Unprocessed Moms

Our life has been dramatically changed by unschooling. Five years a go as I (fearfully) researched homeschooling options I came across this idea of unschooling. I’ve since learned it’s much more than an idea. It’s a lifestyle, a philosophy, a world view. But at the beginning it was a a refreshing way to teach my kids. I couldn’t believe that it was legal to have my kids home all day and not make them follow a curriculum. The more I learned the more I liked.

My husband and I begin to slowly let go of so many ideas we had about the way education “had” to be. We watched our kids teach themselves. We began to trust them. We started enjoying them more! It was an exciting discovery that we could say yes to our kids.

It’s been a process for us to discover how our family learns and lives best. We’ve added and cut out many things along the way. And I’m sure we’ll continue to do that as we understand more about ourselves and our kids. But one of the things that has been so helpful for us is unschooling conferences. Not only do our kids have the time of their lives, we get to connect with extremely interesting (and fun) people and be inspired and challenged by the seminars.

I invite you all to come to our local San Diego Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference. It will be fun. It will be encouraging. It will be inspiring. It will be a weekend you’ll always remember.

My sister in law asked me to write a bit about thrift store shopping since I no longer purchase anything retail.  She said that she has a real hard time finding good stuff at thrift stores, and wanted a few tips. So… here’s what I have to say about that.

1. Find a good thrift store. I live in Lakeside and, shockingly, there are no good thrift stores here.  There just aren’t.  They’re small, disorganized, dirty, and the merchandise quality is poor.  However, I have found two others (Amvets on Main St, and The United Cerebral Palsy Thrift Store on El Cajon Blvd) that make thrift store shopping a breeze.  Go on www.yelp.com and read the reviews of other thrifters, or shoot out an email or FB post to your thrift store peeps.  A good store (one that is organized well, has clear aisles, decent prices, and quality merchandise) can make a HUGE difference.




2. Take your allergy medication before you go. Maybe this one’s just for me, but…  I have gnarly allergies (dogs, cats, dust, mold) and thrift stores seem to stock up on these allergens.  So, take your Claritin before you hit the dust… errrr- racks.




3. Leave the kids at home. Distraction free, internet. That’s important.




4. Okay, leave everyone at home. Thrifting feels a little bit like writing or doing something else creative… it requires focus and few distractions.  I need an open chunk of time, no one needing anything from me,  and the freedom to look at a skirt for 7 minutes wondering if I can do anything with it.  Sometimes I circle the store a few times (Oooh, look at this cute TOP!  This just might go perfectly with that skirt I stared at for 7 minutes but decided against) and don’t want to have to explain myself to anyone.




5. Go with an idea of  what you’re looking for. Maybe it’s Neal Diamond albums. Maybe it’s a fish bowl.  Ballet flats.  Black pencil skirt.  When you know what you’re looking for, you can shoot past the furniture and the books and the children’s clothing and head right to your department.  Of course, this is why an organized store is really helpful (see number 1).




6. But browse. So, number 5 being said… take a moment to browse the furniture, books and the children’s clothing.  I have found name brand skate shirts for my nephew, pretty frilly dresses for my niece, fantastic red heels that I had no dress for (but found later), and a lot of future Christmas/birthday gifts for friends and family (don’t forget White Elephant gifts!).




7. Make a “fitting room” if your store doesn’t have one. Neither of the stores I love have fitting rooms. That’s okay!  Wear yoga pants/leggings and a small top and try stuff on over your clothes.  Shameless?   Yes.  Effective.  Yes, again.




8. Upcycle. I have become a wee bit addicted to buying sheets and using them to crochet baskets and rugs. I have quite a stockpile at this point (etsy shop coming soon).   You may need be looking for a teal scarf, so look in the skirts, linens, men’s shirts for a teal fabric you love. Take it home and get crafty!  Or, take it over to your crafty friend. Chances are, he/she will love the chance to impress you with the custom order.




