Anti-Poverty Mom's 2016 Shop Local Gift Picks

It seems my social media streams are full of notices to boycott a whole lot of businesses because of their ties to political figures or climate-harming interests. It's probably reflective of how contentious and negative 2016 has been for our country. Some I agree with, others I think are a stretch. But here's my two cents: No matter how you feel about Ivanka Trump or global warming, you really can't go wrong by buying local for your holiday gift shopping!

Now is exactly the time of year to think about local shopping before you're tempted to go ga-ga over Black Friday or CyberMonday after Thanksgiving. Do NOT forget about Small Business Saturday! Take a moment to think about a few important ways that shopping local is a great idea:

1. You'll cut down on wasteful shipping materials and fuel used when ordering online
2. You can support small business owners and get to know them personally
3. More of your money stays in your community. Significantly more of your money goes to other local businesses, service providers, farms, and charities
4. You can help create jobs in your own community. If the shop does well, they'll need more employees!
5. You'll can support local artisans do what they love and help your community be more beautiful and unique

While I can't give everyone a customized list of independent, local merchants, I'll leave a few of mine for inspiration in categories that are great for gift shopping. Maybe you can find some near you that are similar? Even if you decide to order from my local merchants, you'll still likely be steering free of whatever it is folks are saying to boycott and you'll be helping my local St Louis community.

Photo Credit: www.Bravely.org

Apparel: Bravely
Bravely is a new business in St Louis and I intend to get a few presents from here even though it's not a brick and mortar store yet. "Bravely is an apparel company designed to employ and empower women recovering from sexual exploitation and addiction. Our shirts and accessories send messages of hope, love, and courage. When you wear and use Bravely products, you are sharing those messages with the world and changing lives while you do it."

Bath & Beauty: KIND Soap Company
KIND has a location in Webster Groves, MO that I love to browse. There are a few places you can buy products in other states (IL, TX, CO), but all their products are made here in the St Louis area. You can click on the link to see their philosophy of keeping bad stuff out of our bodies and out of the earth. My personal favorite product is the Shea Luxe Creme bubble bath. Oh...look at that picture...I'm almost out again. Time to go back! I also like their solid perfume. They sell lockets at the store and will fill the locket up with the solid perfume scent of your choice. You can even bring it back for refills!

Photo credit: Ash and Griffin

Artisans: Ash and Griffin Pottery
I've talked about these ladies before for a Mother's Day post, but I'm going to mention them again because they do an annual Winter Studio sale (party?) before the holidays. If your local artists do that, you should definitely go meet the artists, mingle with other people who dig the same stuff you do, buy stuff, and eat snacks! I bought a mug like this last year and I love how it beautifully draws attention away from the fact that I might actually be drinking a can of Coca-Cola for breakfast.

Vintage Antiques: Retro 101/Cherry Bomb
Retro 101 seems to be so retro that they don't have a website! So, I gave you their Facebook page link instead. This vintage store is fun and hip to browse around in. Just about any antique/vintage clothing store is going be a greener choice than buying new and they will have weird, one-of-a-kind gifts at a very reasonable price. Like this retro Japanese robe that became part of my Doc Brown Halloween costume. And yeah, sometimes, I may walk around the house in it drinking Coke for breakfast out of a pottery mug. Maybe.

Our Camp Fire field trip to Open Books

Used Book Stores: Open Books
Ok, this one isn't in St Louis, but it was local to me when I lived in Chicago and feel like giving props to my favorite used book store I've ever come across! This one is 'specially special because Open Books is not only a place to shop, but its also a nonprofit venture that provides literacy experiences for thousands of readers each year. You can bring in all your old books to donate and buy new ones. The proceeds go towards teaching kids and adults in Chicago how to read. Even if your local used book store is not a non-profit, it's still great to shop there because it's a very sustainable choice to use books already in print than create new ones. You might even find rare antique books or author signed ones!



Museums: The Magic House
I consider giving a membership or a gift certificate for admission to a museum to be local shopping, too. I  chose the Magic House to feature because this IS a mom-blog and it is a wonderful place of learning in St Louis. Where else could my daughter learn to install a play muffler on the underside of a car? Lots of museums provide learning programs for under-priveleged kids in addition to being fun for families. Your local art museum is making sure that culture and creativity are alive and well in difficult times when we need inspiration and beauty. Your local science museum is helping kids and adults become educated voters and citizens. A history museum like the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, IL helps us understand the failings of the past and inspires hope for the future. A gift of museum admission is the gift of education...and that is priceless. 

