s/o -- If you try to buy locally, will you please stop in here?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I do try to "buy local." I am 100% behind the idea in theory but find it significantly more difficult in practice.

 

I grow some of my own stuff but we've only just begun that this year so we don't grow a lot yet.

 

We do some pick-your-own or pick from a friend's bounty for quite a lot of fruit.

 

We go to a large local farm and get tons of tomatoes to can w/ my mom.

 

Most other stuff is hard, though.

 

Groceries I split b/t Whole Foods and a local grocery. WF get's the lion's share of my grocery money, though, b/c they have more whole and organic foods; some of it local, most of it not.

 

That stuff you always need like tissue, undies, batteries, lipstick, floss, rubbing alcohol, et c., though. Where do you get that and still shop locally? I always end up at Target.

 

I would like local alternatives but where are they? How do you manage that?

[secular_mom]

I do try to "buy local." I am 100% behind the idea in theory but find it significantly more difficult in practice.

 

I grow some of my own stuff but we've only just begun that this year so we don't grow a lot yet.

 

We do some pick-your-own or pick from a friend's bounty for quite a lot of fruit.

 

We go to a large local farm and get tons of tomatoes to can w/ my mom.

 

Most other stuff is hard, though.

 

Groceries I split b/t Whole Foods and a local grocery. WF get's the lion's share of my grocery money, though, b/c they have more whole and organic foods; some of it local, most of it not.

 

That stuff you always need like tissue, undies, batteries, lipstick, floss, rubbing alcohol, et c., though. Where do you get that and still shop locally? I always end up at Target.

 

I would like local alternatives but where are they? How do you manage that?

 

Put an ad on Craig's List wanted section, see if there is a local Yahoo Group for your area that consists of people concerned for the environment, if there is one join it and ask the members if they know anyone local who sews, etc. Some things are just NOT going to be available from a local though. Do what you can, don't sweat the things you can't. BTW, there are some YouTube videos that show how to make a t-shirt, pants, panties, etc. so you might like trying to make some stuff yourself. You might feel better if you don't buy anything you don't REALLY 'need' that isn't local.

[FaithManor]

I don't worry so much about the toiletries as I do about the food because I'm trying to buy healthier food, support local farmers, and not purchase food that's been trucked - using tons of petroleum products and contributing to the air pollution of places like Los Angeles. None of the toiletries type products are manufactured anywhere near here so whoever stocks them is having them shipped.

 

But, I do like to help out businesses in the area. So, I've discovered that I really like the trash bags that Best Hardware company makes. We have a Best Hardware six miles from here, so I purchase those from them. Dh still has to go to Home Depot for batteries because none of our local businesses sell enough to keep their stock current...if we buy batteries locally, half of them are so old they don't work. That's a problem we haven't solved yet. I watch the Rite Aid Pharmacy and Good Neighbor Pharmacy ads and try to buy from them. The G.N.P. is family owned and so I will buy what I can from them as long as it doesn't tank my budget. Somethings are just too expensive for me yet. The Rite Aid, nine miles away, runs fantastic deals on toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. and I stock up. Neither of these stores carry my make-up (Physicians Formula Organics) so I have to purchase those at Target. If you have a Walgreens nearby, watch their ads and then stock up on the basics. You can seriously decrease your trips to Target.

 

If I give flowers for a funeral, I always go with the nearest florist even though it would be little cheaper to shop online and I occasionally treat myself to one of her lovely spring bouquets (which are reasonably priced) to spruce up the house when the snow is melting and I can't wait for warm weather. We don't have any apparel stores open in our area anymore, well except the bridal shop about 10 miles away, so I don't have anywhere to pick up basic items. If we did, I'd pay more to shop there just to keep me out of Target. I love Target but it is very easy to end up spending more when I go in there and the sales are great and there's clearance everywhere, and, and, and.....it can be very, very difficult to stick to a list!

 

Also, ask around and find out if there is a Mennonite Bulk Food store near you. We have one and I get canning supplies, organic produce, and such there. They also stock a basic brand of toilet paper and kleenex that is an excellent bargain.

