buy local

We didn’t do any holiday shopping, but we did spend money with four local businesses… a garage, a restaurant, a bakery, and a hardware store.

http://www.the350project.net/home.html

We’ve been a couple of times and were recognized by the guys from last year. The veggies and strawberries have been wonderful plus we bought some plants from a guy who seemed thrilled to talk to us about them!

My husband had the day off so we decided to take a little trip. We went to a town 75 miles away, visited two museums and their gift shops, and ate lunch and dinner in local restaurants. We spent about $125, not enough to keep anyone open; but we had a fun day and came away with souvenirs and full bellies.

we’re trying to shop from local businesses as much as possible. I heard a news story before xmas which said that if you don’t buy from your local shops, most likely they won’t be there next year. It’s so easy and often less expensive to shop online, but that doesn’t help anyone around here. We’re able to pay all our bills and still save some money; I think we need to put something back into the local economy. We’ve been making local choices when we eat out, but it’s time to do more.

It makes even more sense to buy them at the farmer’s market. When was the last time I met the people who grew the stuff at the grocery store?!

I got the most wonderful strawberries that actually taste like strawberries!

I bought all my flowers for the pots and the window boxes at the local garden center today. It might have been cheaper to buy them at Wal-Mart or Lowes, but I would hate for Kentucky American Seeds to lose the business. I can imagine what would happen if the big stores had total control over what plants were available, we’d all have to pick from the same ten varieties every year!

I bought some veggies and baked goods from people who actually remembered me from last year and seemed happy to see me. That doesn’t happen often at the chain grocery store!

I’ve been searching for organic, pasture-fed beef and chicken, AND trying to buy them locally. It’s going to be tougher than I ever though.

On the flip side…I went to both farmers markets in town last Saturady and bought stuff. All of it was local produce and baked goods. I only wish we had a market large enough to support someone with local cheese.