the green gazelle

When I Grow Up

2010-05-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, or at least, what I want to put my energy into. I'm kicking myself for not taking my father's words of wisdom when I was in college: "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it buys you choices." Since then, I've always worked jobs that I could feel good about, that fit my values. The down side to that is that often they don't pay well, usually just enough to pay the bills. Trapped! So here I am, a decade plus of work years behind me, and no nest egg to fall back on, no savings to afford me the opportunity to get off the treadmill for a minute to re-evaluate my course. Because there are two other paths that I can see in this world.

The crossroad is this: to the right, there is the notion of working more hours, commuting, and making more money (much more, definitely more than enough to pay for the added cost of the commute and all that goes with it). To the left is the concept of working less hours and making less money. If the option was available to me, I'd go left in a heartbeat (so typical of me, don't you think?).

I dream of having time to use my CSA share to its fullest: freezing spinach and kale, tomatoes and peppers; dehydrating eggplant and zucchini, strawberries and celery. I'd like to make beans from scratch, instead of always buying them in cans. I want to make my beau fresh bread a couple of times a week, and biscuits or muffins each morning for breakfast. I'd like to start to make my own clothing. I'd love to have time throughout the year to make my gifts, instead of doing it frantically at the last minute, or just giving up and buying something. This would result in some fairly significant savings off of our expenses.

One of the other benefits of this lifestyle I'm working toward is the reduction of disposable plastic that I'm introducing to the waste stream. No gifts sold in that plastic you have to use scissors to get into, no more bags of frozen veggies to purchase in winter, no more plastic tags and bags and crap. It also, of course, would reduce my environmental impact in many more ways. No more hopping in the car to go get an ingredient because I worked all day and don't have time to bike. Significantly reduced use of tin cans of food (sure, I recycle them. But that takes lots of energy. There's a reason it's last in the list of options: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Less money going out of my community.

Perhaps the biggest impact that this change could have? More balance in my life. I've felt out of balance for a while now. I can see what I want to put my energy toward, but I haven't yet been able to get myself there. I find great joy in providing for my family (and not financially, but instead providing the things we need: food, a non-chaotic house, homemade hats and scarves and containers...). I like making things. I enjoy saving money by finding alternatives. And I want to take care of the "to do list" while B's at work, so our evenings and weekends can be stress-free... nothing looming over our heads, nothing to procrastinate, just time to have fun, recharge, enjoy each other.

I don't really have to wait for a career change to begin to create this life. Simply by cutting my internet usage and television time, and planning my days better, I can have more time to do all of this, right now. My new motto? "The life you want begins with what you do today."

photo: My new obsession: Making felt bowls. Pretty, easy, useful.

Wedding Update

2010-05-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't quite make our December out-of-credit-card-debt goal, but we're very, very close, and it doesn't make me panic anymore to see our bill. I know we'll get there soon.

The next big thing on our list is to hold a wedding for just a few thousand dollars, which we should be able to pay for in cash. This shouldn't be difficult, as I'm a frugal girl. It's also made easy by the fact that we decided to have a small, immediate-family only ceremony and dinner, followed by cake at the local pub with a larger crowd. We hope to not offend any of our friends and family, but honestly, neither of us like to be the center of attention, and we're a long way for most of them anyway. Besides, the ceremony will be about 15 minutes long, including getting there. So we chose small.

We saved money in other ways too. I handmade the invitations, my dress is from etsy, as are our rings, and we're getting married outside in a park. The major costs are the dinner and the pub party.

As I said, I'm frugal. But I also believe that it is important to support your local economy. I could have had my wedding out of town, or catered by someone from the big city, but if I'm going to spend a bunch of money, I should do it here, with locally-owned businesses. So we're having our dinner at a local restaurant, and the chef is excited that we asked him to source his ingredients from local farmers where he can. This meets a lot of the goals we were hoping for: little waste, quality local food, and all we have to do is show up. Perfect.

We also chose to have our party at a local establishment. The pub is where we met, and it will be great to have cake (cupcakes, actually, made by a friend of ours for a reasonable price) with our loved ones and coworkers there.

My fiance's friends will be playing music for us. We met with a photographer who was excited to do our wedding at about a third of the going rate. Dear friends of ours offered to host a tea at their home the day after for our families (and are also helping us create the list of "what still needs to be done"–a list that I am sure will always have something on it). We'll pick a bouquet the morning of the wedding from the CSA farm where we are members. It is all coming together.

I never really had a wedding day that I had dreamed about since I was six (I didn't really know I ever wanted to be married until I met my soon-to-be husband). Because of that, it's easy for me to not spend a gazillion dollars on a single day. I think, "For $3000 we could have the fancy new couch/hideabed we've always wanted. Or a new mattress and then some. Or a $3000 emergency fund." And then I scale back, or find a less expensive way. But what we do spend will mostly end up right here in our own town. It's the way we try to live, and so it only makes sense that it is how we choose to spend the first day of the rest of our lives together.