Tax Day is like #Christmas when #WorkingTaxCredits Help People in Poverty

Today is a big day in Congress for working families in poverty! Congressional leaders in the House of Representatives voted on a major tax package that could prevent 16 million people from falling into or deeper into poverty. U.S. Representatives voted on making permanent the expiring provisions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). YOU can help by calling your senators to ask them to support it as well!

I'll be honest. When I first heard about the Earned Income Tax Credit, I wasn't too inspired to take action on it even though it was supported by a couple of my favorite anti-poverty advocacy groups, Bread for the World and RESULTS. I didn't rally behind it right away because I didn't know what it really meant to an individual. Even though I believed in the theory, I didn't really understand what a tax credit could mean for a family on the edge until I met Maxine Thomas at a RESULTS regional conference. 

Maxine lives in Indianapolis where she is a volunteer with RESULTS. She's a mother of five who works full time. She's also a member of the RESULTS “Experts on Poverty” program, a group of volunteers who speak with legislators about their firsthand experiences with poverty. She talked to us about what a little extra money at tax time means to her children. I heard her story verbally, but this is an excerpt from her comments from an article in The Hill. 

"Just as I excitedly await the holiday season, there is another time of year that I look forward to: tax time. Tax season has become like another celebration for my family because of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).

I work full time, but I still find myself in the rut of not being able to afford the costs of everyday life. As the saying goes, I have to rob Peter to pay Paul. It is my reality. How do I decide which bill to prioritize when they are all important? A roof over our heads, electricity, heat, and water — these are all essential. 

Throughout the year, I’ve learned to make payment arrangements to prevent my utilities from being disconnected. I've learned how to stretch a dollar bill by counting out 100 pennies so that I never forget the importance of every single cent. It’s not easy, but the EITC and CTC provide us with the crucial support we need to get by. Every penny counts.

Every year at tax time, my husband and I can catch up on paying bills and feel free from those worries when we take our kids to the mall and let them choose a new pair of shoes. I’m able to breathe a deep sigh of relief knowing that I can finally replace worn-out clothing and make sure they have what they need. There is nothing quite like watching the joy on my kids’ faces as they run and play in a new pair of shoes they were able to pick out themselves. It’s a wonderful feeling for all of us."

My daughter's birthday boots

I thought about my own daughter who asked for a pair of boots for her birthday. I waffled, thinking that she wanted some pair of fashion boots she might have seen on a friend at school, but she led me to the shoe department at Target and showed me a pair of very practical brown boots. The desires of Maxine's kids are not any different than my girl's. Our kids are not fancy or spoiled. They just want shoes that fit and that they can pick out all by themselves. A simple pair of shoes gives kids a sense of self-worth and pride. For moms like Maxine, the tax credits are the thing that makes it possible to provide this basic thing for children.

The EITC is a refundable federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. The EITC is designed to "make work pay" by supplementing low-wage work with additional income. The intention is to move a family with a full-time, low-income working wage to living above the poverty line. The goal is to benefit both the worker and any children and dependents that may rely on their limited income. For critics who complain about "poor people" being lazy, this anti-poverty tool is perfect because it rewards people who work! According to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit lifted 9.8 million Americans out of poverty. 

These tax credits help so many people make ends meet, but important improvements are due to expire in 2017. If Congress does nothing, 50 million people will lose part or all of their tax credits. About 16 million people, including 8 million children, will fall into poverty or deeper into poverty. If Congress does not act to make these provisions permanent, it will have an impact on families like Maxine's.

Don't let your senators give up this chance to make current EITC and CTC benefits permanent. Key negotiations are taking place today and ALL members of Congress, regardless of their party, need to hear this message! Take a moment to reach out to your senators using this link from Bread for the World. Urge Congress to make the expiring EITC and CTC provisions permanent before leaving for Christmas so that kids in poverty might have their "Christmas" at tax time.

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P.S. I am happy to add to this post to report that the EITC and CTC tax credits were indeed made permanent on December 18, 2015. Congrats to all the volunteer advocates and staff at RESULTS and Bread for the World who worked so hard on this in the last years!