SAVE America. Start TODAY.

So I saw a poster in a cafe yesterday that had this statement on it:

"We challenge you to change just 10% of your purchases from big box stores to local merchants"

the poster indicated that this small change would create something like 50,000 jobs (and if I remember correctly, that was just considering the state I was in- New Hampshire) and would immediately increase the revenue of the state, and hence America, to help improve our economy.

I believe the group that had sponsored the poster was Seacoast Eat Local. But your 10% shift doesn't just have to be food- it can be anything! But if we take food as an example, it can be your least expensive option. Last weekend, I went over to our local farm Brookford Farm and purchased some fresh veggies (a bag of arugula $3, some leeks $1, and some onions $3), I also purchased some yogurt, cheese, and raw milk. Now, I spent about $20.00.  You need to keep in mind that the yogurt and milk come in LARGE Mason jars.

Additionally, when I am ready for more yogurt and milk, I bring the jars back and get a deposit towards my next purchase. Let's look at the milk. I switch between soy milk and raw milk for my kiddos. Soy milk costs about $4.59/ carton. The raw milk cost $4.50. When I bring back the rinsed Mason jar- I get a $2.50 deposit. My milk ends up costing me almost HALF of if I kept purchasing soy milk from our local Hannaford.

Now this comes right after I heard on Late Night with Diane Sawyer about their Made In America initiative, where they are challenging building contractors to change just 5% of their purchases for building homes to American made supplies. Doing this is predicted to create 220,000 jobs in America!

You can also help this cause by purchasing your very own Made In America T- shirts  which are made of 100% cotton and made, of course, right here in America.

So here at NurturingtheNaturalMama, I am extending this challenge- and I want to hear your stories of how you achieved it! I challenge you to change 10% of your purchases- food or otherwise to American made in the next 30 days. Share the results!!

Was it more expensive? Was it worth it? How did it make you feel? Do you feel you got better or worse product for your money? What type of products did you try?