Simple Swaps to Shop Local More Often

The best way to support your local economy is to support the businesses and restaurants in your community, and one way to do that is to shop local! Here’s some ideas on how to do this.

Simple Swaps to Shop Local

Shopping locally helps create and secure jobs and keeps sales tax money in your area. However, we understand that shopping and eating local is easier said than done. We live in a world where so many of us are accustomed to ordering from Amazon and buying food and drinks from chain restaurants. We need to evaluate our spending habits to find ways to funnel more of our money to local establishments instead of these national chains. Today, we’ve shared a few simple swaps you can make in your regular spending habits to shop locally more often.

Drink Local: Coffee and Tea

Instead of getting your morning coffee or tea from Starbucks or Dunkin’, try getting it from a local café. Small coffee shops often have an assortment of baked goods and other treats that are locally made, so you might find something else to enjoy in addition to your latte. If you usually drink your coffee or tea at home, there’s still an opportunity for you to support local businesses. Look for coffee beans or grounds from local roasters and tea from local sellers at the grocery store. A lot of grocery stores mark items that are locally produced, making it easier to consciously buy local at the store.

Eat Local: Restaurants

We’re proud to be in such great company with other local restaurants in Fort Collins. Our loyal customers help keep us in business year after year. We encourage you to eat at local restaurant instead of at the nearest Chilli’s or Applebees. Usually you can find a locally-owned alternative to the chain restaurants you like. For example, if you like soups and salads from Panera, check out ours here at Rainbow Restaurant instead! If you love burritos and burrito bowls, look for Mexican restaurants in your area. Whatever it is that you like to eat, you can likely find a local alternative based on your price point and cuisine preferences.

Buy Local Food: Grocers and Farmers

Swapping a grocery chain for a small, locally-owned store can be a tougher change to make. Often times the prices might be a bit higher because a mom-and-pops grocer can’t buy products in the same volume as bigger stores; therefore, they don’t get the same wholesale discount. However, you can try to buy from your local grocer on a more regular basis. Another great way to eat and buy local is to shop at farmer’s markets. You’d be surprised to see that many times the price for produce is cheaper than what you can find at supermarkets.

Shop Local: Retail

Today lots of people prefer the convenience of online shopping for everything from clothes to furniture to household and personal care products over shopping in-store. We can’t deny that nothing is more convenient than ordering something on Amazon Prime on your phone when you’re at home in pjs. However, these online purchases aren’t helping to stimulate and maintain the economy in your community. Most of the things you buy online you can find in a locally-owned store nearby. For clothing, shoes, and home goods, you might find that the boutiques in your community carry items you’d otherwise never know about or find online. We know it’s not possible for everyone to drop Prime. A more realistic goal is to make a conscious effort to make more purchases from local stores.

We hope you find this blog post helpful so you can help support your local economy!