Making It Work

We are debating all of the sleeping arrangements in our house. We have three bedrooms. Currently, Calvin & Patrick share and Titus has been sleeping in the guest room (his main crib is in their room but that isn't working). I think we are going to trade beds with my parents and let them use our guest queen and we'll use one of their twins.

We have been debating whether to just put Titus in that room or whether to separate the boys and put one of them with Titus and give the other one his own room. You see, bed time has not been fun lately - the boys keep each other up, get out of bed, and just generally aren't minding very well. BUT when we put them in separate rooms, everything is way better. We really want them to be successful in the obedience and sleep departments and we truly want bedtime to be a positive, good time.

Since we aren't moving any time soon, we have to come up with a new plan. So I think (as much as this pains me), we are going to have to give up having a dedicated guest room. We love having overnight company but the reality is that this is the house God has given us (we really do like it - we just built it before kids! :)) and we need to make it work the best that we can for our family. We will still have a hide-a-bed and an air mattress and an extra twin bed but it won't be quite the same. :)

Now we have to determine who goes in what room. I'm excited to see how these changes (and the new black out curtains) will work to improve bed times, nap times, and even cleaning. I'm sure that some day they may be able to share a room again, but I really think this will be the best way to make things better and to give them success.

On another note, Titus has been sleeping MUCH better. We've been able to drop the late night bottle - he has a bottle right at bedtime (between 8 and 9) and then he has been sleeping until 5:30 or 6. This is truly amazing! I'm not ready to say it's a permanent change yet, but it has been great for the past week or so. Maybe it will stick!

Gardening Season

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day! Gardening is the plan, so we are off the store for plants and seeds and flowers with three little boys in tow. :) They may get a play set today...we'll see. And we desparately need an umbrella for over our outdoor table after our entire table with the umbrella flipped and broke last year. We have the worst luck with umbrellas - a new one just about every year. :)

Anyway, I love the start of gardening season - the smell of the soil, the beauty of the plants, and most of all...the anticipation of delicious produce. Ah, summer. Enjoy your day!

A Place for Everything

Today is tackle the bedroom and clothes day. :) It's gotten out of control between busy-ness and illness. Thankfully, the older boys were invited over to a friend's house this morning until nap time. I'm so excited that we will have several hours to work uninterrupted (well, except for the baby :)). Warm weather always puts me in the mood to do some deep cleaning. I think I'm about to finish the clothes switch and just be done with the winter clothes. I'll leave out a few outfits but that's it - perhaps it will force the cold weather away.

Amvets is coming next week and I hope to have a big pile of donations for them. I love that they pick it up! Tuesday is Calvin's birthday so I know there will be plenty of new things coming in the door which means we need to de-junk first.

I've written many times before about the struggle to stay organized and it's just that - a constant struggle. In my ideal world everything would have a place and be in that place but in reality it pretty much never happens that way. :) I don't function very well in the mess and disorganization and I find myself often overwhelmed. So, while I do make progress and I did start the year strong, it's tough to keep the momentum.

I think the most difficult part is that I'm the only one in the house that has very strong feelings about organization. :) In a house with three boys, a dog, and two adults, it doesn't take long for things to spiral out of control. Sometimes, I'm pretty sure I'd like to cut our living space by 2/3s just to downsize and seriously consider what we need and use. I think it would be a great excercise. But for now, I'm going to lobby hard for donating items, eliminating papers, and finding a place for everything. Anyone need a car toddler bed?

Cashmere

I LOVE cashmere - the oh-so-soft fabric that makes you feel so warm and stylish. I can't help but touch it longingly as I go by it in the stores. What I don't love is the oh-so-expensive price tag that generally accompanies my favorite fabric. So imagine my delight in finding a brand-new, beautiful purple cashmere sweater that was originally $100 marked down to $10 and I had a coupon for 30% more off. Let that sink in, I’ll wait...um yeah, that means it was about $7. And yeah, it pretty much made my day...no, probably my week... :)

My winter wardrobe is pretty sad after everything had to be washed constantly from spit-up this winter, so I was excited to replace a worn out sweater with my purple cashmere find. Ah cashmere – it almost makes me excited for winter to come back around, almost.

