flashback grocery haul

This post was first written and posted to my original blog, Which Name?, on November 2, 2010. Even the photo is old! I am re-posting it here, because I was looking for something else on my old blog and came across this post, having forgotten that I ever wrote it. I have been enjoying following other frugal families on Instagram, seeing video reels of their grocery hauls, and budgeting, but I don't currently want to create videos for IG. My kiddos were dinky when I wrote this, so our food consumption has changed, Lala Bug's sensory differences around food and her ARFID were not so pronounced at this time, but what really stood out to me was how much explaining and justifying I felt like I had to do. I notice this happening, still (but on IG) with younger families. With age comes experience and comfort in what works differently for each of us. Progress, not perfection.

 

So with limited photo distraction, here is my text heavy October frugal foodie summary.

This month, I spent $435.51 on groceries. For where that money went and why, see below. I should note that "groceries" for me shifts and changes. For this post, I limited it to food and pet food/supplies (chickens), since they provide food. In the past, it has included health & body, cleaning supplies, and anything related to our household that I might also buy at the grocery store.

I also want to note that this was probably the worst month to choose to track in this way, as it was my first full month of going gluten free. Where I shop, what I need, and how much of each item has changed so drastically for me, that this probably isn't the best guide to us and food, although our spending did come out about the same in the end. I have learned a few lessons of what not to buy or where not to buy it this month and have been updating my price list again.

How we shop and eat and where we live affects our grocery spending:

• This is key: We live in an area of the country with a climate that sustains fresh food all year round. In fact, it is an area that grows much of the fresh food that rest of the country eats when winter sets in in colder regions. And it is all local to me. This means it is less expensive for me in general and less expensive for us to eat sustainably. (Yet, do note that I obviously still find it difficult shop 100% sustainably! We don't.)
  
• We eat primarily vegetarian. I am vegetarian (dairy and seafood eating). Mike and the kids aren't, however because I shop and am the main cook, we eat little meat. The kids don't really like it, despite it being offered occasionally. This cuts costs hugely. When I do buy chicken or beef, I try and buy good, organic portions now. That said, good seafood can be costly, despite living by the ocean. We do not live in a fishing area, so most seafood is not local.
• We eat a variety of items, but we have our staples, too. We eat a varied diet and where we live, many fresh foods are available year round. We take advantage of this, however we have our favorite recipes and seem to go in cycles of what we eat a lot of for awhile, before moving on to the next cycle. October was clearly quick bread and hummus month! (See below.)
  
• We cook a lot from scratch. I haven't even been buying the gluten free (GF) baking mix flours, I have been experimenting with scratch versions. We buy and cook dry beans. We make a lot (most) foods ourselves. This includes yogurt, hummus, breads, treats, salad dressing, popsicles, and more.
• Although I try and shop locally and in season, I admit to regular exceptions. We maintain a Costco membership for bulk goods and other services. This pays for itself through an annual dividend and while it is not an independent store (and I am not putting my money where I lie politically), I can purchase a wide range of local, organic items there. I shop at Trader Joe's. We accidentally ended up with an Amazon Prime membership and I am currently working out whether or not it is worth maintaining it as the most economical source for gluten free oats and other grains. I buy bananas. (I battle with myself on this bullet point. Living in the area we do, fresh, local food is available year round. I am aware that others who are not fortunate in this way, still manage 365 days of local and banana free eating.)
• We do grow a small garden, although this year, our chickens ate most of our summer garden.
• We use foods to their fullest. See links under the photo, below.
  

We use every last bit of most foods. The jack o' lanterns were carved on Halloween day, then dissected, baked, and the pumpkin pulp pureed and frozen for breads, soups, and pies. The seeds were toasted and are being eaten. We do this with veggies for broth, as well.

