Re-Explanation of the Goal

I want to make something clearer: my goal this year isn't (necessarily) to cut costs and save money. That's actually kind of what I'm against. I think I will save some money in the process of not bowing to peer pressure and seeking out retail therapy. But I'm pretty sure I won't save much money as far as food goes - eating locally and organically still means shelling out the big bucks here in Iowa. It's going to be extra hard in the winter when all I'll really want is some fresh produce.

You see, the goal isn't to save money - it's to make wiser choices when I spend. I want to make sure that the money that I use is being used responsibly. It seems that we all believe the goal is that we save money, but that usually results in farmers and artists having to curb their passions and cater to our less-than-educated requests. We want to save money on furniture, so we buy it at Target or Walmart or Ikea... and then have to replace it within a couple of years. If you're going to buy a piece of crap, why not at least buy it second hand? If you want deals on food, you're risking your health and the sustainability of farmers in your area. If you want to clothe yourself in something nice, don't hand over your money to a huge company that employed a young girl for 10 cents an hour to hunch over a sewing machine, adding the final touch of a little eagle or seagull that makes the $2 top turn into a $40 one; buy clothes made and sold via fair trade, or created by a local designer. The point isn't to save money; it's to spend money more responsibly. It's easy to pretend that we don't have any responsibilities - that our money is ours and we can do whatever we want with it. But we do have responsibilities to those that worked hard to create whatever it is you are about to buy. Because most of those people aren't getting paid properly for what you want to buy from a large company. See for yourself:

"These tomatoes were perfect, and buyers were hungry. Agreements had been made [between local organic farmers and local grocery stores]. But pallets of organic tomatoes from California had begun coming in just a few dollars cheaper. It's hard to believe, given the amount of truck fuel involved, but transportation is tax-deductible for the corporations, so we taxpayers paid for the shipping. The California growers only needed the economics of scale on their side, a cheap army of pickers and customers who would reliably opt for the lower price.

"As simply as that, a year of planning and family labor turned to red mush.

"In Charlottesville, Asheville, Roanoke, and Knoxville, supermarket shoppers had no way of knowing how much heartache and betrayal might be wrapped up in those cellophane two-packs of California tomatoes... Eaters must understand, how we eat determines how the world is used."

exert from "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver

ISBN9780060852559