You’ve heard it before: You should shop local! But why?

Surely it can’t make THAT big of a difference. Right? Wrong!

Here are 10 reasons you should shop local whenever you can.

1. Spending money at local businesses helps keep the money local. As in, the money you spend sticks around to help your community instead of going into the pockets of some multi-national conglomerate.
2. Speaking of your community, did you know that local businesses are 250% more likely to support community non-profits?
3. Your taxes are better used. It’s true! Local businesses require less infrastructure investment than big companies. They also use local services more effectively, thus costing you, the taxpayer, less money.
4. Do it for the environment. Local businesses are smaller. They consume less, take up less space, and make less waste than their enormous counterparts. Not to mention, they usually buy locally, live locally, and therefore…