New Years Resolutions

2009-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a list maker. There, I admitted it in front of everyone. So New Years resolutions are a big deal for me—and I do try to stick to them, usually putting the list in my planner and looking at it every couple of months. It can be a great motivator and reminder of the things that are important to you in the long run, and although I didn't meet most of my resolutions in 2009, I got much closer to my goals than I was a year ago.

So here it goes—my resolutions for 2010:

1. Pay off ALL credit card debt (just $4,500 to go), and only pay in cash from here on out.

2. Finally finish an educational certificate program I started a long, long time ago!

3. Spend at least 2 hours on Saturdays before noon working on chores instead of procrastinating them until Sunday night.

4. Save a $5,000 emergency fund.

5. Get married, and enjoy the wedding planning process and the event itself.... all for $5,000 or less.

6. Do a little crafting every week.

7. Spend more time outside.

8. Appreciate and enjoy my life.

9. Preserve food (freezing and drying, and maybe root cellaring) for next winter.

10. Talk less, and listen more.

There it is. Goals, hopes, and dreams for a happy and healthy 2010. Happy New Year!

Christmas Preparations

2009-11-30T17:39:00.001-08:00

Every year Christmas is a struggle for us. We are practical people, and we don't have a very big house. We also don't see many of our relatives very often, so don't have any idea what they have or want. And we both dislike shopping. This makes Christmas stressful—what do we get for others, what will they get for us? But this year we're on our way to a frugal and thoughtful Christmas season!

Favorite gifts being given this year:

1. a 4 foot poster of a photograph I took, which will be framed by another family member and given as a joint gift.

2. hand-made ornaments— I can't give out the details yet, but these ornaments are very simple and pretty. You can find lots of handmade ornament ideas with a search on google.

3. books— we give books every year, but this summer I brought a load of our used books (headed for the rummage sale) to the local used/new book store and received about $100 of store credit! This has come in handy so far for birthdays, and will be used up this holiday season.

4. a couple more handmade gifts that you'll just have to hear about after they are given (they're a surprise!)

Okay, so I guess I've jumped the gun a bit— I can't show you most of these gifts because their recipients read this blog. The point, though, is that I'm thoroughly enjoying spending time on gifts.... and I very rarely enjoy spending money (because I'm never sure they'll like or use what I get them). What are you making or giving this year?

CSA farm share, week 1

2009-06-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

Ah, the bounty! Today we visited our CSA farm to pick up our first share of the season. We paid $575 over the winter to the farm, and I hope to document what we get for that here throughout the growing season. Note that our veggies are organically, sustainably and respectfully grown.

Today we received 3/4 of a plastic produce bag (the kind you'd put your veggies in at the grocery store) of mixed salad greens. These are young, tender lettuces and asian greens. We also received a half a produce bag of fresh spinach, a head of leaf lettuce, a half a bag of braising greens (tougher greens that should be cooked- baby bok choi was one of them!), a bunch of radishes, 2 green garlic stalks, and a bunch of white salad turnips (sweet and delicious, these are great raw on a salad or in soup).

Looks like lots of delicious soups and salads this week- we've been waiting all winter for this!

Community sharing is where it's at

2009-05-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

I live in an amazing community. Recently, a local woman began a google group for gardeners who wanted to exchange plants. I think google groups are pretty easy- set up the group (google it for directions) and invite people to join. She passed around a signup sheet to collect names and email addresses at a gardening class.

Last weekend, I hit the list. I've been meaning to plant strawberries, but all of the local stores were sold out. I posted a request for strawberry plants, and within 2 hours had 3 offers of free plants. I called the first person, who even dug up the plants for me- I just went to his house and picked up a box of healthy strawberry plants. I was done with my strawberry bed in a few hours.

Feeling the love of the garden exchange google group, I posted the snow on the mountain I had taken out to put in the strawberries, as well as a few black raspberry canes that never really got any attention because their fruit is inferior to our raspberry patch. I set them on the curb, and within 15 minutes of the time I said they would be there, they were gone.

Sharing what we already have can make for a lot of savings. Not only did I not have to purchase the plants, I also didn't have to spend a lot of time in the car (or fuel) going from store to store, probably buying other things that I didn't need. It's also a great way to meet more members of the community, building the strength of your town.

Do you have a community sharing program, officially or casually?

Ms. Clean

2009-05-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

A clean house can make me feel so calm. But most conventional cleaners, and even some non-toxic cleaners, have such a strong smell that they make me woozy. The conventional cleaners are not good for humans or the environment, and the non-toxic and natural cleaners can cost an arm and a leg.

What to do?

I've discovered an amazing cleaner that's safe and effective. White vinegar! It does a great job of disintegrating soap scum, and it's a very effective floor cleaner. It also apparently kills bacteria, mold and germs. I bought 2 spray bottles at my locally-owned downtown hardware store, and I keep one filled with straight vinegar and one with 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 tap water plus about 40 drops of each of tea tree essential oil, lemon essential oil, and pine essential oil.

The straight vinegar I use on the shower walls. I spray, shut the bathroom door, and come back in about 10 minutes. Then I spray again and use a green scrubby to wipe away the soap scum. I also use the straight vinegar on my countertops as a disinfectant, and as a window/mirror cleaner.

