Thrifty Threads: Earth Day Edition

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, a yard sale, craigslist, ebay, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today's model is yours truly, finally getting into the swing of buying used clothing. I found this whimsical and original t-shirt at a high-end consignment shop on the half-off rack, which came to $7. It's hand appliqued and sequined in a cute design and I love the colors. The jean jacket appeared to be brand new and fit me perfectly, and set me back $9 at Goodwill. I'm very happy with that purchase because I've never found a jean jacket that was both fitted AND comfortable.

Okay readers, it's your turn. I'm getting very low on photos, so please put on your favorite thrift store score, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. We all want to see your fabulous finds. Any age and size is welcome, but I would particularly love to see some pretty spring dresses, florals, and bright colors. Something festive and fun now that winter is finally coming to an end.

Please tell us your favorite tips for secondhand shopping in the Comments section. And click here if you'd like to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

The gratefuls

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. I'll be back tomorrow with a brand-new Thrifty Threads.

My husband and I don't have kids, so I don't often post photos of cute children on my blog. But I can post pictures of my friend's kids, especially when I have something to say about them.

This is Lukas, the son of a good friend of mine. My friend will wonder why I'm posting a photo that's over three years old. Lukas turned 4 the other day and there are tons of adorable photos that are more recent. But I have my reasons. For one thing, it's one of my favorite photos of him, and perfectly captures his unadulterated joy. The other reason is because I love that we do that pose in my yoga class, and it's actually called "Happy Baby pose." And this post is about happiness.

I'm very interested in studies on happiness and what makes people happy. I find it interesting to wonder if it can actually be quantified. There's a lot of evidence that being grateful actually adds to our sense of well-being. And anecdotally, focusing on what I'm grateful for counterarracts the tendency to be constantly striving, wanting more, and wanting things to be different.

Sometimes Lukas and his mom practice what they call "the gratefuls" during dinner. They name something they're grateful for that day, or that moment. It could be one thing or five things. And one night when I was eating with them, when asked about his gratefuls, Lukas said, "I'm grateful that Auntie Ang is here eating dinner with us." It was totally unprompted and spontaneous. Now THAT'S something to be grateful for.

Being thankful for what's in my life, especially the people and relationships, gives me an immediate sense of calm. This is how I practice it: whenever I think of it - once a day, once a week, a few times a week, or a couple of times a day - I think of or write down 5 things I'm grateful for. I don't make it a chore, or a "have to" or another item on my "to-do" list, I simply do it whenever I think about it. And I like to call them "my gratefuls."

What I notice is that they are very nearly always the same: my husband, my friends, my family, the fact that I can walk and run and breathe easily and move my body freely, the fact that my husband and I are in good health, that kind of thing. When you pare it down to the essentials, what's important is hardly ever material. So I might be really excited about our beautiful new kitchen floor, but I'm grateful for a husband who worked so hard to make it happen.

What are you grateful for? Do you practice thankfulness, at a place of worship or on your own? Do you think it makes you happier? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments section.

Why are you frugal, or semi-frugal, or resourceful?

The following is a reprint of a previously published post.

After I wrote yesterday's post "What do you splurge on?" it occurred to me that maybe I should have started with the question "Why are you frugal?" Because there's no point in being frugal for the sake of being frugal. There needs to be a reason, which ranges from sheer necessity (for example, you live on a fixed income or you're trying to support a family on minimum wage or you've been laid off from your job) to all manner of lifestyle goals and ideals.

One of my readers suggested that if I was uncomfortable with the term "frugal," perhaps I should substitute "resourceful." I like that. It brings to mind a sensible person, cheerfully making do with their circumstances. Creating a gourmet meal out of forgotten pantry items, making a cozy home in the wilderness, sewing stylish clothing out of burlap bags. Sort of a cross between Marmie from Little Women and MacGyver (ingenious uses for everyday items).

So WHY am I resourceful? There are many reasons, but they mostly revolve around wanting to create a lifestyle that meshes with my values and goals. The values have to do with non-consumerism and protecting the environment and trying not to use more than my fair share of the earth's resources. The goals involve wanting to work less, while at the same time doing work I enjoy and having control over my own schedule.

