A very strange thing happened when we moved to this city. We found a little “rural” idyl. Now, I use the term rural loosely. But it feels like it. It is not the area we live in, though a great plan is to move there (house prices, please come down, or house deposit, please drop from the sky!) but it is the area, once found, where we live our lives. We may not sleep on quiet streets near vast parks, where birds chirp and flowers are found, but our free time is spent there. My children dance there. We take long strolls in extensive parks there. My son begins soccer this month on the fields which overlook the community garden we enjoy. We shop ethically (and finally, finally, found fairtrade goods!) on those streets we so desire to call home. And slowly but surely, we’ve found a place where we can live locally, even if not technically local for us. Today, as my children skipped down the street holding hands, I was given a kiss by the Italian grocer in his 80′s who presents me with a different flower each Saturday morning. We passed our fairtrade cafe and the owner called my children by name and presented them with a fresh baked cookie, still warm, while simultaneously slipping a fairtrade coffee into my hand. We went on our merry way (aren’t Mummies always joyful with a good, strong coffee?) into our favourite fairtrade co-op like food store and the owner told me he was waiting for us because he order too much milk this week and wanted to give it to us. We filled our basket with fairtrade and/or local products and chatted about politics, good music and good coffee. And I looked down at my children chatting away to the local dog we bump into most weeks, while my fairtrade items were being placed into cloth bags (give a bag, tag a bag – anything better?). And I felt, well, like we were home. We may not be able to afford to live here, but in many ways, we do live there, or at least choose to live out our lives there. I find, as soon as I turn the corner and see the park, shops and people we so adore, my anxiety dissipates, I feel less stressed, I feel like I can breathe. I am no longer surrounded by shops where no one knows your name, shops which are part of massive chains, instead I’m showing my children a different life, a life which includes: a fish monger, a bulk food store, a local coffee shop, a green grocer, a flower market, and, despite all the modern conveniences of the big names and fancy brands, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Today, as we were pet sitting for a friend, I had to venture into a part of town with bigger stores, more people, a focus on convenience and modern living, in the 20 or so minutes we were there, I felt unable to breathe at least five times. My daughter summed it up best when she said “Mummy, why are people so unfriendly here?”.  And, not for the first time, I couldn’t answer her question. I’m glad, despite the committment it takes, we are living a life where the people we encounter mean something to us and us to them. I’m glad they are seeing that we all make choices and with our money we have power. Power to make a stand. Power to support peace. Power to make a difference. And today, as we had just enough money in the budget for some flowers (thanks to not having to buy milk!), my daughter reached for the small bouquet of fairtrade flowers. She said “Mummy there are lots of pretty flowers, but these ones mean that the bosses took care of their workers, let’s get these”. She is learning, oh how she is learning!

And tonight as my washing machine hums with green detergent, our organic black beans are ready to be made into soup, my children’s tummies are full with warm biscuits and our cats are eating food from a grocer who asks about them each week, I feel joy I’ve found a small thing that brings so much happiness, a small thing that makes me not focus (too much!) on real estate woes and instead lets me just be thankful for a little dose of happiness each week.

I thought this article entitled Top Ten Eco-Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy was particularly good.

Generally I try to buy organic dairy & meat (when I eat it), plus organic strawberries and any nut products (including peanut butter) based on another article I read!

Do you buy organic? What do you prioritize?

Photo credit

I can hardly believe what happened today. After 3 years of waiting on a waiting list for an allotment, I move to a new city and have one 5 days later! For those that don’t live in the UK, an Allotment is a plot of land you rent in order to grow your own fruits & veggies. You can not sell the produce but can use it yourself or bless others with it!  It is a bit like having your own plot on a community garden!

The allotment I have is quite large (!) but comes with a package of support which includes help preparing the plot, sewing seeds and planning what to grow! The cost is a one off payment of £7.50 ($12)!

Photo credit

So I’m hoping this year I’ll be growing a lot of my own produce! The average produce producing allotment takes about 8 hours a week in work and I can’t wait to dig in, pun intended

Have you ever grown your own? Do you have any tips for this novice?

Today begins a very important day – the beginning of Fair Trade fortnight. I will admit, in the early days I cared but was pretty happy to put a few fairtrade bananas in my shopping basket, and feel I’d done well. Now, well I’ve been on a journey of awareness raising, learning to genuinely care and live a life of action.

