Shop only from independent shops for 14 days

It is a tad more expensive, but I am buying all of my animal feed from the independent feed store in the town where I work. On average, their cost is $1-2 more per 50#. This isn’t a 14 day thing, though, I believe I will stick with them – I have used them in the past for Purina Goat Chow, but am moving my business for horse, rabbit & chicken to them as well. The horse will be the most difficult, because I am getting it for about $0.10 a pound right now… sigh, I need to price it at the local feed store… it might not be feasible. We’ll see.

From http://www.inc.com/criticalnews/articles/200511/oil.html

“Their marquees may bear the names of oil giants like Exxon and Shell, but to the surprise of many motorists, the majority of the 167,000 retail outlets selling gas in the U.S. are independently owned and operated. With prices up an average of 37.5 cents per gallon from just a year ago, these small businesses have been dealt a one-two punch of shrinking profit margins and consumer backlash.”

So, on that note, you could literally walk in a gas station and ask about the ownership.

Also: http://amiba.net/links.html#trade
(and the parent page of www.amiba.net)

I have tried to find a list or directory of independently owned gas stations, but was unsuccessful… if anyone finds such an animal, please post the URL!

This is going to take some planning on my part. There aren’t any little green-grocers and bakeries like I frequented when living overseas. There is WalMart and the supersized grocery stores. During the summer and fall we have the farmer’s market in town (and our own veggies to sell!) and lots of little road-side stands pop up, too.

I will also have to enlist the cooperation of my family. Our four daughters (11, 12, 13, 14) think that they should pray at the altar of WalMart at least once every other day… Sigh.

I’ll be checking back in on this with thoughts of where to shop and how…

(Thank you, Purple Heather, for the invite – and the challenge!)