The vinegar mix is great on floors- I spray a small area, mop with a rag, spray the next area, mop, etc. until I'm through the house.

If you prefer something with a "prettier", less "vinegary" smell, I've got a killer all-purpose spray recipe that a friend of mine gave me. It takes more ingredients and a little more time to prepare, but makes quite a bit of spray and smells heavenly. (Note that I was given a recipe for 3x this much cleaner, so I've cut it by 1/3, but estimated the essential oils. Essentially, the recipe calls for a total of 5-6 tablespoons of oils for the 3x version, so I'm aiming for about 2 tablespoons for this 1/3 version. I think I've come out a little low, but you can play with the quantities as you like.)

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

1 c Neem leaves, cut and sifted. I buy these (and my essential oils) at Mountain Rose Herbs.
1/2 gallon of tap water

Put these in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, and then let the neem tea cool. Once completely cool, strain with a stainless steel fine mesh colander into a bowl. To the neem tea liquid, add:

1 cup white vinegar
1 to 1 1/2 good sized squirt of natural dish soap

and the following essential oils:
1/2 teaspoon fir
1/2 teaspoon rose geranium
1/2 teaspoon eucalyptus
1/4 teaspoon tea tree
1/4 teaspoon lemon
1/4 teaspoon orange
1/4 teaspoon grapefruit
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pine

Stir. This is a concentrated cleaner, so mix it 1 part cleaner with 3 parts water in a spray bottle. I put the rest in a mason jar in the refrigerator so I can refill when I run out.

What we deserve

2009-05-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

My family is on track to be completely out of credit card debt by December. I've had high credit card debt (over $10,000) for a long time now- ever since a previous temporary job that was low-paying and in a location where I knew no one.

We all have different reasons for going into debt. But the way out is the same for each of us: re-evaluating our relationship with stuff.

I was raised with the following values regarding stuff: 1. buy the best quality of everything so it will last, and 2. buy what you want when you want it, because you deserve it. I think number 1 is valid when making purchases, but number 2 simply has to go, for at least 2 reasons.

First, "what you want" is hard to quantify, because in many cases what you want is actually what has been sold to you. Someone told you that you want it, and if you watch television, they have told you over and over and over again. Do you really want it, or did the advertisers convince you it would make your life better? How many things do we buy that get used only a couple of times and then just take up space?

Second, why do we "deserve it?" This is where our major mind-shift needs to happen. We deserve freedom, access to healthcare, safety. We do not deserve plastic doodads or one more pair of jeans made by baby hands (or underpaid adult hands) in China (or anywhere else for that matter). We've done nothing to deserve that. I think if we can save money above and beyond our expenses, we deserve to spend that on whatever we like. But if not, we don't deserve anything.

How much stuff do we really need? Why would we possibly want more? Again, I blame the advertisers. And I'm just not going to let them tell me what I "want" anymore.

How did you make the shift to stop buying so much? What do you struggle with?

The Transition Handbook, and my next steps

2009-05-09T12:22:00.001-07:00

Have you heard of "The Transition Handbook"? It's by Rob Hopkins, and it is sort of a roadmap to get from our current culture of oil dependency and extreme independence from one another to a neighborhood/community resiliency. I haven't read the whole thing, but every time I pick it up I'm inspired.

Today's reading inspired two actions.

First, I'm breaking up with my hair dryer. Now, my hair is not high maintenance. At all. But I do use a hair dryer every day. If I don't, it looks weird. Today I decided that it isn't worth the energy it uses, when my hair will dry on its own, without the use of a hair dryer.

Second, I'm planting more food. We have a CSA share, so I don't need to grow any vegetables. But fruit and nuts are hard to get locally in my area, so this year we're adding to our plums, cherry, apples, and raspberries with hazelnut bushes and strawberries. The hazelnuts are going between our house and our neighbors, where we were planning to plant arbor vitae to act as a privacy fence. Why not get food from our divider? We ordered them today through Badgersett . We've also got a little area of soil between our house and our driveway- you probably have one too. We've got some hostas and various random plants in there now, but I've fantasized about planting something more uniform. My original thought was little evergreen bushes, but then I realized that is the perfect spot for strawberries. They can't take over the yard, because they are blocked on either side, and they will get direct, hot sun for half of the day (not having full sun all day might lower their productivity, but they will still be more productive than evergreen bushes!).

I encourage you to pick up the book from your public library, and tell me, what are you doing to transition away from oil dependence and toward community resilience?

In praise of turnips

2009-01-18T11:18:00.001-08:00

Our natural food co-op still has locally-grown veggies- even in the dead of winter in Minnesota. My favorites this winter are turnips and rutabagas. These two delicious root vegetables cook up like potatoes but are more flavorful. I've also really enjoyed the black radishes- they add a nice spice to soups. Easy soups like the one below take about a half hour of prep, and a half hour of simmering (you really don't even need to pay attention to the soup while simmering, just stir about 2/3 of the way through so that you don't have grains sticking to the bottom). It takes little more time than preparing mac and cheese from a box, and you're getting nutrient-rich veggies and healthy grains too!

