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We worked on a farm, learned how to identify local flora and fauna, and learned just how complex and fraught our environmental systems are. It was during that transformational experience that I decided I wanted to spend my professional life protecting the environment. It set the trajectory for my college degree, my first job, and my master’s degree. Crunchy Granola also became a symbol of power and freedom for me in early adulthood. A few months after my college graduation in New England, I moved across the country to a small farm and environmental education center in the Bay Area of California for a 9-month internship. That point in my life was challenging because I was earning very little income, had a limited social network, and no idea what I would be doing when the internship ended. Although I’m currently a married working professional firmly rooted in the D.C. area, I still remember the excitement I felt standing in that farmhouse kitchen, making my own granola for the very first time. I realized I could make the granola exactly the way I liked it, with a bunch of cinnamon and maple syrup, far cheaper than the pre-packaged grocery store brands. At a time when there was so much uncertainty in my life, choosing exactly how the granola I would have for breakfast would taste was very meaningful to me. I had control. I could make good decisions. I could live my values and find joy on any budget.

Fast-forward to today, where I have discovered a variety of ways to ‘make my own granola’ by living an eco-conscious lifestyle while being on a budget. I’m launching Crunchy on a Budget because I have a burning passion to protect this Earth and the people and communities most disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. My current role at a mission-driven social impact nonprofit is work I find deeply meaningful. It is, however, not related to the environment. And as I’ve continued my journey to live my life as sustainably as possible, I’ve concluded that while my actions do matter, as only one person, my actions have a limited impact. That is when I began to think: what if I could influence more people to live sustainably and help other crunchy girlies live their values on a budget? That would be an endeavor worth pursuing, and that is what brought us here today. I am so excited to share my ideas, my journey, and my unique voice with all of you. So grab a bowl and stick around for new content regularly on how to live sustainably on a budget.