One of my friends recently brought up an issue so many people have these days:
“How on earth,” she asked me one night, “do you afford to eat organic and grass-fed and make your own skincare stuff out of all these essential oils? I couldn’t possibly afford that.”
And, to my surprise, my answer was “priorities.”
As the conversation, and glasses of wine, went on, she lamented on how much she wanted to start eating more healthily, but she just didn’t think she had the money for it. The more we talked, the more she pointed out how expensive her cell phone and cable bills were. And how she loved to go out to eat twice a week. And she and her husband had two car payments, along with the expensive of dinner-and-a-movie nights twice a month.
You can see the quandary, right?
She was aghast at the choices I’ve made – a $30-a-month cell phone plan that didn’t include a smart phone, the fact that I hadn’t bought any new clothes in the last six months, that I don’t go out to eat more than once a month, and that I didn’t have a car. “Don’t you feel like you’re missing out on SO MUCH? Just so you can eat healthy and buy these things for your skin and your blog?”
I had to think long and hard on this one, because sometimes I do feel like I’m missing out. Would that I could buy every new season of J. Jill’s clothes. Would that I knew what it was like to tilt an iPhone and watch my app do something cool. (This is all I know of iPhones being good for.) Would that I could take a spontaneous road trip to Denver to sit in a couch in the new Ikea.
But the truth is, I’m so golden with making decisions that support my priorities. Ninety-percent of the time, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a thing, because I feel so danged good, in my brain and in my heart. Those things I’ve given up? Almost all of them are unnecessary to me right now.
So I thought this would be a great community question for you, and something that so many people struggle with can swing by and read and learn that giving up some things in support of new things isn’t sacrifice or suffering – it’s a phenomenal shift of perception and desires.
I know I’m an extreme example, mainly because we haven’t two pennies to throw at each other for the last two years. I’ve actually had to give up a giant amount of things to support this healthy habit. But looking back, it wasn’t giving anything up. It was learning a new way to live.
How Did You Shift Your Priorities … Painlessly?
Maybe “painlessly” is a stretch. And I know in so many fabulous ways, the “crunchier” lifestyle is actually less expensive than buying things at the store. But when it comes to organic, locally grown, or grass-fed foods, all that savings is out the window.
And, to wit, it can be really expensive when you first start buying ingredients to make your own skincare products (if you want to get fancy). The items last forever but the initial cost can be a little eyebrow-raising.
So do you feel like you’ve had to give things up in order to “get” this crunchy lifestyle? Even if you’re only a some-or-most-of-the-timer (which I’m guessing many, many of us are … everyone needs a Domino’s pizza now and then).
How did you deal with rearranging your priorities?
If you were talking to my friend (or so many of the other people who’ve said nearly these exact same things to me), what advice/insight would you give them?
(PS – I’m turning to you, because I felt like anything I could possibly say to her would sound preachy and judgy. When it comes from a stranger, it’s just good old-fashioned advice. 🙂
Nutty Butt Butter: Your Little Cellulite Secret
To me, a lot of how you feel about your lifestyle is how you were raised and how you lived and interacted with the world before you made the decision to be more crunchy. Were you happy with what you did have? Did your environment feel right, or did it seem like you just didn’t fit within the constraints that society tends to make for itself? I have yet to meet a person that fits into a neat little box, and yet we persist in trying to force each other into these catagories- I believe many are more comfortable (as humans) when there is an exact explanation for everything but that isn’t the way of the universe. There are very few things that are absolutely certain in this life, and new theories are always being pondered and put to the test(s).
We don’t have cable, we figure that it is an expense we don’t need when we hardly watch it anyway (and watching things on dvd or online means that we only spend $ on what we would like to watch). I make most of the food that we eat from scratch, getting many food items from my family’s farm whenever possible. We make our own bodycare products, perfume and household cleaning products (my husband is slowly being more and more crunchy) and feel better for doing so. We have more time to spend on reading, doing different crafts, playing games, telling stories, taking hikes, etc. I don’t personally feel that I have truly given anything up that would be worth worrying over too much. I like technology, but I believe that it should be tempered with a healthy dose of nature. If we spent half as much time personally interacting with other people, animals and spending time outdoors (or just unplugged) as we do with electronic gadgets- I think that we would all be the better for it.
{(^o^)}
Sarah
I just started reading your blog and I do like it a LOT! About this post, definitely is about priorities, I started my shift a year ago when I became unemployed and I had to live with little money for nearly 8 months, this lesson taught me lots of things but more important to make the right choices to where and how spend my money. Thanks for the insights and all the info you put in your blog. Lots of love and blessings, Cio
We are in the position where money isn’t a great concern. We aren’t fabulously wealthy but we do pretty well. For us it was a lifestyle choice.
What is important? Spending outlandish amounts of time/money on gadgets and watching tv or playing computer games or playing games with the kids. Or going for a walk in the evening. Or having a cup of tea and chatting about our days, our thoughts, our concerns, our plans, our dreams and really connecting. We have time to do crafts, to read (remember books?? 🙂 ), we go for family drives, picnics or museum tours.
Buying real food was my choice that I made for my family. I decided to stop giving our money to the people who would blithely put chemicals in our food. I support action groups that lobby the government to ban additives and allow us to buy food as it occurs in nature. (Did you know it is illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption in Australia?) I support primary producers who are willing to produce and supply natural, healthy foods.
I buy new clothes and household items when the old ones wear out or are outgrown. I’m happy to accept pre-owned items, find things at op shops and always pass on any reusable items that we don’t need anymore rather than trash them.
The upshot of all this is that we are happier, healthier and more engaged as a family. We have awareness and respect for the Earth and her environs and our values have changed. We’ve moved away from consumerism. And we are loving it. What’s more – we’ve saved enough money to take the whole family for an overseas holiday. THAT ALONE is worth giving up the second car, not buying the “latest fashion” and avoiding the electronic gadgets that need constant updating. An overseas holiday is not “missing out”! 🙂
I haven’t really thought much about it. I didn’t one day put
down the baloney/american “cheese” sandwich and switch to felafel on whole wheat pita. I tried it, and decided I liked felafel better than cheap lunch meat. It was little changes here and there. I read about the cruelty in the egg industry and switched to free-range, right before the whole salmonella-in-the-eggs business hit the news. I read about the dairy industry and decided to go with organic milk, because I don’t like the idea of pus in my milk. Raw sugar tastes better.
Whole wheat flour…well, yeah, THAT’S an acquired taste. But it improves my digestion, my complexion, and my energy level. What’s not to like about that?
With regard to personal care: I’ve nixed the nail polish and remover. Now that I’ve ditched the Poo, I no longer need conditioner, detangler, mousse, gel, hair spray, silicone spray, etc, etc. I’ve quit using the store-bought skin cleanser, astringent, and lotion because I make my own-if a dab of olive oil massaged into my face at night, washed off with warm water, and finished with a slice of cucumber and a spritz of aloe juice can be considered “making my own.” I no longer use foundation/concealer, because my skin no longer needs it. So, having got all that stuff out of the bathroom, I’ve noticed (1) there is a lot more space in the bathroom, and (2) I don’t need to buy anything at the drugstore. Think of all the money we women spend on skin and hair care. My foundation was about $12 for a small bottle. And then there’s the Super-Duper Scientific Beauty Wash ($40 for the extra-large) and Ye Olde Tub of Wrinkle Cream ($17).
