Pantry for Pennies: Part 1

I was recently wowed and inspired by this post on my favorite organizing blog, iheartorganizing. It immediately motivated me to tackle my long overdue organizational pantry project.

We have an unused hall closet that has been collecting cobwebs since the day we moved in almost 2 years ago. When we purchased our house it had no central heat and we had to have duct work ran. Our house layout is kind of strange and the only way they could connect the pipes between floors was to put a big duct right through the hall closet, making it completely dysfunctional for hanging anything. But perfect for shelves, which are definitely lacking in the kitchen department here at the Greene house.

Unfortunately, this project got pushed to the back burner as things often do with a baby in the house. I finally decided it was time to tackle it and with new motivation: to make it GREEN(E|). My goal was to buy as little as possible for the pantry. This of course meant I had to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle things we already had and to ignore every impulse telling me to go to the Container Store for pretty new organizers.

The first step was the shelves themselves. Husband found some scrap plywood in the garage, cut it to size, painted it white and viola! Instant shelves!

The next order of business: deciding how to organize the small space to utilize it to its fullest potential. After scouring pinterest I finally decided I needed pullouts in a major way! The closet is pretty deep and there was no way I'd be able to reach the back without them. This is where I ran into a problem. I didn't have any laying around and couldn't find any used ones anywhere. So this ended up being the one pantry splurge, but I rationalized it as a wise investment since they would be used for years and years to come and the metal could eventually be recycled.

Next, I scrounged up a few baskets and labels around the house and went to town collecting containers at our local thrift store. I am amazed at how many organizational doo-dads you can find at these places! I scored a giant set of 15 tupperware brand thin profile containers for $7. Yep, you heard that right. I looked them up on the tupperware website when I got home and they retail for $10-15 each! I also found lots of mason jars, pasta jars and can organizers. In all I think I spent less than $25.

After the painstaking process of sorting through our existing pantry items I got to put it all together, complete with an over-the-door closet shoe rack which is proving to be SO useful and handy! Of course I couldn't just stop with the pantry closet and had to spiff up our existing cupboard as well. The last step was to slap on some chalk board paint which I had from a previous project, and add a menu board and shopping list. Then I got to stand back and marvel at my accomplishment, which of course is the best part aside from the realization that the whole thing cost less than $75! Green and budget-friendly, my favorite pairing.

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The Funky Chicken

I think chickens are smarter than people give them credit for.

We live on what we have affectionately dubbed, "Greene Acre Farms". We're not really a working farm; it's more of the hobby variety. We have a barn, pot belly pig, 2 ducks, and 8 chickens, all of whom we have raised since they were tiny.  My daughter learned how to collect chicken eggs before she learned to walk which is the essence of why we chose to move here after Bean was born: to bring us closer to nature, to teach her the joys of raising animals and to learn how to become more self-sustainable.

I've always been fascinated with our chickens. There is a very distinct pecking order amongst the flock. The ladies accept newcomers in the same way that we humans, often do; slow to warm up, flapping their tale feathers and pecking at the new girls until they submit to the existing order of the group. Some couldn't handle it. We actually had to re-home 2 very sweet silkies after they found themselves caught in the middle of a very cruel hen hazing.

Last summer husband built them a beautiful chicken coop--truly the Biltmore Estate of coops.

There was just one thing we didn't realize at the time; it floods like crazy on that side of the barn! So during the winter we started letting them out so they didn't drown during the floods. Being newbie 'farmers' we also learned that chickens can fly! Slowly, one-by-one they began to fly the coop, hopping over the fence to our yard or that of our neighbors. Even a chicken knows that the grass is always greener on the other side and the only thing holding them back from freedom was a little wire fence. We were a little hesitant at first about them becoming 'free range' chickens. After all, there are coyotes, hawks, dogs and other bird-loving predators around our house. They seem to have developed some street smarts, however, as we have yet to lose one. They always go back to the coop at dusk, continue to lay eggs in their nest boxes and stay right around our property. I have come to enjoy looking out the window and seeing them scratching in the dirt, seeming so happy as they unearth worms and other yummy snacks (and making their eggs ultra-nutritious). It makes me laugh to open the front door and be greeted by an entire flock of chickens hoping for a hand out. I just don't have the heart to lock them back in! And our grass? It's never been greener!

Grocery store egg on the left, farm egg on the right.

Fun with Fooducate

I thought I'd start this post with a little sisterly spilling of the beans. She may be mad at me for ratting her out, but I'm sure she'll forgive me once she reads why I'm doing it. My little sis, C, follows Jessica Alba on twitter. She's always telling me that she could see 'Jess' and I being friends IRL and much to my dismay, when I asked her if it was because of our mutual tight buns and sinfully good looks, she replied, "No, it's because you're both Earth Friendly OCD Moms".  While it may not be our abs of steal that connect us, I am even happier to share these similarities.  I am so inspired by her new green cleaning product line and her desire to want to make the world a better place for her children.