Provision

I would be lying if I didn't admit to sometimes worrying about recovering from adoption and medical expenses. We seek to live a fairly frugal life (although I know there are areas we can improve and we are working on it) but it often feels that life is just expensive. One of our goals is to further trim the budget this next month and while I'm excited to see how well we can do, I know it will be challenging.

How thankful I am for God's provision of our needs through food, inexpensive clothing, medicine samples, and many other ways. And we were so grateful for the extra work for me that allowed us to get away for some much-needed time to reconnect amidst this crazy stage in life. Mostly, I just live in awe at how God cares for us.

*Just as a side note: I am not writing this to elicit frugal tips or to be judged for how we do or do not live frugally - it is merely a reflection of my heart.*

Found Today - Updated!

I realized as I was sorting through clothes this week that Titus had viritually nothing for summer. And by nothing, I mean, he had 1 or 2 short sleeve shirts and a couple of short sleeve/pants outfits. So today, I set out to begin to rectify his summer wardrobe.

The result:
8 shirts
7 pairs of shorts
2 one-piece outfits
2 hats
1 pair of sandals
Total spent: $15

I found some great deals - thanks to a couple of thrift stores with half-off! I'm so thankful! He may need a couple more shirts (being a spitter and all) but overall, I think that will give him a great start.

**UPDATED: I'm feeling super blessed tonight! I kept feeling that I must have a few summer things somewhere for him but they weren't with the 6-9 month clothes (yes, he is small - still wearing 6 mo. clothes at 7 mos. :)). Tonight, I happened to glance into another box of clothes and found the summer things we had in the 6-12 mo. size so, he is done! He has plenty of cute clothes and hats for the summer! Hooray - what a great day!**

Cloth Diapering

Remember how I said I was going to do cloth diapers...well, I really am. :) I haven't yet, mostly because I didn't get them ordered before Ty was born and the past few weeks have been super crazy and we've been constantly on the go. But all the disposables we've used is horrifying - the waste and the cost is insane! I know I had two in them before but I think at this stage, Ty uses as much in one day as the two of them combined and they were older so we used them for less months. I do not regret that decision - going from 0 to 2 kids was enough of an adjustment. :)

After researching and asking lots of questions, Bumgenius 3.0 is the chosen cloth diaper. I think we will like them! The initial investment will be a bit hefty but we should be able to use them for a long while and the savings from using disposables will be huge! I swore I would never go the cloth diaper route (and I do not judge anyone for choosing not to!!!) but with a husband that's an environmental attorney and the cost of formula alone, it is necessary. And they really have come such a long way from when I was helping with my younger sibs - at least that's what I'm telling myself...

I'll let you know how it goes...I'm not a purist...we'll still use some disposables when we are out. :)

How We Try to Eat Frugally

**First, Ty turned 1 month yesterday and I posted some adorable (IMHO :)) 1 month pictures on the boys' blog and facebook (in his album). Feel free to check out our newest little bundle of joy - we can't believe he's a month already!**

I'm absolutely not an expert on this topic but thought I would offer just a few things that we do to eat for less. This not about couponing or CVSing - I'm not doing either at the moment. These are other things that work for us when I don't have the time or energy to go to 4 stores, clip coupons, and thoroughly plan shopping trips.

1) Eat Vegetarian 1-2 times per week minimum. I know that this does not work for everyone but we love it! We eat beans, eggs, or a vegetable pizza or stir-fry, cheese ravioli or whatever else we have.

2) Check clearance produce and grocery items. Most stores have this and I've scored some great things for 1/2 off or more - cheese, cereal, canned items, produce that is still very useable... My favorite finds are often in the specialty cheese cases and the health food areas.

