Now Here's A Challenge For You!

I know that many of you have heard about the Month Without Monsanto Challenge, well we've decided to offer up a challenge of our own. A Month of Sustainability! Now we are going to be fair and give you until August 1st to prepare. We are asking our members, friends and anyone else that wants to participate to dedicate the month of August to going Store Free! At the end of the month tally up what you did not spend at fast food joints, coffee houses, convenience stores and grocery stores and donate a portion of the savings to a Sustainable Charity or NPO.
For that month shop exclusively at farmers markets, directly from small local farms, and maybe even sign up for a trial membership in a CSA. Tell us what you did and the best example wins a 25lb sampler and a 1 year farm membership.
A friend of mine did this and was floored by the fact that she saved almost $500.00 in household expenses. The way that she prepared for her Store Free Month was to stock up on essentials like hygiene products and staples. (Just think of what else you grab running to the store for Toilet Paper!)She joined a CSA and purchased all of her meat farm direct. We are lucky to have a dairy near by and she went there for her milk and cream, churned her own butter, and put every dime that she would have spent running to the store or fast food in a jar, at the end of the month her total savings was $492.75.
I know that I spend $5.00 or more a day just on Coffee drinks! (just adding up the cups I throw away is going to be staggering.)
She says that the first week was tough but by the end of the month she was into the routine and can now go right past the convenience store and get just what she needs at the Supermarket without the impulse buys and still have money in the household budget at  the end of the month> she is donating a portion of her savings each month to Heifer International and The Weston A Price Foundation<  Email me and I will send you information about trusted farms and CSA's in your area or contact your local Weston A Price Foundation Chapter and they can direct you to sources for Clean Food close to you. The Eatwell Guide and Slow Food International are also good sources for information.
I will post my preparation for A Month of Sustainability as I purchase so you can get some ideas. Post yours too!
Meg