Shop Local: A Christmas Challenge!

Recently, I blogged about a Winter Bucket List I had created for other families to complete this season. One of the items on that list was to “Buy a Gift for Someone”. This is something that nearly everyone will do during the holiday season, and one of the easiest items to check off of the Winter Bucket List.

However - anyone who knows me, and knows me well, knows how important it is for me to not only think locally, but to think, shop and buy locally.  This is important to me (and should be to you, too), because when you shop locally, your money is more likely to get invested back into your own town. 

In fact, studies show that approximately 51.1% of small business revenue re-circulates locally.  Basically, when you buy from an independent, locally-owned business, rather than a nationally-owned or “big box” business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers, farms, and so on. This continues to strengthen the economic base of your community; more businesses thrive, which drives down the price of goods and services at those locations. Shopping local is a win, for everyone! (Well, except for those big-box companies I mentioned above, but don’t worry - they can use their trillion dollar bills to dry their tears.)

Because this is so important to me, I have decided to practise what I preach and put myself to the “Shop Local Christmas Challenge”. I have vowed to buy at least 90% of my Christmas gifts from locally owned shops, businesses, and distributors. The remaining 10% allows me some 'wiggle room' if I have an item or two on my list that I cannot find locally. In those circumstances, where I have to depend on a “big box” company, I will use a company located within my own town. Although this isn’t as beneficial as shopping locally – it is still having a small effect on my local economy and something is always better than nothing at all.

If you’re up for the challenge, I’ve included some helpful hints to keep your hard-earned money in your community!

1. Start out small. If this concept is new to you, or you are an avid big-box shopper, don’t feel the need to aim for 90% . Instead, start out by vowing you will find 5 items locally, or 10 – or half of your list. Find a number that you are comfortable with and challenge yourself to meet it. When you're dealing with small businesses, every dollar counts!
   
2. Get online! Access local shops in your community, easier. Nearly every small business or shop has an online presence in this day and age. Facebook is a simple and convenient place to find local businesses in your area.
   
3. Think outside of the box – literally! Shopping locally does not mean you have to be restrictive, a little more creative, maybe, but you won’t have to completely derail your gift ideas in order to meet the challenge. Do you have a local restaurant you love? Consider buying a gift card and spreading the love. Local wineries and breweries are perfect places to find something unique for a hard-to-shop-for person on your list.
   
4. Ask around! You would be surprised how many hidden gems you can uncover just by asking your co-workers, friends and family their favourite local places to shop. This is also a great way to find out about special deals that different stores may have going on throughout the holidays. It’s also a good idea to attend local vendor shows going on leading up to the holiday, where a large number of small businesses offer unique, handmade and local goods, all under the same roof.
   
5. Use your friends/family members who are distributors. Whether it’s Younique, Scentsy, Thirty-One, Tupperware, Origami Owl, or otherwise – we all have a friend (or two) that sell these goods as third party presenters/distributors. Allowing someone you know to benefit from your purchase works in the same way that shopping at a local storefront does!
   
6. It’s about more than just the presents! You can shop locally for everything – not just the gifts under the tree. This year, we got our pictures done by a local photographer. Added bonus? She included Christmas cards in the price of her session. 2 birds… 1 stone! When it comes down to collecting the ingredients for your holiday meals, don’t forget about local farmers and food providers in your area.
   
   
   
   Happy Shopping!