A Loaf of Bread, Container of Milk and a Stick of Butter…

If you’re close to my age, you may remember a sweet little Sesame Street animated short about a girl who was tasked to walk to her local grocery to buy these staples for her mother. I’d have loved to do that for my mom – I asked her if I could, but we lived in suburbia, and the local stores were a bit farther than up the block and around the corner. The closest one was about two miles away, and the closest supermarket was about the same distance.

Buy them local instead!
Image credit: belchonock / 123RF Stock Photo

For a time, such little “mom-n-pop” stores dwindled into near extinction. It was common to see them close down as supermarkets and super stores popped up in nearly every town around us. Indeed, in some cases, pushing the mom-n-pops out of our communities was the very intent of the larger national conglomerates.

Some local grocers, farmers markets and specialized shops like fish markets, butchers and delis still thrive in their communities, though, and as more communities begin to see more value in purchasing from them rather than the superstores, more and more mom-n-pops like them are popping up around towns and in town centers.

Am I Saving Money At The Local Market?

There are many benefits to purchasing local food from a local market, but will you actually save money? On the price tag, you may find that the local price is a bit more than the superstore price, and sometimes there’s a nefarious reason for that. As we are learning to stretch our dollars further in this challenging economy, we’ve learned to look beyond the price tag and consider the other factors that will contribute to the cost of your purchase.

So why wouldn’t I buy a loaf of bread from the superstore at $2.29 when it’s $2.99 at the farmer’s market in town? Because it just makes more sense not to. Don’t take our word for it – others agree. GreenUpgrader has 10 great reasons why spending $.70 cents more saves you money in the short run.

Next time you need a loaf of bread, a container of milk or a stick of butter, Local Joan says “Take a walk to the local market, and if they’re around, bring the kids!”