Shop Small, and Shop Local!

There’s more to this picture than just a reminder to shop small and use my own bag. The bag (cute, with polka dotted back) was free at a small downtown shop on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday. If you look closely, you’ll see that also hanging on the kitchen chair is a large plastic bag from Kohl’s. Oops. So much for using my own bag, right?

Well, not exactly. Kohl’s is a Wisconsin company. Its headquarters are near Milwaukee. I shop there carefully to get the most for my frugal dollar. Between discounts and a gift card (earned through a wellness program) and sale racks, I got my money’s worth when I filled this bag.

As for the bag, it’s big. The reusable bags in my purse were not big enough to handle this order (mainly the hiking boots and their box). To make the most of the one-use plastic bag, I’ll make sure it sees at least another day as a wastebasket liner or a container for thrift store donations. I’m green, but I’m not perfect. Sometimes I have to make the best of a less than optimal situation.

So the moral of the story, the resolution to this tale, is this: shop small businesses, shop locally, be green whenever possible and use tools to shop frugally at those local and small businesses. Sound good? Readers, I value your input. Comments are welcome – consider adding your two cents about shopping small and shopping locally.