At first, I thought it might be helpful to record what we ate for the month, but several days into it, I quit, because I noticed a pattern. Here it is:

• Breakfasts are oatmeal or eggs and toast or granola. Oatmeal has often been served with protein powder, but will no longer be when this bag is gone. Partly cost, partly gluten, partly that I know longer think we need the extra protein in this form. F will be one sad boy. He likes his oatmeal with powder. Eggs, until recently, were store bought cage free organic. Now they are home raised eggs. Toast for the kids right now is either store bought whole grain bread or homemade gluten free. Granola is homemade gluten-free. We drink water with breakfast. Mike and I have coffee and tea, respectively. We have only recently begun adding more variation to breakfast. Banana bread, applesauce, cottage cheese, have all made appearances and been welcomed. Weekend breakfasts often boast waffles or pancakes.
• Snacks are veggies, fruits, hummus, almond butter, toast, rice crackers, etc.
• Kids. The kids still eat different dinners and lunches from us. Mostly due to timing and location (school or out and about on errands/activities). I always serve them vegetables, fruits, protein, and whole grain carb, but only recently have they begun to like some one-dish-all-food-group meals, like lasagna and some soups. Pizza is the one, long time exception to that. My kids, Lala especially, like and need to eat a little bit, often. So their meals are almost like snacks all day long. This is fine with me (although I dislike bedtime "I'm hungry!" cries), so I just try and keep what they are eating balanced and healthy throughout the day.
• Lunch is generally leftover dinners for both Mike me. I pack lunches for him to take to work.
• Dinners are always simple. Mike is the better cook (he is good and loves to cook), but I am the more frequent cook. Our "old stand by" meals always revolve around beans, which I cook in bulk and freeze in quarts. We cook and eat other things, too, though! I love salads. We live in a climate where we can eat them, in season, much of the year. (Don't hate me too much, please.) I love always to have a salad or raw veggies. (I don't really like cooked veggies just as a side dish. In things they are fine.) Sometimes Mike is home late and eats before he comes home or has eaten his lunch late and isn't hungry. I graze if this is the case. I might just eat veggies with hummus and a piece of toast. Or a bowl of granola and a cup of cottage cheese. If we are eating together, I try and a make a real meal.
  

Here is what we bought this month:

10/1
Bought: Feed Store $28.68: 50lb laying pellets, huge bale of wood shavings.

10/3
Bought: Trader Joe's $22.80: fresh flowers, 2 can frozen OJ concentrate, jar lemon curd, box popsicles, package of dried, salted seaweed, sourdough baguette, jar of peanut butter, box of eggs, 10 bananas. (Okay, I love how I started the month admitting that I bought popsicles (they were a treat for Lala), peanut butter (Lala rejects my homemade peanut butter, but we make our own almond and sunflower seed butters), OJ concentrate (we rarely drink juice, but I like to have it on hand. Concentrate works for this reason and makes great popsicles when I am not buying them as treats!) The baguette was another treat for my gluten eaters. You cannot beat San Francisco sourdough bread...I miss it! The lemond curd is my latest vice. And the bananas...a non-local food I won't give up.)

Made: GF waffles, GF pizza, GF granola, and GF sandwich bread

10/4
Bought: Costco $129.63: 4lb butter, large jar organic salsa, bag of organic milled flax, 3lb cottage cheese, California black olives, 2 gallon organic California milk, case non-alcoholic beer, 3lb organic, shade grown coffee imported by a local coffee company, 3lb trout, package flour tortillas, huge bag frozen organic blueberries, gluten free vanilla extract, 2 loaves multi grain bread.

Local produce market (where I can buy locally grown produce) $28.56 (used $3 coupon): carrots, 2 cucumbers, organic spinach, cantaloupe, decorative gourd, onion, raspberries, 2 organic bell peppers, organic grapes, beet, broccoli, organic celery, nori, and bulk sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, and popcorn.

Made: hummus

10/6
Made: a meal for a friend (whose daughter is in the hospital), a huge batch of hummus (which was gone by the 9th), and yummy GF peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (via Shivaya Naturals).

10/9
Made: honey oatmeal bread (gluten-free, recipe from 1000 Gluten Free Recipes by Carol Fenster.)

10/11
Bought: Local bulk food store $ 51.70. Guar gum, 6 vanilla beans, elbow of ginger, package sorghum flour, bulk gelatin, potato starch, corn starch, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds,

Made: hummus, sunflower seed butter, dal, GF granola

10/12
Bought: Costco FREE (I used our annual dividend. The total was actually ~$58.80 (plus non-food items), but I am not counting it towards my total, because I do count the annual membership towards my grocery bill when we pay it and this is one of the membership rewards. I received change.) 3lb almonds, 3lb bananas, two 3lb cottage cheeses, 2 loaves bread, goat cheese, carrots, sea salt, 2 gal organic milk.