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

As a human being I care about others, I imagine what it would be like if it was me, unable to put food on the table for my children, working in conditions which would be illegal in the western world, and, well it makes me realize I have a responsibility. Can I stop everyone buying cheap so they can give into their want? No! But I can stop myself from buying cheap, I can commit to buying  fairtrade options and boycotting shops which have poor working conditions. I can commit to reading and learning more, giving, praying and encouraging others.

The campaign this year centers around the big swap – what item you currently purchase could you swap for fairtrade. It could be coffee, sugar, tea, dried fruit, juice, biscuits and cotton. I would encourage everyone reading this to commit to at least one. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed at how much more I could do and yet I know it takes one action to being a journey of change. For this fortnight I will be giving money to the fairtrade campaign and I have now committed to buying fairtrade cotton, this is a big step for me but I know a step that needs to be taken.

I have always believed the more we know about the reality of a situation, the better our choices will be. So I leave you with some of the best articles which have inspired me to make the change

The dilemma of ethical clothing: is saying ‘it’s a complex issue’ still a defence for our addiction to cheap clothes?

War On Want article  and a very moving article entitled Fashion Victims

And for the ultimate education and inspiration, begin reading War On Want 

The relationship between Orangutans and Biscuits/Cookies! As uncovered by Panorama! (not quite about fair trade but certainly linked!)

I’m happy to say I’ve given up cheap clothing and now simply go without if I can’t afford to buy quality or can’t find it second hand. What about you? What do you buy fairtrade? Are there any changes you plan to make?

Yesterday afternoon while I should have been working through my list, I was chatting with a butcher. We cured the wrongs of the world through discussion about cow ownership, organic vs. free range, and farming. My mum stood quietly next to me, her eyes, like her hands told a story. When the butcher and I had cured the world (& laughed a great deal about a flexitarian, vegan in training becoming a farmer – to be clear, not a meat farmer) my mum started talking. She told me all about her grandfather, who was a farmer, who loved the land and dedicated his life to “treading lightly”, he was followed by two, almost three generations of people who doesn’t have a personal relationship with the land, who prefer convenience over work, whose idea of being in the country, is an hour at a country pub off the motorway. I say almost three, because that was me, I don’t think I stepped into the countryside until I was 26. Can you imagine? As a teenager I loved talking on the phone, going to the mall, watching movies and shopping. Now? Well, within two years of stepping foot into the countryside I’m looking for a small holding, discussing breeding and animal welfare with a butcher, in the process of getting rid of my phone (really!), cloth toilet paper using (post soon I promise just finding the right laundry system before I post!), Countryfile loving (how did I forget it on the list?), learning to knit, crochet and sew, 2nd hand shopping and seriously contemplating getting rid of my car.

My mum shared the truth, had I never had the children probably none of this would have happened. It took needing to parent four hurting children, four children who needed more than modern society could offer, to learn just what we are lacking. Only then did I learn answers to most ailments were not found in malls, down the end of the phone or in the latest trend.  We talked for a while about why people struggle to make changes, my mum shared that for her, it just seems too big, to want to shop in different small shops, to pay an extra £2 or £3 a week for quality items, to go without something quick and easy in favor of something that takes blood sweat and tears, well for her it is just not something she feels called to. I told her big changes rarely work, it’s about small things, little teeny tiny steps that one by one lead you down a path you never thought you’d have the energy to walk. I shared with her encouragement tips I’ve given friends about starting small, it can be as small as starting to purchase organic milk and use re-useable shopping bags. Next you might feel confident purchasing organic meat, or using cloth paper towels. Maybe you’ll feel that once a month you could go to a local shop instead of a supermarket, or take a walk in the countryside. Everyone’s journey is different, with unique barriers and challenges, for some it will be financial, others time, others inclination, but what I do know from personal experience,  is it takes 1 step, just one.

And the photo above? The perfect reminder of why it takes one…because it takes exactly one luxury chocolate for me to fall off the bandwagon!

I’d love to hear from you, what is one change that you’ve made that has helped you lead a more simple life or greener lifestyle? Maybe your one thing will encourage someone else.

I write this letter as an apology. I have not always been a good steward of your precious commodities. I grew up thinking fun was to be had indoors, I now see how clinical that was. I thought it was normal to learn to drive and purchase a car, I now see that we should stand against norms and question why. I believed that a clean home was one that was cleaned with chemicals which promised to bust those germs, I now see how just how wrong I was.

