Want to align your spending with your values? Top 5 Tips to Get Started
- Indivisible Evanston
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
In General
This isn’t all or nothing; you know best what works for you and your household. Curtailing spending at Amazon, for instance, is a way to start. We’ve markedly decreased our spending at Amazon, and it’s made a huge difference in our finances too.
It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon (like so many strategies we’re using to oppose the Trump regime). Don’t try to do everything at once. Small steps can add up to big changes.
Small is Beautiful: most of the Fortune 1000 companies support and profit from the current regime. It’s the way the system is set up for now, so try and shop smaller when you can.
Use helpers if you find making changes difficult. My kids helped me with some of the technical challenges I ran into. Bonus: when you use helpers, they might become more motivated to make their own spending changes.
Plan ahead. Especially at this hectic time, if you plan ahead, you might not need to turn to Amazon for last-minute purchases (see the tip below about swapping Instacart for Amazon for things you need quickly.)
Keep the big picture in mind: Boycotts can be seen as “the beginning of a permanent breakup from a toxic relationship with the corporate model. It’s a lifestyle shift into living our best life–creating the world we’re hoping to see right now…Having an impact on corporate earnings, even marginally, is one of the most effective ways to apply immediate, massive pressure on a corrupt or unresponsive system.” (Survivor’s Guide to Earth: Better Living Through Boycotts.)
While Indivisible National has not yet recommended a general strike, boycott, or blackout, you can get started aligning your spending with your values!
TIP #1: Shop Local
We’ve started a list of local North Shore businesses where we feel good about spending our $$, but we need your help.
What local businesses do you know that support progressive values? Check this list and email additions to indivisiblevanston@gmail.com. We continue to update this list regularly.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g0kRnfXBleVVXnZ92l_LWPV1DN7H0vf3WqXIXt6Of8o/edit?usp=sharing
TIP #2: Curtail or Stop Spending at Amazon
AMAZON, in addition to donating to Trump and funding the demolition of the east wing of the White House, has used union-busting to keep from treating its employees fairly.
Plan ahead so you don’t need things immediately (easier said than done in this busy world, but you can do it!). If you do need something quickly, consider Instacart. They deliver from Costco, Walgreens, local grocery stores plus many other stores and restaurants. An annual subscription (currently $99 per year) gets you free delivery with a minimum order.
If you find a product on Amazon, order directly from the company that sells the product. They sometimes offer free shipping.
Afraid you’ll miss TV and movies if you cancel your Prime subscription? As we know, there are plenty of streaming alternatives, and you can just purchase the specific TV and movies you want from Prime Video.
Organize a group of neighbors or friends to regularly shop at Costco. It’s fun to shop together and you can avoid spending some $$ at Amazon.
WHOLE FOODS is owned by Amazon. Consider shopping at Trader Joe’s or Valli here in Evanston. Jewel and Mariano’s are also good alternatives. They all have organic and natural food sections.
TIP #3: Break Up with AT&T for cell and internet service
AT&T has direct contracts with ICE, and recently committed to ending DEI programs as it seeks approval from the Trump administration to buy wireless spectrum assets. Credo Mobile is an alternative that donates $$ to progressive causes. If you’re in the middle of a contract, put a reminder in your calendar for the future to make a change when your contract is up.
TIP #4: Drop Spotify for an alternative music streaming service
SPOTIFY invests in AI weaponry, runs ICE job ads, and doesn’t pay its artists fairly. Good streaming alternatives are Tidal, Qobuz, and Bandcamp. At Tidal, we were able to import all our playlists quickly and easily.
TIP #5: Curtail or stop spending at Home Depot
HOME DEPOT cooperates with ICE and is a major Trump donor.
Lowes is only slightly better, so shop at local ACE stores or Menard’s. You won’t have as many choices, but you’ll feel better about spending $$ there. We love Devon Hardware, which is not really that far away.
Some Resources for a Deeper Dive
Check out the Survivor’s Guide to Earth post on “Better Living Through Boycotts.” https://www.survivorsguidetoearth.com/boycott.
Check out this list of companies to avoid and their specific efforts to support the regime from the substack of Andrea Watkins: For Such a Time as This.
Check out www.blackoutthesystem.com for more advice on how to have an impact with your spending. This group, along with several others is calling for a mass blackout Nov 25th - December 2nd - “No spending, No Travel, No Streaming, No Work, No Restaurants, Stay Home”
Help us!
If you have other tips, workarounds or resources, let us know! Just comment on this post or email the information to indivisiblevanston@gmail.com
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