I bought a $24 chicken. Wow, that’s a lot of money, you say? Why yes, yes it is.
When I was a struggling single mom, I would wait patiently for whole chickens
to go on sale and get marked with dollars-off coupons. A whole chicken could easily make 3-4
meals since I made soup stock and gravy with the bones and bits. Although I’m more financially stable
today, that thriftiness holds true and I still stop by the marked down veggie
cart at the supermarket on a regular basis. So why on earth would I pay $24 for
a chicken?
The long and the short of it is this: I want to support my
local farmers and my local economy. And I am lucky enough to be in a position
that I can.
This chicken comes from a local NH farm that employs NH
workers. It also sells farm goods to NH restaurants and NH markets. When I hear
about how we need to boost the economy by spending, I want my boost to the
economy to count in my community. I want my hard-earned dollars to help employ
my neighbors and support things I believe in, like local organic foods.
I believe that voting with your dollars is just as powerful
as voting in the voting booth (which I have at every possible election since I
turned 18). I’ve never thought of
it as “I’m only one person what difference can I make?” I’ve always thought “What
if one day, everyone did it at once?”