 *

I wanted a life filled with conveniences like tumble dryers, new houses with modern appliances and superstores. Now I wonder about whether we are convenient to you? Us people creating smog and pollution throughout lands.

I prayed as a Christian for those facing famine, disease, abuse & strife. But how many days, weeks & months did I forget to pray that we’d take better care of you?

I thought nothing of buying newspapers, books and disposable products. Without thinking of alternatives and how my decisions effected the innocent.

I fretted over money, I bought too much, I thought happiness came from things and then one day through a lot of prayer I found something so much more, the simple happiness truly found from finding love, memories & wisdom from something so much greater and yet so simple.

Lord, help me to remember this precious earth, not only each & every day but in each & every action. Help me to remember the earth when I go to put on the TV, when I get into my car & when I plan each holiday. Help me to remember there is nothing more simple and joyous then time spent walking through a field, strolling along a beach or observing animals in their natural environment. Just as happiness can’t not be bought, neither can simplicity, neither can our earth. My earth isn’t for sale, it isn’t something I can buy through SUV’s, houses & shops. My earth isn’t man made.  How about yours?

* I purposely didn’t crop the picture of the boat out of this picture I took in Padstow. As a kid, I spent a lot of time on motor boats, now all I can think of is the fish & life under the water. The photo represents a change in me. Maybe this year it might represent a change in you too.

Watch this. Be inspired. Go and find the real earth.

So as promised, by request, here is how I did my shop!

The first thing I did today was get out a piece of scrap paper and go shopping in my fridge, freezer and cupboards. In my fridge I had: organic radishes, 1 large organic tomato, 3 potatoes, honey, 2 organic carrots, tofu pieces, 1 small avocado and a small package of green beans. In the freezer I had: quorn vegetarian mince, 1 piece of vegetarian lasagna (leftover), 1 portion of summer soup (leftover) and frozen broccoli florets. In my cupboard I had: 2 cans of tuna, 1 small bag of brown rice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 2 vegetable stock cubes, 1 bag of puy lentils, 1 small package of bulgar wheat, 1 small package of quinoa, 1 small package of barley, 1/2 a small package of penne, 6 large spelt Food Dr crackers.

Then on the same scrap paper I began building meals:

Bulgar Wheat could be made into a nice salad with veggies

Crackers with avocado & tomato for lunch

Puy Lentils and Rice could make a good combo to take to work

Tofu pieces would work well with green beans (stir fry) for dinner

As most know I am committed to 5 a day (minimum) for cancer prevention- so I then started on my grocery list, here is what it said:

4 mostly organic fruits

3 mostly organic veggies (I already have broccoli, green beans, radishes and avocado that must be used this week!)

2 organic dairy products – flexible depending on costs

Lemon – to make homemade salad dressing and to enjoy with hot water

1 dairy replacement drink with Omega 3 & 6

1 bread product

So, I then packed 3 bags from home, my calculator and my list and off I went!

Upon entering the store I immediately went around the magazines & flowers so I didn’t let my eye wander. I got out my list & calculator and got to work!

Veggie Aisle

I knew I wanted salad – looked @ the spinach, pea shoots and rocket. Firstly, the shop had NO organic salad mixes or lettuce left, so I had no choice but to get non-organic. I find I don’t ever get through a whole bag before it’s pretty tired, so I knew I wanted small portions. I found the smallest bag for £1 on sale and put that in my cart. It should do me for 3 small side salads and a couple of sandwiches.

I then picked up a small organic garlic.

Next was 1 small organic courgette/ zucchini

Then I found a small package of cooked organic spinach

I then stopped the cart, looked at what veggies I have at home plus the veggies I was buying and checked I had enough to have 3 portions of veggies a day between today and Friday. Yes, I did, so I could move on.

Fruit:

Fruit contains natural sugar that stops me craving the bad stuff, so I knew I wanted to find fruit that would give me many portions for the week. I also try to focus on low GI fruit (the type 1 diabetes friendly diet – diet meaning way of eating NOT reducing your calories to lose weight!). For me melons are out so despite the fact they were on sale, I decided not to go there. Instead I looked at nectarines and apricots. Both were available in organic form. I searched for other organic fruit and once again there were slim pickings this week! So I decided to get the nectarines and apricots. The nectarines will provide a great fruit to take to work, the apricots will be good as a snack and in a salad with the rocket and radishes. I then also got my small package of organic grapes which I love with spinach and found non organic Kiwi fruit for £1! Again counted up my portions and found I had enough to have 3 fruits a day!