Favorite (Local) Winter Soup (gluten-free!)

serves 2

2 medium sized root veggies (I recommend turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, or a combination of any of those)
1 medium onion
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs curry
3 cups water
1/4 cup quinoa or amaranth

Put butter and oil into an uncovered skillet on low. Dice onion and add it along with the curry to the skillet, stirring. While onion is cooking, wash veggies and chopped into 1 inch pieces. Cook onion until translucent, then add chopped veggies and stir, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add water*, stir and cover. Bring to a boil, then lower heat til soup is simmering. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are thoroughly cooked or veggies are easily cut in half with a spoon.

*If using amaranth, stir in when you add the water as it takes 25 minutes to cook. If using quinoa, simmer soup for 20 minutes, then add quinoa and cover again for another 10-15 minutes. These grains are both very high in protein and will make a wonderful addition to your diet.

The heat's not on

2008-12-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

We put in a woodstove two years ago. We got a great deal on a gently used, newer Jotul stove, and paid what seemed like a fortune to have a chimney put in. After a minor flue issue last winter (in which it simply wasn't working and we went through two cords of wood in no time), we made sure everything was in proper working order this year.

The result was that we haven't had to turn on our furnace yet. Not once. Wow! Today it will be a high of 19 degrees outside. We buy some of our wood, but get much of it for free by offering to cut down trees that people need to have removed. This year we spent $75 on an old cord of wood, and will probably spend $100 on a better cord (and I bet we'll have lots left over).

This works for us for two reasons. First, we have a very small house. The footprint of our main floor (on which we live exclusively in the winter) is only about 650 square feet. The whole house heats up quite nicely, and the stove stays warm through the work day and through the night (the fire is usually gone, but there's a nice bed of coals).

Second, we don't mind the work. During the summer and fall we work with another family for probably a total of 4-6 Saturdays to cut, haul and split wood. We've got a woodpile out back, and hauling wood in each night is my daily weightlifting. We sweep around the stove once or twice a day. It is so very worth it for the radiant warmth that the woodstove provides (so much better than forced air, which never really seems to warm me up unless its set way too high).

And the best part is that we're saving a lot of money on our gas bill too!

Vote, every day

2008-11-23T07:00:00.001-08:00

The presidential election is over, the ballots have been counted, and we've done our civic duty for the next four years. But is that it? Is voting at the polls the most participation that we get in our democracy?

We actually vote every single day in the US.... with our dollar. Every time we choose to purchase something (or choose not to), we are voting for the kind of world we want to live in. Whether you're buying food, clothing, holiday decorations, furniture, music, whatever, you are speaking up for the type of system that will dominate our future.

So if human rights and fair labor conditions are important to you, think about where those shoes you're planning to buy are made and who is making them. Then decide if those shoes are worth it to you to register your vote for a continuation of sweatshop and child labor.

If sustainable, small family farms are important to you, ask where your frozen veggies are being grown, and find an alternative that is grown locally.

If protecting the environment is important to you, be aware that those new towels or sheets you're getting a great deal on are almost certainly made from conventional cotton- which is one of the worst users of pesticides.

If keeping money in the local community (and not lining the pockets of overpaid CEOs) is important to you, explore your locally-owned stores and see if one of them might be selling whatever item you've traveled to a big-box store to purchase.

Fair trade items, union-made items, organic items, locally-grown food, and shopping in your downtown businesses usually are a bit more expensive, and there is a reason for that. You are paying the people involved a livable wage. You are paying for skills, and risks, and quality. You can feel good about where your dollar is going- to pay someone what it costs for them to make your product. And if more people were paid enough to get by, there would be less poverty and welfare and inequality in this country. If you're not voting for that, you're voting for poor working conditions, wages that keep workers in poverty, pollution, corporate greed, pesticides, and the death of your downtown community. And even though you might be voting with less dollars, that vote has just as much impact.

So buy a little less (not buying that cheap plastic doodad is a vote too), and when you do buy, pay a little more for local, or organic, or fair trade, or handmade, because your dollar is your vote, every day, whether you like it or not.

Eating Less, Getting More

2008-11-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Many folks feel that they can't afford healthy, local, organic, whole foods. True, it is often more expensive than its conventional counterparts. But there are two things to keep in mind when making this choice: What are you paying for, and what are you getting?

When you buy local whole foods, you're paying more because you are paying for labor. It takes more knowledge and skill to figure out farming systems that are safer for the environment and, in the case of meat, the animals involved. It takes more labor to take care of bug infestations by hand than it would to simply spray the plants with toxic chemicals. And most small local farmers do a better job of paying their help a livable wage. How much do you think the farm workers get for cheap food?