10/14
Bought: Local produce market (everything is local) $28.75. Gluten free tamari, cantaloupe, organic spinach, basil, cilantro, organic grapes, organic strawberries, organic peppers, organic fingerling potatoes, 2 cucumbers, red beet.

Made: GF pizza (version 1)

10/16:
Made: hummus (4th time?!), brown rice flour bread (in "new" free bread machine!), GF banana bread (in "new" free bread machine!)

10/17:
Made: GF pizza (version 2 - liked better)

10/18:
Bought: Trader Joe's. $30.87: 2 bottles wine, 5lb local clementines, rice cakes, OJ concentrate (We've had illnesses this month. I don't normally buy OJ, but I do like the frozen so I can keep it on hand.), cream cheese, 4 local avocados, dozen organic eggs. (Our chickens' egg production dropped when we moved them into a fenced area. They are rebelling by not laying.)

Made: GF banana bread (in machine), yogurt

10/21:
Made: GF granola, GF quick bread (in machine)

10/22:
Bought: local bulk food store $27. Tapoioca flour, brown rice flour, sliced almonds (bad move...way too expensive!), red lentils (again...way too expensive here), unshelled peanuts, white rice flour.

10/25:
Bought: Costco $80.20: organic tomato paste, organic tomato sauce, 4 gallons organic milk, 6lb mozzarella, 4 loaves healthy bread (for kids), 3lb walnuts, package wheat flour tortillas, block of pecorino romano cheese

Made: gluten free chocolate chip cookies (dangerous, those things)

10/27:
Bought: Trader Joe's and local produce market (My friend and I share shopping duties, then swap groceries...each of us goes to one store and buys for both of us, saving time and effort.) $35.88: 1.5 cups of fresh dates, 8 organic apples, 2 cucumbers, sack of spinach, 2 lb clementine oranges, 6 bananas, 1 pot of fresh basil, 2 packages of rice cakes, 2 packages of rice pasta, 1 pack wheat pasta, 2 jars peanut butter, 2 bottles of wine.

 

creative light less year

 

This blog is named Creative Light Less, because that is how my family has always tried to live; creatively, more lightly on earth (and with an outlook of lightness and positivity), and with less impact. M and I have long been frugal, sometimes from necessity, sometimes due to principles. We have been DIYers, blending together different skills and interests, and we grew up in an area long known for its environmental and earth loving, crunchy roots.

As social media has taken hold and in the changing climate (environmentally, politically, and socially) of our country and world right now, I am seeing more people striving to have low buy, low waste goals heading in 2025. Many of the tips I am seeing are long established patterns in our household (thanks to parents and grandparents for leading the way), but I am here for it and in support of anyone striving to care for our resources and each other better.

As we head into 2025, I have been considering what I can do to push back against the patterns of social unkindness, mass consumption, and environmental damage, and I have decided that I need to focus back in on what I am good at, what comes naturally to me, intentionally recommit to what I have drifted from, and draw my family in to live a Creative Light Less year (and longer), with intention, as a method of harm reduction and gentle rebellion.

So that is what I am calling this year; our Creative Light Less year. This will look like us leaning back into buying less, acquiring used if we must, strengthening and building community, choosing environmentally friendly options, spending less money, putting our money behind our social and political beliefs, and all those other crunchy sorts of things. It will look like continuing to make a lot ourselves, grow some of our own, conserve water, use renewable energy when we can, drive less, be creative, and more.

I don't think I will be one of those people on social media giving all the tips and I won't even promise to pick blogging back up more (although maybe I will re-post some oldies), but I have lots of knowledge to share and know when to say "I don't know" if I don't, so ask. I want to navigate the year in community.

