The dollars spent added up quicker than the days did this month...meaning there were more meals to be made when we'd spent most of our food budget. It's discouraging to be sure...but on a day where I felt more determined than defeated...I saw the bright side.

• The bright side is that I'm pretty resourceful, and I'm willing to bet that you are too!
• The bright side is also that our fridge's + cupboard's state of bareness was a great time to get in there + clean.  :)
• One more bright side is that getting to the bottom of things brings all the left over bits + bobs into the spotlight. 
• I can get a bit excited about using it all up + not wasting things that have been waiting to be used.

And so...making the most out of all those bright sides...the last four meals we ate were made with a laugh + what must have been a bit of magic. Oh, and they got compliments too! Ha! Here's what I've got to say about that:

• Make it a challenge! Might as well have some fun with it!
• Meal 1 :: Add cheese + call it a casserole. A can of beans, a few handfuls of frozen corn, 4 tortillas + a can of enchilada sauce layered with cheese. (A hit!)
• Meal 2 :: Call it (almost) risotto. Rice, two kinds of cheese (because there wasn't much of either left), peas, butter, salt + pepper flakes. Add a second course of the last carrots + the last of that chip dip. 
• Meal 3 :: I was asked if I needed anything at the grocery store...Oh, can you grab me a box of pasta? Pasta, lemon, parmesan, chives from the garden, half a can of chick peas, salt + pepper flakes. (Well, this is pretty close to one of our favorites...so...winner.) And also...a few kiwis. 
• Meal 4 :: Add cake (that egg is only a few days past the expiration date) + sun tea. All the last bits of beans + two kinds of salsa + corn + cheese + were mixed into rice + topped off with hot sauce. (I think the tea + cake saved the day on this one!)

A few good meals to consider when seeking to stave off the next trip to the grocery store:

• frittata :: when I've neglected to use most of the eggs + have a bit of veg to throw in too
• roasted vegetables topped with nuts + seeds :: can save some of those past-their-prime veggies
• cereal :: oatmeal, if ya wanna get fancy :)
  
• soup :: stone optional
• fried rice :: a couple of eggs = protein
• taco casserole :: I try to keep beans on hand + often have some left over tortillas...add some cheese + salsa = a favorite​
• salad :: the last of the veg (fruits too), bits of beans, nuts, seeds, cheese, a squeeze of citrus + a glug of olive oil...anything goes
• pizza or focaccia :: sauce + cheese optional

​
Love,
Jane

Supply chain issues, rising gas prices and everything else seem to be contributing to palpably rising prices at the grocery store. While zero-waste grocery shopping can be more expensive than regular grocery shopping in some instances, there are actually many more ways that shopping with the planet in mind can decrease our grocery bills. 

Here are a few ways to decrease that grocery bill while doing some climate action as well:
​

• ​​skip the meat :: choose beans, eggs or tofu instead 
• choose loose vegetables :: get just what you need...don't pay for packaging...they will likely be more local + in-season too ​
• grow your own :: whether it's a pot of herbs in the window, sprouts in a jar, peppers on the balcony, or a garden patch in the backyard
• focus on the calories that feed your body, not your boredom :: the middle aisles at the grocery store will likely be avoided
• bring your own bags :: there is often a discount for doing so
• drink for hydration + nutrition :: skip the drink aisle...drink tap water 
• grow food from what you'd usually throw away :: grow onions from onions ( + more)
• use up what you have :: make a point of using every little bit of food, roast those fading veg, freeze leftovers for a quick meal later, use up all those half bottles of dressing, shampoo + hotel freebies
• buy only what you need :: make a list, meal plan
• clean with vinegar, baking soda + rags :: skip all the "magic" solutions
• forage :: mushrooms (be careful), berries, onions...
• collaborate :: institute a Sunday supper with friends + bring together all the lonely bits + bobs from each fridge >>> tacos or pasta or soup or charcuterie

May your bodies be nourished + your grocery bills be reasonable.  :)

Love,
​Jane

I've debated sharing this here, but I'm hoping it might provide some encouragement where it's needed. We paid off our mortgage in 2021.

Oh boy, my mind races with all the caveats I need to acknowledge. We are incredibly privileged. We have had no major health issues. We are college-educated. We were able to obtain a home loan. We did not suffer a gap in employment at any point during the pandemic. We are incredibly grateful.