Perhaps a more convincing argument for buying local, organic foods is that whole foods generally contain more nutrients than processed foods. You get fiber, protein, vitamins and often times antioxidants. Much more filling than processed foods. You'll find over time that you actually need to purchase less food, and you'll get more out of it. Of course, that means that you'll need to cut back or eliminate potato chips, soda, candy, and other unhealthy snacks. But if you do that you'll have more room in your budget for delicious and healthy whole foods, and that's an investment in your long-term health.

And don't forget to shop at your local food co-op instead of a chain store!

The Farm

2008-10-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to own a farm? Not a huge farm with acres of corn or soybeans, but a little piece of land to call your own, with enough room to live, garden, romp and maybe even raise a sheep or two? I always wanted a little house in the forest, but the idea of a hobby farm has overtaken me.

The security in having tillable land is very appealing. Who knows where this country will be in a few years. Food prices have skyrocketed, mostly due to transportation costs. If they continue to go up, many of us will have to grow some of our own food just to get by. This can be done on a city lot, but I think would be much easier on a larger piece of land.

Then there is fiber. I'm talking about the ingredients used to make our clothing. The local food movement has exploded in recent years. Once we have our local food systems in place, I hope our attention turns to fiber. Imagine knowing whose farm your wool sweater came from? If we could localize the animals raised for fiber, fiber processing, and creation of finished, wearable products, imagine the local economic impact that would have. Each step of the way, money would be exchanging hands locally, not leaving the community to make some far-away stockholder rich. And I'm sure we would all feel better if our clothes were made fairly, not by underpaid workers in unsafe environments overseas.

A small farm could be a part of that process. The question is, is it worth the investment, especially as we watch property prices plummet? I believe that the answer is that it depends on what is valuable to you. Is it the most physical dollars you can have, so you can retire early and travel the world? Or is it established community systems (or social capital), so that you can afford the things you need, and that neighbors take care of one another?

The "take something out" rule

2008-08-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

We Americans really have a hard time not buying things. Nothing in particular, just things. It's no wonder we don't feel that we can spend money on quality organic and local food, or on alternative energy, or clothing that is more expensive because someone actually made a livable wage to produce it. We're spending all of our money on little plastic things or more clothes than any one person needs.

We've tried to break the buying habit, but it is difficult. We've grown up purchasing things we don't need, either because everyone has one or we are depressed and need a pick-me-up. So we've installed the "take something out" rule to curb our consumerism. It works like this: for every thing we bring into the house - whether from a big box chain or a garage sale - we must remove one item from the house. Even things like socks have to replace something (often other socks, with holes in them).

This simple rule has changed our purchasing habits completely. Sure, a shirt looks good on the rack, but then I have to get rid of one of my other shirts, and I like my other shirts. Decision made. While we slip up once in a while, we generally hold each other accountable to this rule. We can finally leave a store without $50 of crap we don't need. We've taken our power back! You can too!

Quick meals with whole foods

2008-07-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm lazy, I admit it. But I've got a couple of easy meals I can make with whole foods that are relatively inexpensive and don't take a lot of time. Plus, they are so much better for me and my family than processed foods. And the best part- I can pronounce all of the ingredients!

1. Soup

I'm not sure how the skill of soupmaking wasn't passed down to me, but somehow I missed it. This last year, though, I discovered how easy soup is- and how many veggies I can get into it! Basically, I make 3 cups of broth with vegetable bouillon (I get it from a co-op... otherwise I might be getting msg, etc) and water. I drain a can of garbanzo beans and add the beans to the broth. I chop up whatever veggies I have from my CSA pickup. Great veggies for soup include: radishes, summer squash, onion, carrots, scallions, turnips, beets, bok choy, garlic scapes, chard and cabbage. I put the harder veggies in first (beets, turnips) and then add the softer veggies. cook for 10 minutes or so and you're done! Soup is also great with lentils (very cheap, high in protein, and cook fast) or udon noodles in place of garbanzos, but both require an extra pot. A fall favorite at our house is potato leek soup- just broth, potatoes and leeks, cooked til mushy!

2. Roasted Veggies

Oooh, so easy. Cut root veggies (potatoes, beets, turnips, etc) into cubes. Oil bottom of baking pan. Put veggies in pan. Add whole peeled cloves of garlic. Sprinkle dried rosemary on top. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soft. Add some feta cheese, bake for another few minutes. Yum!!!

3. Stir Fry

When all else fails, stir fry! Cut veggies into various shapes. Veggies good in stirfry include cabbage, peas, fresh beans, broccoli, carrots, kale, swiss chard and bok choy. Put in a wok (or cast iron skillet- try to steer clear of teflon and the like) with coconut oil. Coconut oil has all sorts of health claims, and it adds a little sweetness. Cook until veggies are browned and softer, but not mushy. Serve on rice, noodles or barley (which can be easily cooked in a rice cooker, just follow the water-to-barley ratio on the package). You can add soy sauce if you want, but I prefer to enjoy the tastes of the veggies!

Cooking whole foods is all about experimentation, so try new veggies, beans and grains to mix it up!

