18/01/2025
Let’s all make a difference…
£10
Anyone of my age will recall when £10 used to buy you quite a lot. I could buy a round of drinks for friends and still have change (and in those days I did have quite a few friends 🎻). Nowadays, you’d get one drink and six straws for £10!
Unfortunately, rising prices and the cost of living crisis means we don’t get as much for our money today. We all have to make careful decisions about how we spend our disposable income.
The cost of a basic basket of food and household products is considerably more than it was a couple of years ago. Likewise………rents, mortgages, utility bills, insurances, motoring costs……they have all gone up and up.
After paying for all those things, we are left with a bit of money to buy “the nice things in life”, the special treats, a visit to a restaurant, gym membership, hobbies, cinema, theatre, clothing and the garden centre. These things might not be essentials but they are things which we like to have. But the amount of money left in our pockets has shrunk considerably, meaning that we often have to make sacrifices and not have as many of those extras that we often take for granted.
Unfortunately, those financial pressures are having a cumulative impact on many businesses. For small, independent businesses in particular, it could be a very challenging year ahead.
So…..what can we do?
Shut our eyes, hold our breath and cling on for a bumpy, white-knuckle rollercoaster ride?
OR…….
……we can all make a little more effort to support those local independent businesses. Make a conscious decision to spend £10 LESS each week with the monster supermarkets or faceless online giants. Instead, spend that £10 MORE each week with your local independent shops, farmers markets, growers, crafters, gift shops, pubs, cafes and garden centres.
And the added benefit of using those independent businesses? You will find that:
* the meat, bread, fish, fruit and vegetables tastes better
* you get a much better, friendlier service
* you get better advice from people who are knowledgeable and passionate about their businesses
And, who knows……….that £10 a week could grow to become £20, £30 or more once you realise the benefits.
LET’S ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE