My new found love of bulk shopping

So I have finally caught on to the trend - a relatively old one really.

I am joining the ranks of the bulk food junkies, and am vowing that by the fall, I will have re-invented my purchasing patterns, and my cupboards! It all started when I read an article baout a womean who is trying to becoming zero-waste; a tuly admirable, and difficult feat! (You can check out the article by clicking here.)

I don't clain for a second, to be able to go as far as becoming zero-waste, but with my avid recycling, and my new composter, I have already drastically reduced the amount of garbage that leaves my home. Still, I would like to even reduce the amount I recycle, because afterall, REDUCE comes first in the reduce, reuse, recycle triad!

After reading the article, and because I am a little OCD when it comes to organization, I decided to take up the challenge and start the process of converting to bulk, and reducing waste along the way. This means:

a) anything that I can buy in bulk, I will . This includes rices, pasta, spcies, oats, baking supplies, and once I get more familiar with the Bulk Barn, anything else that I can!

b) Using my own bags for bulk and produce buiying (See more about that below)

c) Sustainable storage - storing non-perishable items in glass containers, with glass or stainless tops whenever possible.

The first thing I did was get some bulk bags. Mom picked up these great ones called CareBags for me at the Feels Good Store in Saint John. They are great! Check out their missions statement:

To continue to lead the pack in providing the best quality, Canadian made, re-useable produce and bulk food bags. To support a local community in our business, to provide food storage education, and to give assistance to entities working toward similar sustainable eco goals. To operate ethically and morally.

I have used them already and I love them. Plus, they are Canadian!!

But what about spices? I went online, and found an Etsy store called Kootsac. They are reuseable bulk bags made in the Kootenays in British Columbia. Handmade by a textile articst and clothing designer, these cute little bags - I ordered the spice ones - comes in a variety of colours and sizes! They will be very helpful when I go to replenish my spice rack! I haven't recieved them yet, but I am super excited to give them a try. They come in silk and ripstop nlon, and like the Carebags, you can throw them in the washing machine to clean! I am sure there are other varieties of bags out there, but I am going to try these two for now.

Then came the glass containers. I got a few of the regular glass storage containers with stainless lids, that I could leave out on my counter. Some talls ones for long pasta, and differing sizes for other things. For the items that I knew would be around longer, I wanted well-sealed jars, to keep out any moisture. I love the look, and practicality of the old hermetic jars, and was able to find them in 3 sizes at the Bulk Barn! I used those mostly for things like flour, and sugar, and soe other baking products. I got some glass spice jars too, since I never have had a spice rack, and plan on building a wooden rack that I can put up on the wall in my kitchen.

So here I am , on my way to reducing waste, and buying only what I need. It will be neat to see how I can adapt my puchasing habits to the new bulk way of life, but I am looking forward to trying it out! :-)

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