Can't live without my public library

2008-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

I love information, whether from books, magazines, or the internet. I used to buy lots of nonfiction books on topics that interest me, but often times never got around to finishing them. They take up space in my very small house. I like getting magazines in the mail and having a small library of my own at home, but I've saved money and space by changing my subscribing and book shopping to magazine and book borrowing- from my public library.

It's fun to browse books online at Powells.com (it's union- much easier on the conscience than shopping Amazon). But my fabulous librarian beau tipped me off to a request login on my local library's homepage. By using the patron number on the back of my library card, I can browse and request of all of the books, movies, and music cd's in my entire regional library system. I've asked my computer to save my login information, and I've bookmarked the page, so it's even easier for me to login and make selections there now than it is to purchase books online. If I request something that isn't at my local library, they call me when it is in. Brilliant!

I now can get ten books on a subject I'm interested in- for FREE- and figure out which is the best, or if I'm even still interested once I've read or browsed those books. And if I don't finish the book, it's no skin off my back. I can always get it again later if I want. While I'm picking up my books, I can read many, many current magazines without having my own copy that I end up recycling. Using the library instead of online bookstores or magazine subscriptions saves space, money, and the resources it takes to produce all those goods. And most libraries are beautiful and peaceful places to hang out. Sharing is so much sweeter than owning!

Lawn replacement therapy

2008-07-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

We live in an area of Minnesota that was once a prairie. Now it's mostly a sea of genetically-modified corn and soybeans, most of which is either going to become fuel for cars or cows. Our street is lined with trees, but where there is no shade, the ground here still favors those prairie plants.

Since we moved in, we've slowly replaced our lawn. There's nothing wrong with a lawn, but how one chooses to take care of it can be harmful to the environment and members of your household, not to mention take a lot of time, money and other resources.

We cut our lawn. That's all, to the dismay of some of our neighbors. We cut it with an electric mower once a week or once every other week, and we set the mower as high off of the ground as it goes. We don't fertilize or treat the weeds, which makes for quite a field of dandelions and creeping charlie. One of our neighbors, who spends much time fertilizing, pesticiding, and mowing the grass to an inch high or so, also ends up doing a lot of watering (which I think is because he's cutting his grass too short). All this adds up to too much time spent caring for a yard, which in reality is a part of nature and should be able to care for itself. So we're getting rid of our lawn.

Our first step was to allow our neighbor's raspberry patch to extend itself into our yard. This was the best thing we ever did. Now, for free and without any effort, we eat the most delicious organic raspberries I've ever had each year. I spend more time picking raspberries this time of year than doing any sort of yardwork. We also planted fruit trees in our backyard. Our yard is small, so we chose dwarf varieties. We now have a plum tree, a cherry tree and 2 apple trees. We've recently planted some grape vines at the bottom of a trellis that sits between our living room window and our neighbor's. We had a vegetable garden for a few years, but we realized that our CSA was providing us with plenty of food and we didn't want to spend this summer weeding, so no more veggie garden. For those who love to garden, though, there's nothing like heading to the backyard to grab your dinner ingredients.

We've begun removing our front lawn too, starting with a small section and planning to add to it each year. We put in a variety of beautiful, perennial plants, like daisies, speedwell, black eyed susans, and bee balm. We also moved some mint plants we had in our garden into this area. Herbs and medicinal plants don't have to be in a vegetable garden- they can be interspersed throughout your yard or flower beds. We've got birdfeeders on the east side of our house, and each year we get a beautiful sunflower forest below them. We did pay for the perennials we put in this year ($30) but the rest are volunteers or free divisions given to us by neighbors. They will come back year after year, and provide us with our own divisions to replant in a new lawn replacement area, or share with our neighbors. And the joy is that they take care of themselves- plants that easily grow in (or are native to) your area won't need watering or fertilizer.

Our hope is that someday we'll have a beautiful yard full of perennials and food-bearing plants and we'll be able to sell our lawnmower, quietly enjoying the fruits of our yard.

TV, schmee vee

2008-06-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

How many hours a week do Americans watch television? Nationmaster.com says 28 - we're tied for most hours watched per week with the U.K. 28 hours. That's another part time job's worth of time. That's almost as many hours as kids are in school each week. That's an average of four hours per day. Imagine the beautiful meals, winter hats, decisions, plans, gardens, breads, peace, conversations, blogs, furniture, backyard sanctuaries, jams, and more that you could make with four extra hours each day.

But instead we subject ourselves to marketing ploys telling us that we're not good enough. My beef with television isn't the actual shows, although the quality has gone down exponentially in just the last five years. Why do we flock to these reality tv shows? My guess is that it has something to do with the fact that we are bored with our own lives because all we do is work, sleep and watch tv. And many of the prime time television shows' characters' lives create this unreality in our minds that says that we should make more money, have more stuff, and never, apparently, have to go to work. But there are also some really wonderful, intelligently written, beautifully acted shows out there that make for excellent free entertainment (until their inevitable cancellation). And if you can find those shows, who doesn't support a free entertainment source that keeps you in your home with your family, perhaps not for four hours a day, but for some time anyway?

