Over half way through the 30 day challenge

It occurred to me tonight that I am over halfway through the challenge I gave myself.  For a reminder, it was to take 30 days and spend as much money locally as possible.  There were a few things that I do without even thinking:

1.  I shop a lot online vs. seeing if I can buy it in a store.
2.  I love stores like Target and tend to default to Target for everything and don't take the time to see if what I need is available within Elmhurst
3.  I work downtown which means that I tend to have most services I use (Dr., Dentist, etc) and purchases (morning coffee, lunch, etc) all downtown.

So, I have been embarking on a challenge to keep my money locally.  The thing I have learned through this is that it has made me much more MINDFUL of where my dollars go.  I no longer quickly hit that devious "one click" ordering on Amazon the moment I see something we might like.  I really think about if we need it.  Can we buy it in town? Is there something else like it?  For all my shopping, I think this month might actually save me money (who knew?). I have had to break some habits and start a few new ones.

One of the habits I just love is buying coffee before I get on the train.  There is something about heading into a coffee shop in the morning and hearing the chatter of our community.  It is a great way to start the day and something I would not have ever thought about doing.

Another is just spending time getting to know the local businesses in our community.  These businesses don't just carry products or services, they are part of our community. I have found more information, advice and conversation when shopping at a local store.  Local store owners are there because they want to add something to our town and I have enjoyed becoming more familiar with what Elmhurst has to offer.

So, has it been hard?  A little bit.  It has taken more time.  A realization I had after week one is that I am horribly over scheduled.  I have so little extra time in the day that the thought of having to physically go out to a store to find something seemed frustrating.  What I found is that it really didn't take all that long (as long as I knew where to go) and actually it was way more satisfying to go into a store vs. click a button.  I have had some trouble with services due to hours.  I need very flexible hours and someone who is open late.  I have to take extra time to research the hours for dentists, drs, etc.

Overall, it has not been as hard as I thought it might be.  I found that I was mentally already committed to shopping local, but my actions needed a little work.  I am looking forward to the next few weeks (and beyond) to see where this takes me...