9. Notice what you’re drawn to. Target and Macy’s have an advantage in that they have psychologists and marketing experts and staging experts displaying their merchandise… they can make one item look pretty because it’s surrounded by 20 other pretty things.   The clothes hanging on the racks at the thrift store are not organized or displayed in a way to evoke an emotional response that compels you to buy that crisp, clean item. No, in thrift stores the winter dresses are hung next to the summer dresses and the plaids are hung alongside the stripes which can create a sort of schizophrenic feeling for those of us who have been raised in retail stores.  So, it’s now time to develop your own inner voice around clothes and merchandise.   There’s no big marketing scheme drawing your eye… just your own response to a single item hanging on a rack.  So, look at things individually because the 1994 Laura Ashley dress and the acid washed denim jumper may not be doing any favors to the cute dress hanging in between them.  However, hung in a display window, you’d be swooning.   So, here’s my recent story on this point… I found a blue,vintage, hawaiian print blue muumuu that I instantly had a happy reaction to when I finally saw it (it was sandwiched between several layers of hideous), but I kept passing over it because… well, it was a blue, vintage, hawaiian print muumuu.  But it kept drawing me back.  A muumuu? I thought. Can I really wear this and get away with it? Then I tried imagining that it was being displayed in Anthropologie store window and YES! I bought it.  And, I love it.




10. Check for deals. Most thrift stores have huge sales on various departments and/or color tags.   Both of my favorites do.  I call ahead to Amvets to find out what departments are on sale before I head out.  Linens 50% off! I’m there!  Usually the store will have their sales posted near the door or register wall.  Most give discounts to military or seniors, so drag your grandma or soldier along.  If you’re lucky, your grandma is a soldier. Booyah.




11. Bring Cash. Some thrift stores are cash only.

The muumuu. Love.

What tips do you have?  How do you make thrift store shopping work?

Amber.

I love hanging my laundry outside. It saves electricity and prevents even more EMF waves. It’s relaxing to me. My kids are watching and learning. It makes me feel a little like I live in the days before everything was convenient (and I like that). And it looks cool.

For those of us who live in sunny San Diego there is no reason to not have a clothes line if you have the space.

When it’s not sunny enough, or I have more clothes than will fit on my little outdoor line, I hang them in the garage. It’s not as fun but still saves on electricity and cuts back on the EMF waves I’m producing.

According to this website, “Clothes dryers are among the biggest energy hogs in a typical home.” This site also gives tips for lazy line drying if hanging your clothes sounds hard.

My favorite (and only) daughter turned 10 this month. Although I do not feel mature or wise enough to have such an old kid, I am excited about this next stage of life with a double-digit child.

She wanted a 50′s themed party. In the typical fashion of my first born, she took charge and did most of the planning herself. But she let me interject my environmentally friendly suggestions, and the end result was “the best party I’ve ever had!”, she said.

We had 40 people coming. yikes. My house is not that big. And my budget is small. But we made it work. Here are some of the things we did to keep the party simple and eco-friendly…

All of her gifts came from either the thrift store, Magical Child, the library store, ordered online from Japan (erasers not from China) or our local health food store.

This cute dress is from the thrift store and the tights are from Magical Child.

The entertainment was cheep: 50′s dance party. We borrowed some music from friends. My sister is a great dancer and she got the sock hop going with a little dance lesson. On the evite (no paper!) we asked people to come dressed 50′s style.

We didn’t serve dinner (to save on cost and stress) but did provide healthy snacks. Veggie platters, dips, salad, chips and salsa, raw nut mix, big fruit salad, and a  friend brought popcorn. I used my own forks but made my life easy and used biodegradable plates made from sugar cane (bought at health food store). For napkins I set out an assortment of cloth ones that prevented paper waste and added to the decor.

I made 2 cakes, both gluten free. One was from a mix: Pure Pantry Dark Chocolate Gluten Free Cake Mix. It was really good! I frosted it with chocolate frosting with chocolate chips mixed in. The other gluten free cake, pictured to the right, I made from scratch. I was given this cute cake pan that looks like a big cupcake. The candles were cool:Colorflame,  made from natural minerals and salt, non-toxic and biodegradable, the flame gives off a colored flame.

We spent most of the party dancing, but we did play two games. A bubblegum blowing contest, and a hoola hooping contest.  The bubble gum was the most unhealthy thing at the party.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and I felt good about the money spent, sugar level, and stuff wasted. All were minimal (for a birthday bash).

Today I harvested some gorgeous spinach leaves from my garden.  I grew these little guys from seed, so seeing them all grown up and ready to eat is the closest thing I know to sending a child off to college.

A little about my food issues, since I’ve written about them here before…. I’ve decided to cut out refined sugar and processed sweetners.  I like Stevia, so this isn’t a big deal. I’ve also decided to buy as much organic as I can afford and avoid processed foods.  I’m also checking into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture… buying locally grown, usually organic foods directly from farms in your area.  The farmers assemble boxes of produce, herbs, and sometimes dairy that are available for pickup on a weekly/monthly basis for a set fee.) I’ve also decided to not be a fundamentalist about it and give myself permission to have an ice cream or a diet coke, from time to time. Although, I’m not too happy about Coca Cola, Co.  these days.  More on that later.

