The Local Challenge

My word for 2025 is intentional – and I want this to branch into every aspect of my life. Intentional about how I spend my money, where I shop, what I eat, how I spend my time, etc. I realized that I have gone too long in life without having a solid intention to a lot of things I do. Now I could blame that on having two young kids, but really I just need to not be lazy. I can’t pass the blame onto the kids for everything! 😊

I also realized that if I want to pass down good habits to my kids, I am going to have to model them first. This means that I can’t just talk about my new intentionality but I have to model it! So, to kick of 2025 I am going to really concentrate on shopping local for everything that I can. Now hear me out, I’m not going to go off the deep end and be super restrictive. But I am going to delete the Amazon app off my phone and only use it if I absolutely have to. This means that I am going to check local stores first for what I need. Here’s my hierarchy:

1. Check locally owned and operated stores in Sioux Center and surrounding towns for what I need.

2. Look at other local brick-and-mortar stores that even though not locally owned, still provide local jobs.

3. Look farther out at brick-and-mortar stores, like Sioux City or Sioux Falls (I don’t mind the drive).

4. If absolutely necessary, order it online.

This is all to be intentional about my passion for supporting local. I know that this might cost me more money and more time shopping, but this will pay unlimited benefits in knowledge and support of my local community. Because we are only as strong as our local connections!

If you really analyze it, this will probably end up being a net positive for our savings account because it’s too easy to buy from Amazon. I think that is what makes me so upset with big box stores/corporations. Everything is designed to get us to spend more, consume more, eat more and there is no end in sight. I want to be a small stepping stone to the end. Not like the end of civilization, but the end of unintentional consumption. I recommend checking out the Netflix documentary “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

I’m positive you will still see Amazon boxes on my porch this year, but I am aiming that the frequency the mailman has to pull into my driveway is a lot less. Please join me in making our purchases intentionally beneficial to our local economy!