So, yeah, I guess I’ve somehow turned into a Nature Nut. I don’t quite know exactly how it happened. It was bit by bit. I’m not a vegetarian, not yet, anyway. I’ve tried, on and off. Someday I might succeed at it.
I don’t feel as though I’m deprived… but that could be at least 50% because I’ve always had a bit of a yen to ‘return’ to a simpler lifestyle. For example, my go-to DVDs when I need to be cheered up are of an old 70s British sitcom called “The Good Life” (it’s “Good Neighbours” over here, I think) about a couple in the suburbs of London who decide to quit the rat-race and become self-sufficient without moving to the country. “Sex in the City” it’s not; they appall their posh neighbours by having their phone and electricity cut off, and by keeping pigs in the back garden :-).
I’ve spent a fair time in various institutions of learning, but one of the skills I am proudest of is being able to use my own spinning wheel. I knit, crochet, embroider and weave – and I began when I was six with knitting lessons from my Nana. I much prefer herbs to allopathic meds. I never could bear chemical-based perfumes, and if I manage to take more than three steps in a pair of high heels before I face-plant, it’s a miracle. [On reflection, this simpler life might just be a defense mechanism ;-)]As far as I can tell, it’s when the change begins with things rather than a change in mind-set that it can be most difficult. Just because I’ve always loved the simpler way doesn’t mean I was always comfortable with admitting it, either. Our culture does tend to look askance at people that choose to step aside from the consumerist rush and it’s a value system that can be hard to repudiate once it’s been internalised.
What I value is the health and happiness of myself, my love, my family – and my family includes each and every thing on this spinning rock. Our life and pursuits create and have increasing value since we’ve ‘crunchified’. Our life isn’t a pit of deprivation, it’s a glowing center of vitality.
Great post! I also agree that it’s about priorities. I also (without reading all the comments, sorry if this is a double-post) want to point out that some really important things (like date-night, which is actually a really important thing) can be done differently, rather then given up altogether. For instance, you and your partner might make the choice to abstain from fancy date nights, but you still need a romantic night once in awhile, and that can be done on the cheap if you’re willing to be creative. You may not be able to go out to eat, but a picnic in the park could be a nice once a week. We all need to pamper ourselves and our relationships, but we can be creative about how we do it so that we can afford to eat well and use awesome products on our bodies.
My primary motivation is so self centered! My health. I have multiple chemical sensitivities and my bottom line is that I don’t want to find it hard to breathe, or get headaches, or get rashes, etc. My further crunchiness grew from cleaning products and things that go on my skin (I’m allergic to my favorite perfume :-/ ) to expand my food and beauty supplies, etc.
I suppose that we give up a fair amount, but I look at things more as a challenge. We can’t eat out tonight, but what can I try that will be really yummy? How can I find ways to use up the herbs that I bought last year?
I don’t feel like I’ve had to give up anything at all. My whole journey started out when I decided to give no ‘poo a shot. I wanted to lower my maintenance level, specifically in regard to my hair, which I used to wash and blow dry daily and felt uncomfortable going out in public before I had done so. So the no ‘poo thing snowballed into a whole natural beauty regime. I know I’ve saved a lot of money on shampoo and conditioner alone in the past year and a half (I have a lot of hair). I’ve also been able to stop buying the expensive makeup I used to use every day because my skin has improved so much.
I probably did spend a lot of money on getting started with all my oils and materials, but it’s become my favorite hobby, so I sort of think of it as both my personal care & hobby budget. And now that I have a good collection of oils, it hasn’t been all that expensive to maintain it. It’s also great to still be able to give my friends and families nice gifts even though my money situation has been pretty tenuous lately (for reasons totally unrelated to the crunchiness btw).I’ve just recently become vegetarian (pescatarian actually–I still take fish oils and eat sushi every once in a while). I had been toying with the idea for a while, and vegetarianism is pretty common around my area, so it wasn’t a horrible transition. Not eating meat makes eating out a lot less tempting because the list of items on the menu I can eat is WAY reduced. And no meat means I have more room in my grocery budget for yummy organic produce.
This goes hand in hand with the “how did you get your significant other to get crunchy with you?” question from last month. It’s about baby steps and doing what you’re comfortable with. I’ve lived in Berkeley for over ten years and although I would not say that I am one of those crazy hippies who is always ranting about something, I can definitely see the changes I’ve made over the past decade.
It’s even more apparent when I go somewhere else and see that smoking is still allowed in restaurants (my coworkers and I were shocked/disgusted into silence when we traveled for Florida and had to put up with stinky cigarette smoke everywhere we ate) or that there aren’t recycling bins everywhere (I was at a festival in Reno and saw that there was ONE set of recycling bins in the entire place while the weekly food truck event in my neighborhood has different recycling bins for glass, plastic, compost, and landfill at every truck).
But all of my changes have been gradual, one here, another there, and that’s why I think it’s been relatively painless. I didn’t give up everything I loved at once or start paying an obscene amount for a bunch of new things all on the same day. I know it’s tempting to want to throw everything out and start fresh, but introducing one new change at a time is actually a better idea because it allows your body to acclimate to the changes. And in the event that you have an adverse reaction, you will know that the ONE new change caused it, as opposed to the 47 new things you just tried in the span of a week.
Gradual changes also give me the time to thoroughly research, both the benefits/effects as well as where to find a good price. It’s amazing what you find when you are looking for it. I started out buying steel cut oats at the local grocery store, where it cost $4-$7 depending on the brand. Then I looked at Cost Co and they had the brand I wanted and it was super cheap. We’re talking $4.99 for 16 ounces at the grocery store (which is 31 cents an ounce) vs $4.79 for 72 ounces at Cost Co (which is 7 cents an ounce). I have no idea how long Cost Co has been carrying this product because I never looked for it before I started using it.
Even though it’s not as exciting or fun to have to be patient, building up my stash of essential oils two or three bottles as a time has made it seem much more doable than buying all the ones I wanted at once. The most I’ve ever bought at once was five and even then I knew oh crap, this is going to add up to a lot more than it looks like!
The things that I’ve given up are things that I’ve replaced with other things. In college, I went to the movies probably every week. I know my freshman year, I sometimes went three times a week even if we had no idea what was playing next. We just wanted something to do in the middle of the afternoon and we got a fat student discount from the theater by campus. Now that it’s so expensive (and I hate paying to park everywhere in Berkeley), I am willing to wait and watch at home unless it’s something super duper exciting that I absolutely must see right away. The last movie I saw in the theater was the final Harry Potter movie. The movie I saw before that? The previous Harry Potter movie. There have been times when I didn’t go to the movies for over a year, and it didn’t bother me at all.