It all comes down to priorities. Mine have just never been to have a big house, an expensive car, lots of jewelry, or STUFF. They've always had more of an experiential element, and include doing work and activities I love, having time for my husband and friends, and not being tied down to a schedule. Also, living on less lets me feel more in control and less panicked if my husband or I get less work or if the economy takes a turn for the worse. Having money for an emergency and not living on credit means that we're not so dependent on jobs or the economy.

If I gave the impression yesterday that I was frugal just so I could spend money on travel, boots, and spas, that's not the case. I do splurge on some things, but they're not the overall point of a frugal or resourceful lifestyle. Joining The Compact was an extension of the way I was already living rather than a radical experiment, and I've realized that even more because nearly five months later, I've had hardly any challenges or temptations to wrestle with.

I'm not trying to recruit members for The Compact, but I guess in a way I AM trying to relate how simple it is to live on less. Maybe give a little hope to people who are doing it by necessity. How it can actually be creative, invigorating, and yes... fun! Because believe me, if you saw our lifestyle, I don't think anyone would call it deprived. Except for maybe someone like Donald Trump, who I would consider the exact opposite of me. It's hard to believe we're the same species, really. The only thing I can think of that we have in common is a thick head of hair. But then again, his is probably fake.

Why are you frugal, or semi-frugal, or resourceful? Or do you prefer another label entirely? Please tell us your thoughts in the Comments section.

CSA delivery: or, how to make Monday your favorite day of the week

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. I'll be back this Thursday with a brand-new Thrifty Threads post.


Getting this delivery of local organic produce every two weeks has changed our lives! Cooking is more fun, and my husband is eating more fruit. On top of being better for the environment by cutting down transportation costs and supporting the local farmers, this stuff is much fresher, so it lasts longer, and it tastes absolutely delicious.

Here's a rundown of this week's bounty (I definitely need to consult the list because I don't know what some of it is): starting from the back and moving roughly clockwise is watermelon, bi-colored sweet corn, cavallion melon, red butter lettuce, a beefsteak tomato, zucchini, Ronde nice squash, cherry tomatoes, black grapes, homemade tomato sauce, plums, nectarines, red onions, rooted basil, and Armenian cucumber. Those purple goodies in the middle? Fresh Black Eyed Peas in the Shell. I've never seen those before.

I can't decide what to have for dinner tonight. I'm really excited about the corn, we'll have to eat that. Maybe I'll tackle those Black Eyed Peas, there are instructions on how to prepare them. And I'll definitely be referring to all the zucchini recipes I received from my readers when I cook that zucchini later this week.

I've posted today's recipe below, although we didn't receive eggplant, so something must have changed at the last minute. Our CSA visits four local Farmer's Markets over the weekend and picks the freshest offerings each week.

If you live in Los Angeles, this CSA operates through the restaurant and catering company Auntie Em's. This delivery costs $42, and we're getting it every two weeks, which is plenty for two people. I like what the owner has to say in this week's newsletter about the whole issue of trying to eat responsibly for our bodies and the planet: "I think that we should all try to do the best we can, and be proud that we're making a difference. Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you're not eating grass-fed beef, if you are buying organic produce, recycle, and are walking more places. It is really hard to do it all. But you can make good choices everyday."

I agree. And Auntie Em's is helping my husband and I make a good choice. I believe that many people making a lot of small changes has a greater impact than if a few of us become Ed Begley, Jr. (no offense to EB). The point is that you do what you can, and it all adds up. For me, the baby steps method works well so that I don't become overwhelmed. I can incorporate small changes into our lives like composting and eating local produce without a huge outlay of time or resources.

Becoming a non-consumer has led to a slew of other healthy lifestyle/good for the environment changes for me. What about you? Do you have a CSA option or Farmer's Market near where you live? Maybe you grow your own produce. Have you ever made Black Eyed Peas from the pod? Do you boil or steam fresh corn? Please leave your thoughts and questions in the Comments section.

Another Food Waste Friday

The following is a reprint of a previously published post.

No picture... no food waste!

I actually ate the less-than-appetizing sauteed kale from a few nights ago in order to avoid taking a photo of it. I sauteed it again with olive oil and garlic, and added salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, parmesan, bread crumbs, and toasted pine nuts. The result? It would be a stretch to call it delicious, but it was tasty.

