Simple Shifts No. 1
Where you drop your hard-earned dough matters. Spending with intention, collective action, and boycotts work. Small changes, big impact, let's go!
#1 — Cancel Your Amazon Prime Subscription & Account
I know this one stings, but it’s the most impactful move we can make right now. Amazon’s economic influence is already alarming—and it’s only getting worse.
Let’s break it down. Here’s how their domination model works:
“…when you sell to 100,000 customers instead of 10, you can buy 100,000 products at a much cheaper rate than you could with just 10 products. That means higher profit margins. It then becomes impossible for small, local businesses to compete. Even if these small businesses sell at a loss, they will never be able to match Amazon’s low prices. And the result? Small businesses disappear and consumers become dependent on Amazon’s convenience and pricing. With little competition left, Amazon achieves what’s called a legal monopoly. When they control the marketplace, they in turn control prices. Amazon can raise prices at will. Need a shovel during a snowstorm or a fan during a heatwave? Expect skyrocketing prices.1”
Amazon has been working toward this legal monopoly for decades. Unless we, the consumers, stop defaulting to them NOW, TODAY, ASAP, we’ll soon have no alternatives. Every dollar you think you’re saving today by shopping on Amazon (or any big box store.) will cost us dearly when small businesses disappear.
Yes, we’ve grown accustomed to their point-and-click, bring-it-right-to-my-front-door convenience, but now is the time to embrace discomfort, practice patience, and seek alternatives. We may need to work a little harder to find what we need, but the downstream effects of Amazon’s convenience—not to mention its notorious union-busting efforts—are simply too devastating to ignore.
Convenience makes us complacent. Don’t become complacent.
#2 — Buy Local
This isn’t a new concept, but it’s now more important than ever.
$0.68 of every dollar you spend locally stays in your community, compared to $0.43 when you don’t shop locally. The more you can keep your dollar circulating in your community and out of the hands of the “Big Three”2 the better. We must do everything we can to keep our purchases local.
Here’s the reality: 75% of all conventional fresh food and produce is contaminated3. Even your favorites like Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Whole Foods (ahem, they’re owned by Amazon) are selling us poison—don’t be fooled, high prices don’t always mean healthier options.
Here’s what you can do:
When you’re out in the world running errands—buy from local farmers, butchers, bakeries, coffee shops,4 smoothie joints, restaurants, hardware stores, flower shops, etc.—whenever you’re able.
Take the time and find out where your food and goods are actually coming from. Unsure if a business is truly local? Take a few minutes and research it. Google: “[Business name] + owned by.”
Avoid big-box stores like Walmart, Target, Costco, Dollar Tree, Aldi, etc. They may seem cheaper now, but it won’t last in the long-run (see #1 😉).
Every financial choice we make has a ripple effect.
#3 — Move Your Money Out of Big Banks
Switch to a local credit union if you can.
Big Banks are some of the biggest and most nefarious funders of venture capital and military-industrial efforts—they fund telecoms, and weapons manufacturers, and exist solely to make profits for their shareholders. And they’re not just holding your money; they’re collecting data on how and where you spend it. Debt isn’t their biggest profit driver; it’s the data you provide.
Credit unions, on the other hand, are not-for-profit financial institutions that prioritize their members. Profits made by credit unions are returned back to members in the form of reduced fees, higher savings rates, and lower loan rates.5 They’re also community-centered, more ethical, and often more transparent about where your money goes (mine sends a monthly newsletter!).
Credit unions play an essential role, particularly for underserved, underbanked communities, and communities of color6.
When enough of us come together to perform these collection actions, we can make a big impact.
Every financial decision we make—big or small—has a ripple effect on our planet, our communities, and ourselves. By making conscious decisions about where we shop, where we eat, and where we bank, we’re not just decentralizing our lives from big business; we’re creating a stronger, more self-sustaining world.
More Simple Shifts to come!
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-big-three-blackrock-vanguard-state-street-have-amassed-shah-es6jf/
https://www.food-safety.com/articles/9329-ewg-publishes-2024-dirty-dozen-list-of-produce-most-contaminated-with-pesticides#:~:text=Overall%2C%20EWG%20found%20that%2075,percent%20of%20samples%20contained%20pesticides.
We’re still boycotting Starbucks!
https://mycreditunion.gov/about/what-credit-union
https://cusomag.com/2024/09/12/why-we-must-sustain-the-small-credit-unions