3) Menu Plan. This should probably be #1. It makes me buy less and use what I do buy. I post it on my blog because it inspires me and because it keeps me accountable. I have been regularly menu planning for about a year and it has really helped!

4) Buy in bulk. We buy a share of a cow and we have a Costco membership. If you can afford to buy larger quantities (and have the storage space), you can often get better deals. We have a separate freezer and a pantry to store "extras".

5) Check ads. Before I shop, I usually check the ads to see which store (or which two stores) have the best deals on things that I know I need (usually produce and dairy). I then head to those stores.

6) Be flexible. Sometimes what I plan on our menu doesn't happen because the ingredients are not on sale or are just too expensive. I may stand in the store and dream up something else or else I substitute an equivelant ingredient.

7) Have a garden. Obviously this one is seasonal for us but we do save a fair amount of money buy planting our own vegetables. They are cheap, delicious, fresh, and nutritious. We have varying amounts of success but we are determined to continue gardening.

8) Keep things basic. We certainly enjoy some gourmet ingredients but for our every day fare, I try to keep things simpler. It usually costs less. I really consider if a gourmet item (like a spice) is something I will use more than just once.

9) Don't make more than you will eat. We do eat leftovers some (Andrew loves them for work!) but a problem I've had and am still working on is making too much food and then it goes to waste. Don't ever hesitate to halve a recipe or freeze leftovers (it they will freeze okay). It's much better to do that than have the expense of wasted food.

10) Cook from scratch. I make most of the things our family eats from scratch - though I haven't ventured into the world of homemade bread, yet. I do buy things like canned tomatoes and beans - those are my convenience foods. :)

I think those are the main things. :) I joined the farm delivery this week - to start next week! I'll let you know if it is one of the things that saves us money! I love to cook and bake - sharing food with family and friends is one of my favorite activities. And I break all of these personal guidelines for a really great recipe or special event. Bringing people together around the table is what food is all about to me so I can only take frugality to a certain point. :) I'm sure I could do ALOT better and I truly would if that is what was required of us.

What do you do to cut back on eating expenses?

Random Tidbits & Thoughts

Titus weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs. 8 1/2 oz. today! Surprised us and the doctor. He got a great report! I made sure and asked if they had any formula coupons and they gave me not only coupons but four cans of formula. What a blessing! Ty is on Similac Sensitive and it seems to be working out - he's gaining weight and not feeling yucky. So we are sticking with it for now.

Andrew is on the board with Adoptions of Indiana and they have their annual golf outing today. So he is spending the day at the fundraiser - I think he was taking pictures of the golfers and had various other responsibilities. Tony Dungy is the speaker this evening at the dinner so he is definitely looking forward to that! :)

On a completely unrelated note, a couple of friends have mentioned a local farm delivery service for groceries and I'm pretty seriously considering giving it a try. The food is mostly organic and a lot of it is locally grown and produced. It's a year-round service and is delivered for free to your door every week or every other week ($35 minimum). They have a fruit and vegetable bin that's $35 and then you can add other things like eggs, bread, milk, pasta, meat etc. I'm not big on grocery shopping, I like to support local business, and I try to incorporate as much natural and organic food into our diet as I can. I'm thinking this might be a great solution to the rising food costs...if only to make me use what's delivered and to lessen my trips to the grocery store where I'm tempted to buy things we don't necessarily need. If we go this route, I'll probably try every other week and see how it goes. I can menu plan around what is delivered and add other items based on what the plan is. :) Anyway, I spent some time researching it this morning and was impressed - it's a little different than a CSA.

Do any of you use this type of service? I just can't imagine how wonderful it must be to have groceries delivered to your door. My goal would be to stick with mostly pantry staples at the grocery store and limit trips to 1-2 times/month. We'll see...

Has Anyone Else Noticed?

