I spend tens of thousands of dollars a year. I spend it on all sorts of things to live my life - on my house, my car, healthcare, food, clothing, energy, and so forth.
Much of the money I spend immediately goes away to some distant corporation - a quick glance at my credit card statement shows that 90%+ of my spending goes far, far away. Sure, a portion of it might stay local. But the majority of it certainly does not.
Instead, maybe its better to try to get more of my money to stick around town a little longer.
Imagine spending $20,000 to buy a new car. The vast majority of that money goes away to some international corporation owned primarily by foreign investors. Instead, maybe it's better for me to give $1,000 to my local mechanic to fix my car. Then he can spend that money on his family... local folks who need to live their life.
Imagine spending $2,500 a year on household energy. Instead of giving 100% of that money to OPEC and its industrial partners, maybe it is much better for me to give a portion of it to the local guy who can make my house much more energy efficient. Then he can spend that money on his family... local folks who need to live their life.
The same thing goes for food, insurance, and everything else: All things being equal, I've decided to spend my money locally. That means spending on local labor instead of new stuff made in some giant factory far way. That means spending at locally-owned businesses instead of the "national" businesses at the strip mall.
I can't prevent my money from leaving the local economy. But I can help get it to stick around a little bit longer.
Much of the money I spend immediately goes away to some distant corporation - a quick glance at my credit card statement shows that 90%+ of my spending goes far, far away. Sure, a portion of it might stay local. But the majority of it certainly does not.
Instead, maybe its better to try to get more of my money to stick around town a little longer.
Imagine spending $20,000 to buy a new car. The vast majority of that money goes away to some international corporation owned primarily by foreign investors. Instead, maybe it's better for me to give $1,000 to my local mechanic to fix my car. Then he can spend that money on his family... local folks who need to live their life.
Imagine spending $2,500 a year on household energy. Instead of giving 100% of that money to OPEC and its industrial partners, maybe it is much better for me to give a portion of it to the local guy who can make my house much more energy efficient. Then he can spend that money on his family... local folks who need to live their life.
The same thing goes for food, insurance, and everything else: All things being equal, I've decided to spend my money locally. That means spending on local labor instead of new stuff made in some giant factory far way. That means spending at locally-owned businesses instead of the "national" businesses at the strip mall.
I can't prevent my money from leaving the local economy. But I can help get it to stick around a little bit longer.