It’s actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I just had to want it, and I’ve found this motivation in the suffering that unconscious farming and food production creates on the earth and – more specifically – onto people.  I just can’t participate in it anymore.  My vote, in the form of a dollar, supports either good or harm, and I am going to choose good as often as I can.

My therapist (or maybe the therapist in me) would want me to do this for me.  Would want me to want good, wholesome, nurturing foods in my body because I want to take good care of it.   I’m not there yet, truthfully.  I’m still wired to see fatty, rich foods as a means of taking good care of me.  It’s my nurturing, my comfort, my blanky. Food has become my lame boyfriend (which- let’s face it- is a bit more pathetic than being the cat lady), and he’s definitely an abusive asshole. But I’m all attached and clingy and scared to leave because I don’t know how to cope with life without him.  So, I see that I’ve set up a dilemma for myself in breaking up with food in order to do less harm in that it could easily leave me feeling deprived, uncared for, and under-nurtured.  So, I’m sitting with all of that, acknowledging the lose/lose feel this kinda has, while also inspired to find a new boyfriend who likes me, is good to me, and laughs at all of my jokes.

Jack and I are planting new seeds, every few weeks, in egg cartons.  Every morning we rush to the window to see what’s grown overnight.  It’s like Christmas morning, these little gifts unearthing themselves as they push up through the soil.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of 2 new babies to our family…. Mrs. Featherbottom and Lady Cluck.  These darling little fuzz balls are the subject of Jack’s affection, at the moment, and I can’t say I blame  him. They are ridiculously cute.  And since Jack spends so much time with them, they seem to have imprinted on him.  Just yesterday, we took Mrs. Featherbottom and Lady Cluck out on the lawn for the first time, and  they followed Jack around the yard.  Here’s a video of what happened when he sat down…

Jack and his babies

Yes, that was Lady Cluck pooping.  Gross, I know.  We’ve developed a strict wash-your-hands-after-handling-the-chickens policy around here.

And speaking of chicken poop, I’ll share  a few things about the new journey I’m on in raising backyard chickens.

* Building the coop (or, as Jack calls it, the chicken poop) was an empowering and fun process.  I definitely recommend building your own coop.  Or building your own anything.  Ladies, if you’ve never held a circular saw in your hands, you’re missing out.  And oh, the simple pleasure of walking into a hardware store, lipstick and nailpolish shining, and ask for a 3/8″ drill bit from 3 rugged men behind a counter… Anyway, the chicken poop took longer than I  had expected, and I ran into all kinds of problems along the way, but I enjoyed the process of figuring it out.  Thankfully, I had the help of my handy dandy brother who loves an adventure just as much as I do.

* The  coop is built out of almost entirely recycled products that were laying around the house or from the free section on Craigslist, with the exception of one sheet of plywood that I couldn’t get via freecycling or used.  The bamboo was harvested from my back yard, and was the perfect material for a shady roof. I had intended on using bamboo to enclose the chicken run (the enclosed area where the chickens “play”), but my dad surprised me by purchasing and installing the wire mesh on a weekend I spent away.  Thanks, Dad!   That saved me hours of cutting, cleaning, and tying bamboo.  Just a few more touches to the chicken poop, and it will be done!

Jack and Uncle Corey

Jack did the interior decorating.

Just showing off my nesting box building skillz...

Corey checking out the inside of the coop.

Nearly complete. A few finishing touches to come.

* My backyard animal love affair seems to be spreading to other animals. I have fantasies of raising pigs and goats and cows, now.  I really love the idea of knowing exactly where my food came from and the sense of self-nurturing that comes from carefully tending to the production of an edible source.   It all grounds me, somehow.  Feels mindful.  I spend hours watching videos of low impact farms and of sustainable life “off the grid,” and my favorite times of the day are spent down in my garden with Jack and the chickens.  I even found myself flirting with the boot-wearing, dirt-under-the-nails cowboy in line with me at the Hay and Grain store yesterday.  He smelled like hay, and I wanted to snuggle into him.   Seriously, who am I becoming.

Tangerine and Amelia Earhart

Remember these two?