I went to the store last night for a couple of things and couldn't help but think that grocery prices are escalating. I'm going to have to get back to couponing and menu planning! Our dollars just don't stretch as far these days.

We are exhausted but doing well. :) Nights are...interesting. I may have written before but we have a child that sleep walks nightly - sometimes multiple times a night. It may or may not coincide with feeding Ty. So we are up and down a lot. Hopefully all of that will get better - although it may be awhile before the sleep walking is outgrown. Thankfully all three boys tend to nap at the same time in the afternoon so that's my rest time, too. Sadly, naps for the boys are getting shorter. I think they are going to have to learn to have quiet reading time even if they don't sleep.

The boys have been begging for a trip to the zoo so maybe Friday or Saturday we will venture out. Ty has a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning - he's almost 3 weeks old! He is such a joy and we are all delighted to have him in our family!

Favorite Quick Meal & Traditions

One of my absolute favorite meals is homemade pizza! I grew up enjoying made-by-mom pizza and while I loved it, it seemed like a huge deal to make it. I'm sure it wasn't - just my perception. :) Anyway, after I realized how easy it could be, I've never looked back. We pretty much never order out pizza these days. It takes me less than 30 minutes to have a homemade pizza on the table and it's one of our favorite menu items for family nights!

Here are some keys to great pizza:
1) Let your dough rest for a few minutes after kneading (I let my mixer knead it).
2) Oven Temperature! This is probably the biggest thing - turn that baby up! I bake my pizzas at 450 degrees F.
3) Bake it on a stone.
4) Be creative with toppings.

Some of our favorite topping combos are:
bacon, onion & green pepper
chicken, smoked cheddar, sharp cheddar & BBQ sauce (instead of marinara)
plain cheese (mozzarella & cheddar)
Greek - olive oil (instead of marinara), mozzarella, feta, & gyros meat (this is excellent on pita!)
broccoli, onion, pepper, tomato

Most of the time we top pizza with marinara, cheese and then other toppings. I make my own pizza sauce with tomato sauce, fresh herbs (or dried, depending on season), garlic, a pinch of sugar and a little salt. Sometimes I add a can of tomato paste and sometimes not - I prefer it with. The dough recipe I use is the one I frequently post on my menu plans. :) It's easy and delicious - for an extra great finish, I occasionally brush the edge of the finished crust with olive oil.

Our kiddos associate pizza with movie night (not that it always means that :)) and they LOVE it! It makes a great family tradition - we put a tablecloth on the floor upstairs and enjoy our finger food while watching a kid movie. I think Andrew and I look forward to it just as much as the boys. Pizza makes us all happy and family times makes us even happier. Establishing family traditions is important to us - we both have great memories from childhood and we long for our children to have fantastic memories, too. This is an easy way (and inexpensive!) to create a fun family evening. And for other days, it's a go-to recipe for a quick meal. What does your family enjoy for fun nights?

Living Without AC

We've been enjoying the beautiful and mild weather this spring and early summer. It's unusual for it to be July and this mild. We've turned off our air (we used it a few times in May & June) and opened our windows! We hope to see a lower electric bill and we love to conserve energy. Even when it is 80+ degrees inside, the breeze has made it feel much cooler. We are drinking lots of water, spending most of our day downstairs where it is cooler and where we get better air circulation and I allow the boys to run around in just shorts (they love it!). I'm trying to limit the use of the stove and oven so as not to increase the temperature inside. I'm hoping we can leave it off for a little longer and continue to acclimate ourselves to a warmer temperature. Maybe we can leave the A/C set at a higher temperature when we do finally succumb to leaving it on. In the mean time, we have a greater appreciation for nature and enjoy the peaceful evenings with a gentle breeze lulling us to sleep.

