consuming

i've resolved to try to only have organic things in our house. i've also resolved to try to shop somewhere other than the woolworths at marrickville metro. the first resolution is due to my increasing awareness of all the awful shit we eat, wear, cleanse with and handle in an ordinary day. plus a good does of paranoia regarding what might be affecting percy.
the second resolution is because i think smaller retailers deserve a chance, the fresh stuff at woolworths doesn't impress me, amongst other things. one of those things being the requirement that the sequestered incomes of aboriginal families in the northern territory's intervention being required to be spent at coles or woolworths. i'm not going to get into the debate about the intervention in general, i'll leave it for now that i don't like the restriction of spending to the major retailers. so they can do without my grocery budget.

it's proving harder than i thought. we generally do a weekly grocery shop with top ups of milk and fruit and vegetables from the little shops in erko, thru the week as required (yes, chocolate icecream may also need to be topped up. got a problem?)
last week i went to life organics in newtown to see if i could fulfil our needs there. no. they do have a good selection of stuff but no shopping trolleys, no parking and astronomical prices. definately geared towards the small purchases market. so i went on to foodworks near newtown train station. a bigger supermarket but no indication if anything they sell is organic. also very limited range of baby goods and meats. plus your not allowed to take the trolleys out of the store and the parking is a difficult walk away with a full trolley. (read here that i took the trolley out anyways. some nice kid followed me to take it back.) again geared to the small purchases market. i actually suspect they make most of their money from the students at newtown high.
i gave up and went back to woolworths to get all the missing stuff the following day.
this resulted in the grocery budget being blown by around 30%, with no leeway for thru the week top ups. gotta have that chocie icecream!

i was in newtown franklins ealier today and while that may work for most things, including opening hours as i do groceries around 8:30am before everyone else does and before percy's morning nap, it's limited on the baby stuff, particularly the bellamy's organic baby formula i prefer to get for percy.

so this week i'm investigating online stores that deliver. this is difficult for me because i hate buying things i can't pick up or walk around and kick at it. everything (aside from books) i have bought without handling has been a disappointment. plus i'm techno phobic. i don't even have an ebay account! well, i'll persevere. i'm going to try the whole foods shop in waterloo also. and who's ever home when the delivery is made??

the clutch of the convenience of the big retailers is clinging on. it is an addiction i'm determined to break.