Karma points.

Call me a superstitious nitwit, but I believe in karma points. Karma is doing good deeds in this live for a better life in the next. But to me, karma points is doing good in this life and reaping the rewards and avoiding bad stuff happening in this life. At the very least, cosmic stuff aside, being a good person attracts other good people into your life. That is tangible.

Every dollar you spend is a vote for something in the world. When you spend somewhere you don’t believe in, you’re taking a vote away from something you believe in.

Shopping for locally made products is gaining momentum. Buying local made is considered a luxury these days and Christmas comes just once a year. Isn’t that Christmas a luxury? I can’t say I’m going 100% local this year, but I’m sending some of my votes that way.

Shopping early and buying local makes me less stressed. Even if you don’t believe in karma, avoiding stress is easy to justify.

Buy from Christchurch

If you live in New Zealand and are considering buying outside of your town/city, why not consider buying directly from Christchurch small businesses? Since the earthquakes obliterated much of the city, many families are having rough Christmasses there. Seeking out Christchurch producers puts money directly into their pockets to help them have a better Christmas. You can find Christchurch sellers on Felt and Etsy and even Trademe. On Trademe, you can support Christchurch sellers simply by changing your location to Christchurch when browsing.

Online stores

My favourite local online stores are Felt and Foxes. Special mention to Etsy is also a must. Etsy has a super cool shop local feature you can view here.