Has anyone made any changes recently with a view to helping the UK economy?

P__G

With our national debt now at over £1,000,000,000,000 pounds, I wondered whether anyone here has made any changes to their lifestyles with a view to trying to help the UK economy?

We always shop locally thesedays and avoid the supermarkets. I occasionally make an exception with the Coop (inc Summerfield) stores because of their ethical stance and the fact that they donate a huge amount of their profits to worthy causes. As for buying locally, it is said to be more expensive but that is not something that I have noticed at all.

There is a bar in our village which has a stance that they themselves will only buy things locally. So we figure that when we go there to get drunk :beer: we are creating jobs and profits that will always go back into the local area from the bar owner.

I also try to buy goods produced in the UK - now that is a diffiuclt thing to do! Any fruit and veg I buy is generally in season and produced in the UK and I buy directly from farmers when practicable. We have found that stopping at a farmers market good fun, certainly better than bashing your way through hundreds down at Tesco's. Also, the quality is, in my opinion, far superior. I just dont accept that fruits from South Africa have the same amount of nutrients in as those picked an hour before. Want to know what foods are currently 'in season'? http://www.farmersmarkets.net/
Want to find a farmers market? Try here - http://www.farmshopping.net/

I try to consider where the profit from my purchaes will end up I guess.

For other reasons (my wife is pregnant) we did not venture abroad this year but that too, is something that perhaps we ought to try doing more? We went to Harrogate, The Lake District and Norfolk this year and absolutely loved all three.

I am not pretending that I have done all of the above to simply help the UK ecomony. I believe in environmental impact too and often they go 'hand in hand'.

I also appreciate that, against a backdrop of £1 trillion debt, little ole me buying from my local shop is hardly likely to solve the problem. That is not really the point I seek to make though. I just wondered what, if anything, people have done to try and help the UK economy?

Jacey53

I've been trying to do the same as you do.

I try to buy locally where I can and spend my money in independent stores rather than the multi-nationals.

This is partly for environmental reasons and partly to support the local economy.

I find it difficult to balance; for example if we all avoid our local Tesco, would they then lay people off who would also have spent locally?

I would also hate to think that my efforts to buy locally have put somone into dire poverty in a third world country (although i do buy fair trade goods)

I don't think it's straightforward. I suppose the only way for me is to try to avoid wasting any resources

Procrastinator333

Apparently you can't post a 2 letter reply so I had to type this bit first....


No.

nearlynew

Over the long term localisation, as opposed to globalisation, is the only way to go.

Eventually, we'll all have to do it. Either by force or necessity


The only argument is how we get there and how long it will take.

Housing costs are just a side show.

SingleSue

I holiday in the uk......but everything else is what ever is cheapest to buy, so if that is Morrisons and a 12p can of beans compared to the local little shop and a can of beans at 65p, then so be it.

ess0two

Spent £700 in Ikea today on wardrobes,dunno if that helps.

Wookster

Well I've gone and got a job again.

mbga9pgf

I use american express everywhere, bar local producers (greengrocer and butchers). I always pay cash as the card handling fees are attrocious.

fc123

Nice sentiment but too little too late guys.


......after abandoning niche retailing due to rising fixed costs to trade and fed up with battling unfair corp behaviour (after 20+ years) I now trade within the corporate machine (so I must be good right?) as I figured this is the way to go...and financially it is a no brainer.
I justified it to myself that I was still trading in a worthy way as I manufacture everything here in the UK...but you know what? After todays disasters (a no show delivery from 1 factory...it's going to be a week late despite assurances on Weds it was all to schedule and a dire error from the other.....the stock had to come off sale tonight in corpland......they thought ''oh she won't notice'''....well I did) I have had enough.

I cannot trade with factories that act like it's bluddy 1953 and cannot even open a word doc (as no software) or pics (as on dial up and it takes too long) and act like I will just put up with it.

So.....I am going off shore..that's IT for me...and as for all the people that still message me as to why we closed our shop as they miss us? The greed of the landowners knows no bounds it seems.....and my old store of 11 years is still empty BTW.

A Ranting night for me as I feel choked and suffocated by it all

Happens in music too. Matt Cardley moved me with his singing on X Factor of 'The First time''......I caught it by chance and it made me shiver. So I go to You tube and the bloke has been plugging it away for years it seems. He has a band Seven Candles amazing song then there's one of him in a pub being interrupted by inbreddy types singing Thriller and it made me feel....I just felt really sad.

Kind of summed up the Asda culture we now exist in .:(

fc123

...and now I am having a silent cry as it's all so f***ing sad.

fc123

Ooops went off topic .....shopping locally may help a bit but it won't solve the core problem that 90% of retail is diminated by chains and corps....so sucking 90% of £££ away from communities.