**I should mention that on the recent rainy days we've turned it on due to not being able to use the windows and the resulting humidity in the house.**

Frugal Wardrobe

I've read several articles, books, and blogs about how to be frugal and modest with your wardrobe and it's a subject I've been thinking on for months. I will admit that I've read these articles with disbelief as the authors have shared about their miniscule wardrobe with only a few colors, a few pieces etc. And while I don't think what they are doing is wrong or bad, I tend to disagree. I think we can be fashionable and modest without being frumpy and uncreative (just to clarify - I don't think everyone who holds the above view is)! Before you jump on me though, hear me out. :) I'm not espousing massive wardrobes that spill into two closets with more clothes than you could ever wear nor am I recommending spending above your means. :)

I love being a woman. I'm glad God made me a woman and I enjoy wearing a variety of clothing. And while I build much of my wardrobe on more classic pieces, I also enjoy having a few of the more recent trends. It keeps me young (wait, I am young!), current, and somewhat fashionable. Recognizing that we are women created by God and often given the creative desire to dress in a pleasing manner is important. I don't want, say, 5 mix-and-match outfits, 2 sets of jewelry, and 2 pairs of shoes. Part of who I am and part of celebrating my womanhood is dressing in beautiful (hopefully), stylish, and diverse clothing.

Perhaps the biggest thing is that my husband prefers me to dress this way. He notices and appreciates when I wear clothes that complement my body type, are in season, and are fashionable. There are some things he absolutely does not like me to wear and so I don't. What I choose to wear honors him and pleases him.

I do not usually buy designer clothes, I have shopped at Thrift Stores, I have made some of my own clothes (okay, not for years - I was never very good at it), I do shop at outlet malls, and I definitely always shop on sale. There are very, very few things I have ever bought at full price (scrubs and work shoes being the exceptions). Oh and I don't shop often and we donate or pass on to friends or family anything we are no longer wearing.

If God calls us to minister in another country, changes our economic circumstances, or has another plan for us then I will truly be okay with changing my wardrobe habits accordingly. But right now, this is where He has us.

So I'm making a case for more variety without guilt. I'm suggesting a little more creativity balanced with frugality. If your individual circumstances don't allow or your personal style is different that's okay but please don't make the rest of us feel guilty for buying a cute shirt, the perfect pair of earrings, or an adorable new pair of shoes. We are just enjoying being women.

It's not about the brand or the store or the style or about how much money you spend. It's about celebrating womanhood, honoring the man in your life, and staying within your budget. Okay, you can throw the tomatoes now... :)

Date Night In

My husband and I struggle to actually have date nights. Between schedules, sitters, and cost, it's just tough but we know it's important!

So last night, we decided to feed the boys and play with them for a little while before putting them to bed. While Andrew started to get them ready for bed, I began our dinner (grilled chicken, sweet potatoes and green beans, salad, and cheesecake w/strawberries). After tucking the boys in, we enjoyed a leisurely semi-gourmet dinner with uninterrupted conversation out on the deck. We finished the evening with a new movie.

So we had dinner and a movie without ever leaving - it was wonderful and cheap! We felt as relaxed and rested (if not more so!) as when we go out. We are going to *try* and do this more often! It totally works for me! For more ideas visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Trash to Treasure

Yesterday as we were driving home from church, we saw a kitchen table with the trash pile at a recently sold house. We stopped to look at it and realized it was not only in great condition but that it went with the chairs we already have. A kitchen table has been on our list of needed things (ours seats 4 but had no room to put anything on it other than place settings) but it had plummeted to the bottom of the list as we made do. This table is at least half again as big, seats 6, and is sturdier than our previous one. We have been blessed twice with kitchen tables (our previous one was also free) and we are rejoicing in God's gift! It's amazing to see how even the seemingly insignificant things in our life don't escape God's notice and provision. A good reminder and one that will be constantly before us as we share meals around our new-to-us table.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I know, a post on the weather is rather boring but hear me out. :) This has been the coldest, wettest, spring I remember. It has rained so much that I think we've maybe had our sprinkler on once for the garden. It is so dreary.

