This Thrifted Life

In this post I talked about the uber-neat 3/50 Project that encourages citizens to pick 3 stores they would be sad to see disappear and spend $50 a month at independent businesses. I’m excited to pay even more attention to my dollars and keep them as local as possible.

So here are 3 businesses I want to help keep around:

DRM thrift store–The Downtown Rescue Mission is our local homeless shelter and is truly a wonderful organization. They have well-stocked thrift stores staffed by friendly faces all over the area, and I shop them regularly.

Cinemagic Movie Theatre–Our local theater isn’t much to look at on the outside, but it actually has stadium seating and a friendly staff. And their matinee prices are the cheapest in the area: $5 a ticket. They also have one of the only drive-in’s around, and I can’t wait to watch a movie at the drive-in when it warms up.

Pablo’s–Pablo’s is our local cafe/bookstore that has yummy (and fabulously priced) coffee. They have a small book collection I should really peruse more and also sell beautiful local pottery.

I don’t know if I’ll spend my entire $50 at these three businesses, but I’ll definitely make it a goal to stop by each of these places this month and support them.

I just finished reading America Unchained by Dave Gorman. I really enjoyed reading about Dave’s road trip across America and the local businesses he found and supported along the way. I hope to get my hands on a copy of the documentary so I can see some of these crazy-interesting business owners in the flesh (well, on camera). Thanks for the rec Frugal Trenches!

I stumbled upon Cinda Baxter’s 3/50 Project a couple of months ago and kept waiting for the perfect time to put a conscious effort into participating. What I seem to always be learning is that perfection is elusive–sometimes the perfect time to jump in is anytime. So even though we’re in the latter half of January, I’m choosing to put my money where my mouth is and pay more attention to my local spending. While I already spend a fair amount of my money at local brick and mortars, I think paying closer attention and participating in this project will lead me to new local discoveries and an even greater appreciation of independent businesses.

So what exactly is the 3/50 Project? From the project’s website:

3 What 3 independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared? Stop in. Say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keeps those businesses around.

50 If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that.

68 For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

Pick 3. Spend $50. Save your local economy.

Sounds pretty simple right? If every employed person actually participated, would it change the world? Maybe not. Could it change the faces of our local communities? Definitely.

And remember you don’t have to make tangible purchases to spport your local economy. Patronizing your local seamstress, restaurant, movie theater, or mechanic sends money back into the community as well.

I already have a local “purchase” planned for this week–a haircut at a downtown salon. Let’s see where else I can direct my independent dollars.