An Announcement! and thoughts about buying local

I'd like to start with a little announcement...

Mr. Moon and I are getting married!!

He popped the question at my birthday party and of course, I said yes. Now we're in the whirlwind process of wedding planning. Which brought me to finally having a reason to buy the book that started one of my favorite blogs, Offbeat Bride.

So the book is $13.30 on Amazon with prime, 2-day free shipping. Or I could get it "used" but really new for $9-10 including shipping, but I'd have to wait longer. But let's check out the local book store? There's one I like a lot in town where they have a restaurant in the bookstore and a pub downstairs. But according to their website, they don't have the book in stock and it says it ships in 1-5 days. Plus I have to pay $17. Plus I have to put on pants, leave my house, talk to people, and I will probably buy a coffee or a beer while I'm there.

Financially, for me, it makes sense to buy it online, even if I pay the extra couple bucks for "give it to me right now" shipping. When faced with the prospect of planning a wedding with two receptions (oh trust me I'm sure I'll write about it, but that's a story for another day) with no knowledge of any financial assistance from our parents, I'm looking at every penny we have being a choice between Wedding Stuff and [whatever I'm looking at].

But on a larger, "I'm not the only important thing in the universe" scale, I really want to support local businesses. I know I haven't always done my part in that area of my life, and it's something I'm certainly working toward doing better at this year. I just have to weigh my own needs and abilities against that, and sometimes that means making sacrifices for the greater good; sometimes it's the other way around. I'm not going to choose against buying local over a couple dollars or a modicum of effort on my part. Significant savings, though, and I have to seriously consider it.

Thankfully in this particular case, Amazon is local, as is the author whose book I'm buying. Sorry Local Bookstore, if you'd had it in stock I might have paid the extra $4 for the book to have an excuse to leave my nest and go buy a beer with my love. Instead I'm buying it online and drinking a beer from the fridge!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sub-Urban Gardening

Mum and I picked up the plants for the vegetable & herb garden in the backyard today. We got a few seeds, but mostly starter plants. This year with the moving and everything we got a late start, and don't have the space or time to be dealing with seeds right now. For the basis of this entry, let's just assume that everything is neglected and overgrown, shall we? As it stands, we have an old mint garden in the back corner (away from everything else) that may or may not crop back up. Possible volunteers will be spearmint, chocolate mint, peppermint, and pineapple mint. But Mum hasn't tended to it for years, really since it got planted 9 years ago, so we may need to go back out to pick up some mint plants, as we would like to keep that as a mint corner. The catnip we just picked up will be going back there. We have two raised bed planters about 3x4 feet each which are currently housing a HUGE, delicious looking oregano bush (well, three of them actually). I mean, o...
Read more

DUDE! Get On That Already!: Making a DIY Pot Rack

Image
You know those projects that have been hanging on your to-do list so long you barely recognize them as words anymore? Those things you leave shut tight behind a closed door hoping one day they will fix themselves or just disappear? Dude! Get On That Already! The challenge created by the good folks at Young House Love , to clean out those spaces that are filled with unfinished projects and un-used decor. Join in! What are you going to finish this week? --------------------- We started building a pot rack in MARCH! Took a few measurements, bought the supplies in April, started with the hole drilling, and there it sat waiting to be painted all summer long. Finally I got around to it the other day. So here's my step-by-step tutorial. Step 1: Take measurements. Decide where you want the thing to hang. Make sure it won't be hanging where anyone is likely to bang their head, nor block line of sight in the middle of a social common area. Remember that you need to measure this inclu...
Read more

Grocery Shopping: To coupon or price book?

You can find more detailed information about grocery shopping price books at Get Rich Slowly and Organized Home (both links take you straight to their price book articles) so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, as a kitchen manager and chef, I have been sold on the concept of price books--they're imperative to costing recipes. I haven't really used them outside of work, though. Not because I don't think you should, but a) because I did it at work and didn't want to do that at home too; and b) because I have a head for numbers and am obsessed with getting the best deal, so I do very well with that without writing things down. When I moved from Michigan where I knew all my prices (and had determined that Shop At Meijer was the best way to save money) to Seattle where I didn't know the prices and had a lot of other projects on my plate, I didn't pick it up then either. Nonetheless, I think it's a good idea. I have heard a lot of peopl...
Read more