At the same time, I want to acknowledge some of the pressures we dealt with on the way to achieving this goal. We lost all the equity we'd built up with the economic downturn of 2008. We moved overseas in 2008, and paid our mortgage in New Mexico for a full year (with the help of a few sporadic renters) before accepting an offer that would cover what we owed on that house. A couple of years later, we moved back to the states with $5000. We bought a car on a credit card + put that $5000 down on a house.

Our income totaled $40,000 per year. Since our downpayment was so low, we had to pay $125 for mortgage insurance every month. This payment would terminate when we'd paid off 20% of the mortgage, so we sent every extra penny to the mortgage. When we were no longer paying for mortgage insurance, I kept paying the same amount every month in order to pay down our principle faster.

With time our income soared to $50,000 per year. We are a family of four. We eat a lot of organic food, took our daughters to ballet classes and found ways to take a few vacations. Our older daughter lived at home + worked her way through community college + university. She now has her master's degree...and all with no debt. Our younger daughter is on the same path now.

So many of the concepts that can be found sprinkled throughout the pages here were the same ones that helped us become debt-free. I try to keep our expenses low, while appreciating all the good we have. We found concepts like these so helpful:

• learning to recognize + appreciating "enough"
• replacements only
• maintain a buffer
• budgeting for simple luxuries now + then (things as extravagant as bathroom renovations to things as simple as tea + candles)
• planting some of our own food (prioritizing the most expensive things like tomatoes + strawberries)
• appreciating simple pleasures
• not letting our things define us (a shabby car that runs is better than crippling car payments or no car at all)
• freedom is better than being a slave to debt
• we are rich in proportion to the number of things we can afford to leave alone (H.D. Thoreau)

Ten and a half years after we bought this house, we own it. It was not easy, but it is possible. 

Love,
Jane

I'm in the midst of a midyear systems check, and this time the focus is on budget. For most of my life, the main goal of my budget has been to either get out or stay out of debt. We've simply tried to spend as little as possible. 

And yet, a lot of our favorite memories as a couple come from the time when we were just starting out + spending as little money as possible. We still found ways to enjoy an 8 inch pizza in the park + occasionally to even split a favorite candy bar for dessert. I still remember the first time we split a slurpie from 7-11 on an especially hot Denver day, and it tasted like heaven. It may not have been possible for us to have a slurpie every day, but that one was worth every penny.  :)

These days some of our main goals include: ​

• prioritizing generosity
• maintaining our buffer 
• paying off our mortgage
• dreaming (+ saving toward a dream or two)
• enjoying life

We have recently begun having monthly conversations about our spending, expenses + budget. And we've been discussing our dreams + what "enjoying life" means to us. What fun!

It's pretty cool to note that even though we have a little more income now, most of what it means to us to enjoy life involves things like: not having to worry about scarcity + enjoying the simple things right where we are together. I'm so grateful we learned the goodness of that lesson early on!

It's also been meaningful to me to plan a few enjoyable things into our budget. For example, eating out is a real treat for us...but I can still feel guilty about the extra expense (which puts a damper on the whole experience). When we decide that we are going to budget for eating out every so often (+ stick to that schedule), it alleviates that guilt + gives us something to anticipate. Instead of constantly thinking, "I wish we could eat out tonight" (+ feeling deprived)...we look forward to eating out on Friday + enjoy our other meals too. We draw out the anticipation (+ enhance the joy experienced) by discussing where we'll eat during the week + texting about it during the day on Friday. 

It's nice to have a little extra wiggle room in our budget now, but it still takes intention + attention to stay within the limits we've set for our spending. 

​A few of the tools we use to stay on track include:

• embracing "enough"!!!
• anticipating + scheduling expenses
• practicing discipline
• remembering our priorities
• saving!

This year has not been kind to us. We've made some whoppers of mistakes + we've made some really good choices too. Budgets take work + commitment + discipline...but they can also offer boundaries + direction + opportunity. Opportunities for collaboration + harmony. The opportunity to recognize the inherent goodness of simple pleasures + the potent beauty of enough.

Love,
​Jane

I LOVE hearing from you! It is lovely to read what you share, and I truly feel that any time taken to leave a comment here is a gift. I received a comment recently that a reader noticed again that this type of (sustainability-focused?) lifestyle is not for all budgets. I could not track down which post the comment was connected to...so I am not certain if there was a particular issue which was being addressed. But...I totally hear + respect this sentiment...and wanted to see if I could say a few words in response.

