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OPINION: Buying local in Squamish, something easier said than done

As a “young person,” I am sometimes torn about buying local.
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As a “young person,” I am sometimes torn about buying local.

 I am locally employed, as are many of my friends, and it’s great to be able to support Squamish businesses as much as possible, but how can I balance the additional costs of buying local against the savings offered elsewhere?

 According to a Michigan study, for every $100 spent locally, approximately $68 to $73 of it returns to local activity. The study found that by contrast, only $43 of every $100 spent at a non-locally owned business remains in the community.

In addition to keeping more money in the community, many businesses in Squamish support local charities and non-profits. That is likely why 60% of consumers will choose local if given the option, according to a Squamish Chamber of Commerce stat.

  Where I find my biggest conflicts between buying local and buying outside our borders is when it comes to specialty products. I love to create art, for example. I went to school for it and have had one foot in the art world since graduating, but when it comes to very niche products, there is often no local option. To get certain pens or paints, I have to go to Vancouver to get the exact product I want.

This makes me wonder if I am a bad local? Should I forgo getting the exact product I want so I can buy locally or should I shell out the extra money for a Squamish shop to bring it in?

 And then there is the convenience and savings of online shopping to consider as well.

 If I am willing to pay extra for locally sold outdoor gear and Squamish baked goods, I should be fine paying extra for that new frying pan I’ve been eyeing, but somehow I recently had a harder time shelling out the cash in Squamish for the cookware.

I ended up buying my shiny new pan off Amazon. Surely anything would be preferable to putting money into a tax-dodging multinational corporation yet I, after much internal debate, I made that choice. Sometimes it is hard to justify spending more when it means I have less money of my own to do the things I live here for.

 In the end, I need to find a balance that works for me. It comes down to what sacrifices I am willing to make and how much extra am I willing to pay to keep my money in the hands of the community I love.

 The internal check is the balance.

 I will do my best to keep my money in the hands of the people I see each day around town and I hope, when the time comes for them to spend a little of their hard-earned wages, they will find the balance that allows them to do the same.

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