“Got my mind on my money, my money on my mind.”
As a “broke” student, cutting costs is definitely on mind when I shop because my financial aid grants and loans can only go so far. Now that I’m graduating (Last day of law school yesterday! Woohoo!), I’m even more obsessed with how I am going to cut corners to make sure I have money through the summer and until I find that dream job of mine that will pay for my extensive student loans.
So I’ve tried saving money by using coupons, watching out for sales etc. whenever I have to go grocery shopping, but who am I kidding? The benefits of buying locally-grown food far outweigh the slightly increased cost. As How to Shop Locally and Save Money explains, buying local may be slightly more expensive than purchasing from a national grocer but is that really more important and satisfying than getting the health, environmental, and environmental benefits?
Sometimes it’s easier to focus on short-term gains (like saving a couple of bucks) but we need to keep our eye on the prize. Personally, I need to be healthy so I can focus on studying for the bar instead of worrying about getting sick, I need to make sure my community’s local economy is faring well so I can get a job in this shitty awful economy, and hey I really love this planet and definitely do not want to have to move to Mars so let’s keep it clean.
Shift your spending from national chains to local merchants and businesses and your taste buds, overall health, local community and the planet will gain tremendously. Do you want to be part of this movement? Tell us what you’re doing to support local merchants and businesses!