Finally I got a lemon!

Dairy

As I knew I had a tomato left, I decided mozzarella would be a good accompaniment for a tomato and mozzarella salad! I found 1 small organic mozzarella ball left and placed it in the trolley! I would have liked to get feta as well but then remembered that I don’t need 2 cheeses this week and feta can be for next week!

I then looked @ yogurts and decided to get a tzatziki that was on sale – made with healthy plain yogurt. I knew this would provide a good dip for my carrots and broccoli but would also be nice mixed with tuna or on the side with a spinach dish.

Finally, I knew I had a craving for chocolate so decided instead to go for a chocolate calcium drink with added Omega 3&6 which was a healthier alternative and would give me a small glass to drink each day!

Meat Alternative

I noticed as I walked in that the butcher had several vegetarian specials. There was no queue but I let the couple behind me go first as I didn’t want to impulse buy. I had another look @ the list and could see I had plenty of protein via lentils, soya mince, my vegetarian lasagna and summer soup, so decided I only needed 1 thing. I decided on 1 organic vegetarian sausage that the butcher assured me was meat free & made that morning! It has lovely peppers and apple in it so I’m actually quite excited to try it!

Bakery

I indulged myself in my favourite treat – 1 flax,cranberry & pumpkin seed muffin which I very much enjoy having on a Sunday morning! This little indulgence is £0.65=$1.30 so I didn’t feel too bad. My calculator was telling me I had £1 left so I went searching for healthy bread – for me it needs to be brown, have seeds and be organic. Well no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t find one for less than £1.15 and this week I was determined to stick to the £15 grocery limit. I then thought about looking @ the rolls. I found a small package of 5 organic seed rolls that would be perfect. I was getting excited then because I haven’t had bread or rolls in a few weeks!

Review:

I then pull my trolley to a quiet corner and look again @ my list, add up my fruit & veggie portions and think about dairy or dairy alternative portions. I found I had enough to meet the recommended intake each day. I then took a look @ everything in my trolley and saw that the garlic wasn’t really needed as I wasn’t making anything this week that would require it. Rather then have it perish in my fridge, I decided to put it back.

I did a quick calculation again and while I couldn’t confirm the price of the grapes or courgette until I got to the counter, I was estimating my shop was around £14.75.

Off to check out I went and my final bill was £14.49 = $27.80 (US) and $29.60 (Cdn)

I think the only way I make my budget work is my flexible shopping list, my ability to make my own dishes rather than buying pre-packaged meals/salads and the fact I don’t feel I need to buy the same thing every week. I also make sure I use my own tips found here and have no doubt that recording what I already have on the shopping list I take with me, plus the fact I use my calculator throughout the shop, really helps!

So this is stage 1, over the next 5 days as I do my daily tracking I will make sure that I share what I’ve eaten each day and recipes where appropriate!

Knowing I haven’t compromised my values and yet have taken 75% off the cost of my weekly grocery bill makes me very happy!

When I first became more knowledgeable about the retail world, who made the clothing we buy, how little they are paid, what conditions they were kept in, I vowed to make a change. I started to think more about the fact that part of the problem was just how big the clothing industry is – we create such a demand for “new trends”, we shop cheap without a thought as to why clothes are cheap, we buy clothes as if we needed them to survive and nourish ourselves….note: clothing is not food!

Slowly, I’ve started making changes about the clothing I buy and what I wear. The first thing I did was stop buying cheap, I looked for clothing that was fair trade, local, organic or second hand. I found this much easier when I was shopping for baby clothes for friends, then for adult clothing, but as the years went on it got easier. The second thing I stopped doing was buying clothes monthly or even by-monthly, I now do a “clothing shop” twice a year, usually just before the summer (April or May) and then in the winter. This lets me clearly determine the difference between need and want. Then as I changed dress sizes, I began to majorly downshift the clothing I had. I donated my old clothes to women’s refuges and slowly purchased what I needed.

