I do many things in order "to save the environment." Many things. I have been known to dig through friends' garbage, remove things to bring home and recycle, feed to my critters, or compost. I will rip up six pack rings that are in the garbage. I reuse resealable: the kind you flat out buy and the kind that shredded cheese comes in. I carry (or I make my son carry) grey water from the kitchen sink to the compost to keep it wet and to hopefully extend the life of our septic tank. Much to my dismay there is one thing I cannot seem to give up: I drive a lot. Constantly.
A few years ago, I was without a car for two weeks. I rode my tryke everywhere. Trips to the store were less frequent. If I forgot to get sour cream for taco night, we had tacos sans sour cream. (I had hoped I would lose weight, but sadly I gained two pounds.) I felt great about driving less.
The down side was I bought every things at the regular store because riding to the thrift store was a bit too much. I couldn't make it to most of the farms I like to patronize. One friend did give me a ride to a farm to get eggs so I bought 4 dozen. Like a good poor person, she refused to take gas money so I bought her a stroller at a rummage sale the next week. Ahh, bartering.
Lately, I have been driving a lot. I have been taking the kids to museum or the aquarium, to see animals at various places that the Zoomobile visits, to farms to buy meat, to the skating rink an hour away.
There is a new thing to add to the list: the grocery store. Yes, I have one within walking distance. There is a smaller one slightly farther, and of course we have a Wal-Mart in town. I don't shop at Wal-Mart. The smaller store is not open on Sundays when I do my main shopping. They also don't have produce which is the bulk of what I buy on a weekly trip.
The main store at which I shop has been bought out by another company. They upped their minimum wage to $9.50 and gave more people a week of vacation. Sounds great, doesn't it? But they also increased the prices of many things I buy. They made some men trim their beards, and I am very pro-beard. They got rid of overtime. Everyone has to wear an ear piece now. I have sympathy for people having something in their ear all day. It's annoying and distracting to have other voices in your ear all day. I also get an ear ache when I use one.
A friend of mine has also noticed this. She has similar feeling to me. We decided to drive 2 hours one way to a great store, Woodman's, once a month. Their minimum wage is $11.50 or $12.50. They also offer benefits. Their prices are great. Their selection is fabulous. They even have a wide selection of organic produce. We will also be going to Aldi when we take the kids skating once a month.
It's a lot of driving. We carpool which helps, but I still feel guilty. But I suppose that is the price to pay to live in an area surrounded by lakes that provide fresh fish and wild rice as well as a home to many birds that my hubby hunts, woods that provide venison, small game and plenty of space to forage, as well as small family farms that produce pastured meats, fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, maple syrup, and hand made arts.
I started this blog because many people told me I should start one to show the not so pretty side of homesteading skills, the mess in the kitchen, the mess in the yard, the mess every where. We live right around the poverty level and still manage to live well (if you don't count the debt in which we are drowning) and eat very well. The main pic is wild mallard stuffed with homemade stuffing and homemade, fresh bread. Not bad for someone who teeters on the wall of poverty.