I look at it this way – some people want to spend their money on expensive shoes (as sexy as my husband finds Christian Louboutins, there is no way I would EVER spend that much money on a single pair of shoes), fancy bags (ditto buying a Birkin, minus my husband finding them sexy). People choose to spend their money different ways because they are willing to pay for what is important to them. Sometimes it’s easy to find an obvious way to cut expenses (I do not understand people who go to Starbucks three times a day because damn, that adds up!) and other times it’s a lot more painful. But if it’s something that’s really important to you, it’s worth it.
My husband and I paid for our entire wedding ourselves. We scrimped and saved for a year, so we cut every corner we could possibly find. Every time I didn’t buy something, I told myself, “That’s going towards my dress,” or “I just paid for half of one person’s dinner.” It was still hard at moments, but on our wedding day, it was totally worth it. Going crunchy is similar – it will be worth it in the end!
But at the same time, don’t beat yourself up if there are other things you want to spend money on. It’s like being on a diet – it’s okay not to totally restrict yourself all the time!
It’s definitely a matter or “priorities” for whichever lifestyle you choose. In my case, I am a musician who wanted to grow further and “stretch my wings” a little more from where I was at. I was working full-time and doing well, yet I picked up and moved to NYC, where rent is roughly 3x higher, everything is expensive and there’s way more competition. Worth it? Worth the “I feel like I’m back in college again, because I’m having to eat lots of pasta and PB&J because that’s all I can afford” feelings? Worth the not be able to go to as many social events as I’d like? Worth it that I have to work harder than I ever have to be able to do what I love? YES. It is absolutely worth every moment, and I have grown SO much. It’s the same with being crunchy. Some weeks I can only afford to make super basic recipes of stuff with no good-smelling essential oils, or with the cheapest base oil I can find (even though I’d really love to be using something more luxurious). Even in those weeks, it still makes me feel good that I’m doing something myself and that in the long run it’s saving me money. I can pamper myself and feel like I’m at a spa without ever having to spend money at one. I’m moving soon to an apartment that has a yard so that I can plant a garden in the spring. It’s $50 more a month in rent, and the utilities are slightly higher, but the peace I will get from gardening and growing my own food is worth it. It’s always a matter of picking and choosing.
Wow, this response got very long. hahaha Sorry about that.
::raises mug of tea to everyone for following their heart::
The thing that I try to remember is that it is MY choice. No one is making me do anything and if I choose to go back to the way I did things before I can. It helps me to realize that I am not being deprived I am choosing! And that puts things in perspective for me.
Yes, I am happy. I won’t say it was an easy journey but when I got to about 60%, it was so fulfilling that I knew then that I won’t ever turn back.
I’m from Singapore where crunchy living is something either unheard of or at least, still at its infancy. Organic food here costs a bomb and it’s really hard to set aside even a small time to DIY my own skincare goodies.
Time here is incredibly fast. I work more than 9 hours a day so by the time I’m back home, I’m dead tired like a doormat. Incidence of colon cancer here is quite high, too, and I’m guessing it’s probably due to people having no time for home-cooked dishes anymore. It’s more practical, money, energy and time-wise to just eat out all the time. To break away from the cycle, I requested my boss if I could buy a steamer and place it in the pantry and thankfully, he was fine with it. I don’t have time to cook my food at home BUT I have enough time to at least prepare, season and marinate them. I bring the raw food to the office, pop them in the steamer then work while they’re cooking on their own.
As for my beauty routine, I try to buy only organic/natural and if possible, handmade products. When I have time, I DIY the occasional hair and facial masks. I had set a side a tiny investment for my little collection of essential oils, carrier oils, clays and extracts. Although it set me back by at least a hundred dollars, it had steered me away from my old drugstore shopping spree addiction and helped me save more money in the long run.
Ok, here I am!!! This is my first *crunchy* newsletter, and I’m a newbie here!!! It’s kinda funny! I”ve been *crunchy* for a loooong time, but I didn’t know I was!! I grew up and was raised with the crunchy attitude, and I’ve never really changed it! I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing a single thing! I buy whole foods, not necessarily organic as you don’t have to eat everything organic! Some things, it doesn’t matter! I don’t eat meat and haven’t done so for jeeeeeesh, maybe 25 years or so.. I really started getting into crunchiness in my early 20’s, when animal testing was a BIG issue with me. So, I started researching alternative actions. Another huge issue with me is to lessen my environmental footprint. It’s most, most important that we leave a clean and livable planet for future generations! I make my own household cleaners, which is wicked, wicked cheap! and WAY healthier for the planter also! I grow a lot of herbs in my garden, but since I live in the north, I have to freeze or dry them for use the other half of the year!! I just do what I can.. Is this what it means to be *crunchy*?? If so, I like this term better than some things I’ve been called before!!!!! 🙂
Your post and the comments remind me of other blogs I’ve been reading lately about minimalism. Check out “Becomming Minimalist” or “Be More with Less” for some very similar posts and comments about prioritizing what’s important and getting rid of things that commercials have always told us we “need.” Those blogs are less about food and body products and more about sloughing off unnecessary “stuff,” but it all goes together quite nicely and makes me realize I’m reaching a point in my life where I’m happy in my own skin and don’t need all the silly, expensive stuff in the commercials. I’d rather get rid of the excess and make my own when I can than just be a “consumer” (I hate that word and all that it implies).
For the most part I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything, it’s only when life is getting too busy (mainly when I get caught up with other peoples rat race) that I sometimes lament on how easy life could be if I just went back to my old ways. But that lasts all of 5 minutes. I love a slow life, full of consciousness and purposeful decision making; I crave more of it, I am addicted to my “crunchy” life – it’s fun and challenging and joyful! I think the remedy for my “missing out”ness moments is to keep on keeping on and hope to impact change in those around me —having my immediate friends and family on board would ease a lot of my loneliness etc.
For your friend: reassessing priorities is a must. Make goals and set off in that direction. Nothing happens overnight, it’s a slow sometimes hard journey towards living better. Take one thing about your life and work on making that better. Our first start was our food. We started with trying to incorporate organic produce and grass fed, free range meats in our diet – now we are 100% organic, mostly local, and are currently setting up a window farm in our livingroom, etc etc. Tell me 4 years ago that I would be living this way and making the decisions I do, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.
It’s all about a plan, taking baby steps along the way and learning while having fun!!
I really want to say that it’s possible to make it all a painless process, but it probably isn’t, for most people. Extricating ourselves from what we have been taught since birth is bound to be painful. I find a lot of solace in how much better I feel, but I find even more in knowing that I am paving the way for others (namely, children, but even some adults) to grow up thinking that *crunchy* is normal, and *commerical* is weird.
I got carried along the crunchy path because I trusted my brain and my gut (both the intuitional variety and the digestive one) and the decisions were never really easy, they just…were. Once I knew that something was the right thing to do, I couldn’t NOT do it. Aluminum in deodorant causes cancer? I needed to stop using it. There are hormones in my drinking water? I need to figure out how to stop it.