I've been tempted to reveal the amounts of money we've lived on as a family of four, but I know that it is relative. I try to live in an abundance mindset, even while knowing that we have not accessed what is listed as a living wage in this country. I say this not to garner sympathy. (We have some access to healthcare. Our skin color + citizenship give us advantages. We are college educated.)  I say it to let you know, treasured reader, that when I say I hear you when you say that you have concerns about the affordability of sustainability...I mean it. 

This blog is meant to come at sustainability from a place where having less was not always a choice. I wanted to turn the tables...to give myself the power to see what I have as "enough"...to find a way to say that "less" can be a choice + that it can be good. I am a work in progress, but I recognize my ability to choose...maybe not always my circumstances...but my perspective.

I am aware that I list clothing brands that have price points that are higher than fast fashion price points. I often hesitate before posting these things, because I don't want to promote the "wanties", consumerism or the feeling that fair fashion is out of reach price-wise. I do think that it can be useful for us to understand what fair labor + organic fibers cost. This can serve to slow our consumption, encourage us to wear what we already have longer, to care for + repair what we have, and to value secondhand shopping. 

It is this last sentence that points out what makes a sustainability-focused lifestyle both truly sustainable + more affordable. Let's take a look at a few categories:

• clothing :: Recognizing "enough" in a smaller number of well-chosen pieces + caring for them well means less random shopping. When we need to replace a piece, we can shop specifically for that single piece...secondhand. 

 

• composting :: Build compost bins out of shipping palettes found by a dumpster + coat hangers we or someone we know might already have. If the space for composting is not available, we can find a place to bring our collected compost weekly or monthly (our grocery store has a compost bin).

 

• garden :: Growing the most expensive food we can, from seed, saves money. Tomatoes and strawberries are at the top of my own list. A balcony or any outdoor space might be a great growing spot. Herbs + sprouts work on a windowsill. 

 

• zero-waste :: No one needs all the "stuff" #zerowaste tries to sell. With a few spaghetti sauce + salsa jars collected over time, a few tote bags + a water bottle probably already in our homes (or ask a friend for one of their extras) we are set to begin. Choose in-season produce + bulk items that are less expensive.

 

• cleaning :: Vinegar, baking soda + water are cheaper than any cleaner I've ever bought.

 

• ​home :: Secondhand is the way to go. We patiently furnished our entire home after an overseas move with Craigslist finds (+ the cheapest mattresses we could find).

 

• reuse :: Make candles from candles. Grow onions from onions. Refashion spent clothing.

A few perspective shifts that I recommend developing in order to increase sustainability + living within whatever means we find ourselves needing to:

• recognizing "enough"
• wanting what we have
• valuing "less"
• gratitude
• appreciation for nature :: the most spectacular free entertainment :: walks, sunsets, star-gazing, noticing seasonal shifts, cloud watching, moon-gazing, planting + tending seeds, foraging
• getting clear about what kind of life we want to live + who we want to be + revisiting these questions often
• compassion :: allows us to become more outwardly focused + not so focused on what we don't have
• generosity :: can flow from the above

I would love to hear more about the specific budget concerns this reader (or you) have. (I have written a series on budget as well.) When we have less money, we often are making more sustainable choices in many areas out of necessity. So we can give ourselves credit for choosing smaller housing, consuming less stuff and using fewer air miles. We can focus on the sustainable choices that are less costly like the ones above. 

Some sustainable choices are a bit more costly, and sometimes I highlight those choices here. I like to give credit to those doing good work + moving the industry as a whole forward. For some, saving money in other areas might allow them to feel that making one of these purchases periodically is money well spent. I don't think that anyone needs to make these more expensive purchases to live a sustainable life.

Bea Johnson's 5 R's struck me as doable right where I found myself ten years ago. (We'd just returned from overseas with a few boxes...had bought our one used car to share on a credit card...and had put our savings of $5000 down on a small home.) These principles don't cost money + ultimately save money:

• Refuse what you do not need.
• Reduce what you do need.
• Reuse by using reusables.
• Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
• Rot (compost) the rest.

There is no perfectly sustainable life...just progress. 

