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Friday, April 12, 2013

Frugal in an Organic World

Before I get on topic, I am going to get off-topic..."Blogger" has a way of tracking the countries my "audience" comes from.  Most recently, I discovered that several people who have read my posts live in France, Germany, Russia and Great Britain.  Pretty neat that people all over the world have access to my worthless knowledge!  I'd love for people to start leaving comments so I know who you all are :)

Now on to my topic.  I may have scared a few away by my last post.  Hopefully you don't think I am some nut-job, but I am truly concerned about Monsanto's power.  Anyway, I have found a few resources that I plan to refer to as I continue to do my shopping.  I have discovered that as long as I stick with Whole Foods store brand organic foods (labeled as 365), I am avoiding GMO's the best that I can.  By sticking with store brand, I am technically saving...typically paying the same price as I would for a conventional name brand.  If Whole Foods brand isn't an option, there are shopper's guides out there that can help you choose non-GMO brands.  (Most grocers have their own brand of organic foods now.)  Here are links to a few if you are interested:


                                            
                                                     


                                            
                                                           (NonGMO Project's website)


As well as eating organically, I also make sure that my cosmetics, soaps and shampoos (especially for the girls) are free of yucky stuff.  If you are interested in getting rid of the toxins lingering in your make-up bag and shower, there is a website for that too!  The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a database that rates the safety of thousands of beauty/cleansing products for adults and children.  It has an easy search option, so plug in your favorites and see how safe they are.  As for me, my morning make-up routine involves six things:  BASIC mild cleanser, giovanni Organics moisturizer and foundation, mineral veil, blush and mascara all from bare minerals.  In the shower, I use Whole Foods brand body wash (grapefruit citrus) and a variety of shampoos and conditioners.  The photo below shows the selections I currently have in my closet (do I have a problem or what?)  Oh, and not to forget the most important part of my morning routine, my deodorant.  I haven't used an aluminum-containing brand in years, and this is by far the best one I have found.  The only down-side is I can only find it at Wal-Mart. 


     




Are these more expensive that conventional brands?  A bit, but not necessarily.  As for my cosmetics, the moisturizer is around $5.50 and I always make it last twice as long by wetting my fingers a bit before applying it.  It stretches the cream quite a bit further.  I use it full strength when my skin is super dry.  My make-up is $25 a pop...YIKES!  But, again, I use it sparingly.  It is all powder form, so I find I don't need nearly as much as I was using other products.  Also, I use more on special occasions and less on an every day basis.  I buy it once a year because my parents always stock me up at Christmas time!  My shampoo and conditioner costs around $6 each but again, I try to use less and went back to washing my hair every other day.  The deodorant isn't quite $3. 

As for my girls,  I use BabyGanics Moisturizing Therapy baby wash (it's super creamy and makes their skin so soft!) and they are now using the same shampoo and conditioner I use.  When they were babies, I used Burt's Bees wash and shampoo which smells heavenly!  Here is the link to the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics database:




Questions, comments or suggestions?  I'd love to hear them!

Monthly expenses thus far: $162.66...feeling success!

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