It reminds me of something my husband told me. Back in Alabama where he grew up, there was a women's dress shop called "Betty's Big Girls." He always got a kick out of their ad which was, "If you can't lose that weight, dress it up pretty." Well, I dressed that kale up pretty. And I'm going to consider today's lunch a successful experiment in behavior modification. And thanks to my husband, the Eat Me! section of the refrigerator has been entirely cleared out. Ladies and gentlemen, human beings CAN be trained to change their behavior. I give you Exhibit A (me) and Exhibit B (my husband).

I also have to thank my readers for helping me to avoid soy milk and fennel ending up in this week's photo. The soy milk made a couple of smoothies, and my husband ate the rest with cereal. And the fennel was delicious sliced up into a salad, which we ate two nights in a row. Thanks for all your great suggestions.

So why are hundreds, or maybe thousands, of people posting photos of their weekly food waste on their blogs? It's not a new aesthetic, found art, or a diet fad. It's a way of taking responsibility for what we buy, eat, and throw away. And making it public helps with our level of responsibility and commitment.

Kristen over at the excellent blog The Frugal Girl may have been the first person to use the method of taking a photo of her waste. Her Waste-No-Food Challenge now has many followers. And it all started with Jonathan Bloom over at Wasted Food, who is on a mission to stop food waste across the nation. Check out his blog to learn about why it matters that we all start thinking more about what we're throwing out.

And if you're wasting LOTS of food, keep this in mind. We all started there. When you're at the market, maybe you buy too much produce with the good intention that you'll eat it all. Maybe you buy snacks that end up being a meal instead of that fresh produce. The point is, once you start thinking about it and focusing on it, there are all kinds of tips and tricks to use the food you already have, to eat the produce while it's still fresh, and to avoid throwing food away.

So how did you do this week? Have you joined the Waste-No-Food Challenge yet? Please leave your thoughts, questions, anecdotes, and musings in the Comments section.

Thrifty Threads

The following is a reprint of a previously published Thrifty Threads. I'm on my way to Florida to visit my 92-year-old grandfather, so I've picked some of my favorite posts from last year that I hope you'll enjoy for the next few days. I'll be back next Thursday with a brand new Thrifty Threads.

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y Outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is anything used or recycled, from the Goodwill, a thrift store, or a consignment shop.

Today's model is Jenna, who bought this fabulous dressy dress for just $10 at Crossroads Trading Company in Seattle. Jenna lives in Spokane, but goes to Seattle a couple of times a year just to shop in their great thrift stores. She wore this beautiful dress at her graduation from Whitworth University, where the photo with her friends was taken. Since then, she's worn it to a lot of other fancy events like the Nutcracker ballet during the holidays, and her birthday dinner with her boyfriend.

Jenna just bought a new house (congratulations!) so she says she doesn't have a lot of money to spend on designer clothes. But that doesn't mean she can't be stylish. She says this is her most prized consignment store find, it's super soft and has a row of purple jewels along the waistline. It really is beautiful. It makes me want to hit the secondhand stores right now.

Good for you Jenna for buying a house and for wanting to change your lifestyle so that you waste less. Since you're starting to make wise purchases so young, you probably will be able to avoid the trap a lot of people get in when they get out of college and start racking up their credit cards and living beyond their means.

Readers, put on your favorite thrift store finds, take a picture, and send it to me. I would love to be able to do this segment every Thursday, for now I'm going to do it at least every other week as long as I get enough photos. So keep them coming! We want to see your fabulous finds of all kinds: dressy and casual, large and small, men and women. Thanks for participating Jenna. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Do you buy secondhand clothes? What's your favorite score? Can you believe she found that dress for just $10, something that probably cost 10 or 20 times that much new? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments section.

Shop Until We Drop

A new poll has found that the average woman spends EIGHT YEARS of her life shopping. I'll give you a minute to digest that...

Have you recovered yet? This news makes me happier than ever that I found out about The Compact. On my deathbed, I don't think I'll wish I had shopped MORE.