Love,
Jane

Often the first hint I have that a new season is upon us is the new stuff in the shops. The autumn things we could buy arrived when we were still enjoying air conditioning + iced drinks. This is actually great marketing, because at that point I would have had to buy autumn.

Where we live the leaves are now turning + falling. The wind was blowing acorns flying off of our oak yesterday and...ping, ping, ping...into the house. Autumn is here + we didn't have to buy a thing in order to experience it. A few simple, zero-waste ways we're embracing this season of gold, rust + red are...

sight ::
-a pumpkin on the table
-a few sprigs of wheat scattered among my tiny ceramics collection
-walks in the woods + in the neighborhood
​-watching Gilmore Girls again...there's just something about New England in autumn
-noticing familiar trees along our usual routes at each stage of color change 
-counting monarchs flitting + persisting
​-greeting the return of the early stars + planets
-appreciating the last of the happy sunflowers 

smell ::
-getting out all of the candles + lighting them in the darkening evenings
-apples simply cut, smelled + crunched
-breathing that musty leaf smell deep (+ keeping a tissue handy)

taste ::
-hot, spicy tea 
-chocolate chip, pecan, pumpkin bread
-all the soups
-lots of roasted, root vegetables

sound ::
-leaves rustling + crunching
-blustery winds howling
-revisiting familiar, smooth sounds...we love Ben Howard + Trevor Hall 

touch ::
-pulling out all the blankets
-and socks
-and cozy sweaters

What simple autumn pleasures are you enjoying lately? I'd love to hear!  :)

Love,
Jane

If time spent alone is to be true self-care, it might look more like this (at least most of the time) ::

-instead of a manicure :: paint nails at home for the cost of the nail polish or grow out the damaged nails + enjoy those healthy, naked nails (!)

-instead of a massage :: use a foam roller...trade massages with your partner...maybe even find a massage table on craigslist to up the luxury for both giver + receiver  

-instead of a coffee shop drink :: figure out some tasty drinks to make at home...even a few little splurges at the grocery store go a lot further than the same money spent at a cafe 

-instead of shopping :: wear what's already in the closet or make-up bag...take the fairdare...declutter your closet...embrace "less" + "enough"...take a no-buy challenge for a period of time...explore what it feels like...learn...grow

-instead of an all day netflix marathon :: declutter, learn something, visit the library, turn on music + dance

-instead of scrolling instagram :: journal, make moonlists, meditate, write out feelings in letter form (to God, a friend...send it or don't), stretch, move or get outside

Time spent alone becomes a luxury for moms of young children in particular, not because we want time away from our beloved babes...but because suddenly none of our time or even our own bodies belong to us. As a mama of small children, perhaps my best bit of self-care was protecting my little ones' naps + bedtimes. An overall (not militant) routine is important. Even as my girls grew out of naps, I tried to protect a quiet time when they would play on their own in their rooms for a period of time...so that we could each foster a little independence + alone time. As children grow older, trading playdates + sleepovers + having friends whose children love yours can provide time for self-care...both alone + with friends.

I think that one of the main rejuvenating aspects of time spent either alone or with friends is being intentional about slowing down enough to fully engage + be present in the moments we are spending in this type of self-care. We spend so much of our time trying to multitask or struggling to remember something else we need to get done or feeling stressed about what we have not done. Whether we take two minutes to meditate or sing out loud to that song we love...or four hours to lay on the couch + laugh with friends...we can just try to be fully there.

Be gentle with yourself, friend.

Also in this series on self-care :: roots + wellness 

Lots of love,
Jane

Movement + nature are another major component of self-care in this department. The wellness industry would like us to sell us personal trainers, books, classes, retreats, special clothing + equipment. 

We instinctively know that the true self-care comes from:
-moving...stretching, a few sun salutations, walking, yoga, whatever movement you enjoy
-getting into nature...walking, hiking + biking are great, but so is finding a shady spot for lunch...when it's hot sit on the stoop in the shade in the morning for a few minutes or at least by an open window

On these hottest of days...move, do yoga, or stretch under a fan...get the air moving. Play some vibey, soft music. Getting on the floor changes everything. Take a walk as the sun comes up. Play some happy, energizing music loud + dance. Sign up for a class or a membership, if it's in the budget + you know you'll go...but it's not self-care, if our budgets can't support it.  ;)

Whether or not I feel like tying my shoes to go for a walk in the morning, the outdoor air always holds something to notice...heat, humidity, a breeze, a change. I feel small in the bigness of nature...even in my neighborhood. I usually walk with my girls, so there is conversation + closeness. And back at home, I feel like I've done it (!)...the chore of exercise no longer looms over my head. My legs + my lungs feel stronger. There is a lightness + usually a smile. Now that is self-care...no debt...no guilt...less stress.