There were definitely moments of chagrin and frustration and teeth-grinding, but in the end, I feel so. much. better. For living a lifestyle consistent with my values. For knowing exactly what goes into my body and why–after all, it’s the only one thing I truly own.
Hey there Ms. Betty,
I’m probably one of your few Under 25 Male readers….. I’m “crunchy” as I can mange and I try to choose what is the most beneficial to me and what saves me money compared to expensive organics or even in some cases conventional choices.I switched from Pantene shampoo and conditioner to a no-poo with bakingsoda rosemary and water with a weekly ACV conditioning and my hair is loving me for it as well as saving me a ton of money.
I switched from crap $0.88 per tube toothpaste to my very own recipe which I absolutely love and leaves my teeth feeling cleaner than ever. It costs almost $3.00 for an equivalent amount but I really think it’s worth it.I am going to be making my own soap (liquid and bar) instead of paying for Dr. Bronners or more expensive hard soap. It may still cost more than your conventional Ivory but my skin is loving me for it.
I don’t buy organic produce or meats much, but if I ever manage a raise (or get any of the second jobs I apply for) I’ll use that extra money to afford those. I do buy grass fed ground beef, the occasional roast from US Wellness or even a haul of veggies from the farmers market I when I can but it’s not as often as I’d like.
I wouldn’t say so much that I sacrificed to be crunchy so much as I am fitting in as much crunch as I can in each bite.
Keep up the awesome blog and thanks for all the great Ideas 🙂
Bryce
“I wouldn’t say so much that I sacrificed to be crunchy so much as I am fitting in as much crunch as I can in each bite.” Nicely said!
For me my priorities changed when I had children, it made all the difference. I went from someone who took trips vacations to Europe and Hawaii, to someone who went on Picnics with the kiddos. I stopped working a “good paying” job and stayed home to be with my kids. Now I teach part time. I don’t know if I would go back to working full time. Working part time allows me time to shop and prepare nutritious foods for my family instead of relying on fast food. Working part time also allows my body time to heal from an auto immune issue I have been trying to clear up now for two years. We eat grass fed and organic but I do not get $90 hair cuts or have a car payments. I have students who have $400 car payments. These are high school students. It is is ALL about priorities.
E
Me again. I think I need to bookmark this one, CB. Discussions like this are so great to read when you’re feeling a little down or wondering why you’re different.
We started down the crunchy road about two years ago. It started at first with cooking more at home and with “from scratch” ingredients. Then cleaning products in the home. Then beauty products… You get the idea. We changed slowly and still aren’t 100%, more like the 80% crunchy and 20% commercial but we feel so much better. And the costs were stretched out over many months. I like the idea of calling it a “hobby” because some like shopping and some like making their own facewash (like me). 🙂
I used to eat out alllllllll the time, like, almost every meal…but lately I have spent so much money at Whole Paycheck, ooops, I mean Whole Foods that I can not afford to go out…at all. I probably spend more at Whole Foods then I did eating out every meal but like you said, I really do feel sooooo much better…and let me tell you how much I have spent on honey in the last month hahahahaha I bought some at Whole Foods, at The Fresh Market (Blueberry and Raspberry nectar honeys for $10 bucks a pop…)some at the farmer’s market, some at the fair, and my friend at work is going to NC this weekend where aparently it is O’ so popular so I gave her some $$ to pick me up some there! Anyways, my family is pretty pissed and says they want to go out and are tired of eating all this healthy crap. I told them to get jobs!! hahahahhahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
As you and so many others here have said, it really and simply does comes down to priorities. What is important to you? If you’re not sure… look at where you spend your money. Not the money for rent and utilities, but the rest of it. Where you spend your money… there is where your priorities are. If you’re not happy with what you see, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate.
My advice to your friend would be to start slow, and replace one thing at a time. After a while, assess it and go forward from there. I started making spaghetti sauce, and stopped buying it. I started cleaning with vinegar or baking soda, and stopped buying cleaning products. Now I make everything I can from scratch. I stopped buying food, and started buying ingredients to make food with. I noticed that the bulk bin ingredients turned out to be not only cheaper but also predominantly organic. Win, win. We’re not completely organic by a long shot, but we make the healthiest choices that we can, and we live better than we ever used to.
Bottom line: Do what you can do, as you’re able to do it… and think about the reasons why you’re doing it.
That is too funny! That happens to be exactly the order I started in, spaghetti sauce, followed by glass cleaner, which led to all cleaning products and eventually led to all the fun and inexpensive beauty treatments, products for my children and home made remedies! There is such a satisfaction in creating all of these things, it is the sensation of feeling like you can do anything. The joy of teaching all of this to my children is an amazing feeling too, knowing that I am able to pass on these tools that help them become more self sufficient, in a world where it seems we are all dependent on commercialized products. Like you, we are not 100% organic yet, but definitely healthier and more productive with each step!
Your bottom line is IT!+++++++
I feel like that has been how my process has gone/is going too! One thing at a time, or else I feel crazy and disorganized. For me it started when we first got married 4 1/2 years ago, and we were poor so instead of buying things like pizza and hamburger buns and bread, I had to learn to make them all. I continue to love making things at home instead of buying them at the store- I control exactly whats in them and they always taste better! Recently I’ve drifted into examining some of our personal care products and cleaning products, which is what led me to this blog. I love what I have found and am learning here! One step at a time, and I don’t stress about what I haven’t changed, but I rejoice in each change I make to keep us healthier and happier!
Wow, I wish I had time to read all of the comments here. I think I would feel very inspired and comforted by all of the like-minded crunchies. Maybe I’ll come back with a warm cup o’ tea when I get a minute later.
I do want to share because this has been a long journey for me, too. I blogged extensively about this when I first started because I wanted readers to know why this is such a priority to me – and it boils down to this:
“Normal just doesn’t cut it for me. I don’t want the same ills that have taken down my family, and I certainly don’t want to take part in introducing them to my daughter. You can tell me all day long that eating the standard American diet and using products that are known to be toxic in my house and on my body isn’t a big deal. I can tell by the millions of drugstores popping up all over the country and the number of prescriptions those I love are taking that it’s not.”
Now, how to do it as painlessly as possible? Well, it’s important to first prioritize because you will never get back to “Eden.” You can’t avoid plastic completely, no matter how hard you try. Sorry. You can decide what issues concern you most (for me, it’s hormones and antibiotics in our meat and dairy) and why. Then, decide what changes you can most easily make. Switch to all whole grain products? Buy organic milk? Stop using toxic cleaners in your home (this is much easier than most people think)? Don’t change it all, all at once.
I tell my blog readers to change one thing a month, for just a month. This is great for giving up things like you mentioned, such as eating out or some snazzy techno thing. At the end of those thirty days, you may decide that change just isn’t worth the effort. Go for something else next month. Nine times out of ten by the end of the “trial period” I realize that the change I made fits perfectly into my routine, and I see no need to go back.
