I've been thinking more and more about compacting. With the new babe on the way I'm just not ready to commit to it wholesale.
All the same, I'm intrugued by the version of the compact posted by Changing Rhythm on her blog:
Our Pledge
1. We will actively search our souls and the thoughts of God through prayer, meditation, and the wisdom texts 2. We will buy everything (barring food, medication, and health related products such as soap, toothpaste, etc.) used if at all possible 3. We will only buy a product that replaces a product we already own which has worn out 4. Anything that does not meet the previous two criteria, will require both our approval and a mandatory 2-week waiting period (to assure need and outlive the want monster) 5. We will purge our home of all unused, unwanted, or extraneous clutter 6. We will purge our lifestyle of all unwanted, unhealthy, and extraneous clutter 7. We will learn to and teach our kids to lessen our impact on the earth 8. We will be excellent stewards of the home and possessions we have 9. We will share our journey with all who wish to join us or watch us in this quest
So I've decided to dip my toe into compacting, step by step. This week is the avoidance of prepackaged foods when I can...especially if it saves money. I'm not ready to give up peanut butter (although it is the natural kind!) or jelly yet, but I have given up bagged lettuce and mini carrots.
I realized that two pounds of mini carrots are sold for $1.99 while loose carrots are $0.79 per pound. It takes about five seconds to peel a carrot and another 15 to chop it into sticks. Not bad for a 75% savings. Even if I factor in my time at $10 an hour, it still is a fantastic deal.
Next up: salad dressing. We just used the last of our Kraft Italian stash last night. I saved the bottle and hopefully will find a better/more cost effective solution. I imagine it will be healthier too!
