The start of the new year has seen poor sales figures in the run up to Christmas and the failure of some familiar high street names. Not good indicators of economic growth. Fortunately there hasn't been any more money created to pump into the economy, money that has to be paid for eventually but there's no guarantee that there won't be any more quantitive easing this year. The UK's AAA credit rating is clinging on by its nails.
Individuals and families can do little to make any difference to these big economic issues but they can make a real difference closer to home. Think about where you spend your weekly outgoings. For most people alot of this will go to large businesses, supermarkets being the prime example. Now no-one is denying that supermarkets don't provide employment but the profits made at your local supermarket don't stay in your area, they get sucked out to head office and end up with institutional shareholders.
We should choose to spend a proportion of our 'weekly shop' at local independent stores, after all they are part of our community and by and large offer better service and quality. Look around your own high street and see what shops are left. Without our support they will go under. Decide how much you will spend, 10% seems like a reasonable figure, and what you will buy locally - and stick to it.
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