A few days ago, I received a marriage proposal.  I was more creeped out than flattered,  as it was only the second time I’d ever seen the guy.  Plus, I was stuck in the back seat of his car.  His name is Freddie, and he’s my new cab driver.  After a ride home (in which he persuaded me to sing in exchange for cab fare), he gave me his card and made me swear my loyalty to him.  The following week, I called on Freddie for a ride home.  He asked about my husband, then about my boyfriend, and then asked  increasingly inappropriate questions about my life as a single girl.  He told me he loved kids, insisted on stopping at a 99-cent store to buy Jack a toy, and seemed annoyed that I wouldn’t let him take us out for some lunch.  I was seriously questioning whether or not I wanted Freddie to know where I live when he popped the marriage question, adding that “I already have green card.  That’s not why I ask you.”  Hmmm.  Tempting.

My marriage proposal figures have steadily increased as of January 26th when my driver’s license was suspended and public transportation is my main mode of transportation.   Seems nearly every mildly psychotic and/or chemically dependent man is looking for a wife, just like me.  Marriage proposals are just one of the benefits of  having my license yanked due to epilepsy.   While I am mostly angry and miserable about this turn of events, I am also finding the San Diego Metro system to be quite tolerable.   I bring my crochet along, a few snacks, my ipod, and I’m happy to be escorted around town to my destination.  I haven’t bought any gas in over a month and I was able to cancel my auto insurance, a monthly savings of well over 250$ a month.  It feels incredibly liberating to be car-free, something I had considered trying for some time.  I love that I’m not contributing to the fossil fuel industry, to the wars, to the oil companies, to the pollution, to the traffic, to the entire awful cycle.  While it’s impractical for where I live (up in the hills, several miles away from a bus stop), I will certainly make access to public transport a must when I make my next move.

Give it a shot… see if you can go a day, a week, a month using buses, trolleys, subways, trains… you might find that you love it, like I have.  Plus, you might even find that special taxi cab driver you’ve been dreaming of.

I recently made this apron for my sister-in-law out of old plastic grocery bags. Although I no longer get plastic bags at the store anymore (see No Plastic?!) I still have some from the “old days”. Also, people tend to give me things in plastic bags (like oranges, hand me down clothes, etc). So, I thought I’d put them to good use. It was really simple. It only took 3 bags. I cut them into strips and sewed them together with the sewing machine. I sewed a plastic bag band around the top  and then made ties out of a couple of strips. Then I made a little flower out of cereal bags. I’m not sure how practical it is; I haven’t made one for myself yet. Someone said it would be great for camping. I thought that was a pretty good idea.

I asked my family to do a one month challenge with me – no gluten, dairy or refined sugar- no exceptions. We don’t eat a lot of these things anyway, but I noticed every other day we were making “exceptions” to how we want to eat. I was curious what effect it would have on our health, especially after coming off a bad season of colds and the flu. They surprised me by willingly agreeing to try. I think the kids were tired of being sick and my husband is just used to me and my crazy food experiments.

The results were not as expected.

I thought there would be lots of complaining, but that we wouldn’t get sick and we’d overall feel better. The kids barely complained at all. Anytime they did we just talked about why and for how long we were eating this way, and they always decided they wanted to stick with it. The main thing the kids didn’t like was having to say no when friends offered them foods not on the diet. But I will say the last week they were counting down the days until the “diet” was over. We actually ended it half a week early so they could have Valentines chocolate. They were also really excited to eat cheese and chocolate chips again.

One of the positives included not having stomach aches. Both of my boys tend to complain of stomach aches fairly often. Those were totally gone on the diet. Charis (my daughter) seemed to be more even -keeled; less emotional. She actually saw and felt a difference herself. She knows she does better with gluten free.

Caleb (my husband) had horrible detox symptoms. He was super grumpy for 2 weeks. Once we realized it was probably detox he started feeling better. By the end he didn’t hate it so much. But he didn’t notice any improvement in his health in any way. He was happy to go back to farmer’s market challah bread and local raw cheese.

I liked it overall. My joints (which tend to complain) were happy and my tummy liked it. It was little stressful making new meals and not knowing what to make at times. My family had to totally rely on me for food, which none of us preferred.  I’m sure that aspect of it would be easier with time. I really didn’t miss the “forbidden” foods much at all. Cheese, butter and half and half were the hardest things to give up (actually we did put organic half and half in our tea in the morning).

I’m happy we did the experiment. I got some good new recipes. I learned that you can still get sick even when such allergens are eliminated (surprise!). I think it was empowering for my kids – they learned they can say no to food even when it’s hard.