We've had several quite severe storms and our children don't sleep particularly well through them which means we don't either. Last night, Patrick said amidst tears, "No more thunder." We've too often been hearing the pitter-patter of feet as they run to our room and jump in our bed (thank goodness for king size beds) but then Calvin doesn't sleep at all. And while they are so sweet and we are so glad they feel safe and protected with us, we are tired.

Today, I braved the weather and headed out to some neighborhood garage sales with my good friend, Heather, and a couple of our sisters. We were soaked to the bone and cold but determined. The excursion was all the more memorable and fun because we spent the morning together - even taking a break for yummy waffles and hot drinks. It was worth it. My favorite find was a small cabinet/buffet for $5.

So, we are rained out. The roads are washed out in areas, people are being evacuated south of us due to flooding, and our yard is more than squishy. We are longing for sunshine and warmth. And we are longing for a night of sleep without interruption. Maybe next week?

Farmer's Market Finds

I went to the organic & natural farmer's market today at Trader's Point Creamery and here are my purchases:

1 approx. 3# whole chicken (yes, I'm making myself do the whole chicken :)) - $2.85/lb.
1 lb. breakfast sausage - $3.50
1 bunch asparagus - $4.00
1 bag mixed mustard greens - $5.00
1 bag pea shoots - $3.00

The pea shoots are new greens to me. The farmer let me try them before buying and they are delicious! He said you can use them in stir-frys, salads, etc. but not really in soups. They taste kind of like fresh spring peas. Yum!

All in all, a productive trip. The organic chicken will feed us for at least 3 meals as will all the different greens, the sausage for 2-3, and the asparagus for 2-3. This was the first market held outside this year and it was a beautiful day to be there!

Farmer's Market

In our quest to eat more locally and seasonally (continued from last year and spurred on by my recent reading - Plenty and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), I plan to highlight some of the resources that have been helpful. May and June are usually the beginning months of the farmer's market season, so I will also begin sharing some of my finds and trying some different markets. This may be helpful to some of you that live here in Indiana and may encourage those of you living elsewhere to look into your own local markets.

I will say that (as I have mentioned before) Trader's Point Creamery is my favorite local market so far. The produce and meat are mostly grown and raised using organic or natural practices. The farmers are always willing to answer questions and they have a beautiful location that just inspires your creativity. The other shoppers are always friendly and I've had several products recommended and recipes shared.

Shopping at a Farmer's Market takes a little extra time - you can't go whenever you want (usually they have 1 or 2 days a week) and you may not be able to buy all the things on your grocery list. I would contend, however, that patronizing the local farmer's market accomplishes many things:

1) Supports local agriculture.
2) Ensures the highest quality of food.
3) Creates awareness of seasonal foods in a society where you can buy all foods all year.
4) Fosters a feeling of community as you rub shoulders with vendors and other shoppers.
5) Decreases our contribution to the energy crisis.
6) Inspires with it's beauty and tantalizing sights.

We are committed to it for all of the above and because it just tastes better! I have found that my "needs" from the grocery store are less and often I will skip it all together in favor of the farmer's market. I would rather pay a little more for better quality fruits, vegetables, and meats that are locally produced. And the best part is that it isn't always more expensive - it depends on what you are buying, when you are buying it (as in time of year), and how much was grown (how well the crop did). Another wonderful thing is that your money is going directly to the farms and the families that run them.

Some things to consider as the market season begins:

1) Be willing to try new vegetables and fruits - the farmers will tell you how to use them. We discovered watermelon and lime radishes last year and really enjoyed them.
2) If you like something, be sure and tell the farmer the next time you are at the market. I know it would make my day!
3) Bring your own baskets, tote bags, or re-usable bags - they may have plastic ones available but it's far better for the environment to bring your own.
4) Know that you may spend a little more but consider the benefits. Remember these are almost always family-run farms.
5) Purpose to use everything you buy - maybe you can cut some other things out of the budget and maximize your use of the great products you find.
6) Return egg cartons as much as possible if you buy the farm fresh eggs (I highly recommend them!).
7) Ask the farmers questions - they love what they do and are usually proud of their products. They will share information about their farm, nutrition, recipes, etc. They are a great resource and have lots of experience.

