I thought today would be a purchase-free, zero milage day. Ha. Ha. Ha.

I really thought I wasn't going to buy anything today.  It was my first day volunteering at the food co-op, and I brought lentil soup for lunch so I wouldn't buy something pre-made.  I had plenty of food in the house for dinner, and I wanted to wait until tomorrow's farmers market to buy more produce.  And because the co-op is only half a mile from my house, I wouldn't be doing any driving.

"Heh," I thought.  "No purchases.  No driving.  Today's blog post is going to be awesome."

Then I got an e-mail asking me to pick up 15 lbs. of locally roasted coffee for the co-op.  So much for no driving.  And then I spent much of the day trimming, arranging and admiring the leeks, the collards, the fennel, the kale...cleaning the bulk bins...Who was I kidding?  Did I really think I wasn't going to buy anything? 

I limited myself to these:

Two yams and a cup of pecans from the bulk section for just under $5.  I only wanted about a tablespoon of pecans, but I didn't want to waste a paper bag for so little.  If I'd brought my own little bag instead of using the bags the co-op provides, I probably would have bought less.

As soon as I got home, I steamed both yams, then mashed them with a little organic extra virgin coconut oil, some cinnamon, garam masala and salt, and topped them with a few chopped pecans and a drizzle of honey.  So good.  So satisfying.

Late in the afternoon, Jake and I decided to enjoy the rare 70 degree October day.  We walked to our community garden plot and pulled up some plants that weren't producing anymore.  We also harvested a few  beets, tomatoes, peppers and lots of arugula.  And look: our late planting of mesclun mix is coming along nicely.

After we finished tending the garden, we decided to take our cat to Harkness, a coastal park on Long Island Sound.  This involved yet more driving, but hey, I'd already blown my zero-milage day.  My camera batteries died, so I don't have photos from this excursion to show you.  But here's our cat Trilby at Harkness on another day:

Overall, I'm happy with my consumer decisions today.  The food I bought was nutrient dense and delicious, and though it might have cost less at ShopRite, I really love shopping at the co-op.  I also volunteered enough hours there today so that Jake and I will have a 5% discount on our groceries for all of November.  And to top it off, because I was at the co-op I ran into someone who bought two bars of soap.  That's the way local economies work!

I will say that I was startled when I checked the odometer and realized how many miles it is to Harkness and back.  

And do I ever, ever go a day without buying anything?  I'm starting to wonder.

Consumption totals: 

Food: $4.97

miles driven: 9.3 

My first post: What did I buy? And why am I making it public?

See that pile of groceries?  That's what I bought today.  A head of locally-grown Romaine lettuce, some toilet paper, an onion, a head of garlic, some oat groats, date pieces, brown rice, brown lentils, Chinese cabbage, spring mix, shoyu, and a couple of tablespoons of arrowroot powder.  I bought it at Fiddleheads, our local food co-op.  I spent $22.07.

Nowhere in this photo is there a jar of organic peanut butter and a box of chai tea.   I wanted them.  I held them in my hand.  I thought about how wonderful it would be to make a Thai-inspired peanut sauce to accompany the broccoli I have in the fridge, and to drink hot chai tea in our cold house.  But sales were slow at the craft fair this weekend, and peanut butter and chai would have added another ten dollars to my grocery bill.  So I didn't buy them.

And...um...that's what this blog is about.

I decided to keep this record of everything I buy--and sometimes don't buy--for a couple of reasons.  First, like just about everyone I know, I'm having trouble paying my bills and am wondering where I might be frittering money away.  Second, I like to think of myself as someone who uses my money ethically, but is it really true?  A close look might reveal otherwise. 

And why make it public?  I thought maybe someone out there would be interested.  There are a lot of us who are watching our budgets carefully, almost obsessively.  And it's an exercise in honesty: you learn a lot about someone by knowing their spending habits.  I also wonder if knowing I'm going to blog every purchase will cause me to think twice before opening my wallet.  Would I really want to post that I'd just bought, I don't know, false eyelashes and a pound of salami? 

As it happens, today was an unusually virtuous shopping day.  I shopped like a saint.  I bought all organic food; I supported local farmers and our local co-op; everything was nutritious and vegan.  I didn't even consume any gasoline because I walked to the co-op. 

And yet--just so you know the demons I battle--my very first thought after deciding to start this blog was, "I'll need to buy a blackboard to keep track of everything."   Yeah, I resisted.  For today.