 

Used books for our home library from the library bookstore

Pizza, homemade by a teen

Here is a post from early January 2010, posted on my former blog, reflecting on a year of "not buying new" in 2009. I may share more posts from that year and challenge along the way, but I am sharing the end of that challenge, first, because it is from there that the years have flowed and we find ourselves where we are now.

with each new year, my biggest wish is that it be better than the last. january first is such a marker of how quickly time moves and how important it is to be conscious of the moments, good and bad, as they pass.

last year, our goals for 2009 included #4, a no-buying-new year. this has been an amazing eco-eco living challenge. can one live economically and ecologically? we reported on successes and failures each month as they passed, but wanted to share about our journey on the whole, a text heavy post i hope you read in its entirety.

the end of this month marks one year since we began, in earnest, our challenge to buy nothing new. while not perfect, we have done remarkably well, perhaps because the concept of used was not new to us. it did not take long before seeking used alternatives became habit, we began planning ahead for needs, we chose to do without, and many of the difficulties of the challenge faded away.

one area that provided us the greatest challenge and often broke our goals, were home repair materials. much of what we needed was either not available used or not available used in a form that gave confidence in the quality/integrity of the materials. and in buying new, it was difficult to always support the local hardware store. in my mind, shopping at the big box hardware store was one of our biggest flubs. thinking on this, i find it interesting that our continued shopping at costco does not invoke the same feeling of failure.

what i didn't anticipate, though, was that so many other environmental, parenting, and health choices would feel woven into this process and change or be questioned during this year. as with frugal living, environmentally friendly living is something we have always practiced. while we do not live in a thrifty area of the country, we do live in one of the eco-living hubs, and in fact, grew up here, recycling and doing other "green" activities from an early age. i have always considered mike and myself to be healthy, earth-aware individuals and i was startled at how much i felt these fundamental self-beliefs were challenged this past year.

in the past two years, too many people i know have been affected by cancer. perhaps diagnosis of this disease has improved due to technology, but as a scientist (yes, that is my background), i feel certain that cancer is on the rise due to environmental factors. it is my job to do all i can, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to keep our environment and our physical health as "clean" as we can. we thought of our children in our environment often this year and the changes in choices we have made have often been centered around them.

how does this all tie together? so many of the blogs, websites, and materials i have read (and continue to read) about our environment incorporate physical health, and often parenting. these aren't separate paths for a young family. they are very much intertwined.

on several occasions, i had to make the decision between used or new, a direct challenge to our goal of purchasing only used items.

used items are less expensive. they save items from the landfill. they can be repurposed into useful things when no longer useful in their original state. they are sometimes better made than similar new items. but in some cases, the appropriate item was hard to find used or was made of a questionable material.

new items can be purchased to spec. they can be bought sustainably and humanely. they can be safe materials. but they use new production resources and are expensive, particularly when the most eco-friendly versions are purchased.

and, of course, there were many times that we chose to do away with an item and simply not replace it or figured out a way to use something else instead.

this year has been such an introspective journey for me. what started for one reason wound down to this one year marker for so very many reasons. so many of them fundamental to who i/we have always been and the way i/we have always preferred things, but with so much more knowledge of products, resources, communities, practices, and so many more fundamental pieces that make up what we use and eat, how they are made, and where they come from.

this journey has tangled tightly with a journey into more informed and conscious parenting and more natural, mindful eating practices. the focal point spread from frugality to a holistic approach that suits our family. so many times i read and learned and felt startled and displaced with feelings of uncertainty about beliefs i have previously felt so certain of. i started the year thinking i was ahead of the masses in my environmental beliefs and now feel like i still have so much to learn. but i remain steadfast in my belief that each family has to come to their own place on their own terms, with no judgment. i know most of you will agree with that, but too many times over, i read directed opinions in various places or heard criticisms with my own ears. too many times during this past year, i felt self-conscious, criticized, or blatantly told what to do or what is right. (and yes, i realize that may have been as much my own self-doubt as it was the way the informant was expressing themselves.) it is my hope that in verbalizing our journey, i don't unintentionally make anyone else feel insecure of theirs.

although i love all natural materials, i have come to a balance that works for our family and our finances. i will still choose used first, because i have come to realize just how many natural items are available used, if one just has the patience to wait for them to become available and the organization to know what one really needs. and i have found informational resources that make me feel a little more comfortable about the non-natural materials we are still using.