Much of the shopping women do is for their family: buying household essentials and keeping them fed and clothed. But the average woman apparently also goes window shopping 51 times a year. Wow. Well, it's not news to me that I'm not the "average woman." That's okay.

The poll found that women make an average of 301 individual shopping trips per year, for a total of 399 hours. In my union, that would be just one hour short of the minimum hours you need to work to keep up your membership.

301 individual shopping trips per year??? There are only 365 days in a year, so people shop almost every day? That's inconceivable to me, Compact or not. I have never in my life shopped nearly every day.

The average woman also spent 40 hours looking for shoes. An entire workweek!

The only part of this poll that doesn't depress me is the 31 hours women spend shopping for books.

I do need to shop for food and essentials, I'll estimate that is easily less than 100 hours per year.

And here's how I'll be spending the time I'm NOT shopping, about 300 hours: reading, writing, walking, learning, spending time with my husband and my friends, trying new recipes, traveling, seeing plays, attending concerts, watching movies, listening to music, taking classes, laughing... and the list goes on and on...

Click here to read the entire article.

What do you think? How many years of your life will you spend shopping? What would you rather be doing? Weigh in with your thoughts in the Comments section.

Blue Hair Day

This is far from my favorite photo of myself. No makeup, bad angle, and I look tired and a little frightened or skeptical of the photographer (my husband!) But I promised you a photograph of my blue hair streak, and you can see it pretty well here. It's already a little faded, but I have my own tube of blue dye now if I want to brighten it up.

Putting this streak in my hair was my non-consumer gift to my husband for his birthday. For years, he's been suggesting that I do something of the sort to my hair, and I always just laugh and humor him, usually saying I was too old for that sort of thing.

This year I went back to my old view of the subject: "It's just hair." It can be colored or survive a really bad cut, and it always grows back. No biggie. It's much more forgiving than a tattoo or piercings in that way. So I figured I would do it for him, and if I hated it, I'd just cover it up in a couple of weeks.

The surprise is that it's been really fun. It's a social experiment to see how people react. A surprising range of men and women, young and old, have been extremely complimentary about it. For some reason, older women and Latino men in their twenties seem particularly fond of it. I don't know what it signifies on their radar, but it's been fascinating.

Most importantly, my husband loves it. He was absolutely thrilled that I'd done it, and even a little surprised. And that is definitely a good thing in a marriage, after 17 years together. You tend to be able to predict each other's actions, tastes, and opinions with alarming accuracy, and it's great to mix things up.

So I'm considering re-coloring this bit of hair again and "being blue" for a bit longer. In any case, it was a successful non-consumer gift. Another example of how limitations can spark creativity.

What are your favorite non-consumer gift ideas, to give or to receive? Please share them in the Comments section. And click here if you missed the post about how I navigated the March birthday season, which included my husband, my father, and my brother.

Meatless Monday Recipes

It's Monday, time to share readers' favorite meatless recipes.

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit organization that encourages people to eat less meat, for their own health and the health of the planet. According to their website, "Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save fresh resources like fresh water and fossil fuel."

Click here to learn more about the movement, and if you sign up to go meatless on Mondays, they'll send you a weekly email packed with delicious meatless recipes.

And now for some reader suggestions:

Frugal Gravy like canned beans, diced tomatoes, corn, spices and Mexican hot sauce on Navajo tortillas. That's a super-easy suggestion that you can whip up in no time.

Simple in France recommends crepes filled with spinach and mushrooms, quinoa salad with apples, carrots and raisins, or sourdough pancakes. All great ideas! I think I'll try a simple crepe recipe and post about it here.

Ellen at Within My Means loves potato bars, and suggests mixing it up by doing sweet potatoes instead of regular ones. That's right up my alley, because I LOVE sweet potatoes. I usually eat the dark orange ones, which I think are actually yams.

I also got a couple of great ideas for using up greens on my CSA post last week that are definitely meatless, like this recipe for Spaghetti and Greens from Laura at Thinner and Wiser. Laura says they eat a lot of greens and it's one of their favorites.

