Column: Voting with our wallets; how spending local can pay dividends

You may not be registered to vote and I’m not writing a lecture about that decision. But I think it’s worth remembering that we’re always voting with our pocketbooks.

It’s your money, of course, but remember that a lot of the spending we do is an endorsement of an organization, business, service or charity and most of us are guilty of endorsing companies we might not be proud of – or charities we know nothing about.

Of course that’s not always the case. Some expenses are legal obligations like taxes, but if you’re worried about that, you should probably register to vote.

I know it’s been said before and I know it’s not a groundbreaking revelation, but it’s easy to forget the impact our spending has on our communities.

Shop local! That’s a mantra generally agreed upon by most people, although many of us, myself included, make purchases from Amazon when we could grab a similar item somewhere local on the way home from work.

Or at least we used to be able to do that. And that’s kind of my point — sometimes saving a few bucks online costs us more in the long run. Many stores we used to drive by are gone now. In some cases, that’s at least partially our fault. After all, it’s hard to stay afloat without customers.

But even when we shop locally, many of us still have a tendency to visit big box stores instead of the local hardware shops, and niche grocery stores.

The good news is, box stores and chain restaurants still employ members of our community, but it’s safe to assume that in many cases the lion’s share of profits is shipped to another state.

Local charities need help too. When you round-up spending at fast-food chains, it’s worth investigating where that money goes and who benefits. Take a minute and decide if that cause is superior to those of struggling charitable organizations here.

Remember that money could be used to help local families in need. It might make a difference for your children’s classmates.

Investing…