New Years resolutions hey… who thought I’d actually still be talking about it in February!?! Well, surprisingly this year I’ve stuck at it and I’m damn proud at that! And rather than just deciding NOT to do something I thought I’d update you on the progress that has taken place, well, in place of doing just that.

For those unaware my New Years resolution was to stop shopping at Woolworths and Coles. Woohoo! And this is surprisingly turning out to be SO much easier than I thought. So without further ado these are the steps I have taken so far that are bringing more joy to my life than those horrible chain-gangs ever did;

• Have made friends with a local farmer who encourages people to visit his farm and pick their own veggies! (This by the way works out SOOOOOO much cheaper than supermarket produce, is all organic, and is directly supporting my local community)
• Got to know my local butcher who stocks regional organic meats and sources local grass-fed lamb hearts for me to make homemade dog food for Jetty. (He even cut them up and vacuum sealed them for me this week!!! WIN!!!)
• FINALLY got to order toilet paper online from Who Gives A Crap!! This is something I have wanted to do for YEARS but living on my own I never really used that much nor had space to store them. (It’s amazing how living with a man can dramatically increase TP usage!!)
• Made my own mould spray using water, unscented castille soap (to mix the oil and water), and essential oils of clove and sweet orange
• Have been shopping at our local IGA when there’s been something particularly ‘supermarketty’ that we’ve needed
• Visit the local health food store for bulk dry goods (we take our own jars), last minute fruit / veg or pantry items, milk, butter and bread
• Enjoy the Friday farmers markets for local olive oil (we fill our own bottle), local tempeh, local meats (including dried tendons that the dog LOVES to munch on), fruit and veg, sauerkraut (when I don’t feel like making my own), and morning coffee and pastries!!
• And after a bit of research I’m (finally) about to make my first batch of tooth powder. This is (again) something I have wanted to do for years but have never got around to it

There’s something wildly liberating about this, and I’ve got to be honest, shopping without the fluoro lights, awful music, aisles and aisles and aisles of shit I don’t need nor want, the packaging, the plastic, the waste, the advertising screaming at me, the children screaming at their parents because of the advertising screaming at them… it’s makes sourcing my food a far more peaceful, focused and enjoyable experience.

Would you like to give up the big supermarkets? What is just one thing you could do this week that would reduce your reliance on the supermarket? Just one tiny little change you could make, maybe there’s one product you could make yourself, something you could buy from a local supplier, something you could source from a neighbour, friend, family or community member, something you could grow yourself. I’d love to know.

Have a great week.