LIFE | FOOD | AGRICULTURE

Small is Big

Grocery shopping in small bites

Dawn Nelson
2 min readSep 23, 2024

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The new bulk food section at the local food cooperative. Photo by author.

This week, I stopped at a small farm market for a few things and found myself walking away with a very expensive bag of groceries.

I am happy to pay for local products, but sometimes I am surprised at how fast it adds up.

5 apples, some ginger, 1 clove of garlic, 3 herbal tonic drinks, some charcuterie soppressata, a bag of popcorn, and a shampoo bar all added up to $43.

Fortunately, when I ventured out for more groceries earlier this evening, I gathered about double the food stuffs from the food cooperative for $45. So it balances out. My shopping is done.

I’m just grateful that I don’t have to walk into a massive grocery store. I’ve done my best to avoid them for years. The detachment and anxiety I feel when wandering aisle after aisle looking for my eight shopping list items is a subtle stress I just don’t want to feel anymore. It seems minor, but it makes a big difference in my daily life.

Small shops are where it’s at for me.

It’s true that it can be more expensive. Much of the time I spend in small shops is hunting for the deals and making sure I have a plan for every item I purchase. I find a lot of satisfaction in this conscious food…

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Dawn Nelson
Dawn Nelson

Written by Dawn Nelson

Writing creative nonfiction & personal essay. WIP: 0200 Series // Art, Life & Ecology https://dawnnelson.substack.com // Tip Jar: buymeacoffee.com/dawndotearth

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