try shopping at the co-op

I haven’t been doing my regular shopping there, but it feels like I haven’t even done regular shopping in two months (I keep sponging off BF). I have found I like their pads and buying bulk foods there, especially kind of exotic (to me) things for new recipes. Then I don’t have to buy a whole package that I’ll never finish – just the quantity needed for the recipe. Maple syrup in bulk is a lot cheaper than bottled on the store shelf, and we’re saving packaging when we buy bulk. I think it’ll be good for sometimes and for those reasons, but I foresee continuing to shop at Cub Foods, too. Maybe once I have compiled my Price Book, it will be more clear where to go. But I really like the co-op and glad I gave it a fair chance.

on Superbowl Sunday. It was so quiet. It was such a short walk from the parking lot. And best of all, I got yummy food for only $30.00. I’m starting to think that the savings from the bulk goods offset the higher prices of everything else and that pretty much, I’ll come out about the same – but without the guilt.

I forgot and bought pads at CVS. I had wanted to buy them at the co-op the next time. Doh! I need to extend this goal because I feel the two-three times I went have not really given me a good feel for what it is like to shop at the co-op. So I will leave this up during Feb.

A price book is something I learned about on the Simple Living Network. As I understand it, it’s something that you use to keep track of the prices of the things you buy to see what the normal prices are and who has them at the best price. Why this fits with the Co-op goal is that I realized that the Co-op thing is going to be super-expensive, and some stuff I don’t need to buy there. For instance, I wanted to make pumpkin chili (so yummy) and needed canned pumpkin. At the co-op, it was $2.99 a can. At Cub, it’s like $0.75, and it’s the same thing, except the Co-op was organic. Well, I’m not doing the co-op thing for organic reasons, so that didn’t enter in. It truly had only pumpkin and so does Libby’s. But in other cases, like, say, canned beans, I wanted to get them at the co-op because the ones at Cub have all sorts of other extra crap in them. So it’s worth it to pay (or to use dried!!) at the co-op. Also, I liked that the co-op had so much available in bulk – more than Cub. But I’m not against using Cub Foods for much of my purchasing. I just have to see what it is that I want to get and if it’s available there or not. I do like the local producer aspect, though, too. It’s a hard call. I don’t think I would use the co-op for everything every week, but some stuff, yes. Also natural cleaners. Ok, I’m really done now.

I did a bigger trip tonight. I was most shocked at the price of meat – but I do want to change over to organic meat because the whole antibiotic use in conventionally raised meat freaks me out. But I’m not completely on board with organic otherwise. Some of the things, though, were a lot cheaper – the bulk, for example. My BF bought maple syrup in bulk much cheaper than on the shelf at the big store. I bought some natural dishwasher detergent, which can be refilled. And the canned beans I bought didn’t have any junk. But here’s the thing – they are up to 3x the cost of the canned beans at the big store. So I think I need to revisit my other goal of learning to use dried beans, which I can buy cheaply at the co-op. I think my reasons for wanting to try the co-op were for: saving packaging, patronizing a local establishment that uses local producers, and having a wider selection of natural cleaners and body care items. For some things, though, I don’t know if I will keep shopping there, or maybe I will compare the prices at the organic section of the big store, which is a regional chain that is unionized, so I feel ok about them. Good trip.

I went to my regular store. I just didn’t have the desire tonight to drive further to the co-op and try to figure things out. Next time I will do better.

that they have both organic (expensive!) and non-organic (sometimes local) versions of food. I went again and opted for all non-organic, so I could afford it!

It was the first time to the co-op tonight to buy milk, laundry soap, and dish soap. This undertaking took about half an hour to compare the unfamiliar products and look at all the bulk goods – you can get SO MUCH in bulk. It’s very exciting. And the bill was not much more than it would have been at the normal store. So far, so good.

I complain all the time about corporations. I hate excess packaging. I want to keep my dollars spent in the local economy. But what do I do when I need my goods? I run to Target. I’ve decided that making a change takes practice. For example, when I wanted to ride the bus, it took 3-4-5 times to feel comfortable and like I could do it without a ton of planning and it being a huge undertaking. I think the same is with the co-op. I know you can buy better household cleaners (for the environment, anyway) there, but don’t know what they are called. I know you can bring your own containers, but don’t know how to use them once there. I know you can buy bulk but not how to cook a lot of it. I imagine it to be a lot more expensive. It’s further from my house. Well, I’m going to practice. In January, I’m going to do my shopping at the co-op and see how it goes.