Shop Local: More Than Just Words

By Sarah Dorsett

Lots of people say it, and many people practice it,
“Shop locally in Osawatomie.”
But how much do I really shop in Osawatomie? This all came about in a recent conversation I took part in, you know when adults start talking about the costs of living and such.
“It is just too expensive here in Osawatomie.”  But is it really?
To tackle this question for me and my household, I won’t leave this to guesswork, folks.  I have all my expenses tracked on credit card.
The facts: I am a stay-a-home mom, with a good-sized household. We had seven in our household over the past year, including four teenagers and two adults. They can eat.  Over the past year, according to my credit card records, providing 15 meals a week at home on average, the cost was about $1.75 per person per meal. (I am not counting school lunches at all.)
Over the past year, out of Miami County grocery stores, I spent 82 percent of my household groceries here in Oz.
However, it has been difficult to keep the spending local when it comes to other items. It is just so easy to get most everything in one shopping trip at that local supercenter. Out of the merchandise I need (other than groceries), 88 percent of it comes from that large supercenter, and 12 percent from the local Oz dollar stores.
Over the years I have tried to spend locally, but can I do more? Do I even need to leave town at all for everything I want/need for the household?
Well I can try.
The challenge: Shop 100 percent locally, for my household, in Osawatomie for an entire month, starting today, Sept. 1. If I can’t get it in Osawatomie, then I do without. That includes online as well. Everything. And no stocking up on Aug. 31!
But an important part of this challenge are these additional challenges:
Can I feed the family for less than $1.75 per person per meal? And can I eliminate that local supercenter “mega bills”, and get it all at Oz dollar stores? Is the book I want available through the library? How about avoiding movie rental costs with the library as well? Avoid out-of-town gas purchases unless absolutely necessary?
Well, today is Sept. 1, and it’s cold turkey time.

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Posted by admin on Sep 1 2010. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry