What don't you spend money on?
GI2MR Weekly Theme 2: November 4th
Raw Food not only changes your relationship with health - it also changes your relationship with money. Raw Food and holistic education starts to make you really present to where your dollars are going and what impact they have on people + the planet.
Question: What don't you spend money on now that you use to? How have your dollars shifted since embarking on your health journey? What business do you support and not support?
Specific examples would be fantastic! We want to learn from your experiences.
This topic was inspired by a post I recently wrote titled Everyday is Voting Day.
Raw Food not only changes your relationship with health - it also changes your relationship with money. Raw Food and holistic education starts to make you really present to where your dollars are going and what impact they have on people + the planet.
Question: What don't you spend money on now that you use to? How have your dollars shifted since embarking on your health journey? What business do you support and not support?
Specific examples would be fantastic! We want to learn from your experiences.
This topic was inspired by a post I recently wrote titled Everyday is Voting Day.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on -
I loooove the Ecopolitan and American Apparel! I live within walking distance of both :)
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Permalink Reply by Nicole Brenny on -
I don't buy clothes or phones or...cds.. I actually only really buy food and sometimes one new item of clothing as needed. I do not support a lot of businesses that I used to support.. Like big grocery stores selling dilapidated produce (such as Rainbow foods). I NEVER support Walmart!
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Permalink Reply by Sistina on -
One particular change I'd like to mention. I switched over to GladRags for that time of the month and I'm very pleased with them. Not only do I save the money but they are remarkably more comfortable. I hide the used ones in an ice cream bucket soaking in water under the sink until I'm ready to wash them all. I recently traveled and used "normal" sanitary pads and hated them, hated the way they wad up, felt sorry for my girl getting rubbed with all of those chemicals.
My biggest challenge is the black hole of the gas tank. But I just moved to Portland Oregon and once I get into my groove I'll be biking as much as possible. Thank goodness it's a bicycle friendly city.
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Permalink Reply by Bethany on -
Right now, I am not spending money on non-fair trade clothes (except for shoes, so far I haven't found a good fair trade shoe supplier).
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Permalink Reply by dandylion on -
(first post...yay!)
1. i dont buy cosmetics anymore(except shampoo)...i make my own at home. spending less than before.
2. i got rid of everything plastic. it cost me more to buy glass and stainless steel, but its ok in the long run.
3. my cleaning supplies have dwindled down to vinegar and baking soda. not bad.
4. i grow my own herbs..and oh, home grown catnip and cat grass too!
5. my pets are not on a raw diet, but i try to entice them with home made food..so far, little success..but i'll get there someday.
6. i havent been to a yoga class in a while...i got david swenson CDs instead...i like practicing by myself.
7. my doctor is a homeopath...which means i pay more for the visits than with a regular doctor, but i dont put poison in my body in the form of medicines. no more over-the-counter medication either.
8. i make a lot of gifts at home. most of my friends(i myself am not 100% raw) are not raw...so i never run out of ideas for food gifts.
9. i havent been to a mall in ages...it depresses me these days.
as my spending pattern is different, i have worked out a budget and try to stay within it. when i got the juicer, it was a huge chunk of cash, but i 'made it up' within two months because i consciously wanted to keep expenses within acceptable limits. instead of my usual donation to the shelter, i used it to buy ingredients for a charity dinner. from the money i earned with that, i was able to donate twice as much and kept 1/4 of proceeds for myself! when one asks oneself if one 'needs' or 'wants'...expenses whittle down very quickly. and pennies add up quickly!
restaurant food have never impressed me because i am a chef..and i think i am spending a little more on produce than before at home...mostly because i need a lot more produce for the juicing habit i have recently acquired. food costs have increased, but not much. overall...in other areas.. i have spent a little bundle, but i consider it capital expenditure and they wont be recurring every month.
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Permalink Reply by Gil on -
restaurants definitely. Snack foods too. Although a few trips to the raw ones usually add up to the same or more.
Electricity...very aware of the energy I used to waste with all my appliances, especially the TV which I would leave on all night sometimes.