And Magdalena offers this simple soup that she made for Easter: Take 4 cups of broth and heat to simmering. Add 3 cups of any kind of chopped green and simmer about 3 minutes. Have ready a cup of freshly grated parmesan or other hard cheese, a Tablespoon of flour, and one egg, all blended together with a fork. Turn up the heat under the broth, and as it comes to boiling, stir in the cheese/egg mixture. It will separate into little flakes, like egg drop soup. Add 1/4 cup chives or other mild leafy herb, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with good homebaked bread. Magdalena says it makes an excellent lunch or first course. That sounds delicious!

Thanks readers for all your terrific ideas! If YOU have a simple meatless recipe you'd like to share, please tell us about it in the Comments section and I'll include it in the next Meatless Monday post. And click here if you want to peruse the recipes in previous posts.

Food Waste Friday and Favorite Blog Post of the Week

It's Friday, and we've got no food waste. Yay!

Some things we did that helped this week:

1) I bought less at the grocery store because the refrigerator was packed with leftovers.

2) We ATE those leftovers. This is usually quite easy for us when it's a whole meal, like chili or a crockpot creation. It's a little harder when it's bits and pieces. I had one lunch that was black beans, collard greens, and swiss chard. Not exactly a balanced meal, but it used up the leftovers. My husband put odds and ends into a couple of burritos, so those tortillas are coming in handy lately.

3) I gave away some baked goods while they were still fresh.

4) We ate most of the CSA greens right away: sauteed, in Guadalajaran Swiss Chard Quesadillas, and in greens risotto. We'll have more tonight in a salad.

If you want to know how kicking the habit of throwing food away will help the environment and save you money, check out Wasted Food. And go to The Frugal Girl to see how Kristen and a lot of other bloggers are documenting the food they toss in an effort to waste less.

Now on to my Favorite Blog Post of the Week: Catherine at The Vegan Good Life wrote a great post called Economic Stimulus: I Did it My Way. It's about her frustration with the idea that we're supposed to do our part to end the recession by going to the mall. She says there are a lot of ways to support the economy without going on a shopping spree, and then gives examples (with pictures) of going to the movies, borrowing from the library, attending community events, and picnicking. Catherine is also an avid thrift store shopper and restaurant-goer, two other activities that fit the category well.

And while you're there, I also loved this week's post called The Vegetarian Good Life? where she muses on the difficulties of being 100% vegan, disliking labels, and choosing to be honest about the realities of being true to a lifestyle that's still considered exotic to many people.

Catherine's blog is a perfect mix of thoughtful and fun in my book. I love her photos of delicious-looking vegan food, and super-cute thrifted clothing, along with her philosophical take on life.

Are you watching your food waste? How did you do this week? Please leave your tips for wasting less in the Comments section. And feel free to weigh in on Catherine's posts: Must we go shopping at the mall? Is the vegan life a good one? And is Harry Potter better in French?

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, ebay, craigslist, freecycle, a yard sale, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today's models are Lisa and Marie. Marie sent me this charming photo after I wrote this post about attending Pasadena's annual Jane Austen Ball. Lisa and Marie wear their Regency attire to their own Jane Austen Ball in Rochester, New York, although Marie says that technically her gold gown should be referred to as "Regency" in quotation marks since it's not strictly authentic. Marie says it's made-in-India rayon, but the embroidery is done by hand. It's perfect for Thrifty Threads because it's from the Salvation Army, where she picked it up for just $7.99! Marie says it always gets a lot of compliments, and I can see why, it's a beautiful dress.

As far as her accessories, Marie describes the gold cross as "gloriously fake, but similar in design to the one given to Jane Austen by her sailor brother Charles," and it was also purchased at the flagship Syracuse Salvation Army for just $5. The gold plumes were borrowed from Lisa's extensive costume collection that comes from collectors' conventions and ebay, and the black velvet 1920s reticule bag was a gift from a friend.

Lisa's lovely lavender gown is not secondhand, it was made for her, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Lisa conducts workshops for both men and women on how to achieve the Regency look on any budget. For example, men's knee britches can be contrived from sweatpants, baseball pants, or even large-sized Capris. Her "Dressing Mr. Darcy" presentation at the Jane Austen Society's annual meeting in Philadelphia, with a distinguished lineup of models, was a big hit with the delighted audience. That sounds like so much fun! Lisa also teaches people with a few sewing skills how to transform thrift store finds into period-correct wear.

