In rural communities, spending money and time locally gets a bad rap. Less variety. Higher prices. Limited service offerings. There’s more to do in larger towns. We can make a day out of shopping and doing fun things in one day or weekend away. Online has it all. And, at first blush, those sentiments aren’t wrong.
As prices rise and our money stretches less and less, I know the thought in a lot of our minds is to buy things as cheap as possible, or get exactly what we want, whether online or physically outside the counties and communities we call home. But, I would argue there are bigger issues to tackle and longer games at play that should change how we approach where we spend our time and money. And today, I only want to discuss one of them, because it’s that important.
Shopping and spending time at home literally supports our future. I’m not talking about keeping our communities vibrant and thriving, though spending time and money locally certainly is the only way to accomplish that. I’m talking solely about investing in our youth. We all care about the kids—it’s why living where we do is so special.
Spending money at locally owned (not just locally located) businesses and services keeps our causes and activities funded. Food for the hungry, household needs for the financially unstable, coats and shoes and toys for kids whose parents are struggling to afford all that growing people need. Trips to Washington, DC. Meals for teachers during conferences. Special Olympics team needs. Many local businesses and services consistently spearhead efforts, or at least donate money, time, and supplies, to these efforts.
And if you think a small business owner is, overall, more financially stable than the rest of the community, I will tell you that many of us have never drawn a paycheck. We could be using profits to pay more of our bills at home or save for the future, but many of us care so much about “our kids” that we consistently give when asked. So, the absolute least a community can do is spend some money in a business or use a service locally rather than leaving town. Not out of pity for the struggling businesses, but because your kids need uniforms and kept up fields and character-building trips and teachers who aren’t “hangry” during grueling long days. And even if a locally owned business doesn’t directly donate, if one of their employees does the story is exactly the same.
Small towns and counties, and the kids who learn and grow and eventually lead, whether that’s at home or elsewhere, cannot have the lives they do without the local businesses and services that lift them up. And those local businesses and services they give cannot survive without entire communities deciding that they are grateful enough to come full circle and finally commit just as much. It’s way past time to recognize who gives when you ask, and give them something in return. In a world of give and take, one cannot survive without the other. You know what to do. Viva la vida local!
Sara Middleton is a freelance columnist and resident artist/owner of Studio Sol Gallery & Creative Space in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Email her at sara.studiosol@gmail.com or find Studio Sol on Facebook or Instagram.
