Local First

     Happy Monday!!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  We sure did!   Today I want to talk about a big way we can Survive This Arizona Economy!!  One of the best ways to do this is to put our money back into our community.  We think that all our shopping supports local jobs and to an extent, it does.  However, if we make one little adjustment, we support our local economy with a much bigger impact.  Use locally owned businesses.
     I started researching this topic about a year ago and was thrilled with what I found.  Many companies are owned and run right here in Arizona.  I started making a list and adding to it every time I found a company that is "ours".  Companies like Shamrock Farms, Hickman's Eggs, even things like Desert Schools Federal Credit Union and of course, my favorite, Uhaul (my father is the Communications Director) are all Arizona companies.  When I do my business with these companies, more of my money stays in Arizona, creating jobs and tax revenue, in turn, strengthening our economy.
     There is a great website, http://www.localfirstaz.com/ which details all the benefits of shopping locally.  There are some great statistics and even a business directory, so you can search for local companies.  For those of us who have lost jobs here in Arizona, this should be our number one source of services and supplies.  What better way to ensure other families do not have to endure what we have known.  Each week I will highlight a company that is Arizona owned and challenge you to do your business there!  This week Mike and I will be switching from Wells Fargo to Desert Schools Credit Union.  I would much rather all my overdraft fees stay here  :)  (just kidding, I stopped that habit last year).  I know the Credit Union has joining stipulations, but call them, there are many ways you can qualify!  For my out of town friends, look around your community and shop locally as much as you can!  Here is one of the graphs from the Local First Az website.