small steps, big changes

I have to write quickly, before my wildly gobbling brain moves on to the next exciting thing and all of these small steps lose their newness. There have been several topics lately which have been subject of my personal research. Here are where my off-time brain power has been focused:

1) smart grocery shopping. I've been reading books on how to maximize savings at grocery stores using coupons during sales, and 'stockpiling' on things I use regularly. I've learned a lot lately about how grocery stores work, which has contributed to being able to shop better. When you know what can be frozen and how long, what good prices are for the things you buy, and what is better to make yourself, than buy prepared, you can save quite a bit of money. I also recently discovered that while I know that usually 2/$4 sales don't mean you have to buy 2 to get that price, I didn't know you could use a manufacturer's coupon AND a store coupon for the same item. I hadn't made a habit of getting rainchecks when sale items were sold out. And I didn't know my local stores doubled coupons up to $.99. Live and learn.

2) being more conscious of where my food comes from. This is the first summer I've ever tried to garden. While my summer garden wasn't super successful (in terms of fruitfulness), it was a very interesting learning experience. There are still tomatoes on the vine. And there are new peppers budding. Anyway, since I couldn't grow my own produce (although I'm not done trying yet), I've joined a CSA (community supported agriculture)! I placed my first order today, and I pick up on Saturday morning. I ordered a whole lotta basil (pesto!!!) and a whole lotta tomatoes (a ten pound box! I'm going to try my hand at puttin' by--canning for later). I'm excited to know exactly where my produce comes from, support a local famer (Pennsylvania), and have a regular steady supply of produce, to help encourage my diet to be more fruit and veggie-centered, instead of meat centered and heavier on fat and processed foods.

3) researching sustainable living. This includes both 1) and 2), and budgeting, learning how to make my own laundry detergent, and learning how to preserve. I've also been focused on reducing my carbon footprint-- I can proudly say last week I walked to work 5/6 days, and I'm making a good faith effort this week. There are so many benefits to making these small decisions: exercise, the knowledge that I didn't waste energy or add to the exhaust we breathe, and saving money on gas. Eventually, I'm going to be able to implement the envelope system for budgeting and spending my money in an effort to live on less, and the more I read, the more I feel like I could change.

...and now back to searching for salsa recipes for canning, preferred conditions for eggplant growth, and articles on how one knows when to pick and eat figs! hooray for small steps that lead to big changes!