So recently, she (Ms. Alba) asked if anyone out there had heard of 'fooducate' and C, being the curious cat that she is, looked it up. I guess one advantage to possessing celebrity status is your ability to influence large groups of people and I applaud those that use this power for good rather than evil. 

My sister learned that fooducate is this super-cool app designed by "dietitians and concerned parents", which allows you to scan almost any food product, learn about its nutritional information and find out if there are more healthful alternatives. Boy oh boy did we have fun with our new little barcode scanner! We quickly ran to the pantry and started pulling out the contents, scanning everything I thought was healthy. Before long my kitchen counter was littered with peanut butter, various brands of oatmeal, juice, and salad dressings. I found out just because a label says organic, all-natural or vegetarian does not necessarily make it healthy. Nor does buying all your food at Trader Joes. Perhaps I knew that on some level but did not want to believe it, because after all, ignorance is bliss! And for me, knowing better means doing better. I think it is a ploy by the food industry to put misleading labels on products, knowing that most consumers (myself included) will not take the time to dig a little deeper and investigate 'beyond the box'. Take one of my favorite products of all-time, Morningstar veggie sausage. Folks, we eat this stuff almost daily. It's sort of a middle-of-the road meat substitute for us, meaning my ultra-carnivorous husband will eat it too. It only scored a B-. I never really paid too much attention to the ingredients list because it was veggie and I assumed everything in it was straight from the garden with a little processing and sausage flavor thrown in. Not true. Did you know that MSG goes by lots of different names, including yeast extract and hydrolyzed protein?  News to me! We didn't have any real sausage to compare against but sliced pepperoni scored a D, so imagine it is probably rather similar. Even though the faux variety fared better, I still do not think it is an acceptable grade. Why ingest something with MSG when you don't have to? The beauty of fooducate is that it provides healthier alternatives for almost every product, so you can feel at ease knowing you are a wise consumer, choosing the healthiest product for ourselves and our children.

This little lesson has me scouring the shelves at New Seasons for non-processed veggie sausage, peanut butter (Skippy Natural isn't so natural after all) and apple juice. There's just one problem with all of this; it comes at a price! Unfortunately, eating better costs more. As an obesity research coordinator, I see all too often the direct correlation between the obesity epidemic and food choices driven by price. And I do wonder about the real health risks associated with eating genetically engineered and processed foods which often contain synthetic chemicals known to contain carcinogenic properties. Since becoming a mom, I have become much more selective in my grocery purchases but I think we can always do better. There's always improvements that can be made and I believe it's important to be mindful of the things we are consuming. When my sister posted the fooducate link on facebook, someone commented that they would rather not know what's really in the things they are eating--despite this new technology that provides us the ability to easily find out. How many others share this opinion? Is ignorance really bliss?

Assuming you do want to know, I think fooducate can be a great tool for learning the best alternatives to the products you consume the most frequently by scanning what's already in your cupboard. If you can only change a few things, start with the staples. This will also allow you to make up your shopping list before you are at the store. If you grocery shop like I do, you just want to get in and get out and do not want to stand around scanning bar codes while your toddler is pulling everything off the shelves.  I also think there is a fine line between being aware and being obsessed, and it is easy to start to drive yourself crazy worrying about every single thing you eat, especially with so many other worries, fears and guilt-inducing issues we battle on a daily basis as women and mothers. Here's what I have personally decided: Food is a big part of our lives; it sustains us, it fuels us, it keeps us running. The choices we make could, possibly affect our longevity. Wouldn't I rather spend my money here than on this stuff? The beauty of living more simply and cutting back on other petty indulgences is that we can spend more on the things that really matter, and this new tool will allow me the ability to make more informed choices.

So thanks Jessica Alba and sister C for passing the word along!
C, please don't be mad.
Jess, give me a call and we could totally hang out and talk about all the uses for vinegar!

Confessions of a Shop-o-holic

We all know how it goes. Girl with modest income buys things she shouldn't and doesn't stop until she has some sort of wake-up call. I wish I could at least say I had a closest full of Off the Runway, Spring 2012 Chanel and Alexander McQueen to show for myself. But sadly, I do not.  When I look in my closet I see poorly constructed, unworn, falling apart, outdated attire that shouldn't be worn anywhere but to bed. As I flip through each item in my (semi) daily quest to put on something presentable, I usually end up walking out the door in one of the three-or-so outfits I've deemed worthy of a public appearance. And my closet is stuffed full!