Spend more on books than ever before.
Definitely support more causes/charities that I believe with my $$$.
Organic produce.
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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on -
Surprisingly-the Gym. I was such a Gym rat. Now those screaming lights, germ infested equipment and yelling makes me run to the peaceful Greenway or to my yoga mat.
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Permalink Reply by Caleb on -
I have to watch what I spend since my grocery bill is so high now but it somewhat evens out with eating out way less and no buying cokes or candy randomly I'm also spending more money on organic hair and cleaning product. It's an expensive lifestyle but worth it in some ways
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Permalink Reply by micki on -
Interesting! I seem to be spending less in spite of going organic in food/cleaning/other products. Maybe it depends on where a person lives?
Wanted also to mention the things I DO (or did when I started out raw)spend money on.
I made a commitment, and invested money on:
1. Nice used food dehydrator (5 dollars at a garage sale) and used it until it broke around 10 years later. Originally I had bought it to make meat jerky (pre-raw)
2. A new dehydrator (Good4U brand) that works great. It now sits where the micro wave used to be.
3. Glass mason jars with plastic (non-bpa) lids, other glass receptacles for food storage and refrigeration.
4. A Le'quip auger juicer, that I've had since 2002 and it's still going strong.
5. Recently I purchased a Vita Mix...I LOVE it! and use it several times a day every day for green smoothies.
6. A very good nut cracker made especially to crack macadamias (I buy macs in bulk in the shell, much less expensive and they are fresher)
7. 5 or 6 reusable grocery bags @ 99 cents apiece.
After the initial investments I am spending much less each week since I don't buy the junk foods/beverages I used to.
I'm also spend much less on transportation since I need to shop less as well
No make up or corporate company cosmetics. I too use the organic locally made stuff and need to use less of it.
I still use soap, organic shampoo and rinse, jojoba oil, coconut oil (it's GREAT for hair, and a little goes a long way), apple cider vinegar as a facial toner. Haven't used conventional make up in years, except the mineral based stuff I get a a local health food store (not tested on animals).
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Permalink Reply by Tory on -
I don't spend money on: Anything I don't need- as in books that I only read once and give away, extra clothes, makeup, hair care products, perfume, Netflix, Blockbuster, etc. (there's the library for that), movie tickets, CDs, pointless car trips, eating out, meaningless presents. I'm sure there are more.
What I do spend it on: organic food. Number one for sure, above all. I recently bought a Vitamix, and have a stainless steel water bottle. The donations I've made have been through Kiva, and one donation to Wikipedia. Nontoxic household cleaners and detergents.
Latest Activity
oh I love you guys
I was out all day and just came home to read all this lovely advice and I appreciate it so so very much, thank you everyone for your help. I'm on it with the ginger, cinnamon, garlic, honey water and sleeping :) blessings to you all
it does. taste like it too. i can testify
this must have been where i got my idea for one of my music videos.
oh Im not sure I ever saw you there
Yes I think I taste good.
Ha... then.... why not just get a jump rope? You could have saved a ton of cash.
YOU DO I WAS RAW BALLERINA ON THERE BEFORE THEY CHANGED AND DELETED EVERYBODIES JOURNALS
I bet juggler is GREAT exercise. For the brain, with the hands crossing the body's mid-line is beneficial.
I just ordered a Cellercise, an advanced rebounder, the presenter likened it somewhat to skipping rope.
I favor organic apples on sale anywhere, especially Whole Foods, when they're 99cents/lb (culture shock).
Family Pit
Wikipedia says there are over 7,500 different apple varieties...
http://www.allaboutapples.com/varieties/
Some recent good ones I had are:
Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, Orin...
and the Pink Lady has been one of my favs for some time now.
A lot of em ...
Keep it simple! GINGER! You can make a tea with grated fresh ginger and just pour some hot water over.
Isn't the panda gorgeous? And yes it really is eating an apple.
I can't take credit for the picture though. It comes from Flickr and was taken by Swamibu.
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