Okay, the $400 a month Eating Poorganically budget has kind of gone to heck. We did not do it this month. We are not even close. We have a week to go and we are already over budget. It is HT Triples and I am getting tons of good deals, so I just threw the budget away.
That discourages me because even though I know why, I am also mad. Plus, my perfectionistic tendencies are making me feel like giving up. (Even though I frowned on being legalistic, it is deeply tempting.)
It is like when you say you are going to exercise three times a week for thirty minutes, but then ten minutes into the first routine, the baby has diarrhea, and then six months go by and you don’t exercise again.
Well, let’s just say that in terms of Eating Poorganically, the baby had diarrhea.
But here’s the real problem. I realize now that I set myself up for this problem.
1. I promised that I would educate you on whether things were “worth” it, so then I had to buy milk that cost $7.50 to taste and determine if it was. (It wasn’t.) I made this promise while also promising to stay in budget. That was dumb. I should have just promised to educate.
2. I forgot that it is better to educate AFTER you actually know how to do something. Since I am just learning how to eat poorganically and what it means to do so, we’ve been all over the place with the budget, figuring out what we wanted to spend and save money on.
3. If you are a couponer, this will make sense. When I first learned to coupon, I actually spent MORE the first month or two because I was stockpiling items that were a good deal. Also, I sort of tended to overbuy because I didn’t really know what the sale cycle would be or when those things would be a good deal again. The same thing is happening again now, but to a larger degree because , even with couponing, this food is slightly more expensive. However, there are sales and coupons for organic items, so when I see a coupon or a deal on a “poorganic” item, I am buying it in kind of a crazy fashion because I have no idea if and when it will be on sale again. I need to learn the sale cycle and coupon patterns for these items. Also, when I have to resupply us with the organic version of a product (ie: olive oil), for which there is not necessarily a deal at the time, so I am paying full price. Once I can stock us with the sale version, I think we will be in a better “groove,” but I don’t know how long that will take.
4. We had EVER so slightly more money than usual this month because I have been cloth diapering and CVSing like a fiend; therefore, I spent a lot of our “non-foods” money on food because we didn’t need it for the other stuff.
THUS, after six weeks of this, I have realized that it might take a little while before I can consistently come in under budget. Does this mean that I am going to stop trying to Eat Poorganically? No. Does this mean that I am going to stop typing up itemized lists of all our groceries and their prices? Um . . . yes, kind of.
Instead, I’ve decided that I’m going to focus on the education part. I will report what I’ve learned and decided is the Eating Poorganic conclusion for various major food items. For example, you can read my very next post: Eating Dairy Poorganically. Please let me know what foods you’d like to see featured, and I will try to cover as many as I can once we come to a conclusion about them.
You said it yourself: learning curve. There is one for any new skill. And, yes, it is far easier to teach after one has learned. You’re learning. :)) I commend, cheer, HAIL you for cloth diapering!! Cloth is wonderful at home, but at church…may not be appreciated. There’s not just black and white, but a time for gray. :)) YES, you are wise to stock up on things when they are on sale. Yes, it takes time to figure out the sale cycles…but I suspect they are printed somewhere and you’re a research geek…so try that topic….a topic for a blog??? I think it is a yearly cycle…but here’s your challenge to prove me wrong!! :)) Please continue sharing your poorganic recipes….like Tummus…which actually got me to make some…tho w/ what I had on hand. :))
Keep on keeping on. You’re an inspiration to all of us.
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