Sigh.

( sort of a pre-post on food and self-image )

Also, I think I'm going to try and have a "Spend Nothing Month" in September. It probably won't start until I'm back from camping (because sometimes when camping you just need to buy a spoon because you forgot all yours) but from Sept. 9th to Oct. 9th would work, assuming I've already bought my textbooks. Obviously, things like bathroom products and groceries are allowed, but not much else. Eating food out would only be okay if it was a social thing (and not "I was too lazy to pack a lunch"), but no more random coffees*, off-the-cuff iTunes downloads, clothes, nail polish & make-up... actually I can't think of anything else I randomly buy. But this will probably (a) be harder than I'm anticipating and (b) save me all that "where did that thirty dollars disappear to?" lost money.

There are a few things like this I'd like to do, to be more active about the social issues I think and read about, but most of them will probably wait until I move out of my parents house. Things like cutting out all processed foods, being aggressive in how much non-recyclable, non-composting waste I produce (and therefore purchase - like trying not to buy food products in non-recyclable containers, shunning blister packs as much as possible), being more aware of what impact the brands I purchase have on the world, using "natural" household cleaners rather than the chemical ones, trying not to use the car unless absolutely necessary, and so on and so forth. The boy and I are really interested in putting energy in those directions when we move back in together, and I think picking apart our consumer habits and lifestyle will be really interesting and worth the time. We were lazy in the past when neither of us had the spoons for it, but I think now we do.

*I might keep going to my local organic "more than" fair trade coffeeshop, because that's something I feel like supporting as a consumer.