I get positive comments on my clothes everywhere I go, when I visit the GP/Family Dr, when I go to work, when I meet friends, you might think I have a large expensive wardrobe filled with designer products, well that couldn’t be further from the truth. I currently have:

• 1 work black skirt with a nice fashionable flair
• 3 work dress shirts – 1 red, 1 green, 1 black
• 5 dresses – appropriate for work, an evening out, Church, functions etc
• 1 pair jeans & 1 casual t-shirt
• 1 pair work dress pants
• 1 workout outfit and 1 swimsuit
• 1 formal work jacket &1 informal long cardigan
• 1 pair PJ’s and 1 nightie

I may never have had the hundreds of pieces of clothing several of my friends have, but I had too much. My clothing has gone from filling up a wardrobe and a 6 drawer dresser, to filling 1/6 of a wardrobe and 2 drawers in my dresser. I now know when I put clothes on that they haven’t been made by someone working 16 hr days for peanuts, they have helped small business owners, given people lively hoods and provided food and education for workers children. My life is about downshifting and downsizing, starting with your wardrobe is a great way to do that. After all, there are only 7 days in a week, how many outfits do you really need?

If you need any further inspiration have a look at Fabulously Broke In The City who created a site about getting rid of her wardrobe!

Solution: When I dish up my meal onto my plate, I also divide the remains into 2 tupperware containers straight away, before I sit down to eat…meaning I get 3 meals, no picking @ leftovers and save a lot of money!

Yup, it works for me!

My plan, the point of all this, is to downshift. Downshifting to me is a very loaded term. Some people think it means you have to move and instantly change, others manage to downshift while living in their same home and same city, for me downshifting is a lifelong journey, not a race. There are many people who downshift – leaving city finances behind, who then get into the same rat race in the country – who bring the competitiveness from the market into the village school. This isn’t true downshifting.

I’m on a journey that will eventually include moving to a smaller, rural place. A place where I’ll have hens and rabbits, grow my own fruts & veg and live as much as I can off the earth. It may take a while to reach my destination, but there are practical things I can do now, which include:

1. Stop buying – sounds silly, but honestly one of the biggest shifts that will allow people to downshift, is to stop buying. This means you don’t need to earn as much, to buy as much, instead you can focus on living.

2. Figure out what you can do now – can you get an allotment, can you afford to work 4 days a week, can you join a book group or learn a new skill?

3. Change what & how you eat – start supporting local markets and farmers.

4. Change how you travel – can you reduce the amount of time you spend in the car? Can you walk or get a bus or train instead?

5. Imagine what people did 70 years ago and try to bring in some of those same activities and ways of living into your home. I’ve stopped buying books andd joined a library – I went from going to the library 4-6x a year, to going 1-2x a week. I’m learning how to make everything from scratch and I’ve started writing letters again.

6. Look at what you’ll need to be able to reach your downshifting goal. Some people are lucky, they bought when the market was lower and have enough value in their home to downshift significantly within a short period of time. For those of us for whom that isn’t the case – do your sums, what do you need, how long will it take?

7. Think about what you want to do when you downshift and learn how to do it now. Do you want to run a small holding? Then volunteer at a farm, even a city one. Do you want to hand make all your presents and gifts? Then sign up for an arts or craft class now.

8. Don’t try to change too much too soon. I know many downshifters who moved jobs, countries etc in a very short period and ended up going back. First try to downshift without being in a different country from your friends, then do a more radical move.

9. Do what you need to do while in the city or while in your country while you can. I have a friend who downshifted after she adopted a beautiful baby girl. She needed to be in England for the adoption, but downshifted a year later.

10. See downshifting as more than moving, it’s about changes within you that you are capable of like using organic, locally grown produce, or using vinegar and lemon to clean rather than toxic cleaners. It’s about making the changes in your life that you want to see in the world.

I live in London and I’m downshifting, right now this means I:

• don’t buy things I don’t need
• walk everywhere or take the bus
• am learning new skills
• sponsor local farms so that I can help care for animals
• have worked hard to become happy within myself
• started writing letters again
• stopped gym & swim memberships and started walking
• started making things from scratch

Eventually my downshifting plans are so much greater, but for now, I’m pretty happy with what I have achieved. I’ve gone from thinking “oh I wish I could afford that” to thinking how sickening it was at a friend’s baby’s 1st Birthday party when she was surrounded by about 40 new plastic toys that were gifts from people. All I could think about was not only the waste, but the process by which they were made – I was imagining who made them and what conditions they had to work in. I left the party feeling sick and vowing to make sure I bought fair trade, organically sourced items. I’m working hard to be the change I want to see in the world and loving it!

What about you? Do any of you have plans to live off the earth, to try to leave consumerism behind?

I’ve stored this post @ the top of the page in the header as a lot of people seem to be finding this site by searching downshifting!