No, my beef with television is really mostly with commercials. They're louder than the show you're watching. They're flashing and jolty and bright, often completely changing your mood and possibly even your heart rate. Their goal is to make you feel like you need something you don't or you aren't good enough as you are. And that is not good for anybody.

We've found a couple of solutions to this in my household. You could, of course, throw out your television. If you can do it, this would be the best step. There are just so many more stimulating and productive things to entertain yourself with. But, alas, lifetime habits are hard to break, and sometimes you just need to veg after a day's work. So what do you do if you're like me and can't (or don't want to) kick the habit completely?

The first and easiest step is to get familiar with your mute button. I learned this trick from my fabulous stepdad when visiting last year. As soon as the commercial comes on, hit mute and take the opportunity for a little peace and quiet or brief conversation. In my house, we also tend to give ourselves a task that needs to get done before the end of the show- folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, etc. We use commercial time to do it and don't subject ourselves to the brainwashing.

Another option is to create a schedule of the shows you actually like, and limit your tv time to those. I'm one of those people who will watch an infomercial if nothing else is on, just because I get so sucked in to the television. Creating a schedule allows you to get in the habit of turning off the tv when your show is over, or not turning it on at all on days that nothing good is on. I make sure I have a plan for those days too, because I know I'll be tempted by that rascal tv when I run out of steam for the day. My current diversion plan is to spend what would be tv time reading a good fiction book (which is almost like watching television but stimulates your brainwaves much more) or knitting.

If you really want to kick the tv habit without giving up the free entertainment option, try this. Disconnect your antenna. Go to the library and check out a dvd- they often have movies and full seasons of popular or interesting television shows. Try interlibrary loan for a better selection- ask your librarian for help if you've never used interlibrary loan before. Then just watch those in the evening when you get the tv craving. Tv shows on dvd are really great- a show that is normally an hour is only 45 minutes and you don't have to watch any commercials at all. Plus, when the episode is done, the next one doesn't start automatically. You get to make a conscious decision whether or not you want to continue to sit there and watch something. It makes it much easier to limit your tv time to only 45 minutes a day.

Like radio and the library, television is one of those rare free things that by all rights should cost something in America but still don't, and I really appreciate that. But we pay a little extra for tv, with our time and with the marketing we subject ourselves to. Its habit-forming ability can be very detrimental, just like any other habit-forming substance. But we can take the power back and enjoy the good parts of owning a television- free entertainment!

CSA Farms- Seasonal, Reasonable Food

2008-05-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

We received an email from our CSA farm yesterday to let us know that our first pickup will be June 9, and will probably include green garlic, salad greens, and salad turnips, among other things. Yum!

A CSA farm stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and here's how it works: The farmers sell "shares" of their yearly crops to community members. Shares are usually bought and sold in late winter or early spring, so that some of the money can be used to buy seed. Then, during the growing season, the farmers provide the members with a weekly allotment of fresh produce, based on what is available. This means that if it's a bumper year for tomatoes, you'll get a ton of tomatoes. But if it hails in August and destroys most of the tomato crop, you may not get any tomatoes at all. By becoming a member of a CSA, you agree to share in the bounty, and sometimes the losses, in the fields with the farmers. And isn't that how it should be, really?

Our CSA share currently costs $525 per year. This may seem like a lot, but consider that a share feeds 4 people with all the vegetables they could eat from June into September. Since we're a household of 2, we can freeze or store up to half our share for use after the growing season is over. This is a great way to continue to eat local all year round.

Other reasons it's a great deal: Our CSA grows its produce organically. Since organic produce is often more expensive in the store, I believe we are saving a lot of money by supporting our CSA. In addition, we pick up our share from the farm each week, so we can talk to the farmers and see how they are treating the land. If you want to trust the food you eat, a CSA is as transparent as it gets. All CSAs do things a little differently, but ours allows members to go into the fields and pick their own veggies for certain products when they are in abundance. Last year we took advantage of the bounty of flowers, green beans, and basil- making and freezing enough pesto to get us through the entire Minnesota winter. Yum!

Our grocery bill goes down considerably during the summer because of our CSA share, and we end up eating a wider variety of fresh vegetables more often because we have such an abundance. Plus, I know I'm supporting my local farmer and sustainable agriculture with every one of those 525 dollars. I encourage everyone to visit www.localharvest.org where you can find a CSA near you.

Green Gazelle Motto

2008-04-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

use it up
wear it out
make do
or do without

This saying isn't heard much anymore, but we green gazelles hope to bring it back. If we can purchase less, when we do have to buy something we can spend more for a product that is well made by union (or at least U.S.) workers. How much stuff do we have that we don't need? How many times do we buy new shoes, or jeans, or books, or anything because we like to shop, not because we actually need them?

In our house, we're trying to find the right amount of clothes that we really need. Obviously, we could survive with one outfit each, but this isn't about being a purist. Our clothes are an extension of our personalities in some way, making us comfortable and self confident. But we still don't need excess. We've discovered that since we wash clothes at least once per week we both need 8 pairs of socks- one for each day of the week, and an extra pair just in case. We purchased smartwool socks, which are quality, comfortable, and made in the USA. What else can we limit our perceived need for? We're on the hunt...

