and go check out a new free tool designed to help you fact-check all the rhetoric — PolitiFact. Reporters and researchers from the St. Petersburg Times have partnered with Congressional Quarterly to create this resource for the 2008 election. PolitiFact is a database where users can sort news items by candidate, issue or ruling. They have also developed the “Truth-o-Meter” which takes election coverage and judges the accuracy of the report. It’s fun and impressive. I especially love the Truth O Meter. August 25, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: karma, mindfulness, travel | 5 comments This past weekend, I experienced what [initially] felt to be a setback on my path of responsible frugality. Collecting my things at the close of a party on Friday night, I realized my digital camera had vanished. After some searching — which involved crawling on sticky, booze-stained floors — I sucked it up as a loss. The incident dominated my thoughts for much of the first part of the weekend. I just couldn’t shake my anger. I felt especially frustrated by the timing of the loss: in 5 days I depart on a highly anticipated trip to an aesthetic heaven that begs to be photographed. I found myself feeling that all my efforts are in vain — a waste; that no matter how hard I try to do good, to be frugal and make responsible choices, to be a friend to all people and things, that there will always be something that “gets in the way.” There will always be theft and greed. I thought again of the 4 bikes I’ve had stolen. I felt depressed for believing the phrase “you can’t trust anyone.” Yes, I cried. By Saturday mid-day, I knew I did not want to feel angry, bitter, or vengeful any longer. So, right then and there, I made the choice not to be. With a bit of effort, I shifted my consciousness. Just like that! … I realized my efforts are not in vain. I realized I don’t try to live responsibly and sustainably just for myself - but for the world and for others. I realized I was angry about a little gadget, and that nothing terrible had happened. I felt sad for those who feel they need to steal. I remembered the law of karma. Instead of languishing, I used the experience as a reminder of how lucky I am for all I do have. I remembered that I am going to Guatemala not to take pictures with a camera, but to immerse myself in an adventure so grand that I will come away with mental pictures to last forever. And today, I laid in the park for hours and stared at the beauty of the sky and trees and realized that I live a life of abundance just by being alive … that I don’t need “stuff” to make it worthwhile. At the close of my weekend, I feel more grateful for the things I have; for the ability to make memories, and to take trips. I feel newly reminded that life is full of surprises, but that these are not “setbacks,” just reminders that most events are out of our control. I feel better ready to be budget-conscious with a good attitude this coming week. (P.S. I agreed to sub an extra yoga class and even made an appointment to consign clothes.) I feel blessed that I am about to embark on a trip. In essence, I feel as rich as ever :) Increase your joy by actively doing the good you wish to have done to you. Decrease your suffering by refusing to do the bad that has been done to you. — Daisaku Ikeda More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. — Nichiren August 21, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: coffee, farming, food, organic | 2 comments There’s been a lot of talk about coffee lately. It seemed millions of peoples’ dream came true when the NYT published an article a few weeks ago debunking every myth about the detriment of caffeine and its most common source: coffee (was that story funded by Starbucks, by the way?). Certainly, this was good news for me, too. I love coffee. Over the years, I have tried and failed countless times to “get off the bean.” I’ve tried tea (Yerba Mate, Chai, Green Tea, the list goes on) decaf, and herbal coffee. Shoot, I even wrote a 2-part magazine article called “But I Can’t … Decaffeinate,” highlighting the dangerous cavalcade of activity (body and brain) set off by a single sip of the potent drug. Initially, my research scared me away from coffee, but I soon found myself back in coffee heaven. Ultimately, I succumbed to the reality that coffee is good and I want to drink it. Forever. To me, there is nothing like a warm mug of steaming java in my hands. But just like with other daily activities and habits, I’ve learned that coffee-drinking can be done responsibly and I strive to do the best I can. I’ve really been making an effort to bring homemade coffee to work in a steel mug (fits in the holder on my bike). By opting out of using paper cups and sleeves, I am substantially reducing my impact. (A funny anecdote: In Sevilla, Spain, where I lived for 6 months, there was only one cafe that offered coffee in to-go cups. It was fittingly called “American Coffee.”) By bypassing coffee shops on my way to work (many with lines literally out the door), I save substantially. Think about it: A pound of coffee makes approximately 32 eight-ounce cups of coffee. A cup of tall coffee at Starbucks costs about $2. If you spend $10 for a pound of coffee and make it at home, you save $54 over buying 32 tall coffees at Starbucks! There are several keys to making the “greatest greenest cup,” as Care2 Senior Editor Melissa Breyer recently expounded. Foremost, a french press. Did you know Americans spend $400 million annually on electricity for their coffeemakers? Yikes! To use a french press costs virtually nothing (you just need to boil water) and you don’t need to use coffee filters … which usually are bleached. Plus, in terms of taste, french-pressed coffee is really tasty. For directions on how to use a french press, click here. Also, click here for tips on what to do with your grounds when you’re done. A Care2 reader commented that instead of a french press, she thinks a coffee toddy makes the greenest cup. I have never used a toddy but may perhaps look into it. http://www.toddyproducts.com/ Another key to making “your fix” responsible is using farmer and plant-friendly Fair Trade, organic, or shade grown–coffees. In addition to benefiting farmers, organic and fair-trade varieties, increasingly available in the mainstream marketplace, are healthier for our bodies, as they often are not grown with pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. If such coffees are not available near you, consider purchasing them online. Do you have any coffee tips to share? |