thursday

Today is grocery shopping day. We have a new Whole Foods Market in the next town. I am pretty excited to check it out. I buy 90% of my staples in bulk. In my quest to reduce waste, I use cotton drawstring bags, mesh bags, and glass bottles. I shop once a month for bulk, because I have to drive about 15 miles round trip to get to my regular market. This new WF is not any closer, but I am hoping that they have amped up their bulk section a bit. I find that at WF they have a great selection in their meat department. This store can be very expensive, as can be any store that you purchase a lot of processed foods. I am into buying organic bulk ingredients, so I don't worry much about it as those prices don't vary too much.
I have my system down. I use a black washable marker to clearly mark the bin #,  and the tare weight of the bag is marked in sharpie. This makes weighing super easy for the grocery checker. My glass jars are preweighed and I write the bin # and tare weight on the bottom of the jar in sharpie. I use an large, round woven basket to carry all of my supplies. I keep a running list of the items I need to buy, I have been doing this long enough now that my list is second nature.
When I get home I will put the food away into my glass pantry jars and wash the cotton bags that need it. I love seeing all of the jars filled, ready to be made into something nourishing and delicious.
Soon, I will don my rainboots and winter coat and head out into the March wetness. I will probably get a big cup of coffee (hard to completely give up in March) to keep my hands warm (it is unseasonably cold here right now), and make a day of grocery shopping. Enjoy your day!

Tami