Also, don’t go for perfect 100% of the time. I love the concept of the 80% rule. If you do right eighty percent of the time and eat cheeseburgers and ice cream 20% of the time, you’re still doing pretty stinking awesome. Do not let perfectionism keep you from trying.
Educate yourself. If you really know what processed sugar does to your body and the way it makes you feel, it’s way easier to turn down that ice cream I was talking about.
Call natural living a “hobby”, then it sounds way more fun. 🙂 I do happen to think it’s fun, most of the time.
In order to pay for my organic food and high quality supplements, I cancelled my cable and rented dvds for free from the library, cancelled my land line, and shop at consignment and thrift stores. I feel great about my choices and don’t feel deprived. Most of my friends that don’t choose to live this lifestyle are unhappy no matter how much high priced clothes etc that they buy and they often feel sick and tired because of how they eat. Priorities!
I just wanted to encourage you, Betty, by letting you know that because of your priorities and this resultant blog, I am now more comfortable in my own skin. Seriously–I really mean that. I first learned about putting honey on my face from your blog, and then I bought your (seriously amazing) ebook. I’m 26 and have struggled with acne for most of my life. I’ve been ‘crunchy’ for about 3 years now and NOTHING has worked as well at clearing up my skin as the honey. What you are doing is making a huge difference in people’s lives and for that I am grateful.
So thanks for going without the iPhone (which I must admit, however, is pretty nifty :-P)
I’m with you 100%! I have struggled with bad skin for most of my life and I, too, found the honey to be a huge launching pad for me. Of course I second the Betty love, and it’s so cool to hear that there are others out there who experienced such a turnaround.
i think i kind of slipped into it one thing at a time. I mean, i’ve always tried to be eco-friendly so i guess that’s were it started. buying some organically grown oat, going over to milk, adding a bit of honey, finding out i can use that for my face, finding more stuff that’s cheaper and better for nature in the long run.
i choose what i think i can handle at that particular time, if i can’t afford the organic milk this week, i see if i can the week after.
i always always feel like i’m doing a good thing, and that makes up for all the “sacrifices” and then all of a sudden you don’t even think about it, it just feels natural.
I am not crunchy, but I am enjoying reading about how many of you are so much happier when you have straight the priorites you have chosen. I’m working on small changes toward crunchiness. It’s a slow baby step process for me.
I think it’s important to focus on what you’re getting as well as what you’re giving up. Personally, I make my own personal care products because it’s cheaper than buying commercial stuff, especially the kind of commercial stuff I want. Same goes for growing my own food and making stuff from scratch. And with the money I save, I can buy quality meat and dairy.
What is your friend giving up by “having” to have all those expensive things? And by eating all that unhealthy food? Making my own stuff might be work, but so is working to earn money to pay for cars, clothes, electronics, etc. I enjoy cooking, gardening, etc. I don’t enjoy sitting at my desk. And eating healthy means being healthy. Can you afford to sacrifice your health?
All choices involve not choosing the opposite. All lifestyles involve some sort of sacrifice. The question is really *what* are you sacrificing?
I gave up a husband and I’m happier than ever (and lighter, emotionally). I also became a type 1 diabetic and so I’ve given up conventional processed foods for healthier whole foods. I relish in the mindful meditation of what I’m eating, the quiet bliss of my new place, and the promise of the wonderful adventures that lay ahead!
It wasn’t entirely painless for us and it truly is a matter of setting priorities. We really had no choice but to give up a lot of things when my husband joined the ranks of the unemployed. We have had no TV for well over a year, we almost never go out to eat, never go to movies, we’ve never had smart phones, just the basic free models and I’ve not had any new clothes in well over 2 years. It is amazing how so many things you think you can’t live without, become so unimportant. I really don’t care to out to eat as much anymore, because I never know how the food has been prepared and how my body will handle foods I’m not used to eating. When you look at the cost of a can of soup and quickly tabulate the
cost, you realize very quickly that making your own is far less
expensive, not to mention healthier. By not spending money on the extras, we do have the money to buy and prepare healthy foods and I’m saving a bundle making all my own bread, yogurt, meat stocks and skin care and cleaning products. The skin and hair care changes are thanks to Crunchy Betty. I found out about you from a friend who sent me the honey challenge.
You might suggest to your friend that she try just giving up one thing and see how it goes. It does take some perseverance, but I believe in the end we are so much better off. Seeing how much food you can buy for the same amount you spend for dinner our is real eye opener. Life is so much easier when you simplify. I do like what you said, “But looking back, it wasn’t giving anything up. It was learning a new way to live.” You said it all right there.
I honestly don’t feel like I’ve had to sacrifice much at all — a lot of crunchy methods are far cheaper than the normal methods (hey shampoo — you’re expensive!!). Switching to homemade laundry and dishwasher detergents, eliminating cosmetics, and buying most food in bulk allows a good chunk of my budget to go to the quality ingredients to make some of these crunchy goodies. I just talked to my husband about those nutty butt bars and he’s excited to go shopping for all the oils the recipe calls for (I’ve also been blessed with a weirdo husband who loves all these homemade goodies). The essential oils can be costly, but we don’t buy everyone at once, we buy one here and one there as needed, and you’re right — they last forever!!
It’s all a matter of how you look at it — yeah some of the items are pricey, but the majority of our homemade goodies are much, much cheaper than the socially accepted alternatives!
Sometimes our priorities get “rearranged” for us. Like when I had to quit work because of my arthritis. Like when my husband got lung cancer. Oddly enough, those hard circumstances make you take stock of what you have, what you want, and which direction you’re heading in. To me, health is all-important and takes precedence over any”thing” else. So… since our life was rearranged for us, we decided to go healthy (aka crunchy!) and only get the best. We have less stuff. We have fewer luxuries. We have the best organic food and homemade soaps and cleansers and makeups and shampoos and deodorants that our funds can buy. And we don’t feel deprived, or wanting, or jealous. We live more simply, more purposefully and more carefully. Not sure if we will live longer for our efforts, but we are content. And in control. And definitely… crunchy!
Our life was “rearranged” for us too. Personally LIVING through the medical “situations” my life has changed in every way. It has been an eye opener and a blessing for me. What a learning experience! My life is no longer about gathering stuff in the name of acquiring. I’m with you, health is priceless. I would much rather spend my money on a crunchy lifestyle than on doctors and prescriptions with exorbitant side effects. Plus, I enjoy the crunchy lifestyle so much better than my old way of living. Now I have purpose in my life.
Awesome Gelato – making something “crunchy” out of something definitely “un-crunchy”! I love it! A simpler life, less stuff, more “crunch”! Blessings to you…
It boiled down to common sense for us. I don’t work outside the home, so I don’t need much clothing. My passions are my pets (we have ten!) and organic gardening, so I don’t need acrylic nails, hair dye or perms. We buy organic whenever possible, and do our best not to waste food. We eat lunch out every Saturday, and I cook all other meals, and even pack my husband’s lunch five times a week. We also grow quite a bit of food in the garden. I drive a Smart Car, and only drive about 3 times a week since I coordinate errands with other things I need to do in town. My husband and I are voracious readers, so we get our books at the library or through Amazon Marketplace. It is about priorities. We have basic phone plans; we don’t text, we don’t even do Facebook. We get one movie at a time through Netflix, and stay at home and make our own popcorn.
