http://www.healthynwealthy.org/2012/08/why-are-we-so-fat.html

It may not make a big difference to large agricultural firms, but it does make a difference to my in-state small farmer.

If I were to invest in a socially responsible manner, I would buy individual stocks.

And my mother had vivid coloring until she got older. Between gray hair and a more washed out complexion, she definitely looks a lot better wearing it now.

That is the very reason I don’t pay extra for organic, free-range, green, or any other buzz word. Some are not regulated as to their meaning and thereby become slick marketing ploys. If I want to know how the stuff I eat is raised, I buy direct from the person raising it. But I grew up on a farm and have a wide network of people I grew up with to source from for food; not an option available to most folks.

It can also be really helpful to join a group or find a source that does some of the research for you. My food coop does this – they go and visit farms and verify things like how the animals are treated, separately from the legal labeling certifications. There are some online places to look (like “My Plastic Free Life”) run by people who really enjoy doing this research, but a local group like a simple living or Compact group is also a great resource.

Just like with finance, the big decisions (how to commute, where to vacation, where to do your main shopping) are the ones where you get most impact for the least effort. Agonizing over every small decision is less overall effect for much more work.

What I’d like to discuss would be along the lines of receiving government assistance when it’s not absolutely required. Should you file for unemployment insurance the second you become unemployed, or should you wait until nearly all your savings are depleted? How about food stamps, Medicaid (or any type of non-Medicare government health insurance), lifeline service, etc.?

And we could touch on illegal but (somewhat) socially acceptable activities, such as downloading movies and tv shows without paying for them (and perhaps get into grey areas, such as using software to let you watch free Hulu on your tv). Morality does have a very real cost here; twenty kids dvds at $20 each is $400, while 100 movies at $0 each is $0. Then we could talk about meeting in the middle…buying just the really important dvds used, ways to legally watch your tv shows without breaking the bank, etc.

Oh, and lastly, let’s talk about renting stuff at Wal-Mart. Buy it, use it, then return before the 90 days is up. Right or wrong? I mean…is it wrong when that’s kinda what they’re wanting you to do? I.e. you decide to “rent” a drill, buy one at Wal-Mart for $20, but end up keeping it (whether it’s because you’re too lazy to return it, or were so impressed that you decide to make it a permanent purchase, doesn’t matter to Wal-Mart). It’s actually the same tactic car dealers employ…let you take the product home, and you’re much less likely to part with it.

Food is a bit trickier. I do spend more on certain items but I have cut out so much junk from our grocery bill that we spend the same or possibly less. Our city house on a fifth of an acre came with 6 chickens and this is definitely a money saver. We spend about $15 on food every 2 months. We toss most all of our food scraps out and let them free range occasionally so maybe a quarter of their diet comes from feed. Backyard eggs are hands down the tastiest eggs!

I actually go back and forth between the really expensive eggs from the awesome organic farmer that taste amazing ($5.25), and the cheaper organic eggs from a larger co-op ($3.99). So even within the happy animal/organic category there are distinctions…

I don’t think make-up covers up who I am — quite the opposite, actually. I am NOT the dark circles under my eyes or my skin blemishes. I feel my appearance matches how I feel inside when I look in the mirror and those things aren’t the first thing I see.

I don’t wear a lot of make-up and I don’t wear it all the time, thankfully. I’m not trying to don a mask — just make a few improvements, is all!

The conclusion was that, if you want to get the biggest moral ‘bang’ for your decision ‘buck’ when it comes to the environment, you can whittle all this down to three areas that have HUGE impact, as opposed to agonizing over paper vs plastic bages, etc.

Number 1: don’t have more kids than are needed to replace you

Number 2: drive less

Number 3: eat less meat

Doing those three things will create so much more benefit than trying to weight costs and benefits of organic produce vs local vs fair trade, etc. Of course, those three require the biggest life changes, too.

What really drives me crazy is salespeople blaming me for my fine lines and blemishes — attempting to shame me into buying their products. Oy!

I was trying to be polite. I think it’s worse thaat her husband said it.

Think about what that means.

Jeez, stupid fingers.

The recent organic farming news annoyed me because I felt the results were misinterpreted. The point of buying organic isn’t just about health. It’s also about not supporting factory farming, which is destroying our environment as well as being cruel to animals.

I don’t always buy organic, but I try to buy local as much as possible. From what I have learned, it is very difficult and expensive for farms to get certified organic, but plenty of local farms do not use chemical pesticides even if they have not paid to go through the process of getting certified.

Great post. I wish more people thought about the real costs of buying cheap stuff.

I look young for 35. This could change, but I can tell you I do very little for my face. I wash it every other day in the shower with my regular soap and put body lotion on it afterwards. That’s it. My skin looks great. I guess you say this is a function of my younger age. But I’m not convinced. I think women wash their faces far too often. If I don’t wear makeup or get dirty during the day, why on earth would I need to wash my face before I sleep?

Maybe I’m dooming myself to a lifetime of wrinkles, but I also think there is a lot of myths out there pushed by the cosmetic industry. I don’t even wear sunscreen unless I plan to be outside for an extended period. I figure the little I am exposed to the sun during the day while going from place to place is good Vitamin D.

These days we seem to be afraid of our own shadows…or perhaps I should say we are afraid of our aging faces. Probably the best way to avoid wrinkles is to avoid having kids and the stress they bring. This seems to be the thing that ages women’s faces the most .