11/16/2025
Sharing this from another small business who makes beautiful pieces. Please support small business as much as possible. Thank you!
A long time ago, I used to work in a little co-op where I would always hear "vote with your dollars" and I never really understood it until lately. I mean, I got the gist of it but I never understood how incredibly important it was until recently. With everything being exposed lately, the corruption that runs through our gov and big businesses is no secret at all and one thing about me - if I can't fix the problem myself, I'm at least going to do everything I can to not feed into it.
I've been down a rabbit hole the last couple weeks (quietly sculpting on the side while the gears are turning) and have decided that the convenience and familiar comfort just isn't worth supporting things I strongly disagree with. I've never wanted to fund systems that harm people but now I've gotten really clear on my "why" and have put the time into figuring out how to make changes that matter.
Every dollar that you refuse to give predatory companies means you're choosing not to fund:
- labor exploitation
- child trafficking in supply chains
- environmental destruction
- unethical marketing
- worker mistreatment
- and billionaire profit hoarding
Making these choices for you or your family might seem so tiny, but it directly weakens the demand that keeps these harmful systems alive.
When you decide to start supporting farmers, local bakers, small shops, independent makers, local grocers, transparent and ethical companies you make the choice to keep your dollars in the community and not in offshore accounts or stock buybacks. You're feeding a family instead of paying towards a CEO's fourth yacht.
Making these changes also breaks a cycle of generational blind consumerism. It teaches your kids about compassion, independence, critical thinking, and how convenience is not more important than ethics.
If you want to make a change and don't know where to start, make one swap at a time. This can be a huge lifestyle shift for some people. Stop supporting places and brands like
-Amazon
-Walmart
-Target
-Dollar stores
-Nestle (a big one!!! research the baby formula scandal)
-P&G
-Kellogs
-General Mills
-Johnson and Johnson
-Unilever
-Mars
-Pepsi and CocaCola
-spotify
-apple music
-amazon music
Swap for:
-Aldi (mostly house brands - very few items from giant, destructive corporations)
-Lidl
-Farmers Markets
-Bulk Stores
-Local Artisans
-Small Thrift Stores (so good and helps reduce waste)
-Small boutiques and co-ops
-Bandcamp
-physical media
-local radio
I can't stress enough how important it is this season to shop small and start noticing where your dollars are going. Take a day to just notice what products you use the most and research those brands and who they are, you might be surprised! ❄️
