Wired For Noise

Last year I wrote a review of the book The Better World Shopping Guide. I reviewed it because I think how we spend our money is important. It’s not just about buying American or who will give the biggest discount. It’s about voting with your wallet and letting companies know what you support. If we keep sending billions of dollars to companies that act like global bullies they’re only going to think it’s OK to keep doing that.

When it comes to shopping, here’s what I believe:

I believe we should pay a fair wage.

Many of the every day products you use are grown or made in other countries, where workers are paid pennies for their labor. Products that are certified as Fair Wage are ones where we know the workers were given a living wage for their work. Your chocolate bar tastes a lot sweeter when you know the poor farmer growing the chocolate is going to be able to feed his family for his work.

I believe we should care for the earth and the things living on it.

Some companies just don’t care about anything other than their profit margin. But some companies, the really good ones, know that they can have a positive effect on the world around them rather than just amass wealth. Donating to causes, and as more than just a one time publicity stunt, can make a brand worth buying.

I believe things should be used more than once.

Use it once and toss it out only adds to the growing landfill problems we are facing. But recycling it so that it can be used twice, three times, four times, or more means less garbage piling up. Buying products that are made from recycled materials keeps the cycle going at least one more turn. And then recycling that thing again (like by doing a trash-free challenge) reduces how much trash we’re adding to the world.

I believe we should ingest as few chemicals and hormones as possible.

We weren’t made to live on preservatives, hormones, artificial colors, and antibiotic flooded animal products. The closer to reality we can keep our food the better our bodies will feel after eating it. Sure, we all can’t grow our own food and raise our own animals. But we can look for the foods with as few ingredients as possible on the label. Remember, if you can’t pronounce it you probably shouldn’t be eating.

I believe you don’t have to give up a normal life to be a better spender.

Go on and have a soda, just choose one from a better company and then recycle the bottle when you’re done. With a little effort you can find a better version of almost anything you normally buy. Yes, sometimes you have to spend a little more time searching and a little more money on the better products. But to me it’s worth it. Every dollar I don’t spend on companies and products that do more damage than good the better I feel about my spending choices.

You can sum up my shopping manifesto like this: Pay a fair price, contribute to the benefit of others, recycle, go natural, and be happy. And in the end, being happy is what really matters. I’m not going to martyr myself to be a super-hippy tree hugger. Just making small changes here and there can add up to a big difference.

So tell me, what’s your shopping manifesto?

Related Reading:

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping--Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and Beyond

The Book Thief