Enjoy it! There really is nothing like wandering around the market feasting with your eyes and maybe with your mouth, too. They often feature yummy baked goods in addition to produce!

To find a market near you - check out this site listing Indiana markets. For those of you not in Indiana, try this site, check with your local health food store, or find them listed in the newspaper.

Warming Up!

It's warming up - finally! I'm can't wait to work out in the yard and plant the garden. And Farmer's Market season is almost here! There is nothing like the fresh vegetables and fruit that come directly to your table from local growers. I went to Trader's Point Creamery last Saturday and saw the first fresh greens! In May, they will move the market outside and change to Friday evenings. I enjoy patronizing the same market because it's given me a chance to know the various vendors a little better.

I've spent alot of time this winter thinking (and reading!) about how to be a wise steward in the area of food. So, I'm considering other ways to cut back on grocery store spending this summer in favor of buying local. My goal is to do it without spending more money overall. I'm not sure how this will work out yet but I'm really looking forward to it!

Freegan

I don't watch Oprah very often but happened to today and I'm intrigued. Are you familiar with the Freegan lifestyle? The first half of her show was about it. I had never heard of this way of life. It's an environmentally friendly lifestyle that flies in the face of consumerism and materialism. Seriously, I kind of want to try it.

This way of life promotes not only frugality but also decreasing waste. They get things out of dumpsters! Those interviewed mostly get food and products from dumpsters outside grocery stores or retail stores. I was amazed at the quality products that were tossed because of expiration date, damage, bruises etc. One lady interviewed said that a dozen eggs will be thrown away because one is broken. The same lady told about how she found 100-1 lb. bags of coffee beans in a dumpster. The packages were intact but they had expired. As she pointed out - do roasted coffee beans actually expire? And even my mom has commented that companies are forced to put expiration dates on products that don't expire or certainly have a longer shelf life than listed.

The people interviewed are not doing it because they are poor. It seems that it's not uncommon for it to be quite the contrary - in fact, one couple represented are employed as a doctor and engineer. They are working to pay off their mortgage and they donate a fair amount. It seems that freegans choose that lifestyle because they want to avoid the materialism that is so prevelant in our society and conserve the environment. It was mentioned several times about how much waste is generated throughout our country.

It sounds gross to eat things out of a dumpster but it seemed that they were careful to only take things that were still packaged without punctures, still sealed, etc., cleaned fruits & vegetables very well (not necessarily in packages), and were conscious to not endanger themselves. [Side note: After reading the NY times article below, maybe this doesn't fully apply - some found 1/2 eaten jars of peanut butter that they were happy about it.] While it seems the movement may stem from the Vegan lifestyle, I noticed that the people interviewed today had dairy products and didn't necessarily follow a vegan diet.

It totally makes me want to just try it one time to see how it works. The freegans certainly did not seem to be lacking in good quality food and their basic needs were met. Their cost of living is low (they did note that they spend a little per month on what they cannot find). I was amazed at their dedication to this lifestyle. Those interviewed today were humble, simple-living people that are living out their values. As with any movement, there are extremes and some of those are definitely reflected in the article below. And it does sound like there can be legal ramifications if your city or state does not allow dumpster digging or if you are trespassing, of course.

Anyway, as I stated at the beginning, I'm intrigued. It was an interesting program and an interesting idea. Andrew and I are constantly discussing sustainable living - architecture, food, etc. and this certainly relates to those concepts although it is probably a little extreme for us. :) For further information, here are some websites that focus on this way of life: Freegan Kitchen, Freegan.info, and a NY Times article.