Beyond the Banks: 3 More Ways to Move Your Money Away from Corporations

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/story/153008/beyond_the_banks%3A_3_more_ways_to_move_your_money_away_from_corporations_/

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country organized to move their money from predatory big banks to smaller local banks and credit unions. After 650,000 Americans joined credit unions during the month of October alone—more than in all of 2010 combined—even more people organized to make November 5 the beginning of a collective blow to the corporate financial institutions that crashed our economy.

Is there a move-your-money equivalent for corporate power? Can we organize to actively—and sustainably—move our money from the corporations that control our political systems to sustain their greed, and invest in more just and sustainable economies?

Yes.

A few Americans have chosen to live full-time at occupations—enjoying the free food, medical care and childcare in the “ideal” society created by the Occupy movement—but most of us are still living and working in a capitalist society, where we need to buy things. What we buy, and more importantly, where we buy it, could be a collective, quiet revolution that begins to fight corporate control and infiltrates our broken economic system with the beginnings of a new, conscientious economy oriented around economic justice.

[NYC_SKP]

1. 3 ways: Buy Local, Buy Union, Buy Green (for those with slow connections or little time to read)

K/R

Link, again, from OP:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153008/beyond_the_banks%3A_3_more_ways_to_move_your_money_away_from_corporations_?page=2

.

[Zorra]

2. 2 really good points from the article:

"What we buy, and more importantly, where we buy it, could be a collective, quiet revolution that begins to fight corporate control and infiltrates our broken economic system with the beginnings of a new, conscientious economy oriented around economic justice."

"For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 remains in the local economy. If this money is spent at a big-box mart or chain store, only $14 remains while the rest is redistributed at corporate headquarters."

Let's do it.

[xchrom]

3. +1

[Frustratedlady]

4. I've always gone by that. I buy from locally owned businesses first...

If I can't find what I need there, I try the stores that have been in place for years, then I give in and buy at a chain. I hate chain stores, as the quality is questionable, for one, and there is little to no help, if needed. It may cost a little more, but the help I've gotten from local owners far outweighs the extra cost and quality. Smaller stores have to go with quality, as they don't have room for junk.

JMVHO

[Zorra]

6. Yes, all of the above.

I try to do the same as often as possible.:-)
∀

[AllyCat]

5. When I go into some of the few remaining merchants in my town,

I get immediate assistance if I want it, a friendly smile, and recognize someone I know from around town. They can often help me think of something I hadn't thought of before when I think there is this "one thing" I want. If not, they can order or will recommend another independent merchant in another town that might have it. When I say I want something US made, they will often give a knowing smile and steer me in the right direction. I've never been in the Wally World in my town. If I have to buy at a chain, I shop in my town to provide jobs to folks here. The garbage I have bought at the big box stores in the large city 20 minutes away have been just that...fall-apart with first use, chinese made crap with no help at all to find the right thing. Usually not an employee in sight at those places.

Then I talk it up to others. It's amazing how many people think stuff is cheaper at the big box stores just because the advertising says so. It is hard to sway people that driving all that time and distance to save a few bucks is not a savings. But I keep trying. In the meantime, Main Street in our town (and it is indeed called Main St) is falling apart. Really sad.

[chaska]

7. Don't eat at chain restaurants. Go to the Chinese buffet or something.

They are almost always locally owned.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Those of us who live in cities have an almost infinite choice of

immigrant-owned restaurants that serve authentic, interesting food from their native countries.

Even suburbanites can find authentic foreign restaurants in out-of-the-way strip malls. All it takes is looking past Applebee's and TGI Friday's and Outback Steakhouse and looking for the little places in the strip malls.

The only chain restaurants I patronize are locally owned and limited to the Twin Cities.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, xchrom.