We all have our spending weaknesses. Whether it's gadgets, electronics, shoes, dining out---most people can say they have something that monopolizes their spending. My indulgence has always been 'bargains'. Not quite hoarder-worthy, but excessive none-the-less. And it has gotten worse since becoming a mom because I'm always trying to stretch the dollar further. I have an extremely hard time walking into a store and not checking out "the sale rack". And I usually find a cart full of things to bring home. Items I have convinced myself would be foolish not to buy. "What a steal, I can't pass that up; it's like 50% off...and it's designer!" And so I put things away for a rainy day, convincing myself I will find a use for it someday. Or, in the case of my closet, find myself with what feels like a million inadequate black dresses. I've always justified this spending by convincing myself to think that I'm actually saving money. But is it really saving when it's something I didn't need to begin with? And wouldn't I be better off with less clothes, but more quality ones that will last longer and stay in style beyond one season?

The funny thing to me now, as I stop to think about my spending patterns, is that I cannot stand clutter! So why do I insist upon bringing it home? I think in this society it's almost impossible not to shop. Spending money has become far too easy. With just the swipe of a card, the click of a button, a quick 5-minute trip to the nearest mall and we can have, in our possession, whatever it is we want. Commercials entice us with the latest product that we must have.  And let's be honest; buying things makes us feel happy. It feels good to have something shiny and new. It's nice to treat ourselves once in awhile. "I work hard; I deserve it!" Even my 2-year old understands the appeal of a novel item. I bet, however, if you stop to think about your purchases over the last few weeks you would find that apart from groceries, most of them are frivolous and fleeting things you did not need nor remember buying. That latte. That pair of boots. It all adds up! At the end of the month as I sit and review my bank account, I am left feeling unhappy at the state of financial affairs. So why do I continuously dwindle it away for a 'temporary fix' when I could be putting it to better use? Say my child's college fund.

This year I've decided to really take a step back and think about this buying compulsion and try to get to the bottom of why spending makes me happy.  A personal challenge prompted by this photo which circulated around Christmas:

In order to accomplish this goal I have put myself on monetary lockdown for one year. A clothing spending freeze that is sure to test my willpower and make me feel like I'm in solitary shopping confinement, but hopefully teach me a few valuable lessons about 'necessity'.  Though it's only February I'm happy to report that so far, I've been sticking to the rules.  I even managed to get through the mall without anything but an ice cream cone for my daughter. That was a tough one--I think they pump chemical buying smells into the clothes the same way the fast-food industry adds 'flavor enhancers' to their burgers.  Amazon, my sweet poison, has been strictly limited to gifts and adding things to my "wish list" just for fun. As with any addiction, quitting comes with its withdrawals.  The hardest part is turning off the "want" button in my brain. I can at any time, come up with a list of 10 things I'd love to have and usually convince myself I need. Not going out and getting them (or adding them to my cart) takes will-power. But I'm hoping that over time it will become second-nature for me to really consider each purchase. Do I need it? Do I love it? And most importantly, can I live without it? I think I'll find, more often than not, that the answer is YES!

In the Greene House

Lot's of little changes in the Greene House over the past few weeks.
Here's a brief run down:

• Husband got rid of all of our old light bulbs and replaced them with fluorescents, an estimated annual savings of $50 per bulb! That's a lot of extra cash in the pocket for such a small change. It was such an easy project and was accomplished in less than an hour. This is a fabulous place to buy energy-efficient bulbs at a fraction of the price of Home Depot. The fluorescent flood lights were $12 at the hardware store and only $2.50 at 1000bulbs. I can't believe the savings! We put low watt ones in the lamps and I think it still gives off a lovely glow:

• I wisened up with the cloth diapers. Go figure considering we're just about to start potty training. To save time I started putting them together the night before, lining a day's supply up on top of Bean's dollhouse (which is the perfect size and height so she can't pull them down).

Since she was little we have primarily used flannel wipes, which I absolutely love.

 No diaper rashes or harsh chemicals! I wash them with the cloth diapers and put them back in our prince lionhart wipe warmer using an easy homemade solution. I bet you could also use an empty plastic wipes container.

 All the dirty stuff goes in this wet bag, and the contents are washed nightly on the smallest load setting and air dried. Easy peasy!

• We brought back the compost pail. Most of our scraps go to our chickens and pot belly pig, but the things they can't eat such as egg shells, coffee grounds and onion peels get tossed in here. If you don't want to go out and buy a compost pail, I think a coffee can covered in pretty contact paper would also be nice! If you use the lid just be sure to poke some holes in it for the gases to escape. I think the trick is to put it somewhere accessible and by where you chop veggies so it's easy to toss stuff inside.

