Monday Musings: shop local

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite local restaurants closed. They were primarily an ice cream shop, but they also served the best turkey burger around. About a week after they closed, I found out the jewelry store where we bought my husband's wedding band is closing, after one hundred years in business. And the shoe store on the same block? Also closing.

I don't want to give you the wrong impression: the city where I live probably has MORE small businesses than big chains. It's not a ghost town of empty buildings and Wal-Marts. But it hit me hard this month when a new DSW and H&M opened, while some of my local favorites were closing.

Eleven months in and I'm still doing well on my New Year's Resolution to stop buying new clothes. I've basically given up shopping-as-a-hobby and have retrained myself to spend carefully (becoming a stay-at-home-mom helped in this area as well). With Christmas fast approaching (seriously, Thanksgiving is WHEN?) I'm trying to be more thoughtful about where my dollars go for all my holiday purchasing.

Don't get me wrong. I shop at Wal-Mart. I eat Wendy's. But I think we forget that we don't have to.

November 30th is Small Business Saturday nationwide. Instead of blowing your holiday budget at Best Buy on Black Friday, why not hold off until the next day and shop local? Most businesses have special sales, and at the very least you'll be out and about in your community, not in line wishing you could punch the lady who brought her dog to Toys-R-Us.

Now can someone tell me where to get a good turkey burger?