Project Simplify: Closet Cleanout

I had planned on joining Simple Mom's Project Simplify right from the beginning, but life happened and the only closet cleaning I did last week was to give a jacket and a shirt to my mom while she was here visiting. But just thinking about it all week gave me the motivation to start trying on clothes Friday afternoon, and by Sunday night I was through the whole closet.

I realized that I'd been hanging on to a lot of clothes becasue they reminded me of who I used to be. I had a lot of clothes that I wore when I was teaching--6 years ago--that I didn't need or even want anymore. And there were some clothes from Hawaii--like the dress I wore when Ben returned from his first deployment--that just reminded me of who I used to be.

And so even though I never wore them, I didn't get rid of them. Until now. In all I got rid of
5 dresses
8 skirts
4 pairs of pants
10 shirts
1 jacket
3 belts

Woohoo!

Thoughts on joining a CSA

I've been contemplating the advantages of signing up for a CSA for the last year or so, and am once again trying to decide if this would be worth it for our family. I really like the idea of getting produce fresh from the farm. And I like that I would be supporting local, family farmers.

But I'm still holding back.

Last spring, when the time to sign on came, I hesitated. I was pregnant, and would have a newborn when the crops started rolling in. Was I really going to have the energy to experiment with new vegatables? So I passed.

This spring I've gotten the hang, mostly of running a household with three littles ones under my feet, but I'm still hesitating. I have two main fears:

1. Will anybody eat the food we receive? My four year old is notoriously picky. My husband is generally a good sport about trying my new creations, but I'm not sure how long that would last. The two little ones will eat anything, so I'm not so worried about them. Would I try everything? Hmmm...I'm rather notorious for being picky myself.

2. Does the cost make if feasable? $250 is almost our entire grocery budget for a whole month. If I still have to supplement with fruits and veggies we need more of, this could put a serious cramp in my summer grocery budget.

I know the answers already. Yes, people will complain, but it would be good for us to stretch our palates a bit. And yes, the cost is substantial, but if I start squirling away extra grocery money now I could easily have enough by early summer.

The real problem may just be a generalized fear of doing something I've never done before. Which means it's high time I went ahead and signed up.