kellyjasper.com

Sorry I’ve been lax lately. I’ve been home recuperating from a surgery this week. Back to work Thursday though and I’ll post some more work soon.

A few folks also reminded me that I failed to post a wrap up to my little month-long shopping fast. In truth, it was harder than I expected. I binge shopped once or twice right after the experiment ended. That in itself is a lesson that moderation would have likely gotten me further, and I can’t exactly say I was surprised that after depriving myself of those small comforts I had grown use to, my first instinct would be just to spend more as soon as I was able.

Not that the experiment was a waste though. Some habits have really stuck. I’ve stopped using plastic bags in favor of resuable sacks. I’ve turned to more localized sources for necessities, whatever it may be, in an attempt to curb my buying from big box stores. Most importantly, I think, being hyper-concious of what I bought underscored the importance of buying local. It’s worth the extra effort and expense to support the farmer here, the start-up restaurant, the mom and pop shop.

That in itself will probably prompt a second experiment. I’ll give it a go sometime this spring to only buy local, be it groceries from area farmers, meat included, or visiting only local restaurants and non-chains for whatever I buy. I’ll keep you updated.