Demeter's Garden

There is something I want you to do this week, if you have not done it recently: give your regular monthly bills a once-over. I pay most of my bills via auto-draft with paperless statements, so it’s easy to not think about them very much. But every so often, you need to go over your bills and make sure you’re getting the best price.

1. First, the natural gas bill. Evidently my gas company offers a more competitive price per therm if you are a good customer with a history of paying on time. I never knew this until I bothered to look, but it was all on their website, I just had to email them to change over to that plan. I didn’t even have to talk to anyone on the phone (I hate phones, seriously).

Of course in the name of being both frugal AND green, I’ve been trying to keep the gas bill under control by using less. I’ve been trying to monitor the dryer to make sure I don’t let it run to long (I live in a condo where outdoor drying is definitely NOT an option). If the load is all dry except for one ore two items, I’ll hang those two in the bathroom to finish drying. I’m also notorious for keeping the house at 68 degrees in the winter, and yes, I have uttered the phrase, “Put on a damn sweater”. We had a particularly cold winter in Atlanta this year, so making our home more energy efficient was important. My husband replaced the weatherstripping on all of our doors. It was cheap, easy (it took him less than an afternoon to do) and helps keep the drafts out.

2. Next, the cell phone. I highly suggest looking at your cell plan and figuring out how many minutes you actually use. Here’s the thing, as I said before, I HATE talking on the phone! I’ve never even come close to using up all my minutes, so I’ve always had the cheapest rate plan possible. I use the phone mostly for internet, so I have an iPhone, which has it’s own data plan. I took a look at my bill and decided to cut down my texting plan. I’ll text less, but with the iPhone I can just as easily send an email, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

3. Internet and Cable TV are must haves in my world, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to pay too much for them. You have to love the fact that the cable companies and DSL companies are always fighting for your business. If there is anything you should negotiate and re-negotiate on, it’s your internet service. This is one change where you’ll have to call customer service, however. My husband got us a better plan just by asking.  We’re paying the same price, but for a much faster speed. If you call, make sure you have the competition’s most recent offer handy, and if they offer you a low price, make sure to pay attention to how long it’s good for, as they tend to offer a lot of introductory rates.

Some of these changes might seem tiny. I only took about $10/month off of my cell phone bill. It’s still worth it, though, especially when it takes little or no effort. If I can take $10/month off of three separate bills and save $30, that’s movie tickets and popcorn money for my husband and I, and all I had to do was spend a few minutes looking over my bills. How are you saving money? Let us know in the comments!

I don’t usually like detox diets, cleanses, or fasts. My philosophy is that the best way to keep your body running smoothly is to eat healthy all the time. That means lots of whole grains, fruits, and veggies,  limited processed foods/sugar, and paying attention to your body to see what makes you feel good and what doesn’t. It’s going to take longer than a week to get out toxins you regularly put in your body, and it’s pointless if you’re just going to put them back.

So then why on Earth do I like the Adventure Cleanse Tune-up from Crazy Sexy Life so much? Maybe it’s the idea of a tune up instead of a detox. A tune up for your body, at least to me, is stepping and looking at your overall health. What do I put in my body on a regular basis, and is it doing me any good? For me, it is about detoxing your mind of bad habits and negative thought patterns. Here are the things I am trying to change by following this plan:

• I can tell myself I need caffeine, but what if I am following a plan that doesn’t allow coffee and soda? It allows for all the tea you want, but I HATE tea. So I can learn to live without caffeine or learn to make some healthy tea beverages that taste good and are way better for me than pop. As it is, I’ve discovered that I can make a decent chai with soy milk and oolong tea. My brain gets its caffeine (but still much less than usual), my body gets some nutrition instead of corn syrup, and everyone is happy!
• Got digestive problems? It’s cool, we can talk about it here, don’t be shy. I’ve been diagnosed with IBS. I’ve already discovered that lactose was a huge problem, which helped me decide to go completely vegan. There is one other major bad guy out there: gluten. I’m not sure if all gluten is a problem for me, or if it’s just too much gluten, but I’m giving it up for a month. I’ll see how I feel!
• How about budget issues? Ever notice that you can get any combination of eggs, flour, corn syrup, mystery meat, and dairy pretty damn cheap almost anywhere? Try avoiding all of those in your diet, and tell me your grocery bill doesn’t spike. It takes effort and planning, but you can eat healthy on a budget. What I have realized this week is that if I spend a little more on groceries and plan my meals for the week, I will actually save money. When I don’t have a plan and I just buy whatever is on sale, I end up ordering lunch out at work, or my hubby ends up getting fast food because there is nothing to eat in the house. We spent more than usual on our groceries today, but we’ve got meals for the week and I think our only dinner out will be our weekly trivia night.
• Exercise. I hate exercise. I really do. I’d rather take a nap than exercise any day. Maybe it’s my short attention span, but exercise has got to be the most MIND NUMBINGLY BORING activity in the world. But for the next month, hubby and I are going to try to get moving a bit. I did buy a WiiFit, I’ll let y’all know how that goes!

I will update you guys on how the Adventure Cleanse Tune-up is going. I don’t think we’re going to get quite to the top level of raw food/cooked food ratio since we are new to raw food, but I’m just going to try to include as much raw as I can this month. My hubby (a confirmed omnivore and cheese lover) is going to try it with me, I will be sure to report how the dairy-free aspect is going with him!

Are you doing the ACT too? Let me know your plan!