 

When I was a kid there were two stores in the neighboring town that my parents shopped at. One was called Kritzman's (after Mr. Kritzman) and the other was Federated. Mr. Kritzman had the best towels, women's undergarments, and shoes anywhere. He loved his customers and he and his wife just rolled out the red carpet everytime anyone came in...they also had lovely baby bonnets. My mother always bought baby bonnets from them as part of her family's and friends' baby gifts. She always replaced her towels with his and they didn't wear out much because of the quality. We also always got our shoes from him because we had narrow feet and he would special order "the just right size" for us...none of that generic shoe issue and blisters. I am sure my parents paid a lot more for all of this than if they had trooped us all to the city to purchase from K-Mart. But, my dad was a small business owner and he new the value of supporting local businesses that kept the community thriving and at work. Federated was my favorite store though. They sold fabric by the bolt in these absolutely beautiful antique display cases. They still had wooden, glass, and ceramic buttons that were kept in beautiful glass jars. They stocked "HealthTex" and "Carter" clothing for kids and a variety of kitchen wares. My mother and grandmother always shopped there. I loved everything about it except the healthtex clothes. I thought they were ugly and my mother always bought those nasty pants for us because they had extra padding in the knees so we couldn't wear them out...grrrrrrr! Those were the days. These stores are long gone and I wish my kids could have those kinds of shopping experiences...at Federated the proprietor and his wife always gave us a piece of licorice or stick candy while we shopped and children were interacted with in a way that my children will never experience in these huge conglomerate businesses. I loved it when the Mrs. would let me come behind the counter and help fold the fabric after she had cut it for mom. Sigh...the nostaliga.

 

Oh sorry, back to your issue...some things just aren't stocked by what is left of our local businesses so I don't have a choice. However, dh and I do make an effort to shop at the area pharmacies and hardware stores.

 

Faith

[JenC3]

A hardcore response is don't buy tissue use cloth form your cast offs.

Batteries buy rechargable or stop using "powered things."

Undies make your own.

Lipstick make you own from local beeswax and grow dyes....You can see where I'm going. Local is great, but it's either not-local or you must do without or figure out how to make it.

 

This BTW is not a YOU SHOULD post just an exercise.

Edited July 5, 2010 by JenC3

[LibraryLover]

For the rubbing alcohol etc., you could try to buy from a local pharmacy-type place, or maybe an independant health food store...which does sell such items. You will pay a bit more, and I don't know if your budget can manage it. I often end up at Target or CVS for those items myself.

 

As far as other food.

 

Milk: Local farm

Meat: Local farm

Chicken & eggs: Raise my own

Summer Veggies I don't grow: Famer's Market

Fish: Local fishmonger, not the big market

Veggies and fruit in winter: regular markets. Not sure a way around this without having more more from the garden to freeze. This year I planted over 30 tomato plants. I am hoping to freeze enough to have tomato in something at least once a week in winter. I am crossing my fingers for no blight.

I plan to grow kale, lettuce and spinach through parts of winter and use the new cold frames dh is making. Lastyear I ran away to FL for 3 weeks (I struggle with winter) and didn't plant anything until April. Peas and lettuce can go in March 15.

I belong to a food coop, but the items are not local.

 

That said, I also buy Amy's frozen products. I sometimes get them from my coop, but I often get them at my local Stop & Shop. Their prices are a little less than the local indie health food store, and right now money is flying out the door in the form of camp, art, ballet, & music classes. I don't always support the local guy when I am on the broke side.

[Saille]

Hey LL, what kind of chicken is that? Something spangled?

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I think it is important to know why you are buying local. If it is to keep jobs in the area then for me Coke, M&M Mars, Duracell, Whirlpool and (soon) Volkswagen are all local. But if you do not like big business and want to support locally owned business then none of these count as local. In that case we would, do without, make it ourselves, find local business or buy second hand from outlet thrift stores.

 

For things like rubbing alcohol find the local moonshiner (or set up a still yourself). :cheers2:

 

We do not do all of these things but to me buying local meat and dairy is important so we do go out of our way to find good quality local fats if we can.

[LibraryLover]

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Edited July 7, 2010 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

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Edited July 7, 2010 by LibraryLover

[mcconnellboys]

Well, "shopping" locally and buying "local" products are two different things. If you have Amish or Mennonite folks in your area who run small groceries, then you could "shop locally" from folks like that. Or if you have local, family owned groceries you could shop from them. I know my sister lives in central Iowa and there are several locally owned groceries in her area, because it's too rural for the bigger stores to want to come into.

 

However, buying batteries made in China or any products that are not U.S. made might be a trickier thing to avoid for all the little things you mention. So much is made outside the U.S. now. I try to buy as much from my local food coop as I can and buy naturally made products. That includes things like organic cotton socks, "natural" aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or things like that. But those things are probably not made in the U.S., let alone locally.

 

When I have to go to Wal-mart (or somewhere) to buy a pair of fingernail clippers, I now do look for U.S. made because I'm sick of getting home with made in China things only to find that they were not machined properly and may look like a fingernail clipper, etc. but won't work like one. Ditto for three-ring binders.....

 

There are numerous online websites available now where you can look up particular products to find items made in the USA. However, you do need to be aware that "made in the USA" can be used for items actually made in US territories or protectorates, rather than actually in the US.

 

Insofar as buying locally, there isn't enough manufacturing going on in the US any more to make even buying US feasible for some things, let alone buying locally.....