Marie has made good using of her dress: in addition to the ball, she's worn it to two JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) annual general meetings, plus for gala occasions on a JASNA tour of England last year. I didn't even know such a thing existed! To find out about events big and small, and all things Jane, go to the national JASNA website. The society is "dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing."

Marie is regional coordinator and Lisa co-coordinator of their local Syracuse region Jane Austen Society. You can read their blog about local events here.

And if you happen to live in the area and wish to attend the 2010 Rochester Jane Austen Ball in May, you can find out all the details at the Rochester Country Dancers website. Even if you can't go to the ball, you should look at Lisa's fabulous guide to Regency dress for men and women. It covers dress, hair, accessories, and jewelry and has lovely illustrations.

So if you've always wanted to attend a Jane Austen Ball and perhaps dance with a modern Mr. Darcy, now you've got all the resources you need to make your plans. It really is one of my favorite social events of the year.

Thanks Marie and Lisa for inspiring us all to look for secondhand clothing for special events. And maybe even get a few people dancing! Readers, it's your turn. Put on your favorite thrift store score, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. We all want to see your fabulous finds, for any occasion. I'm starting to think it's possible to have an entirely secondhand wardrobe. So keep the photos coming!

Please share your favorite tips for thrift shopping in the comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Green is Good

I'm so happy to be part of a "green roundup" at Your Daily Thread called "Five L.A. Women Bloggers Up to Green Good."

I'm included with an inspiring group:

...A woman who rides the bus every day (believe me, that's a BIG deal in Los Angeles)

...A creative genius who sews A New Dress a Day out of the ugliest garments imaginable, transforming them into stylish ensembles (it doesn't hurt that she looks like a model herself, which is why I stole her cute photo for this post)

...And the intrepid soul who is cleaning up the Santa Monica beach, one 20 minute step at a time. I love her quote: "Who needs an organized cleanup? Just grab a bag, go to the damn beach, and pick some stuff up."

So head on over to Your Daily Thread and check it out! You might be motivated to learn to sew, use public transportation, or pick up trash on the beach. And you'll probably find a blog you love.

Going Organic Part 2

Last month I wrote this post about how I've decided to switch over to organic for all my personal care products. Some of them, like soap and shampoo, will include my husband. But most, like my face lotions and sunscreen, are for myself. It seems I use a LOT more personal care products than he does.

I received such a wealth of information from reader comments that I made a list to keep in my purse, and I thought I'd write up a post as a sort of "organic roundup" that will hopefully be helpful for all of us. I'm including the categories I most need to replace, along with some of the reader suggestions, plus where to purchase if they included that information.

So if you want to go organic, but don't know where to start, here are the tested recommendations of my very smart readers:

SOAP:
Dr. Bronner's tea tree bar soap
L'Occitane
Publix pure castille soap
Organic, homemade soap sold in specialty shops or online
Alaffia shea butter soap (Whole Foods)

SUNSCREEN:
Badger
Burt's Bees
Alba Botanica
Keys (online)

LOTION:
Giovanni (drug stores, Target, Whole Foods)
Nature Clean
Burt's Bees
L'Occitane for hand lotion
Skinbiology
Renew lotion from Melaleuca
Skinceuticals
Earth Mama Angel Baby baby lotion
Terresentials

SHAMPOO:
Organix (drugstore)
Desert Essence
abba (salon)
Dr. Bronner's
Kiss My Face
Ligett's bar shampoo
Aubrey's organics (Whole Foods)
Lavera

MAKEUP:
Burt's Bees for lips
EyesLipsFace.com
everydayminerals.com
Physician's Formula organic (Walgreen's and Target)
Dr. Hauschka

GENERAL BRANDS:
Brittaniesthyme.com
Weleda
Mountain Rose Herbs for organic jojoba oil for bath, moisturizing, and massage lotion
Melaleuca for all products including Nicole Miller makeup and Renew lotion

The website Saffron Rouge carries many organic brands, including Badger, Dr. Bronner's, Weleda, and Dr. Hauschka

The products and brands that got the most raves and multiple mentions were Aubrey's organics shampoo, Burt's Bee's, and Badger lip balm and sleep balm. One reader wrote that she'd been using the sleep balm on her eye area for a short time and her crow's feet had entirely disappeared.

