Now that it’s March, I just got around to picking up my February copy of Skirt! Magazine (then added the March issue to the mounting pile on my desk that needs attention). Skirt! Magazine is, in their own words, “All about women…their work, play, families, creativity, style, health and wealth, bodies and souls. Skirt! is an attitude…spirited, independent, outspoken, serious, playful and irreverent, sometimes controversial and always passionate.” Their free print magazine is circulated in many Southeastern cities, with web markets in additional regions nationally. I appreciate Skirt! for not focusing on issues that many magazines marketed to women do: celebrity gossip, relationships, losing weight, mommyhood, beauty products, etc. It’s not that they won’t touch on these subjects, but you’ll also find profiles of local businesswomen, intelligent essays, elegant graphics and ideas on how to empower young women. The back cover of the February issue caught my eye, not because it was something new to me, but because it was something that I had tossed into a mental paper shredder upon first mention.

The 3/50 Project is a movement to support local businesses and bring money back to individual communities. The challenge is to choose three local stores which are important to you and vow to spend $50 each month at those stores. By shopping locally, not only will you support local business proprietors, you will also help the entire community by keeping your money at home. According to the 3/50 project, “for every $100 spent in locally owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that at a national chain, only $43 stays here.” Needless to say, shopping online brings no revenue home (though I admit, sometimes the savings and convenience of online purchases take precedent). The 3/50 Project has gotten more press than I could ever hope to net in my whole life, and the only possible downside anyone (other than a corporate CEO) can find is that the impact may or may not have a long term effect on communities.

The reason I initially shrugged off this call to action is because I already do it, but don’t think about it. Though I haven’t done the math, I’m positive my family spends $50 per month at local restaurants, bars and coffee shops. The more closely I read the ad copy, the project seems to focus on local stores, not just local businesses. My husband and I began to rack our brains to figure out what non-consumables we buy locally. He occasionally goes to a local hardware store, but more often than not, only Lowes has the specific tool he needs. When a kid’s birthday party arises, I often buy a present from a local toy store, even though the selection is poor and the proprietor is not quite friendly. We realized that we don’t buy much beyond food, gas and beer. Rarely do we buy new clothes; our daughter’s clothes are all hand-me-downs from friends. I bought a new book recently, but it had to come from Borders – independent bookstores have died in my town. I buy jewelry sometimes on etsy.com, which does not support my community, but supports an independent artisan somewhere.

The 3/50 Project is important, and I thank the editors of Skirt! for running the ad on their back cover. As much as I identify with local business owners, it’s more important to curb our consumption than it is to buy stuff we don’t need. I would love to shop at my local organic clothing boutique, but it’s more sustainable and affordable to buy from a thrift store. However, 3/50 has got me thinking about the few things that I do buy, and where I buy them from. But then all sorts of new questions arise. Should I have spent the gas money to drive 40 minutes to an independent bookstore to purchase the book I needed? The minutia of my own environmental impact plagues me as I debate about where and how to spend my dollars. Solution? Simplify.

If you’re like me and don’t consume many non-consumables, don’t use the 3/50 Project as an excuse to start buying unnecessary material goods. Instead, just make your usual purchases, but make them smart. Give the farmer’s market a try instead of Whole Foods. Skip TGI Friday’s in favor of a local restaurant. Try that little coffee shop you’ve never been to next time you get a Starbucks craving. Or, just cook more at home. Buy (locally, of course) an espresso maker and become your own barista. You’ll waste fewer paper coffee cups. When you do go out for coffee, bring a mug. Do I do all these things? No. But I’m going to try, and though it doesn’t quite fit the mission, I’ll name the 3/50 Project as my inspiration.

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