Organic living, 3rd quarter

It's October. That means that the year-o-organic living has almost come to an end. But why not admit it first thing...this is a lifestyle for us now. I don't see us going back to the way we were anymore than I will ever eat a Snickers bar with no guilt ever again. (By the way, thanks to whomever stuck a Snickers in my mailbox today!) I know, crazy as it may seem, spending a touch more money doesn't really bother me if it means that I know I'm buying better food for my family. I'm convinced, organic food is worth it. But that's just me.

Here's what we've learned lately:

*It takes 2 trips to the grocery store each week to *save* money. Here's how that works. Much produce just doesn't last that well (regardless of whether it's organic or not, I might add) by the time it's journeyed to my grocery store and sat there until I buy it. I'm so tired of buying a snazzy little box of raspberries and then having them mold on me before Abby can eat them all (e.g. 2 days). These little gems always cost a good bit considering the amount you get, but they're so good for you and Abby eats them pretty well (hence, worth the cost to me). But if I can't use them, then they're worthless. So I buy less and with more purpose on my Sunday trip to the store and one of us, usually Ben since it's really not out of his way, stops on Thursday and picks up some more bananas or whatever. It's a good thing that bananas are cheap regardless or organic or not; they disappear in our house. And lest you shake your head disapprovingly, Ben is impervious to impulse shopping. It's uncanny. He really is. So it works out b-utifully for him to make a quick run in for x, y, and z items.

*If you want to talk expensive, let's talk farmer's market. Worth it? It's uber fresh. And I really really dig having the ability to buy directly from the producer. As a surprise revelation for us this year, we've also taken an interest in buying as locally as possible, which means that I generally don't begrudge an extra buck for some super fresh broccoli.

*I've learned that the cheapest organic juice, bar none, is at Target. And, they also have cheaper organic snacks. But Abby seriously loves the organic cheesy ducks from Meijer, so there's a splurge once in a while.

*We've made up the investment cost of the gDiapers. From here on out...free. Kinda. And we're lucky; our babysitters have been great about working with us about these.

*The composter and recycling really reduces the amount of trash that we put out each week. It's not unusual for us to have no trash to put out on any given week. (By the way, did you know that there are trash bags made from recycled material? And compostable bags? And some made by corn products--biodegradable?? Yep. Also biodegradable/compostable muffin liners, which are much fun to be able to toss in the compost bin.) Recycling is super-duper fantastic in this city. The one thing I'll miss when we move on some day?

*I don't like Meijer brand natural/green detergent to clean cloth diapers...my only complaint with anything so far.

*We're oddballs in my family with this greener lifestyle.

That's about it right now. I think we've reached a plateau at which we're comfortable, but most importantly, we're always conscious of looking for better choices that we can make. We like it. So far, I guess that makes our New Year's resolution a success.