Now that the month is over, we’ve added back in raw cheese, dark chocolate, and butter (although I’m learning to use Ghee). I’m sure we’ll have an occasional loaf of bread from the Farmer’s Market too. But I’ve decided to keep the house mostly gluten and sugar free, and low dairy. My family is welcome to eat however they want when out of the house.  I’m not sure how long this will last. I’m not setting time limits. But I feel everyone does a little better when this is how we eat.

My friend Sarah agreed to write a post for us about her month of extreme food budgeting.  I was so impressed when she told me she spent only $30 a week on food for her and her husband. I wanted to know more, and thought others might as well. For her fascinating explanation of  “project 30″, keep reading…

therapy if you scanned our online bank statement. A tight economy has taught us to be tightwads ourselves but mostly we have learned to be content with less and creative to keep our days fresh and exciting. Even a month long trip across the country was done for just dollars a day. Free lodging and sharing cups of coffee can get you far.

So what reoccurring purchases did I find? Food. Food, under apartment rent, is our largest expense so it seemed obvious and natural to invest in being the best steward possible with our grocery budget. Since I had all the time in the world not working why not use some of it to learn more about food prices (in addition to job-hunting)? And since I have a terrible case of the Type A and obsessive personality traits, why not be extreme and vow to spend an absurdly low amount on food each week just for because. I scratched my head and thought about a number to challenge my business-minded creativity.

30 seemed like a good number. Thatʼs when Project 30 began.

Iʼll mention we eat nearly all of meals in. Also, weʼre not into processed foods. We prefer organic when possible, prefer to shop at the farmerʼs market and have been found lurking in Whole Foodsʼ prepared foods on more than one occasion. Was spending only $30 a week for all of our meals even doable for a couple like ourselves? I began with a little Internet research. Surely if I had come up with this idea it wasnʼt new. I googled living off of a $30 grocery budget and found enough to convince me it was possible. Food items such as oats, eggs, beans, bananas and rice topped the charts for inexpensive items. I was even more convinced we could eat on a $30 grocery budget after stumbling on a blog kept by a healthy and super natural Brooklyn couple doing the very same thing and reviewed their receipts and meals with high hopes for ourselves. With my clipboard in hand and go-with-whatever-Iʼm-into-these-days-concerning-food-and-health husbandʼs consent, I vowed to spend only $30/week for all of our food.

Right off the bat here are some figures I used as a fiscal compass when grocery shopping:

Some notes on this chart and they are not in any particular order:

• I started Project 30 with staple items and foods already in our pantry, fridge and freezer such as spices, oils and condiments, sweeteners etc. This gave us a little variety in our cooking.

• Some prices are missing as I never checked for each item at each store.

• I drew up this chart as I shopped. Apparently while I was doing Project 30 I never purchased olive oil and other everyday staples.

• Various Henryʼs and Whole Foods carry various items. Sometimes Whole Foods only carried an organic version and thus the cost was always higher than the other stores. Maybe yours would offer more variety.

• You wonʼt find produce on this chart. We buy most of it from our farmerʼs market and sadly I didnʼt chart those prices. I can tell you though, the cheapest bananas I have found are at Trader Joeʼs, they are 19 cents each. They also have inexpensive organic carrots, just $0.79/lb.

• Meat isnʼt on this chart, either. Meat was rarely on our table during Project 30. If it was, it was the cheapest cuts I could find, almost always ground beef or chicken legs.

• The coffee prices charted are not fair trade or organic. The cheapest coffee was at Trader Joeʼs but I do not recommend drinking this as itʼs plain just not good.

• Some of the item prices were broken down from their bulk price. For example, flour, sugar, salt, nuts, dried fruit and all grains are only sold in bulk bags at Trader Joeʼs but I divided the cost per pound anyway.

• We werenʼt consuming much dairy during Project 30. We have found Trader Joeʼs to have the best price for extra sharp cheddar cheese.

• If concerned at all about ingredients in your food, read labels! Henryʼs surprised me at how much high fructose corn syrup and other preservatives they use in their food.

• Buying in bulk will usually save you money but not always! As charted, sometimes scooping my own couscous was cheaper but sometimes buying a box of it was.

• As I discovered the best prices for foods, I realized it was totally inconsistent. Henryʼs had many of the lowest prices but it is the farthest store from us. However, most of their low prices are bulk items so when I am there I stock up on dried beans, rice and oats. Sometimes driving farther for a few cent difference isnʼt worth it and sometimes it is, you decide.

