I was thinking about this several weeks ago as I was preparing to shop for birthday gifts. And how it may benefit YOU on how I shop intentionally.

BENEFITS for you to shopping intentionally:

• You create a stronger bond with your community

• You create a story of where the gift came from

• You save money & time

Okay so WHAT IS shopping intentionally? It’s exactly that, shopping with presence & love. Before you even step outside of your home, create a list. I do this with my morning coffee, or as I’m planning my day. I create a list of what I need and how I can use my errands or work trips to maximize my time.

YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS - PLAN IT WISELY.

Grab a reusable shopping bag & your face mask, this saves you time, each other & the planet. Hit up your local weekly market or craft show. There are A TON of craft shows going on right now, especially as so many small businesses are ready to recoup lost sales from last year (I felt that hard).

Buying locally made products impacts your community on so many levels, but the biggest reason to support local is you tell your friend a story, where you got it, who made it. We really need this right now as the world has shown us through the pandemic how much we truly need each other.

Now I do understand many of you or some of you do not like big crowds, especially now, you can still shop VIRTUALLY, so many artists & entrepreneurs like myself are hosting virtual shopping experiences. Or just shop directly on their website..

I made a decision about two years ago to never shop on Amazon and it has been amazing and still SUPER EASY & CONVENTIENT for me to NOT support Amazon and their terrible working conditions.

Here’s the honest truth, we VOTE & support people with where we shop. For example refusing to purchase prodcuts with harmful ingredients, terrible working conditions enable us to be in control.