“We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.” Dr. Martine Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had more than one dream. Or rather, his dream was more expansive than most of us learned about in school. His speeches famously asked America to live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all, regardless of race. 

Less well known, he also targeted militarism and capitalism. In short, he dreamed of a world that valued people over things—over consumer goods, over property, over profit. He envisioned an economy that cared more than it competed.

Care is at the core

If we had a hard time knowing what that might look like in the past, it’s plain as day in the midst of a pandemic. More people see more clearly how the entire structure of our economic and social lives rely on essential workers—nurses, teachers, farmers, sanitation and restaurant workers. All who work in industries that feed us, clothe us, shelter us, teach us, care for us. The center cannot—does not—hold without care at its core.

What would change about modern life if we organized our economy around care? What would we value? On what would we spend our time and money? 

In a 1967 sermon, given on Christmas eve, King said the words that follow. And they resonate deeply with the CoffeeSock crew. As a small business, we depend on our workers and on the farmers who provide the organic cotton we sew and the coffee our product relies on. We depend on our community and the people who teach our children. We depend on clean air and food and shelter. We want to be depended on as well. So we dedicate ourselves to a clean and sustainable world, and to a whole economy with care at its center. 

From Dr. King:

It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality. Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’s given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach over for your toast, and that’s given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half of the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality.

Get ready for a cozy and healthy winter at home by giving your goods a sustainable stock up score. We’ll help you prep.

And just like that, it’s late October. The end of this long, long year is almost here. In a typical year, Halloween kicks off weeks of festivals, parties and gatherings. We decorate, we travel, we shop and we celebrate.

In winter 2020, we prep.  

There may still be pandemic pod parties and small, socially distanced celebrations. But to pull it all off while staying safe and healthy this winter, you’ll need to be prepared. 

If the great toilet paper shortage of March was the warm up, this year’s flu and holiday season is the stock up Olympics. Note: We did not say the hoarding Olympics. Stocking up is more of science. Which means you need a method. 

We’ve got you covered with a simple three-step process.

Step 1: Define your successful stock up

You know you. You know what will make the next few months feel as right as they can. You know how close you are to local stores, how much space you have for supplies, how much money you’re willing to spend on the front end and how often you’re willing to get out of the house for higher-risk excursions like shopping. 

Use that as your basis for defining what a successful stock up looks like. Your successful stock up might look something like this:

• I have one all the basics on hand to prep a meal, cook the meal, clean my home, and practice personal hygiene and self care for one full month.

• I have what I need to engage in at-home activities that bring me joy and comfort.

• My shopping/stocking aligns with my value of sustainability. 

Try it! Answer these questions for yourself. 

• How much back stock do you want? A couple of weeks? A month? All winter?

• What do you want your stock to accomplish? For example, do you want to be able to easily whip up a family meal? Have ingredients available for kids to serve themselves? Feed your pets? Clean your space? (Don’t forget teeth brushing, showering and other self care needs).

• What activities do you want to maintain and what events do you want to prep for? Maybe you enjoy movie nights with the family, crafting or drawing? Maybe a birthday is on the horizon? List the supplies you need for these moments, so they remain joyful when the time comes. 

• What values do you want to maintain and how can your stock up plan align? If you’re working to reduce waste, trash and plastic, then consider your sustainable options throughout the process. 

Step 2: Make your master list

Now that you’ve defined what stocking up means to you, make a list of everything you might need. You can do this systematically by starting with your usual grocery and supply list, and then thinking through a whole day from start to finish. Missing anything you need for the day? Add it!

Then repeat the process with your week and your month. Don’t skip over movie nights or birthdays. No need to be caught off guard without popcorn or cake supplies. 

Step 3: Give your items a stock up score

This is where the magic happens. You probably don’t have the space to have a three-month supply of everything or the extra budget to buy it all now. So how do you know where to begin? 

Introducing the stock up score. Use this method to identify the items on your list that will most benefit you to stock up on. 

It works like this. You’ll assign points to everything on your master list. Then identify your highest scoring items and stock up. 

• Is this item essential to me or my family? Must have = 2 points Nice to have = 1 point

• How often do I buy it? Weekly = 2 points. Monthly or less = 1 point

• Does it go in the landfill when I’m done with it? (Think nonrecyclable packaging). Bound for landfill = 2 points. Recyclable = 1 point. Renewable, reusable or compostable = 0

• Is there a bulk, reusable or lower waste option. Bulk/reusable version = 2 points Lower waste version = 1 point

• Can I store the alternate option? Yes = 2 points Yes, but I’d have to buy something new to do it = 1 point

Now add up the points! What are your top scoring items? Have any 10s?

Bulk, dried beans are a 10 for our family. So is nut milk and coffee. So we stock up on dried beans from the bulk bin, almonds to make our own milk, and bulk or reusable coffee supplies.

Work your way down the list, from your highest scoring items to your lowest until you’re as stocked as you want to be. 

Stock Up Troubleshooting

As you go through the process, you might find yourself in a pickle. Literally in some cases, since the only way to stock up on fresh cucumbers would be to pickle them. In those cases, revisit your stock up goals. If you’re not interested in growing your own broccoli or milking your own almonds, then don’t! The goal is sustainability, and that includes your time, effort and enjoyment.

Happy stocking!