One of my favorite words is FREE! I’m on a tight budget, and sometimes it feels like there is nothing fun to do that doesn’t cost a ton of money. But there is lots of free stuff out there. Here are some ideas:

• Free museum admission! This weekend is one of those magical weekends when Bank of America customers get free museum admissions! They have partnerships with lots of museums around the country; here in the Atlanta area you can visit the Atlanta History Museum, the Fernbank Museum, and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. (via Free Stuff Times)
• ABC Adventures! I may have linked to this blog before, but it’s worth another look. This is the ultimate “what to do when you’re bored” blog! My favorite idea, Windshield Notes of Encouragement, is free and fun. Just leave positive notes of encouragement on random people’s windshields (bonus points if you use recycled paper and reuse scrap paper, of course!)
• Get a library card! Ok, I work in a library so this one is kind of obvious. How many books do you own that you’ve only read once? Isn’t it that much more green to share them with the community? Plus, your library probably has TONS of books about greening up your life. And if my library, in the middle of the deep south, has lots of vegan cook books then I bet yours does too! If you want to get a card, make sure you bring ID with you.
• Volunteer! I know you’ve heard this one a million times, but listen. First, it’s easier than ever to find a volunteer activity that you’ll enjoy and really be able to put your skills to good use (try Volunteer Match). Second, remember in high school when they told you to volunteer because it would set you apart from other college applicants? Well the same applies on your resume. Listing a few hours a month of volunteering can really show a potential employer something about you they might not get from just your work experience.
• Connect with your spiritual side! Your local metaphysical bookstore probably has meditation, astrology and other sorts of classes. Here in Atlanta, Phoenix & Dragon bookstore has lots of classes going on, many of them are free.
• Write about it! Got something to get off your chest? Write a letter to the editor, write to your senator, write an article for your neighborhood newsletter, write a guest post for your favorite blog (*hint hint*). Sit down and spend some time writing about an issue that’s been bothering you and you’ll feel better and you might just change some minds.
• Want more ideas? Check out Eco Salon’s Twenty Fun Things to Do Without Spending a Dime. They’ve covered a couple things I’ve mentioned here plus a bunch more.

I love organic foods. Although I know that a lot of conventional foods are probably perfectly safe, I always have this gut feeling that I should put as few unnatural chemicals into my body as possible.  I know that organics are good for the environment. There is just one problem, I can’t always afford them.

You’ve probably noticed the price of food going up at your local grocery store. I’ve almost completely stopped going to Whole Foods because of the prices, but I do go in once a month or so to get Vegenaise, a vegan mayonnaise that I can’t get at Publix. On a recent trip, my husband and I noticed that several things we used to buy regularly had gone up in price. We aren’t the only ones who have cut down on our trips to Whole Foods. Alternet has a story about how the chain is losing customers who are trying to save money. Another article from Newsweek mentions that even core organic customers are cutting back on their grocery purchases.

Luckily, if you want to avoid pesticides, you can prioritize your produce purchases. The Environmental Working Group has a guide that will help you decide which produce to buy organic if you can’t afford to go all organic. They rank produce based on the amount of pesticide residue typically found. They’ve got a pdf version, so if you’ve got a smart phone, save it so you’ll have it with you at the grocery store!

I do have one place I can still get tasty vegan and organic food at a decent price.  This week I went to a co-op grocery store in Atlanta called Sevananda. They had good prices and an amazing selection of vegetarian fare. I’ve been looking for a place to buy things like herbs and grains in bulk, and they had everything I was looking for. It’s not close enough to go once a week, but I will be stocking up on some things next time I go.

A lot of people have started growing their own food at home as a way to keep their grocery costs down. I would love to be able to do this, unfortunately I live in a condo and I don’t have a yard! I do have lots of herbs growing on my balcony. I’ve discovered I’m not a very good gardener, but I’ve gotten a lot better and I now have about eight different things growing. Some folks have even gotten miniature cows to provide milk for their family. Mini cows aren’t cheap, but for a family that wants a steady supply of organic milk, they might be worth it. I got to visit a farm that raises these mini cows recently, they are really sweet animals! Home gardens are also making traditional skills like canning and preserving important again.

As much as I’d love to have mini cow, I can’t drink milk and I don’t have a yard so I’ll be clipping my coupons, looking for great sales, and prioritizing purchases to keep the grocery bills down without giving up on nutrition and fresh foods.

Healthy, vegan food is not cheap. My normal diet is vegetarian, mostly vegan due to lactose intolerance.  I’ve been trying to save money, so I’ve almost completely stopped shopping at Whole Foods (I miss those vegan chocolate cookies) and I’ve be clipping coupons and looking for sales like mad.  The problem? The stuff that goes on sale is over processed crap that is rarely vegan. Eating seasonal produce helps; fruits and veggies tend to be cheaper when they are in season. I’ve also been using tofu instead of fake meat products like veggie burgers. I’ve found coupons online, on websites like smartsource.com and on the websites for different organic brands. Earthbound Farms, for instance, offers coupons in their print newsletter. I LOVE Publix house brand of organic products, Greenwise. I often find things cheaper than the brand name, non-organic alternative. Buying things in bulk (like grains, beans, and nuts) also helps keep the grocery bills down.

Still, it annoys me that a lot of the healthiest foods are more expensive? Alternative grains like quinoa, healthy juices, and some of the esoteric ingredients that vegan cookbooks call for can all put a dent in your wallet. Want white sugar, white flour, conventionally produced eggs? They’re all cheap and easy to come by. It’s frustrating to say the least, but maybe as healthy and organic foods become more popular, the price will go down a bit.