Welcome to The Small Box.
This blog project is one that I've been mulling over for quite a while and am excited to finally launch.
The goal here is to explore the process of adjusting the course of our suburban middle class life from the status quo...for a Californian...to that of a more socially and environmentally responsible family.
To move from the Big Box to the small box.
Can a single income, middle class, family of four, afford, monetarily, to transition all of our purchases from conventional big box stores...with their unethically obtained low prices...to smaller, local 'small box' stores?
We aren't a family that can afford to just begin shopping at Whole Foods and buying all organic, free trade cotton clothes at full price.
But, can we afford, ethically, not to?
We are a family of Four, a mom, a dad, and 2 & 3 year old boys who live out our days in Northern California in a mid-century ranch home set in your typical post-war suburb. Our main source of income is from dad's day job...Mom stays home with the boys.
We have gradually burdened ourselves with a budget which is based on spending habits that weren't taking into consideration the impact of an immediate gratification, disposable goods, American dream lifestyle. This means our mortgage, monthly bills, grocery budget and discretionary spending are set up accommodate the cost of cheap, mass farmed, low quality, produce and disposable, unimaginative, big-box, clothing.
We'll have to be creative in order to live the life we know we need to.
The plan is for this blog to document all of the changes we make, big and small, as we slowly replace the old life, and all it's burdens, with the new. Any discoveries about things which are helpful or harmful I'll post here for your consideration.
Welcome...It's nice to have you here.
This blog project is one that I've been mulling over for quite a while and am excited to finally launch.
The goal here is to explore the process of adjusting the course of our suburban middle class life from the status quo...for a Californian...to that of a more socially and environmentally responsible family.
To move from the Big Box to the small box.
Can a single income, middle class, family of four, afford, monetarily, to transition all of our purchases from conventional big box stores...with their unethically obtained low prices...to smaller, local 'small box' stores?
We aren't a family that can afford to just begin shopping at Whole Foods and buying all organic, free trade cotton clothes at full price.
But, can we afford, ethically, not to?
We are a family of Four, a mom, a dad, and 2 & 3 year old boys who live out our days in Northern California in a mid-century ranch home set in your typical post-war suburb. Our main source of income is from dad's day job...Mom stays home with the boys.
We have gradually burdened ourselves with a budget which is based on spending habits that weren't taking into consideration the impact of an immediate gratification, disposable goods, American dream lifestyle. This means our mortgage, monthly bills, grocery budget and discretionary spending are set up accommodate the cost of cheap, mass farmed, low quality, produce and disposable, unimaginative, big-box, clothing.
We'll have to be creative in order to live the life we know we need to.
The plan is for this blog to document all of the changes we make, big and small, as we slowly replace the old life, and all it's burdens, with the new. Any discoveries about things which are helpful or harmful I'll post here for your consideration.
Welcome...It's nice to have you here.
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