It's been a month and I have yet to eat at a chain restaurant - including Starbucks, picked up a few things at a "big" supermarket, shopped at a store-in-the-box, or really even left my little community in Truckee, California.
What I've learned is that I can do without a lot of things that I used to have to have. And I have resources that I never knew I had.
I'm converting my fifth wheel to a tiny house. I need a table saw to rebuild my closet that I'm moving from one area to another. I was turned on to Truckee Roundhouse. It's a community "makerspace". They have everything I could ever imagine. And it's heated. Friday I attend an open house and tour the space. I'll be building my closet next week. My goal is to have my place ready to host my friends for the Olympics. Tic Toc. I recently confessed that if I still shopped at Lowe's I would have purchased a table saw. For one project. Really? Do I need a table saw? Maybe, but not right now.
When I began this journey, I shopped at Trader Joe's. I've since stopped. Trader Joe's has a horrible environmental track record. In 2016 it settled a case with the EPA for violations of the Clean Water Act. Trader Joe's will be required to pay a $500,000 fine and spend up to $2 million in repairs to refrigeration equipment. The grocery chain is constantly under fire for is overuse of plastic packaging and consumers are demanding (and receiving to some extent) better quality. However, the sustainable agricultural watchdog group, Cornucopia Institute, cautions consumers about organic store brands. Trader Joe's remains secretive about where it resources it's store brands. Earlier this month, a petition was launched by Crate Free Illinois urging Trader Joe's to stop buying pork that uses gestation crates in its supply chain. According to Chicago Tonight "sows kept in crates have lower bone strength and muscle weight and are more likely to exhibit abnormal behaviors, such as repetitive bar-biting." You might think, who cares? Remember that the food you buy comes from somewhere other than the shelf you found it on.What makes a great photo - organic and cheese - two favorite things, is just that a great photo. There are so many other things I'll miss about Trader Joe's, but for now it's sayonara baby!
I'm also really loving New Moon in Truckee (don't hold their website against them, they're re-building). I also found an amazing company Urban Moonshine. I purchased, at New Moon, the Citrus Digestive Bitters. I'm a bitter freak (ha ha!). I am really enjoying this blend and look forward to trying some others.
I came across an Etsy store for Un-Paper Towels. Super environmental, super minimalistic. No waste, no storing rolls of paper towels. Mine are on the way! Here's a little tidbit about Etsy -- most of the stores are local, community based, hand-crafted. And there's a ton of stuff on Etsy.
Along the lines of environmental stewardship, what's with the junk mail! I've decided that should cancer come to claim my body, I'm going to reply to all of the credit card offers and charge to the max! I'm going to go out in style! In this pile of mail, I can literally charge over $200,000. Really? Not OK for so many reasons!One bonus of living local and making my dollars count is that my credit card bills are decreasing rapidly. I don't have a lot of credit card debt, but I had a revolving balance at Lowes -- not anymore. I was the queen of "just one more camera lense" from Best Buy -- not anymore. I'd cruise the sale racks at Penny's, Macy's, and Nordstom Rack -- not anymore. I don't even like Penny's or Macy's. Sorry, I'm human and can't say the same for Nordstrom Rack. I love Nordstrom Rack! I traded Nordstrom Rack for REI. SUPER LOVIN' REI!
I find that I have a ton of time on my hands and time is amazing. Time is a commodity -- it's the only commodity we don't get back. Once your time is spent, it's gone forever. Leaving existential thought and belief about time out of this conversation, time is all we have to spend. Having sat at the helm of the chemotherapy brigade, I really value my time. Because my side project: 21 Days to Happiness includes daily exercise, I'm out everyday. Of course, my right foot is not a happy camper, but I'm out there. I've discovered there is no poop fairy. I've made a very conscious effort to pick up after my favorite four-legged friend Theodore -- even "off piste". This is in-line with my actual New Year's Resolution, which is to be the best version of myself.
I've found new snacks that I can make. They're super delish. Thanks to Trina at Big Water Studios for the great idea and to Kathi Keville for sharing some great recipe ideas for peanut butter (or almond butter) protein snacks. Here's a simple recipe: A blob of your favorite nut butter, 1 Tbps of protein powder, a little cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger. mix it up, adding more powdered ingredients until it shapes nicely into a ball and tastes good. Wrap in parchment paper to take with you.Of course, I'm enjoying the tough days at the office...especially the commute. :) Practice "happy." It's a thing!
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