We don’t feel we’re missing out on anything. We keep things simple, and our lives are uncomplicated and peaceful. We contribute money each month to help animals.
Priorities. Yep, that’s it.
I’m far from being as Crunchy as I’d like to be, but I’m working on it. I’ve given up (mostly) eating out for lunch which saves alot of money and I’ve given up Dr. Pepper! I don’t feel deprived (although that first week w/o DP was HELL!) I feel better because I’m eating healthier meals. When I spend more on something organic or a healthier choice at the grocery store, I just tell myself it’s alot cheaper than diabetes or heart disease or something even worse. I’m fortunate that I get my cosmetics and skincare at cost since I’m in the biz so that makes up for some $$ also. When I get down about what I can’t afford I try to think of all the things in my life that I love and am lucky to have like my husband, daughter, my goofy dog and my whole fam damily! A fantastic home and work that I love…I find the things I have far outweigh the things I can’t afford. Typing it just now even makes me feel good!
I just took a job making half (HALF!) of my old salary, which wasn’t that much to begin with(a teacher’s salary), and living in NYC, that makes it even harder to have any money at all. So I definitely have had to prioritize. Farmer’s market gets me all my produce cheap (it’s not certified organic, but I talk to the farmers – they just can’t afford the certification process). The local co-op has bulk bins for grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and, well, what else do I really need? Getting rid of meat and dairy all together (or, just occasional use) saves a ton! So does tossing out packaged food. And when it comes to skin/body/hair care, what’s cheaper than baking soda, vinegar and coconut oil?
Yes, I’ve had to make some sacrifices because of my pay cut, but being crunchy has actually helped me become more frugal and spend less money. And the feelings I get from eating healthy and treating my body well, as well as treating the earth well and supporting small, local and green businesses, it’s all worth it. I don’t feel I’m “giving up” shopping and expensive restaurants, because occasionally I splurge, and that makes it feel like a real treat, and not a necessity. And we don’t really need all those things. They are not making us happier in the long run. Brown rice, kale, yoga, sleep and laughing, this is what makes us truly happy.
I am still trying to figure it all out. I live on a freelancer’s salary, which isn’t much when money is actually coming in. I live in San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in CA, but have a tiny studio on the western most edge of town (i.e. at the ocean) and the rent is probably the cheapest I could get in the city.
I’ve had to make sacrifices, but not all of it has felt like a sacrifice. Do I miss going out to eat weekly with my boyfriend (like I did when I was college)? Yes, hell yes. But, do I miss mindlessly shopping for clothes, shoes, makeup, and whatever other crap I’d buy that I didn’t need? Not really. I find myself far more excited about buying essential oils, beeswax, and honey. I could care less about clothes and shoes. I buy them because I need to and if something happens to catch eye that is special, maybe I’ll try to get it.
There are still plenty of things I wish I could get (like a gym membership and tons of organic produce) and maybe I could afford them if I didn’t buy so much natural beauty stuff (or fast food, that’s one horrible vice I can’t seem to kick). Mostly I am quietly waiting until I get a full time job so that I can have the resources to have all the crunchy stuff I want!
Ms Crunchy I like that southern title for all cool special women. I have one of those fortunate life styles where I do raise an eyebrow but I can, if I WANT to. We have four kids and a pup. My husband and I choose certain things over others. An example for us would be all four kids have cells. They get the basics and the free phone unless they want to pay. You may raise your eyebrows and say WHAT! Well my husband is in the Military so we move ALOT and at new locations it is nice to keep up with old friends and have mom or dad at hand for any large or small emergency (sometimes just to say I joined a club at school and I will be late). My point is that your comment about priorities is straight up right on. I am not paying $30per month per phone for the 6 of us to serf the web and play games on our phones. If my children want that (and my oldest does) then they pay. Priorities is the answer. Everyone, everywhere and in every walk of life has to make choices. If they choose phones over food then good for them but they can not go on and on about the choices you have made. I do not think you will be able to tell her with out sounding at least a little preachy but what you could do is break down your month (with numbers if you want) and show her what you afford out of your earned money. Maybe by doing this you can help her make better choices or maybe just get her to quit going on about how you afford “grass fed beef” Money and how people spend it is one of those touchy areas so walk lightly focusing on your budget only unless she asks you directly what you think about one of her decisions. Through the years I have met people who make so much less and seem to do better than I do. Then I will meet people with the same amount ohave the same number of children they are in debt up to their ears because the charge everything. Have a super week and hopefully this will help you at least a little.
As part of living a Paleo lifestyle, I don’t have a lot of things other people have. For instance, I don’t have cable tv, a computer or game consoles, or a car. I manage perfectly well and enjoy living a life much simpler than most.
I don’t spend much money on cleaning supplies or personal hygiene, because a bottle of white vinegar and a jar of coconut oil doesn’t cost that much! I don’t go out to eat often because I don’t trust the food in most restaurants– I’d rather forego the crappy CAFO/conventionally-grown meal in elegant surroundings to cook my own gorgeous grass-fed meal in my own house. I prioritize grass-fed, pastured, and organic food (and supplements) over everything else aside from rent & utilities. And because I pretty much just eat meat, eggs, vegetables, and fruit from a local farm, I don’t spend a lot of money on expensive organic jarred or packaged food.
The rest of my disposal income is spent on going out, clothes, and holidays, although far less than my peers. I am 25, after all.
I am slowly getting my crunchy-ness on and it is really, really, hard. My boyfriend (63) likes to go out to eat once every weekend. We just got a Kohl’s in my town so of course I had (they made me) to go and buy some new work clothes. Since I have a day job, new clothes at least once a year is a must. That being said, my cell phone is a “Pay-as-you-go” phone, my SUV is a 2004 and I buy ALL my fruits/veggies/dairy and plants at our local growers market co-op. I am starting to make my own lotions, lip balms and soaps and my candle melts and candles are from a friend in Connecticut and I am going to start making perfume also as soon as I find time. My dog, Sierra is going to move in with my boyfriend if I don’t start paying more attention to her she has been complaining about lack of play time and walk time cause I seem to always be working with my “Potions” Maybe if I break out my Puffin Treats (my homemade biscuits named for Puffin the Poodle) she will be a happy girl.
Honestly, the high cost of organic food is the reason the husband and I haven’t entirely switched over yet. We have no vehicle payments and no cable, we buy new clothes maybe once a year (for less than $150), and we eat out maybe twice a month. I’m hoping to slowly switch us to organics a little bit at a time — but with an unexpected paycut this month, switching over is even farther in the future than I’d hoped.
