 |
| I had to show you this -- a licorice shrine. Apparently, licorice is a very big thing in Scandinavia. |
This may shock you: There are instances when I feel downright spendthrifty. Our Wednesday day trip to Poulsbo, WA brought out my extravagant side. We spent more on a few purchases, some as gifts and others to enjoy by our family, that I definitely could have bought elsewhere for less. Surprising as this may be, you can even find souvenir t-shirts that feature the name of a town or attraction on Amazon for close to half the price as buying at that destination. For these purchases, though, I wanted to support some local businesses, even if it meant I would spend more.
The choice to spend more for ethical, sustainability, or community-driven reasons presents a dilemma for frugal people -- the question of are you still frugal if you spend more to prioritize non-financial aspects of purchases in place of maximizing savings at all times?
It may be ethical sourcing that's important, such as not patronizing brands that use child or slave labor, or don't pay their employees a fair wage, or do something damaging to the environment in the production of their goods. Sometimes it's about shopping at businesses that are locally-owned, or are small businesses. And sometimes making a purchase from a non-profit will benefit a greater cause than simply profit. This idea of being selective with purchases extends to restaurants and other similar establishments. A person may prefer to support an independently-owned restaurant to keep money in their local area.
In my family's case the other day, we bought a Christmas gift for an extended family member, a men's t-shirt for my husband, and some salty licorice, pastries, and ice cream/iced coffee for us to enjoy. The Christmas gift came from a store that features items from Scandinavia and will be appreciated by a family member who strongly identifies with the Scandinavian side of our family. I could have purchased a Christmas gift for this family member on Amazon. But I wanted my purchasing dollars to benefit a local business.
This was my husband's first visit to Poulsbo. I took our three kids there many summers ago, and bought t-shirts for each of them then. My son still wears his t-shirt, and my husband has admired it a time or two. We found the same shirt in several color choices at the maritime museum. Their merchandise sales keep this museum open to the public with free admission. We saw other t-shirts at retail shops in Poulsbo for a few dollars less. And I even found a couple of Poulsbo t-shirts on Amazon for several dollars less. But I wanted to help a non-profit stay open. So we made the purchase at the museum.
The food purchases all came from independent and locally-owned businesses. We could have gone elsewhere for the ice cream, breakfast pastries, or licorice. But again, I wanted our purchasing dollars to stay in the area.
The employees we interacted with all live within a short drive of their places of work. The owners also live locally. My hope is that this town continues to have the same small town charm for many more decades.
There was a time in our family's story when we couldn't afford to prioritize anything but paying the lowest possible price. I'm blessed and can say that we sometimes can now make decisions in ways that help small businesses or non-profits, or keep profits local, or prioritize the way that products are made or harvested that benefit employees or environments. It's a balance, however. We can't make our choices in these ways all of the time. But when we can, it makes me very happy.
Being frugal is not always about saving the most money. Incorporating thoughtfulness in spending has a place in a frugal mindset. Personally, I like to use my purchasing power to help local businesses and their employees. I worked in retail when I was younger, and I think I connect with people working in shops and small restaurants. I want to have an impact on their day in some very small way. Giving them my business is one way to accomplish just that.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for joining the discussion today. Here at creative savv, we strive to maintain a respectful community centered around frugal living. Creative savv would like to continue to be a welcoming and safe place for discussion, and as such reserves the right to remove comments that are inappropriate for the conversation.