I'm working on switching over our soap first, and so far I've tried Dr. Bronner's, but it got a thumbs-down from my husband, who isn't a big fan of peppermint. I'm not too worried about finding organic soap, but I do need to find a brand that's affordable for everyday use.

And here's another category: a product that isn't specifically labelled or marketed as organic, but which doesn't have any of the offending parabens or other ingredients listed by Vanessa in this post. The facial moisturizer by Bioelements that I've been using for the past few years falls into this category.

You can check the toxicity of a product at Cosmetics Data Base. Also, if you want more details about any of these suggestions, go back to my original Going Organic post and look in the Comments section.

Thanks again to everyone for contributing your knowledge and experience, and if you have more ideas you just have to share with us, feel free to leave them in the Comments section. I'll post updates on products I've tried over the next several months.

UPDATE: L'Occitane is NOT organic, and Origins and Bioelements both score relatively poorly at the cosmetics database, so I'm going to have to switch facial cleansers and find a new face moisturizer. I'm learning every day!

CSA Delivery Day: Spring Edition

I'm so sick of apologizing for the poor photo quality, I've decided to use my birthday money to buy a new digital camera. I've been hemming and hawing for months now, because of not wanting to break The Compact. But I've decided that I'm not comfortable buying a used camera unless it's from someone I know, and since I don't know anyone selling a used camera, I'm going to splurge for the least expensive Canon beginner's model.

My decision to break The Compact for a digital camera will be the subject of another post, however. This post is all about beautiful, delicious CSA produce.

This week we got (roughly clockwise from the back): black kale, Bloomsdale spinach, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, leeks, giant beets, black night carrots, broccoli, strawberries, radishes, artichokes, red potatoes, fennel, red spring onions, and turnips.

We also got a container of roasted red pepper hummus, which isn't in the photo because my husband had already absconded with it.

This is a fantastic delivery. The Bloomsdale spinach is one of our favorites, and my husband loves radishes and spring onions for his self-created lunches. The strawberries are SO sweet, and the purple carrots are beautiful.

Tonight we'll have Guadalajaran swiss chard quesadillas. I love the recipe because I've done a lot of substitutions and it's always good, with any kind of green, almost any kind of cheese, and either corn or flour tortillas. Later this week I'll make a greens risotto, and I also plan on some kind of pureed soup.

One thing I don't think we have to worry about in our house is an iron deficiency, with the amount of greens we've been eating lately.

Creative recipes for greens, or anything else you see pictured here, are always welcome. I use a lot of your suggestions, so thanks! And click here to learn more about CSA and find one in your area.

Continuous Small Treats

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. We just received our Easter ginger cake and I'm looking forward to savoring it with my morning tea.

Our dear sweet neighbor gave us this Easter basket. He baked the ginger cake himself. I can't wait to enjoy it with tea tomorrow afternoon. It will perfectly embody the concept of Continuous Small Treats. By the way, the flag reads "Joyenses Paques," which means "Happy Easter" in French.

The late British novelist Iris Murdoch said "One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats." She was happily married for 43 years to Oxford professor John Bayley. According to Bayley, one of Iris's greatest pleasures was swimming.

So here is my list of 20 small treats for a happy life:

1. homemade ice cream

2. stroking a purring cat

3. listening to the ocean

4. the smell of freshly brewed coffee

5. a room lit only by candles

6. any track on Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"

7. a cup of tea

8. a warm bath at the end of a long day

9. freshly baked bread

10. a note from my sweetheart

11. the cooing of a mourning dove

12. a good hard laugh

13. a walk at magic hour

14. a perfect margarita

15. a horse eating an apple out of your hand

16. fresh herbs

17. reading a good book in my favorite chair

18. black licorice

19. a footrub

20. a big hug

I'll be enjoying my small treat tomorrow at tea time: fresh ginger cake with tea.

What are your favorite small treats? Please share in the Comments section.

Close Encounters with the Animal Kingdom

If you haven't heard this story about a woman who set off on a 40-mile paddle from Catalina island to Dana Point to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and was joined by a minke whale, I encourage you to read it now. The whale swam with her for almost two hours of her nine-hour journey, an experience she said was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her life. She named him Larry and watched while he blew bubbles, fluked, and rolled over and showed her his belly.

