Introduction from Jen

Hello All! I am so happy to have been invited to contribute to this blog, I think it is an incredibly worthwhile and inspirational project!

A few words about me: while I am not officially signed on to buy nothing but necessities this year, my family's current philosophical and financial states have caused us to do some radical reevaluating of our priorities over the past year. We've found that yeah, we actually can do a lot with a little. Less may just be the new more. I am also keenly aware that what we in this culture may view as a fairly radical shift in our consumption is still over-the-top for many.

By trade, I am an attorney specializing in animal and environmental law. In practice, I am on a little kid sabbatical and currently my days are spent mainly with my young son (though I do some legal work from time to time). As Michelle kindly pointed out, I am also smack in the middle of a multi-year project wherein I cook/bake my way through and review a set of three vegan cookbooks. I also enjoy the usual retro-hipster stuff, sewing, knitting, keeping it real, etc. I enjoy living in large cities but our family has recently relocated to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, so I am also getting reaquainted with small town life. Additionally, we are also in the midst of a significant budgetary makeover and so frugal is my new middle name. So my posts will really run the gamut, but I hope you'll find them precious gems of delightful inspiration and insight.

Cheers!