Still, we’re going little things for health. No more partially hydrogenated oils. No more cheese food product. No more enriched flour-ish stuff. The only “junk food” we buy is dark chocolate. Our peanut butter is all natural. There is much fresh fruit and vegetableness going on. I drink almond milk instead of moo cow. This already gets expensive.
But it’s worth it. Over the last few years, we’ve both lost weight. My husband has a condition called ankylosing spondylitis (long story; Google is your friend), and his symptoms have improved. I don’t have a band of flab around my waist — no more muffin top! I used to get sinus infections 6 or 7 times a year, and only antibiotics would get rid of them. I haven’t had a full-blown one in almost four years.
As I go crunchier (I’m making my own toothpaste and am now ‘poo-less!!!), I know we’ll sacrifice more. Some friends already give us odd looks. Some relatives are outright hostile. We’ve given up a lot of people’s good will in order to get healthier.
But I don’t regret my choices in the least. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I’m going to live longer and healthier than any previous generation of my family. And I’m going to pass that on to my children when I have them. I kinda like that. : )
You and your DH sound like me and MY DH. So funny how when you change little things, you start to change other little things. It’s like the snowball effect but for good things!
Andria, I agree! It seems like when you start to make one healthy change, this door opens somewhere in your brain, and all this potential for other changes comes spilling out as from a jam-packed closet! Too late to slam the door shut — all that goodness is gonna flood its way into every other area of your life! I love it. : )
OMG! Yes, the floodgates have been opened. Once you’ve made something, your brain just keeps adding to the list of “I wonder if I could make that.” And it’s way too late to shut the door, but that I think is a great thing 🙂
Agree 100%. I wouldn’t shut that door again for the world. : )
I had to find alternative ways of doing things once my husband became unemployed and then lost a kidney for no reason. The only thing I could think of that could have caused it to “die” is what the kidney had to filter – so I revamped our life to be healthier. I use gift cards I win at work for the expense of ingredients so it seems like it is not hitting my budget. I make food from scratch using bulk ingredients and it feels luxurious to use natural beauty products and soaps. It has been so fulfilling to learn how to do things without relying on corporate America (even though they provides my paycheck and I am very grateful for that) and to find a more efficient, ecologically sound way of doing things. I have never been so satisfied. I find myself wanting to NOT buy things – because I know I can find out how to make it with better ingredients and it will be better for me and my family. My DH and Kids are not always on board 🙂 but they are on board with living within our means and having their Dad home (not working overseas) and my homemade stuff can be very entertaining at times! I will not go back once my husband gets a job. It is a whole new way of life and so freeing. Thanks to you for all of your help in getting me here!
We only felt the financial pinch when we still had a foot in both worlds – holistic and icky. Once I came to my senses and stopped eating out (except for the occasional, special event) our budget no longer felt impossibly tight. Phew!
Yunno, The Mister and I spend a lot of our paycheck on eating. But we eat like royalty, even when we’re broke.
It’s kind of how we spoil ourselves and our family. We don’t go out, we don’t spend money on really anything but food, but when we do, we always say, “yeah well at least we’re not dropping all that money on drugs. And booze.” 😉
I’m going to have to agree with y’all on the priorities answer. I’m just beginning my journey and yes, sometimes I feel like I’m missing out. Really, though, without the improved health and the sanity this kind of life brings, all of the fashion and cell phones and restaurants and, well, stuff, doesn’t really mean that much, now does it? Also, frankly, if I start feeling really deprived, I go out and eat something cheap and horrible like fast food. This makes me feel sick, usually, which brings it all back into perspective.
Two years ago we cut our spending by 50%. It was painful at first because we had to identify what was really important and stop acting like spoiled children who got everything they asked for. The outcome is that I enjoy things and experiences more. I don’t feel deprived for the most part.
I don’t judge what one person might feel is more important to spend their money on…it’s THEIR money! Now, if they are spending their ‘future’ money I might get a bit judgey but I’m working on that one!
This has been said before, but in my mind it boils down to: Figure out what you want, then figure out how to do it. If the sacrifice is worth it, it’s not so much of a sacrifice; if it’s not worth it then you don’t want it. Obviously this doesn’t go as far as ‘grass fed or no eating’, but it has worked for me.
Very interesting post.
My crunchy behaviour is mostly an extenision of my vanity and love of aesthetics. As opposed to some deeply ethical decision. I love wearing makeup but don’t want clogged skin so skincare is a must! I can’t afford high quality skincare so I started looking into natural remedies. Using honey and oils makes me feel like Cleopatra. Generally if something makes me good, then I will do it because I’m hedonistic. So I was willing to give up going out last week in order to join a yoga studio because yoga makes me feel good.I’ve been a broke uni student for a few years and in a way it’s brilliant because its taught what I value as well as apperciating food and having a fun time. I will skip lunch to buy perfume (not good for my body, I know) and have the lovely scent to brighten up my day as well as a beautiful bottle to look at.That’s my apporoach to crunchiness and life in general anyway! PS I also think it’s easier to change habits by just picking up one better habit to replace a habit. So I want to be healthier. Once I’ve done yoga every day for a month then I will sort out eating healthier.
Pixie, I love your honesty. I am definitely all for hedonism, if it’s making us healthier! Bring it on. ; )
Haha, thanks! I know the inherent superiority of salad won’t mean I eat over hot chips so I try to keep in mind how sick hot chips make me feel. I respect people who are crunchy for ethical reasons but it’d be dishonest to say it’s my main moviation.
i had a peek at your blog and it’s way interesting.
Aw, thanks, Pixie! New readers are always welcome. : )
I guess I’m in the ethical-crunchy AND vanity-crunchy camp! I love knowing that when I wash my face with honey and brush my teeth with coconut-oil-baking-soda-essential-oil-stevia toothpaste, I’m doing fantastic things for my health and for the world I live in/on. But I also love knowing that I’m keeping my body looking young — and my future 60-year-old self is gonna look HAWT. Awwww yeah. ; )
” I also think it’s easier to change habits by just picking up one better habit to replace a habit.” Awesome statement! Your way of thinking ahead is brilliant.
I think the Crunchy can be overwhelming when seen from the outside. A lot of times the first attempt at making your own cough syrup or hair product can be really time-consuming and you don’t realize that the more you do it the less time it takes (except on those rotten days when nothing goes right, but that’s true of anything). I also think that every iota of social conditioning we experience is geared toward “work is no fun”, starting with the message in TV shows and commercials and movies that school is no fun, even though sometimes it is (unless it is middle school and then it is one long nightmare, but not because of the school work, because of sheer nastiness on the part of the other kids, and obtuseness on the part of some teachers). The right work can be a lot of fun. Making your own stuff is work, but it’s enjoyable work if you allow it to be enjoyable, and it seems a lot less like work- the way we think of work- if you are choosing to do it. It can be a major struggle to get your head out of a socially-conditioned box. As for the cost- I’m actually surprised when people say changing to something crunchier is more expensive. I got started on this, in part, because I fairly suddenly found myself scraping along below the official poverty line. Baking soda is a hell of a lot cheaper than shampoo if you have the kind of hair that likes it. Hell, the coconut milk from coconut shavings mixed with castille soap? That’s less expensive, too. Homemade cleaning products are also cheaper. Organic and local produce CAN be expensive but who says you have to do EVERYTHING crunchy all at once? Pick one thing at a time that you would actually really like to change, that seems do-able, and that will save money if that feels like an issue. Once you get the hang of that you will find it is an addiction and start doing more little things and a year or two down the road you will look around at a much crunchier household and wonder how you got there.
