With our move to the UK and the change of life it has implied, I have been very attracted to the minimalist movement. Don’t get me wrong, I am far from being minimalist, I still own a lot of stuff and still shop more than I should. But my mindset is really different and I enjoy having less of everything and more space in our home. With the move has come a downsizing and we have divided our living surface by nearly 2. I am OK with this and enjoy the advantages of a smaller house: less maintenance costs, less work, less unused space to maintain… Because we have less space and my attraction to minimalism, I shop differently. I still love shopping but it is not anymore a hobby. And I have a very different view at “things”. This is one reason why I don’t shop on Black Friday.
On top of this, I look at so many people who are upset by the two main past political events. People ask for more compassion, love, and tolerance in our world. And I strongly believe that one way in which each and every one can change the world is choosing how we spend our money. The economic system in place is one of the pillar of this world and if we want to change it, we need to look at this system. If you look carefully at the companies offering huge discounts on Black Friday and their ethic, you might find that this is not really in line with the “more love/tolerance/compassion”. Small businesses and craftsmen can hardly afford proposing such discounts as their prices are already fair.
When you buy from a big corporation, you rather help an Executive Committee rising their bonuses than anything else. When you buy from a small or local business, you help specific people. You help someone paying their bills. You help a father/mother to buy Xmas gift or just a lovely Xmas diner. I wrote last year on how to have a conscious Xmas here, but this is valid all year around. 
One way to change our world is to care where goes the money we spend, much more than by any elections. Feeding small businesses is spreading love/compassion/tolerance. Feeding big corporations is not. So tomorrow, before you hit the road or the Internet, take a moment to thing about what you want and how you reacted to the recent Brexit or Trump election… If you want some change, it is up to you to act now. And bring some change… Buying less but buying consciously is bringing love and compassion to your local community. Buying small/local is bringing compassion/love to people like you and me. Don’t choose the easy way, don’t let marketing fool you… Think about what you “NEED” and stick to it. If you want to shop tomorrow, shop at your local stores. And if you still choose to hit the big stores, think about their ethic. Look at what you are ready to buy and ask yourself how and where it has been manufactured… who will benefit from your purchase. I live in a small town of 3000 people. If each of us would spend 25 pounds a month in our local stores, this would bring 75.000 pounds per month to the local community. Close to 1 MILLION pounds a year! Significant? I think so!
So tomorrow, take a moment and rethink your shopping list…
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