It wasn’t that long ago that Los Angeles had the grocery store strike;  many of us did our best to not cross the picket line. We avoided crossing the line by shopping @ Trader Joes, Smart and Final or Costco.

What habits have you changed since the resolution of the strike?  I  now shop at Vons no more than once a week. I find the storeworkers mostly inexperienced and most know little about food, try asking for some obscure herb such as chervil and watch the blank stares.  The produce and meat sections are “hit or miss”.  At Vons I buy cat food, detergent, trash bags, water bottles, toilet paper, etc. 

I shop Trader Joes or Fresh and Easy once a week for milk, cheese, eggs, bacon and produce. And my local meat market twice a month.  I shop Smart and Final or Costco every six weeks for cleaning supplies.

Now that gasoline has escalated – we walk more (to save money, lose weight, be healthy) – walkable neighborhoods and areas near public transportation such as the metro will gain in value.  We will continue to see more bicycles and energy efficient cars.

I think the next shift will be how large of a home do you really need?  How large of a closet do you require when you are wearing the same several outfits?  Do you require ten – twenty pairs of shoes? I have a dear friend who tells me “less is more” and quite often it really is.  Maybe the days of gluttony are over and we will start to use what we need and leave the rest for someone else.