• As Project 30 evolved, I found myself shopping at the farmerʼs market less and less. This made me sad as I look forward to seeing my farmers each week and enjoying the fruits of their labor. It was difficult justifying organic eggs from the farmerʼs market at $0.23 each when Trader Joeʼs offered eggs for $0.12 each. Thatʼs 100% increase and every cent counts when stretching your dollar as far as we were.

Now some notes on our actual spending and meals.

• We ate oatmeal. Alot. Itʼs like less than 5 cents per serving. Much cheaper than any box of cereal you would find. We jazzed it up with spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger or for something savory, tamari and miso. But when we ran out of these spices it was back to plain oats.

• We ate cooked dried beans and lots of rice. Beans and rice are about 5-7 cents per serving and this is when shopping at Henryʼs, Trader Joeʼs and Whole Foods. I know there are cheaper stores out there and cannot imagine how cheap they sell their bulk items. Cooking from the bulk section will always be cheaper than boxed foods.

• That being said, boxed, prepared and processed foods were pretty much out of our meal planning. How could we spend $1 on mac n cheese when we could spend the same for 20 servings of rice?

• I had bananas for most of my fruit intake. Prior to Project 30 I snacked on Clif Bars. Not only are these processed and full of sugar, they are expensive. 7 Clif Bars equalled 35 bananas. Larabars is a great alternative to Clif Bars but are even more pricy, at $1.29 each. Yikes.

• I also relied on frozen fruit as fresh fruit was pricy in comparison. This got old as Spring time was offering delicious fruits that I wanted to partake in but instead only afforded non-seasonal produce.

• Veggies were mostly potatoes and carrots. Good thing I like these things because they showed up for meal time often but as a foodie I longed for seasonal variety.

• Eggs were a constant source of protein. I personally chose to spend twice as much on our eggs and ended up ditching Trader Joeʼs 12 cent egg for the 23 cent farmerʼs market egg. I wonʼt go into all of my reasonings but I admit it was a difficult decision when purely based on cost but so worth it!

Finally, notes on Project 30 and how we budget and shop these days:

• There are many ways to cut your grocery costs. Straying from processed foods and relying on fresh, natural foods is the easiest way to begin reducing your bill. Foods with one ingredient, such as potatoes, eggs, apples, rice and beans are natural and easy to prepare. Creativity with herbs and spices will further encourage you to let go of already prepared foods and cook more simply, more inexpensively.

• It is very hard to feed two adults on only $30 a week. This number became burdensome after about a month when my poor husband had about all the potatoes and beans he could bear. Variety is the spice of life and I knew it was time to spend a little more and stop playing the grocery marty when we found ourselves nagging about food…or lack there of.

• On the other hand, $30 is very doable for one person. Oats and fruit for breakfast, beans and veggies for lunch and eggs for dinner can easily fit into the bill for one.

• These days, our grocery budget is higher than $30 a week. We still eat a majority of our meals at home but arenʼt so ridged. A typical dinner meal will consist of 3-6 ounces of quality meat (pricey), a seasonal veggie (affordable) and a bulk-grain, like rice (dirt cheap). Project 30 taught us how to balance our budget so that we can have delicious and nutritious meals that end up costing very little.

• We havenʼt purchased boxed cereal or canned beans since Project 30. I just cannot justify how pricey they are in comparison to the real, dry deal!

• We havenʼt purchased Clif Bars, Larabars, healthy pop-tarts (is there such a thing, anyway?) either. These stopped tasting good after we gave them up for Project 30. They cost an arm and a leg and taste a little like card board so it hasnʼt been difficult not having them.

• We also have purchased very little bananas. We had our share during Project 30.

• We have; however, began spending more on meat, good cheese and the occasional sweet treat.

• Weʼve learned to cut back on certain foods so that we can better afford others.

• We save by not buying mac n cheese, canned beans and granola so that we can get an organic game hen and some dark chocolate.

Long after Project 30 ended, I came across this remarkable blog about a woman who prepares all of her meals in 10 minutes or less with only 5 ingredients. She also blogged how to feed yourself on only $2 a day….even cheaper than Project 30!

So, long story short, Project 30 was a success. It was challenging limiting all of our meals to such a meager budget. The same foods did get tiresome and very unexciting but the budgeting concepts we learned and practice today made it worth it. I still catch myself from time to time adding up how much a meal cost per serving and canʼt help but receive a little pleasure at itʼs total in comparison to prepared and processed foods.