I love what you said about doing it in steps, and adjusting slowly as opposed to doing a full 180 right away. What people don’t realize is that its really not much of a shock when you work things in one by one. It eventually just comes naturally when you generally learn to make more conscious choices.
LisaLise here. You already said it in a word Betty – priorities. That is absolutely the nail-on-the-head answer.
I use far more money on skin care ingredients than I ever used when I was buying commercial products. It was, however, a gradual process. I think any major change in habits and way of life must be a gradual process if it is to succeed. Our next project: building a zero-energy house (talk about over spending to do the most planet-friendly thing, but there you have it – priorities!)
My answer is priorities, as well. And, the realization that many priorities are an issue of time versus money. Do I want to spend the time or money to have “x”? Do I WANT “x” at all? Aha! Thinking about what we do on auto-pilot is profound. Why do we think we need x, y or z? Who has told us we do?
I’ve been making little choices my whole life with a few BIG choices thrown in for good measure. One of those BIG choices came about when my daughter was an infant (she’s 10 now). I was working part-time with her, I was breastfeeding exclusively, I was (am) married, I was mostly responsible for the house, etc… Many of us are mothers and my story is hardly unique. I was with my newborn 24/7 and not doing anything for me to refill my cup, so to speak. Something had to give and I decided watching TV was it. I had so many things I wanted to do and no time to do them. When I really looked at my day/night, I discovered the things I loved and enjoyed and, by contrast, the things I did because I never questioned them.
By “giving up” the oh-so-American ritual of watching TV every evening from 8 – 10 or 11 pm (aka Prime Time), I GAINED my entire life back! I found time to do enriching things for me. I carved out time to rejuvenate. I created 2-3 “new hours” in every day!!! I accomplished a whole lot in those “prime time” hours, too. Friends asked me how I could do “all that” and some acquaintances assumed I was not spending “quality time” with my family. It’s funny how people arrive at their conclusions. When people asked, I told them. Oh, the conversations! “I could never do that!” “How do you unwind?” “What DO you do — stare at each other????” This one really cracks me up… LOL
My advice to anyone lacking time or money:
1. What DO you want? Reframe your perspective towards what you DO have and enjoy. Focus there. Create abundance thinking with whatever positive you already have.
2. Really consider your options. WHY do you do the things you do? Carefully consider each choice for awhile. Let the unimportant choices go and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised. Life may change….for the better! Go ahead and be brave. Break away from the status quo. It is rather refreshing.
Now that I broke that unproductive (for me) habit, I am able to watch a single show once a week when it is something I deem worthy of my precious time.
Way to go!!!! Your advice is priceless. xoxoxoxoxx
I am so happy that my husband and I discovered this way of life only a few months into our marriage. I really feel like because we started so young, we never had to give anything up, we just never had it to begin with. It’s much easier to never get something than to give it up once you’ve become accustomed. And our future children (God willing) will never know any different. I don’t regret anything we’ve “given up,” and continue to look for more changes we can make.
My advice – figure out what matters to you. Then figure out whether how you spend you time and how you spend your money is in sync with that. If what really matters is family, but you work 80 hours a week and are tired and grumpy the few waking hours that you spend with them, that seems kind of OUT of sync. If you want to save the world, but drive a Hummer to the local grocery store, maybe you should re-think one of those things.
My family cut back to a single income, and I’m SO glad that I’m able to really develop a wonderfully strong (and fun!) relationship with my kids as they enter their ‘teens.
I love this post. I guess my answer is simple.
I had children.
Seriously! It was the easiest and most painless transition. It started the day I found out I was pregnant with #1. Obviously the coffee and alcohol had to stop (sad face), but then the intense, inward soul searching that ensued was amazing. Everything I put in my body had a purpose. Everything I put on my body had an impact.
Mine was an easy choice.
I am lucky and blessed to be able to control our budget. I am not lying when I tell you that our food budget for a month is $1,000. We cut coupons and join CSA’s and buy in bulk for both food and household items. We make our own most of the time, or trade with other artisans….but feeding and treating this family of 5 at my high standards costs a pretty penny sometimes.
Thank you Crunchy Betty for your recipes and your spunk. I wish I’d found your blog sooner.
Love and light!xo
Beautiful from #1!
This reminds me of a concept that my bf and I have talked about before. He is an athlete of 4 paralympic games. He’s never been sponsored, so throughout training 6 or 7 days a week he has also held a full time job and managed the rest of his life. A lot of people ask him about the sacrifices he must have made for the lifestyle he chooses, in fact there are a lot of athletes out there who talk about the sacrifices they make. He always corrects people on that question. He tells them he hasn’t made sacrifices; he has made priorities and compromises. He doesn’t feel like he has missed out on anything, more that he has chosen to abstain in order to indulge in something else. I love that attitude, and when he first explained it to me, I sat and thought about it for a long time.
He really articulated how I feel about the lifestyle choices I make, too. Sometimes it annoys me that I have to brew a cup of chamomile and squeeze a lemon before I have a shower to wash my hair – I can’t just jump in and do it. I sigh and I rush about the kitchen trying to get it done so I can get in and showered and get on with my day.
Sometimes I hate how much planning I have to do in order to ride my bike to work every day. I have to think about what clothes I’m going take, whether they will roll up well, or if I’ll need to iron them and take them on a bus one day, which day is it going to rain, how will I carry my yoga mat, I have to take tomorrow’s lunch today because I am riding the road bike tomorrow, arghhhh why can’t I just get up and do it all before work and not have to think about it?!
But the reality is that I absolutely know for sure that I am better off for the choices I have made. The time I spend planning my week is saved a thousand times over on not waiting for the bus or trying to park my car or going to the gym. The fussing in the kitchen just to wash my hair happens only once a week, where I used to wash my hair with “convenient” shampoo and conditioner EVERY SINGLE DAY. And that feeling whenever it passes the 25th of the month, I get a little buzz because that is my anniversary of stopping shampoo (since Jan ’11). A little buzz? No, it’s a huge buzz, and I bore my dear brother and patient boyfriend with my excitement over it once a bloomin’ month 😀
Is my lifestyle different than most? Yes. Is it a challenge sometimes? Absolutely. Do I ‘miss out’ on things? In a way, but do I care? No way. My choice, my priority, my warm fuzzies and my health 🙂
“He doesn’t feel like he has missed out on anything, more that he has chosen to abstain in order to indulge in something else.” This is such a great way of addressing THE question. Kudos to you for all that you do to be the crunchy person you want to be!!!! xoxoxx