as my friend genevieve recently put it...the truth is, despite our need to live frugally, our family is by no means poor. if we really feel we need something (and in most cases if we really want something), our frugal habits allow us to simply buy those items. it is because we are careful, pick and choose, and (in the grand scheme of american materialism) we don't buy much, that makes this flexibility possible. if we had been 100% true to our goals, we would not have been as frugal (we would have paid a huge amount for some new, handmade, local items), so there would be far less of this financial flexibility. it is for this reason that i do not feel too badly about continuing to use costco for some bulk food and eco goods.

so it is with this first year behind us (and i say first, because, although we have concluded the 12 months we set out to do, we are by no means returning to where we were at the beginning) that we enter our second year with an acceptance (and honestly, an understood appreciation for) some of the plastics, chemicals, and other non-natural materials in our lives. it is as we start this year that i say this is where we are right now. one thing i already knew about myself is that i am open to changing my opinion and believe in learning every single day.

Our "backyard," for which we strive to be good stewards.

 

living light and DIY

During this pandemic (our family is now entering week 9), it has been nearly impossible to get any alone time, but observing each of us, I am learning so much. Speaking about myself only, I have noticed that I flow in and out of a mix of emotions, even in the course of a day. We have been fortunate, so far, and I feel guilt, privilege, and gratitude all rolled into one untidy bundle. I, like many, have found this whole event to be stressful, but there are some things we are doing that keep us busy, ease some of the stress, and feel productive.

Growing an edible garden. With a small yard, we are growing in scattered little plots.

We are in a part of Northern California where our shelter-in-place orders have been extended through May 31, with uncertainty beyond that. These weeks at home have had difficult and joyful spots, growth and regression. Among the positives, however, have been the space and necessity that we lean into our more resourceful, DIY tendencies. As I said in my previous post, I am choosing light; seeing the brightness of this time and living more lightly on the planet. (It is one way I manage my anxiety.) Living lightly is something M and I have always aligned on, but I had been feeling like we had drifted in the past 5 years or so. (We spent an entire year buying nothing new when the kids were younger, but that would be so much harder now!)

 Homemade sauerkraut and homemade yogurt.

Sheltering in place has shown us a few things.

It quickly became clear to us that our tendency to be prepared was helpful. Preparation has been a tool I have used for years, initially because being prepared saves us money, more recently because it saves us time and addresses environmental risks (earthquakes and wildfires) and food allergies and sensitivities, and in shelter-in-place, it has saved us from additional worry.

As more and more people have jumped into urban homesteading, it gave me an awareness of how much our family already does ourselves, and if there is an urban homestead wagon, we were already on it.

Muffins and granola. We make granola weekly and the recipe is my gluten free version of a recipe I brought home from summer camp when I was 12.

I have enjoyed the challenge of making things work during this time when zipping out to buy and telephoning to hire haven't been options. Within the first 3 weeks of shelter-in-place, we had multiple things break. Between us, we had the skills and resources to repair or work out an alternative. This time has had me reflecting on lessons my grandparents and parents shared, and the phrase 'use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.' We are not lacking for anything, but I certainly don't want anything to go to waste and I am extra eager for us to take care of what we do have. These desires are emphasized by the desire to avoid contact with others.

The reasoning is bizarre and unprecedented, but the resulting resourcefulness and simplicity are welcomed, and the decreased environmental impact is so very good.

Line dried laundry and plastic bags (washed and reused, yes). Do you see rags hanging there? We use a lot of cloth; rags, napkins, towels, feminine, and when we had babies, diapers. We have used cloth wipes, too, but we do use toilet paper when it can be purchased.

The photos in this post are a sampling of simple actions and recipes we were already using long before this pandemic. In addition, we have a chest freezer to stock on on sale foods and bulk cooked meals. We are crafty and make things we need through woodworking, sewing, other fiber arts, and more. (Yup, we have made masks right along with everyone else!)

While we had chickens for years, we don't currently. We talked about getting chicks last year, but didn't have the bandwidth. We do now, and so chicks are on their way to us. We have cleaned out the coop and are excited for the coming additions to our little homestead. We keep trying new things, too. I just made a batch of rice milk and while I bake a lot from scratch, I want to try making my own gluten-free sourdough starter for gluten-free sourdough bread.

I hope to look back on this time and see the creativity, the light, and the need for less that resulted from it.

