"This aspiring minimalist went to market..."

I ran my idea past a few more friends and family last night and not a single person thought I had hopped on the crazy train (at least they didn't say that to my face:-) so I continued brainstorming how this all was going to play out. One friend likened my idea to the concept of "shopping the perimeter of the grocery store" to glean the most healthy food while avoiding the interior aisles which are typically stocked with highly processed foods. I also felt like a bit of a pioneer woman or early hunter-gatherer of the Pacific Northwest. Not hardly, I know, but fun to imagine nonetheless.

With two large bags in hand, $100 in my envelope, and my oldest daughter accompanying me, we headed down to the Vancouver Farmer's Market on a steamy 90° day. We loaded up on locally grown fruits and veggies, sourdough bread, goat's milk soap and a few treats for the week such as kombucha, homemade chips and salsa, vegan cookies, and hazelnut+chocolate butter so that no one would feel "deprived" during my little experiment. I quickly spent $70 on my journey through the market and was ready to head home on this sweltering day. The need to save the remainder of my weekly allotment for future visits on higher priced goods such as locally raised beef and fresh fish was at the forefront of my brain. I was also reminded that my small grocery budget would now necessitate meal planning as well as digging deep into the bowels of my small freezer to use up my current provisions. Challenge accepted!