Jodie Nelson is a professional surfer and Stand Up Paddleboard rider who had raised just $6000 toward her $100,000 goal when she set off on her paddle a few days ago. After the encounter with Larry made the front page of Yahoo news on Thursday, she hit her goal in less than 24 hours and raised it to $250,000.

Click here to read the inspirational tale.

Food Waste Friday and a Freebie

No picture, almost no waste.

I say almost because there were a couple of tangerines that started to go bad, but I peeled them and was able to eat part of them. The rest will go in the compost bin, so there's no landfill trash this week.

Why do I care about wasting food? Because food rotting in a landfill creates noxious gasses, plus we don't have money to throw away.

If your reaction to this quest of reducing food waste and taking photos of rotten food is somewhere along the lines of "get a life," I know where you're coming from. When you're busy with kids, working at a demanding job, taking care of an aging parent, or any of the million other things that demand attention in our busy lives, watching your food waste seems way down on the list of priorities. But let me assure you that it really doesn't take any extra time, it mostly just takes a bit of focus and planning.

Check out Love Food, Hate Waste for some great tips on wasting less, and visit The Frugal Girl for her weekly food waste roundup. And please share YOUR tips in the Comments section.

FREE STUFF ALERT: It's the start of a new month, and that means it's time to take advantage of Bank of America's Museums on Us program. If you're a customer, just show your debit or credit card to get in free all day Saturday and Sunday to participating museums. Click here to find museums in your area.

Thrifty Threads

It's Thursday, time for another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is from Goodwill, a thrift store, consignment shop, ebay, craigslist, a yard sale, garage sale, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today's model is Cynthia, who at a size 16 just barely qualifies as the very first plus-size TT model. And since she's on her way down from a size 22 after losing 50 pounds, she deserves a big congratulations! Cynthia says she's always liked buying clothes at thrift stores, and this is what she wore for St. Patrick's Day.

The green sweater, blue cardigan, and Chinos are all from Goodwill. The earrings were a gift, the green and blue necklace is from the thrift store Savers, and she got the Cole Haan shoes from ebay. Cynthia says the whole outfit cost less than $30, and all of the pieces are versatile and can be used over and over in combination with other items.

What great finds. The cardigan sets off her gorgeous blue eyes, and I love the pretty necklace. And Cole Haan shoes cost hundreds of dollars new, plus they're super-comfortable, so those were a smart purchase. I was able to buy a pair of Cole Haan boots in 1996 that were on sale for $100, marked down from $300. They're so comfortable that I still wear them every year to the Jane Austen Ball.

I asked Cynthia how she lost the weight, and here's what she said: "I made a lifestyle change that included eating healthy, real food, cutting out sugar, white flour and salty crunchy snacks. I allowed myself an occasional treat, but stuck to my plan pretty well. In addition, and this was super important, I made exercise part of my daily routine. Weight resistance 3 times a week, treadmill the other 3, usually one day off exercise. Using motivational mantras was also key (like "Yes I can, no matter how hard it is. Don't give up"). It wasn't quick, it took a year, and I'm not done yet, but it has really been worth it. I feel so much better physically, stronger, and like myself better. The one other thing was accountability. I have my nails done every two weeks, and weigh in with my nail lady. Then my trainer would ask how I did, I didn't want to disappoint them. I should be more concerned about disappointing myself, but that wasn't how it worked for me."

Cynthia, thanks so much for sending in that photo and congratulations on losing all that weight! You look great! And I have to add, so does your house. I love all the beautiful wood and the river rock wall. Readers, it's your turn. Put on your favorite thrift store score and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com.

Isn't it fun to see what people are discovering in their local thrift stores? I think secondhand shopping is a great way to be fashionable for a lot less money, and it's particularly useful for anyone whose size is changing rapidly, whether they're losing weight like Cynthia, gaining weight due to pregnancy like last week's model Nicolle, or growing out of their clothes quickly because they're a toddler like Simone.

Please share your favorite tips and advice for buying secondhand clothes, plus compliments and kudos for Cynthia, in the Comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.