Every couple of day's Bean and I go out to the garden to empty it. She just loves stomping on all the eggshells! This summer I really want to build a composter, but until then we're just tossing them into the garden and raking everything in.

• For Christmas husband gave me a coffee grinder (love my coffee!) and this:

If you own a Keurig you need to try these immediately; they are the absolute best invention ever! No more wasteful and outrageously expensive k-cups.

• There has been a drastic reduction in garbage. We have begun meticulously sorting through paper and recycling everything possible. It's interesting to see what actually remains in the can after this. It's mostly just unavoidable plastic packaging. When our burn can is full (which happens very quickly), husband uses it as fuel to heat up his homemade sauna and hot tub...more on that one later.

That's it for now!

Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

Well it seems that for some reason I have been avoiding updates on this blog. I have been asking myself why all week, and I believe the honest answer is fear. I'm afraid I will fail. There, I said it! I'm worried that if I put myself out there then I will just end up looking foolish in the end. Is this quote really true?

I have been wrestling with the answer, but have decided that it isn't. I think I've been approaching our challenge incorrectly. I kind of thought of is as 'all or nothing', but that's really not the way it should be at all. All that really does is set me up for failure, as there is no way to be 'perfect' because there is always more we can do. My plan isn't to try to save the world, obviously that's not a feasible one-man job. Rather, the idea is to make small changes wherever we can and hope that those small changes add up to big ones. There are some concessions that I'm learning are harder to make than others. We all have our 'vices', right? I will probably always fight my husband about turning off my computer and he may sneak in a disposable diaper when I'm not looking. But as long as we are individually doing what we can do, I think it makes those little environmental indulgences a little more acceptable, I hope. So I've decided to approach this in the same manner as I do vegetarianism. I've always jokingly say I don't eat meat to make up for my husband's excess. :). And he thinks the same way about tofu! As long as the world is balanced then all is right.

Leave Nothing but your Footprints

This blog goes back 7 years.

My husband and I were visiting a picturesque deserted beach in Costa Rica. In the sand was a sign that simply said, "Deja nada pero la huellas". Translation: Leave nothing but your footprints. And we didn't.

For some reason that sign always stuck with me. Even after all these years it still beats at my soul. I think perhaps it's because where I came from, I was so used to seeing garbage on the ground wherever I went. And I live in one of the cleaner states. I couldn't believe there was a trashless place in the world, a place where everyone respected nature so greatly. Where people weren't so lazy and paid park rangers didn't have to remind people. Where signs didn't threaten severe penalties and convicts didn't have to walk around with trash bags and sharp sticks. Where it didn't feel like the Lorax was going to pop up at any moment and scold us.

And the problem isn't just about the trash. It's about what the trash represents--utter disrespect and disregard for the earth. Plain and simple. There is just so much emphasis, I believe, in accumulating 'stuff' in this country. At some point the stuff leaks out. It leaks out of our hands and cars and homes, creating a "large, swirling and drifting sludge" of a landfill in the ocean so large and so vast, it would cover the Continental United States two times over. It's a scary thought isn't it? It's that frightful image and the ones below that made me vow upon my return from that trip, to always be part of the solution and not the problem. .

















Fast forward almost a decade. The Starbucks cups still litter the floor of my car, plastic shopping bags still accumulate quickly and the book of Affluenza is in my 'display' book case, dusty and unread. Sure I recycle and turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth most of the time. And of course I never deposit garbage anywhere but the can. But that's as far as I've gotten and it's not enough. It's not enough to want to do better. I still buy endless amounts of things I don't need. A pair of boots in every color. Trinkets for the house. Gadgets that will supposedly make my life easier. Boatloads of toys. And on and on and on. Where are all of these things going to end up when they break or become (gasp) untrendy? That's right, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Garbage Island (call it what you will) that's where. I'm doing exactly what I din't want to do--contributing to the problem!

But I'm here to say, I'm done! I no longer want to experience a mild anxiety attack each time I see a garbage truck (I actually do). I want to sleep easier knowing we're doing our part, even if it's only a small one, to make the world a better place for our daughter so she can take her children to the beach someday and see only footprints.

From this day forward we are making ourselves more accountable. That's where the idea for this blog came in. We decided this year was going to be the start of something better for our family and truth be told, for myself. I have this intrinsic need to leave this world someday feeling like I did something bigger than myself and this is where I'll start. I want to take some time to really take a look inside and figure out what this need for 'stuff' is all about. If I go a year without, how will I feel? How much do we really need to be happy? How much can we give up without sacrificing ourselves? Where's the breaking point?

I'm not quite sure where this blog will go or what shape it will take. I think the most fitting thing to do is to allow it to be an organic process of exploration and reflection. I'm just going to let it go where the wind blows.  I can't wait to see where it ends up!