La Vida Local 01: A New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year!

After a long hiatus, I am finally beginning another of my projects blogs.  I hope this one will be read all over the world but it is focussed entirely on my immediate surroundings.

Last month, I had the pleasure of offering home hospitality to a delegate of the first National Conference for Community Supported Agriculture.  This wonderful scheme, about which you will hear much more, is one of the many reasons I am so happy with my move to Stroud.

It was during a social event for conference-goers and interested locals that I somehow managed to commit myself to three months of spending my money only in local and independent economies.

I cannot stop paying my mortgage or refuse to go to work so I have had to refine the rules a little.  I have run down my cupboards to make it as realistically challenging as possible and done a bit of advance research to prevent any major disasters in the first week.

This is my pledge for January, February and March 2014:

- All fresh food that I buy to consume in my home will be locally grown/produced and sold by local, independent retailers.

- All store cupboard food that I buy to consume in my home will be sold by local, independent retailers and produced by small, independent companies.

- I will shop for clothes, toiletries and other household items and gifts only from independent retailers or second-hand/charity shops.

- When eating out or buying lunch, I will only go to independent restaurants and food outlets.

 - I will buy my petrol only from independent petrol stations and take public transport if this is not possible.

- If I need to employ any services during this period, I will do so only from local, independent businesses or individuals.

- I will research the options available if one wanted to manage one’s finances and source one’s utilities only through local business and companies.

I begin my three-month adventure down in Devon at an independently run writers’ retreat in the tiny village of Sheepwash.  I have no idea if there are independent petrol stations in the area but luckily I have enough petrol to drive home at the end of the week.

I am looking forward to stocking up before I leave with a few bits from the village shop that my wonderful hostess, Deb, informs me is run cooperatively and even manages to undercut the supermarkets on much of its wide range of products.  With Deb's delicious home cooking, this week will not be too difficult but I imagine there will be some hurdles along the way!