Push to be Fiscally Benficial in Your Community in 2018.

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I live in an area where mom-and-pop shops are everywhere and the people love their farmers' markets and street festivals. There's a lot of talk about "shop small" and "eat local" and although I see people patting themselves on the back for occasional participation, I have seen enough local business shut down in the last two years to wonder if we're doing enough. Don't get me wrong, I've been just as bad as everyone else about talking up the importance of the local economy and not following through. I'm pretty good about supporting local restaurant chains and farmer's markets but I fall short when it comes to other expenditures.

I could do an entire post about my feelings in regards to anti-consumerist culture (and perhaps in 2019 I will do just that) but for this year I have decided that I want to fully understand what it means. Maybe anti-consumerism isn't what I'll be practicing. This idea is more along the lines of mindful consumerism. I am planning to buy local products whenever possible and purchase my goods EXCLUSIVELY from locally-owned, non-national retailers. This includes groceries, toiletries, clothes, gifts, and entertainment. If my community can't provide it, I don't need it.

In the spirit of true honesty, I must confess that I will be cheating just a little bit. Christmas is here and people have given me several gift cards to large retailers and I will be using them all up before January 1, 2018, on staples like flour, rice, dry beans, and various toiletries. When this small stockpile runs out, however, I will be relying on local sources for these goods. Fortunately this area is full of mom-and-pop shops that I am happy to frequent.

Within walking distance of my house, someone can get dinner, go to a show, grab a drink, buy meat and milk shares, get fresh produce, and send a handmade greeting card all in one afternoon. Even though many businesses do extremely well in this area, I am always shocked by the sheer number of people who don't know what is literally right in their back yards and automatically default to the major retailers. I've told people about my plan to do this for 2018 and they think I'm crazy and that I'm either going to starve or go broke. I'll let you decide who is crazy for doing what but I can assure you that I will not go broke by shopping local.

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Upcoming posts you can expect will cover the concepts of "food deserts" and barter culture as well as how my personal gardening endeavors are coming. If you or someone you know is interested in supporting the local economy (wherever in the world you are) please continue this dialogue and keep an eye out for the tag #ShopSmallLiveBig. It can be as simple as pledging to try to spend more locally this year.

Every little bit of change in your pocket is worth a whole lot more in the eyes of a small business owner.