Live where you work, work where you live

2008-03-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's true. The cost of gas is high. And we Americans have a love affair with our cars. What to do?

We green gazelles have a couple of choices here. We can cut back our spending in a different area to cover the rising cost of fuel. We can buy a hybrid (although the idea of purchasing a brand new car, wasting all those resources and dollars, makes my inner gazelle very unhappy). Or we can drive less. Less time wasted in traffic, breathing in all those toxic fumes. Unfortunately, many of us drive to work, and work far enough away where not driving is not an option.

Where we live, there is no public transportation to the city that most commuters head to each morning. My partner, in his quest to work at a job that he cared about, commuted to a suburb of that city for nearly three years. It was a great move for his career and he got valuable experience which made him more marketable. But last summer, when fuel prices were rising and predicted to go much higher, he began working hard at finding a job in his field in our small town.

The best way to do this is to look constantly. Check the websites of all of the potential employers at least weekly. While you wait for your dream job to be posted, write a killer resume and cover letter, and pick out your interview outfit. And figure out what you'd be willing to give up to work in your town.

It might have been worth it for us to take a job in another field in order to get those 10 hours a week in the car back, or even taking a job that was less than full-time. The money savings may have even covered that. For us, it was easy to take a pay cut (although luckily he didn't need to take much of one). The cost savings in fuel alone made up for it. When you added in the cost of having more than one car, including insurance, repairs, car payments, etc, it was a no brainer. Plus, with extra time not being spent in traffic, he could do house projects that we had considered paying someone else to do. Now he walks to work each day, which is good for our wallet, his stress level and health, and the environment.

I moved to this community for a job, so I have always worked in the community where I lived. It wasn't until about 2 years ago, though, that I stopped driving to work. You can bike from one side of town to the other in 15 minutes, and yet it took me years to stop driving everywhere.

After making an effort to keep the car in the garage, it was probably a good 3-6 months before it became habit to walk or bike. Once I got over that hump, I discovered a pleasing side affect. Suddenly, taking the car felt like a hassle, much like taking the bike had previously. I'd have to open the garage door, find a parking spot, etc, and I didn't really save any time (it takes me 5 minutes to get to work by bike, 15 on foot). I retrofitted a burly bike trailer to have a flat bottom and now I just hook that up when I need to get groceries. I now get exercise every day, without making time for it or paying for a gym membership.

If you are looking for a money saving opportunity, consider looking for work where you live, or moving to the community in which you work. And break up with your car!

Origins of the green gazelle

2008-03-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am a spendaholic. It never really seemed to affect my daily life, although every few months I’d have an emotional breakdown, complete with tears, as I attempted to pay the bills and figure out where all my money went. But my debt kept increasing. And I’d spend $100 every time I walked into our local big box, even if I only went there to buy an ink cartridge for my printer. $100. Every time. Clearly, I had a problem.

I wouldn’t consider myself a capitalist, and yet I’ve always just went out and bought what I needed or wanted. That doesn’t really fit with my environmentalist, social justice beliefs, but there it is. I prefer to purchase things made in the U.S. because I don’t want to support sweatshops, but a girl’s gotta buy underwear. I mean, where are the choices? This is America, for pete’s sake, and I should get to choose whether I want underwear sold at a big box and made by baby hands in China, or I want underwear sold at a small independent family-owned store and made by well-paid union workers in the good old USA. But the reality is, in most towns, that choice just doesn’t exist anymore.

So we go on spending, trying to ignore the history of the item we’re purchasing (whether its a necessity like underwear or the season’s cutest boots). But even if we are successful at ignoring that, at some point our own debt is no longer avoidable. I realized one day that I might never get out of debt, that I very well may owe someone else for the rest of my life. That wasn’t acceptable to me. So I began reading books on finances and debt reduction.

Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” was the only one I really needed. He tells it like it is (although if you’re like me you’ll want to jump over his religious comments). You know when you finish his book that there isn’t a quick-fix to the financial mess you are in. You have to work at it. You have to have gazelle intensity. And I did. Still do.

So I made a budget. I did the Debt Snowball (which I highly recommend). And I started reading “frugal” and “thrifty” blogs. They help, but ultimately they sacrifice everything for financial savings. They tell you where to find cheap purchases, whether it be clothes or food or books or something else. Unfortunately, it is our culture of cheap that has lead us to this place. Everything is cheap. So, ergo, we should be able to have everything. But all of this cheap stuff is making us unhealthy, unhappy, and lonely.

It’s not easy to break the addiction of wanting and buying. We all need support and ideas. But with those things, we can do it. In the last 12 months I have paid down $14,000 in debt, began walking to work each day (and lost 15 pounds doing so), went from 4 cars to 1 (that sits in the driveway most of the time), and almost completely stopped purchasing clothing made overseas. We can change how we react to our capitalist society, and be happier with our choices and our lives for it. I hope that through this blog, I will remind myself to stay on track and you will get some tools that might help you find your inner green gazelle too.