I hate to say it, but going organic is not all about the food. Now don’t get me wrong, food is a huge part of your organic journey and yes it is a major key part to being healthy as food sustains our bodies and gives it the nutrition needed to live, but an organic lifestyle is so much more. An organic lifestyle means living as close to nature as possible with the power of intention and action in every facet of your life. The term organic implies aspects of nature, organization, and balance. Adding the term lifestyle gives us the power of intention.
As I started my Going2Natural journey, when I thought of the word organic, I generally thought of food. The more I researched, the more I realized that this organic journey I called myself on, was much more than I had bargained for. It was not just what I put in my body, but it was a way of life. So I basically set out on a quest to become a tree hugging, vegetarian, organic loving hippie. But what I found out is, it’s hard out here for a hippie in this day and age.
It’s been about 3 years and as I wobble through this life changing journey, I have come to find out that as much as living organic elevates my mind, body and soul and brings me harmony within the world it can also be a huge struggle to sustain this type of lifestyle without going completely broke or seem rigid and out of place in social settings at times. I wanted the choice to have the most natural life as possible, free from chemicals and harsh man-made materials in all aspects of my life. I started thinking about everything: clothing, food, hygiene products, linens, being vegan, eggs, meat, gardening, animals, everything.
As much as I wish the truth could have come gradually and systematic, it didn’t. It came full blast and knocked me off my feet. All the things I never noticed came flooding into my mind. It really felt like I was seeing certain things for the first time although it was there all along. I started to research articles on the poor animals that feed the greed of the meat industry that I would not have paid mind to before. I started reading articles that frankly scared the crap out of me on how we are polluting and destroying not only our bodies but the earth. I worried about the harsh chemicals that are practically in everything from clothing to food to furniture. I wanted to know exactly where my food and products were coming from.
I remember looking at certain items in my house and wondering if a child or person working in poor conditions made the item I use so callously day to day. It was overwhelming but I felt alive and awake and in more control of my life than I had ever felt before. It felt justifying and liberating. I wanted to change everything in a flurry, making sure I was surrounding myself with the most natural and fair trade organic items as possible. Well in this case I learned slow and steady definitely wins the race. The first six months of going organic full throttle, I swear our households bills like food, hygiene, cleaning items, clothes, etc doubled. We were drowning and I was pissed because I felt we should not have to pay more just to have less chemicals in our life. Bottom line is I started to feel like we couldn’t afford to live that kind of lifestyle and that organic living was made for people who have a ton of money. We can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods or expensive co-ops 100% of the time. I can’t afford to buy only fair trade clothing and hygiene that is made from 100% fair trade and organic materials, all the time. Organic companies charge a lot and I absolutely think some of them charge way too much, but that was not going to change my situation or reality at the time.
So my husband and I decided we would rather make sacrifices in order to eat and live organic. We basically had to trade in most of our luxuries like going out to eat, the movies, or expensive vacations but we ended up turning to nature instead by taking hikes, walks, and fishing. All free, all healthy and all enjoyable. We kept it simple and found ways to save money. It started with deodorant. I read some article that once again scared the crap out of me about aluminum being linked to breast cancer and that was it. I started trying stuff like Tom’s which was very expensive and did not work. By the end of the day I smelled like a sweaty football player after practice. I couldn’t handle smelling like that and neither could my husband, but I would not go back to the chemical stuff, no way, no how.
So I had to get creative and decided to make my own. It took some research and a few times to perfect it but now it’s the best deodorant I have ever used. It even works great for my husband and teenage kids and feels great knowing it is all natural and safe enough to eat (not that I would or it would taste remotely good) but that I could if I wanted to. My husband and I didn’t stop there, we started making body butter, laundry detergent, salt scrubs and we are continuing to increase self-made products that we hope to offer to our readers at a very fair cost so everyone can afford them.
I have to say little things do go a long way. I save a ton of money just making my own hygiene and cleaning products. And saving a little money in a lot of place does pay off. It is just as easy as going to a thrift store to look for vintage clothing or furniture than going to a buy a new item. You will always save money shopping at second hands stores and just knowing I am helping the environment by choosing to recycle feels liberating. Not to mention finding an awesome Calvin Klein shirt for $2 is always a plus. Small battle wins do matter, it keeps you motivated in your organic journey. Another thing we did was start a small garden with only 4-5 hours of light, and ended up having a decent yield for our first time. The key is the soil, light and water, then let nature takes its course. To be truthful the biggest change we had was starting to live with less, not even purposely but when you are truly trying to live an organic lifestyle some choices are just eliminated, so it kind of happens naturally so to speak. Sizing down on hygiene products was another thing I noticed because we used the body butter we made for almost every part of our body. We had the basics, but to know I made them, saved money and they work great is just another triumph in my book. One thing I did learn trial by error is always, I mean always bring your organic snacks with you. I know it’s corny to “be that girl” that actually packs a snack in her purse. But it saves me from having to eat something crappy that will make me feel just as crappy and I save money in the long run. I will continue to be on my quest to pursue an organic lifestyle on a budget and will share everything I learn with our readers.
We just finished the recipe for our natural deodorant (regular and sensitive) and our Lavender Lemondrop Whipped BOSS Butter. G2N also plans to offer all sort of organic product alternatives in the future. We are so excited to be able to offer these great recipes from our home to yours at prices that are much cheaper than any leading organic company out there. Our products really work and are also affordable. I want everyone to be able to afford natural alternative for themselves and their families. So if someone says that going organic is not expensive, I would like to live in their world. Living organic has truly made us live more simple and sacrifice certain luxuries in order to be able to afford the more healthy options in all aspects of our life. But I have to say I have no regrets in the lifestyle changes we have made and continue to have passion and determination to find ways to live organic on a budget.
Like I say it’s hard out here for a hippie.
Until next time!
Green Living. Green Business. 