​A healthy diet, movement + a little time spent in nature can set us up for another crucial aspect of self-care...sleep. A regular schedule for bedtime + waking is helpful. A twenty minute nap can be a rejuvenating treat as well.  :)

While our circumstances + preferences will vary greatly, I think our thought processes can have something in common along the way. Self-care is not truly self-care if it leaves us feeling more stressed about our health, time or money. True self-care promotes true thriving.  :)

​Also in this series :: roots + time

Love,
​Jane

A conversation I had this weekend involved habits + sustainability + shopping. I mentioned choosing food that we put into our own containers + buy in returnable bottles. Inevitably the increased cost of such choices came up as a reason for not choosing items packaged this way. I totally understand the hesitancy, but at some point I just had to decide that it was worth it.

It's always necessary to remember, acknowledge, accept + respect that not everyone can choose a more expensive option. At the same time, some of us can...and are simply choosing not to.

Another piece of this conversation is that it was with someone of an older generation. I really do not like generalizations about generations, and I do not mention this in order to make any generalizations about people. I have great respect for the person I was conversing with. They have grown food + canned it + baked bread from scratch + lived a life of simplicity based on the principles of enough + less. 

This conversation sparked some thoughts about times past + present. Choosing a more expensive option is not a new concept. The last century (in much of the world) was full of choices that cost more...but brought an increased level of comfort, entertainment, +/or quality of life to the purchaser. People installed indoor heating, bought cars, televisions, microwave ovens, + cell phones for the first time. These purchases were gratifying + satisfying + induced feelings of being "worth it".

In the age of climate change, we are faced with increased costs that don't always feel "worth it" in personal + immediate ways. Converting to solar or wind power, buying an electric car, or investing the time it takes to use public transportation...while offering the possibility of financial returns down the line, do come at a cost. None of these choices really improve the function of our lives in the short run. The value is in the long term health of our planet.

Like Bill Nye said last week, "By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on earth could go up another 4-8 degrees. What I'm saying is...the planet is on fire. There are a lot of things we can do to put it out. Are any of them free? Of course not, nothing's free!" (I left a couple words out, but you get the idea...if not the urgency.)  :)

The thing is that choosing the cheaper status quo (packaged food + fossil fuels + disposable fashion, etc.) comes at a far greater cost. Nothing is free.

Love,
Jane

Tuesday was the day that my shampoo bar ran out. My feeling is that one bar would last me approximately two months. I started this bar on January 1...and cut the bar in half to share it with Julia about two weeks ago. 

If one bar would work for two months for one person, I would need to buy six bars per year for myself. My bar cost $16 per bar, so would cost $96 per year for one person. For Julia + I that would be $192 spent on shampoo per year. Another concern with this bar is that reviewers say it melts quicker in warmer months.

The bulk jug of shampoo that I was using cost $45 and lasted a year with three of us using it. That means that one year's worth of shampoo for one person cost $15 (versus $96 for bars).

As far as waste goes, the shampoo in the jug is made in the USA. It ships in a cardboard box that I can reuse + can eventually be recycled. The jug itself gets recycled + is part of buying shampoo in bulk in a store as well. The shampoo bar was made in New Zealand. It came (from within the USA) in a paper box in a big plastic bubble wrap envelope. (The conditioner bar I ordered at the same time came in a second plastic bubble wrap envelope....ugh!) I could order a year's worth of shampoo bars all at once to cut down on the number of envelopes used, but that would be a large expense all at once. The envelope can be reused, but will eventually become waste.

I'm glad that I did this experiment. It is somehow satisfying to know that I found a shampoo bar that works for my hair. Neither of these shampoo options is perfectly zero-waste, but my simple budget tells me which choice makes more sense for me (the jug). Sometimes it is worth it to pay more for a zero-waste option + sometimes it just doesn't make sense in my simple budget.

Love,
Jane