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Dengler Domain: Buy Local

Dengler

Spending money is not something one enjoys doing unless it is on a vacation or delicious ice cream. Spending on utilities, groceries, or anything else in between is not fun. Watching the greenbacks leave the wallet and never come back is not a fulfilling feeling.

An important part of spending is spending with intention. No one including me is perfect at this skill. Spend money where it will help the most. Often it is too easy while lying in bed at night, and suddenly, remember needing a present and ordering it with one click from Amazon. It takes more work and thought but going out and buying local is the best one can do for their community.

“Buying local” is very cliché, but it is a valuable phrase. By “buying local,” money is kept in the community. Local business owners and fellow citizens earn the money instead of going to a national chain. The profit these local businesses make go back into their business and back into the community and not a faraway corporate headquarters.

In my life as an audio/visual technician, I have trekked across all parts of the state of Iowa. From the flat plains of northwest Iowa to the hills of southern Iowa up to the Driftless Area of northeast Iowa, I look for food. In fact, I am always hungry looking for food. While going to a national fast-food restaurant is easy, finding the restaurants off the beaten path are more rewarding. Never have I regretted trying a local restaurant. Going off the interstate a few miles is worth it.

In addition to eating at new place and supporting local business, one gets to explore the different communities which dot the Iowa landscape. Was Salix, Iowa, a place I ever imagined going? Absolutely not. But I did see a gorgeous Catholic church as I drove through the town after eating at Walker’s. Sometimes, it is nice not to be in a rush and to take joy in the journey.

Food may be the easiest way to support local business, but this thinking can be applied to clothes, hardware, or any other goods. It may cost more than a national chain and not make financial sense every time, but at least taking this thought into consideration and reminding oneself to buy local every so often is essential. Big business has its place in society and fills a certain role, but they can wait for their dollars.

Keeping each other thriving is crucial. More money going back into the community means a higher quality of life for everyone. Spending local to the best one can do will impact the community more than anyone can imagine. Supporting each other as humans is the best action to make. In the end, people need money, not corporations.