Posts Tagged ‘food’

I Shop at Whole Foods…

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Whole Foods Market in Austin, TX So what!? For some reason, I feel like we are judged because we shop at Whole Foods. At least two couples I know of gives a little “heh heh”-type chuckle when the subject comes up. I have to admit, it makes me feel defensive.

I have no idea how much other people spend on their weekly groceries, or what other peoples budget is for food, but our food budget is one of the largest portions of what we spend money on.

Why? Because Kevin and I hardly spend on anything else. We don’t pay for cable. We don’t have Netflix (or any other monthly services except cell phone service). We rarely eat out (and when we do, we more than likely use a coupon). Kevin and I, on average, go out to see a movie every other month (separately still, until we are comfortable leaving Binary Boy with a sitter). We don’t buy fancy clothing or shoes – we both shop at Old Navy and Kohl’s (sales and coupons, of course), and occasionally I’ll find something at Costco. Hell, I’ve been wearing the same pair of Converse for over 4 years now and I still love them.

Sure, we’ve been buying some new furniture to furnish our used-to-be-bare home. Guess what, though? Mostly ALL of it has been on deep discount at World Market and probably bought in conjunction with a coupon! We patiently wait for sales… weeks, months even… and then grab what we want when it’s in our budget. We aren’t people who need to feel that instant gratification, clearly.

So, what do we spend a large chunk of our weekly budget on? Good, wholesome, healthy, safe food. Organic fruits and veggies. Sustainable meat and seafood. I have a wheat sensitivity, so I need to buy some of the gluten free items that can only be found at Whole Foods (and sadly, I think Binary Boy has inherited some of my food sensitivities, so we’ve been shopping for some of the gluten-free kids food, too).

Also, we shop their sales. When something is on sale, we buy it in bulk. We buy certain often-used items with their case discount (12 items = 10% off). We use the coupons they offer in store every month – yup, they put out their own coupon book! We buy their store brand, 365 Everyday Value, A LOT.

We don’t exclusively shop at Whole Foods, either. I know it’s not the be-all, end-all for grocery stores (but, we really, really love it there). We buy certain items at Costco and some things at H.E.B. (a local grocery store).

So, really? What is the deal with people judging us on where we shop? What’s with the judgment in general? What does that help or offer a friendship? I’ll tell you. Absolutely nothing.

Note: Not sure if I need to mention this, but just to cover my ass: Absolutely none of this post was sponsored by anyone and I got absolutely nothing to post any brand names. I added links because I felt like it, and as you can see, some brands I got lazy with and didn’t link.

This Post is For Pet Parents

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

Noni gave us quite a scare the other day. She started choking on her food. Kevin yelled for me from the kitchen and I came running, because he knew that I know pet CPR. Thankfully, even before I could begin, she stopped choking and went back to eating her food like nothing had happened.

The look of utter helplessness on Kevin’s face made me turn around and go directly for my book shelf to look for a book I have titled The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats. I opened it up to the section on choking and placed it in his hands so he could read it.

I also found detailed steps, with illustrations, to save a choking cat and save a choking dog online.

Thankfully, Noni suffered absolutely no ill effects, and meal times since then have been uneventful, but if it should happen again in the future, both he and I will know what to do. (more…)

Good News About Tabasco!

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Wow. Thanks to my friend (and animal rescue information hub) Barb, I am so happy to report that in less than 24 hours, the floodwaters that were consuming Tabasco, Mexico have been pumped out by the Mexican government, the local people have pitched in and the clean-up has already started.

The main reason that this horrible disaster has been taken under control so fast is that people in Tabasco were permitted back to their homes almost immediately. There is not the mass abandonment of animals we saw after Hurricane Katrina.

Although the floodwaters have been pumped out and the clean-up has begun, the locals still need food for their animals. Best Friends Animal Society is collecting donations for cat and dog food at the campus staging area:

Biology Campus of the University (“UJAT”)
Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco
Division Academica de Ciencias Biologicas
Carretera Villahermosa-Cardenas
KM 0.5 Entronque Bosques de Saloya, CP. 86150
Villahermaosa, Tabasco, Mexico
Phone: +52 (993) 358 15 00, +52 (993) 358 15 00

So, to recap:

  • Best Friends Animal Society is wrapping up operations in Tabasco, Mexico.
  • The floodwaters have been pumped out by the Mexican government.
  • “We will not need additional help (volunteers) to wrap this up.” – Rich Crook
  • Best Friends is holding the Campus camp open to those already there and/or local volunteers until further notice.
  • Dog & Cat food still needed, but other supplies can be obtained locally until further notice.
  • Local vets are set up to handle incoming animal issues.

Volunteers & Supplies Needed for Mexico Flooding

Monday, November 12th, 2007

Dog Victim in Tabasco, Mexico FloodingDespite what you may or may not have heard on the news, the flooding down in the Mexican State of Tabasco is very bad. Very, very bad. This time, I will say without hesitation that it is reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina and the destruction it caused.

Today, Best Friends Animal Society set up a staging area/rescue center on the grounds of Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco Biological Campus for volunteers right smack in the middle of the disaster, where they can help the most. They put to use the ideas and brainstorming that a large group of us animal-lovers met to discuss one weekend in Las Vegas in May 2006 (post 1 & post 2).

If you have the urge to help, there are two ways you can do it: volunteer or donate. See below for more information on both!

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