About a week to go......................

Well -- the shopping frenzy is about to begin in earnest. Oh no ..... not me. I no longer think that an over-drawn bank account and the mandatory menu of bean soup in January are necessary for a happy successful Christmas.

But a lot of people will be hustling around this weekend, trying to find the perfect doodad. Something else to dust. A hunk of Chinese-made plastic to sit on a shelf.

So it is time for me to pull out my soap box and do my semi-monthly pitch for buying local! I'm membership chair for Buy Fresh, Buy Local. We talk food. But this has got to go beyond food to build a successful economy. In the Quad-Cities. In Iowa. Even in the United States.

I really don't think China qualifies at local.

I could be wrong. I was once. Hence, a starter marriage. But I digress.

So today's post for Blog for Iowa was about 12 great places to shop/buy gifts for Christmas.

It absolutely amazes me that if you spend $100 at a locally owned business, only $27 will leave the community. But if you spend that same $100 at Wal-Mart or Target or K-Mart ( the list can go on and on!) $57 will totally leave the community.

So support your friends and neighbors and shop locally.

As Martha would say ................. It's a Good Thing.

Comments

BlueGate said…
Was suprised and tickled to see BGF on your list, what an honor to appear alongside so many of our own favorites!! Thanks Cathy, you're the best!
girlwithasword said…
Miss Eff, you are awesome! many thanks to you for supporting all of us local farmpeople! :)
Blessings.....happy holidays and love, health and prosperity for the New Year and beyond.

I don't do the shop till you drop thing. Most times i am done shopping in July or august. This year, i have one thing for my sis, one for my mom, one for each of my daugthers and I cook for the rest of people, thats it. I figured a baked cake is good it has lots of love, time, labor that goes into it that is priceless......
Beth said…
Thanks for this post. This year I decided to make baskets of local food products or ones from my own kitchen for gifts. It has been very rewarding to shop at the Freight House Farmer's Market and walk away with meats and cheeses that I know are top notch all the while supporting our local community. Very rewarding and I have yet to be in the mall. Much better. Have a blessed Christmas. I apologize that I never sent that cookie recipe to you.

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