Spending and Ethics
Today’s blog is about spending and ethics. Before I present today’s writing piece, I want to offer a disclaimer. I am going to mention a few companies; however, to be clear, none of these businesses have endorsed me or paid me. I paid for the items mentioned in the article with my own money. These companies do not know me outside of my order number. Now let’s dive in!
This week I bought a book! I received extra money from an unexpected refund—one of those class action lawsuits that I did not know about. Anyway, the check cleared and I decided to purchase the investment book that I wanted. However, I faced a dilemma: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org? Which company should I purchase from? Amazon was the cheapest option (of course) and offered the fastest shipping option, for free. My local Barnes and Noble did not have the book in stock, and shipping is $6 for orders under $35. Lastly, Bookshop.org donates 10 percent of all orders to local bookstores, and shipping is $4.
We all know that Amazon is not the most ethical company; that’s why they can offer products cheaply. The same goes for many other companies. We also have people (in-person and online) shaming others for patronizing various unethical companies. How do you spend ethically on a tight budget?
The answer is…
You do what you can, when you can.
Don’t allow anyone to make you feel shame about purchasing from a large corporation. Unfortunately, these corporations have muscled their way into offering lower prices. If those are the prices you can afford, no amount of shame and guilt-tripping from someone else is going to make your dollars stretch farther. If you want to spend ethically, have a system in place to determine when you can spend ethically.
Here’s an example. In terms of purchasing the book, I decided to ask myself a few questions:
Do I absolutely NEED the book?
Answer: No, the book is a luxury.
Can I afford to pay $8–$12 more?
Answer: Today… yes!
Am I willing to pay more, and why?
Answer: I am willing to pay more for the in-person shopping experience or to contribute to a good cause.
How does paying more make me feel?
Answer: Slightly empowered!
I decided to purchase the book from Bookshop.org, and ten percent of my purchase was donated to a local bookstore. Does this mean that I will never purchase from an unethical company again? Absolutely not. Right now, my bank account requires me to lean on large corporations—and that is okay. But whenever space allows, I can make small, intentional choices that feel good to me. And so can you! Make a flowchart or checklist (or whatever system you prefer) to have ready for when you face an ethical spending dilemma.
If you are interested in starting a financial journey so that you can build sustainable systems and make intentional purchases, financial coaching may be for you. Click here to Schedule a Discovery Call today.
