I have realized that in the direst of mental conditions, I reach for my best friends: Amazon and Food Delivery.

Turns out they have a different friend: Plastic!

Friendly Neighborhood Kiranas for Food Staples

Walking up to a mill with my mason jars and gunny bags to fill up on Wheat Powder (5 kilos), Rice (5 Kilos), Urad Dal and Idly rice to get my new Idly maker going.

Shampoo Bars

I want to keep this as snob-free as possible, finding economical alternatives as much as I can. But personal care is where I start slipping. A few months back, when the self-esteem did a nose-dive, puking out a ton-load of body issues, I gave into an overly-suggestive parlor to Keratin-treat my hair for 7000 rupees, and then proceeded to buy their shampoos and conditioners and serums every month, which sets me back by 3000 rupees, but hey… I get back a bucket-load of plastic, don’t I?. For some reason, privy only to my twisted brain, it sounded like an awesome idea at the time. For snobs like me, SoapWorks India, with sulphate-free shampoo bars and their beautiful website, is sure to send itches up my fingers and slow edging towards the the credit card, because as everyone knows, great products are made from great websites. But setting aside my weakness for well-designed websites or my over-treated hair from the consideration, Shampoo bars are an awesome idea for the plastic-free warrior and the economical shopper alike. This week I have ordered their Murumuru Butter Shampoo bar, that is good for frizzy hair like mine, with all the goodness of protein, but minus the sulphate that my hair-expert warned me about. I shall reveal the success of my experiments soon. And I am happy to inform you that the shampoo bars cost merely 300-500 rupees

Other brands

1. http://bubblenutwash.com/store/ – Hair wash powder.
2. Rustic art – http://www.rusticart.in/product/yarrow-moringa-shampoo-butter/
3. Ecostore: http://www.rusticart.in/product-category/hair-care/

Oil

I have discovered an oil mill in HSR! They make their own oil! It’s like a brewery….but for oil! How cool is that! Ok, that’s the last exclamation. Unless, you guys want to exclaim that the oil mill is located at the exact spot where I have been boarding my bus for the past 5 years, and I just happened to overlook it all this time. Reviews claim that the oil at LivePlus is divine, just that it is a trifle costly. Supposedly their USP is wood-pressed oil…which I assume is as cool as wood-fired pizzas for the organic dudes. In the meantime, ecostore HSR gave me 500 g coconut oil for 240 rupees in a glass caninster. The idea is to walk to my newly-discovered oil mill and refill (They promised me a discount of Rs. 20/- for my efforts!)

(Side Note of no relevance to the topic: My cook tells me that my brother drinks raw oil when he is bored. And spreads it on his chapattis like its ghee. WTF?#$#@@)

DIY Toothpastes and Floor Cleansers? I mean, am I kidding myself? Other thoughts for the week:

1. There are recipes for toothpastes and floor cleansers, people. But what I can and should do is cook my own food instead of living on Zomato’s code TASTY.
2. Should buy veggies and fruits from nearby stores, instead of bigbasket, which quite frequently uses plastic for many items.
3. Should try to replace Amazon shopping with walk-ins. Hopefully my plastic-free urges will help cut down my impulse shopping.

Total Cost this week:

• Personal Care: Rs. 1350 (Shampoo, Deodorant, Face soap)
• Coconut Oil: Rs. 240/- for 500g
• Food Grains: 465/- (Wheat Powder (5 kilos), Rice (5 Kilos), Urad Dal and Idly rice)