What roots have you returned to during this time?

thrifting scores!

It has been awhile since I have blogged about the "light" and "less" part of my blog name. I chose those words to reflect my desire to live with a light step (both my impact on this planet and lightness of soul) and to live with less (clutter, packaging, store bought stuff, fewer expenditures, etc.) One of the many things that I have made less time for as the kids have gotten bigger and we have been homeschooling (which affects my time and energy) has been my regular outings to score used items. I used to hit school/church/garage sales at least once a month, but our needs are less and different (more specific), so recently, our thrifting has been limited to our favorite thrift store and I go to an annual warehouse thrift sale.

Imagine my delight, then, during the past couple of weeks when I re-discovered a used toy store from my youth, visited a recycling "thrift" shop I hadn't been to in awhile, and we found a "free" thrift store not too far from us! I felt elation! (Well, except for that sneaking sense that I am going to have to be careful not to increase the clutter I am trying to purge and that my ability to say "no" with love might have to be honed a bit.)


Above, the "free" thrift shop. The location is part thrift store, part art studio. There is one wall of items for fundraising, but the rest is either "take one item free and choose a donation amount for the rest" or just "free." Below is our haul. The kids have been into puzzles again lately, but I don't want to buy lots. We just don't have space, nor do I want to spend the money. Now I have no guilt donating them again when we are done. All the loot, below, came from the free store. I donated, as well, but (jeez!) that is a Pyrex loaf pan, a whole lot of blank note cards, bamboo knitting needles, and wool yarn! Alone, those items would be around $50 new. I had to reign us in in that store!

Above, these came from the "recycle" shop I hadn't visited in ages. This is a store that is full of random stuff and caters to teachers and artists, who often needs lots of one random item that might otherwise be recycled or thrown in the garbage. For example, not shown are the bottle caps I got for the kids. They had clearly just received a classroom full of microscopes! All of the things, above (those possibly unrecognizable items are tangrams), plus a few more not in the photo were less than $25. Score!

Below are books my mother in law was purging. The Timeline book had been in my Amazon cart "for later!"

 I don't have any photos from our recent visit to our favorite thrift store or the used toy store, but we got some needed clothes for the kids and some Playmobil toys.

I love, too, that it has, paired with summer time, motivated me to start sorting, purging, and reorganizing!

to Barbie or Not to Barbie

This post originally appeared on my first blog, Which Name?, on January 21, 2010. My Grandma, "Nonna A," mentioned in the post below has since passed away. In addition, I believe some of the clothes pictured below that I once thought were hand-made, are not, but many of them were. I am re-posting this on August 26, 2017, to link to a new post.

to barbie or not to barbie?

recently, my mom handed over a bag full of doll clothes. these aren't just any doll clothes. each item in this full sack is a handmade family heirloom.

the clothes are amazing. dresses, petticoats, coats, sweaters, skirts, pajamas, pants...
each and every item was made to fit a barbie-sized doll.


so here i am, torn. we have avoided all things barbie, princess, disney (except the kids' loveys, eeyore and tigger, which were a.a. milne before commercialization, and which i think lala still doesn't know belong to a bigger material world.) i am not keen on what barbie stands for.

but i want these clothes to be used again and i don't think a barbie will turn lala into a self-conscious growing girl. i think she will see barbie's big breasts and want to find a baby to nurse on them.

so i turn to all of you. does anyone knows of a less-barbie like doll that might be similarly slender enough to fit these gorgeous clothes, but not have all the "issues" that poor barbie has?

if not, i might re-name and let her have one of my old barbies. (yes, i had them and i didn't turn out twisted as a result.) she has already played with them at friends' houses and loved dressing and undressing the dolls and doing their hair. i am okay with this. perhaps it is all the plastic accessory "stuff" that comes along after the barbie that i have more of a problem with?

i am curious and eager to hear what others have to say about the bodacious barbie.

(if you know us and this post has you thinking you should go out and buy her a barbie, please don't.)

these two sweet dresses were crocheted by my great grandmother on my mom's side.


and each of the items below (as well as everything in the bag in the first photo) was hand knit or sewn by nonna A, my paternal grandma. (she reads my blog. hi grandma!)