Luke Judge

I’ve seen a lot of amber glass apothecary jars and bottles lately in stores, on blogs, and most recently as a centerpiece on our neighbors’ dining room table. Restoration Hardware even sells a set of amber glass pharmacy bottles for bathroom storage. Our neighbors’ dining table vases, however, started as Brew Dr. brand kombucha bottles. to no surprise, Brew Dr. is actually a Portland, OR based company!

Photo courtesy of (my awesome neighbor) Kevin Ward

 Ever since I found out about this kombucha I’ve been drinking and saving the bottles for my collection. not sure what exactly I’m going to do with them yet, but some ideas I had besides just as vases were hand or dish soap dispensers, oil & vinegar bottles, or room scent diffusers. I suppose I could just go buy some bottles instead, but the kombucha is delicious (and supposedly healthy?) and it’s kind of fun to clean them up and re-use them. Go to Brew Dr. Kombucha’s website to see where it is sold near you.

bottles surprise, vinegar bottles

My financial-fast support group and I are inspiring sympathy and admiration.

But I’m really trying not to be a freeloader. A bunch of friends came over my place on Friday night to celebrate with me. Instead of Arbor Mist, my friend David brought a bottle of Moet. Rochell made chocolate-covered strawberries and Lesley brought fresh guacamole. The others brought bottles, too. I didn’t spend a dime! A friend invited me to dinner last night, but I reminded him about the fast. I chose a restaurant where I could use my Chicago Public Radio membercard for a two-for-one special. (Yes, pledge drive is over but that card is worth its weight in gold!)

In D.C., my sister Megan and her friend Amber are having fun. Amber invited Megan over to try out a new recipe and they  were content with sharing conversation/laughter when Amber’s neighbor knocked on the door and asked if wanted to join him at a neighborhood bar.  They declined, citing the fast, to which he replied…”come on out, drinks on me!”  He ended up leaving the duo at the bar and, in a final gesture of kindness, put a $10 bill on the bar.

Megan reported that she’s lost a few pounds and the extra dollars in her pocket have gone toward paying down her credit card bill.  Sister also said that co-workers often chime in about how much money they saved for a day – more financial diet than fast. They are thinking about deals and saving because of her fast.

There are little moments of satisfaction: finding a meter with leftover money. A family dinner here. Less money spent on gas. Quality time with friends when I cook them dinner. Walking by the nail shop with an awesome mani/pedi deal and not stopping. No fast food. No cab fare. I went to a free sinfoinetta event last night that comes with my membership. On Thursday, there’s another free, great-sounding event I want to check out.

I did buy my friend a baby shower gift over the weekend and had it shipped to her D.C. home. Essential. Echoes of home training rang through my ears.

About The Author Natalie Moore, Reporter

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bottles arbor mist, chocolate covered strawberries, mani pedi, membercard, nail shop, pledge drive