For the past three months I have been buying from strictly
locally owned businesses. In the beginning we all thought this was going to be
a hardship, each for our own reasons. My kids worried a cheezit would never
pass their lips again and I’d feed them a steady diet of kale and whole wheat
noodles. My husband worried I’d spend all the money hiding under our
mattresses. I mostly worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Putting aside the handful of slip-ups in regards to hairproducts and auto-repair, for the most part we have survived on the goods sold
by locally owned businesses exclusively since January 1. And once more, we’ve
more than survived, we’ve thrived.
We’ve saved money, time, and gas, made new friends, eaten
better in terms of both taste and health, and quite honestly, had a lot of fun.
Along the way, I’ve been confronted by people who thought I was just a wee-bit
overboard and plenty of skeptical people, but I’ve also been helped by people
who shared ideas and local sources.
