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Hi Reader,

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My granddaughter drives for Instacart. She has an insider’s view into what people buy. And the perspective of what people used to buy compared to what they’re buying now.

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We recently had a conversation about “voting with your wallet.” She’d never heard the expression before so I explained it to her:

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Every time you spend money on something, you are—in essence—voting with your wallet. You are choosing 1) to buy anything at all, 2) what to buy, and 3) who to buy it from.

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The most powerful way to vote with your wallet is #3, who you buy from. You can be very intentional about which businesses you buy from to let them know you approve of them (thus the point of boycotts when you don’t buy from them). If you don’t like a business’ politics, how it treats its employees, or its union policies, you can stick ‘em where it hurts and not give them any of your money.

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Number 1 is often more determined by income or available cash flow. If you don’t have a lot of excess money, you may choose to not buy something. Or you simply don’t have a choice. This is how disenfranchised voters feel when they can't get to a polling place or are not allowed to vote at all.

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Number 2 is a more targeted way to “vote.” For example, you can make a point by not buying anything made in China, or to only buy organic food, or to not buy stock in fossil fuel. It’s also a way to think more intentionally about whether you want to spend any money at all on a product if it doesn’t meet your standards.

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You may be thinking none of this matters to businesses when it’s just your measly bucks here and there. (I don’t know about you, but my “measly” grocery bill is hovering around $900 a month for just 2 people now.) Unfortunately, that’s how a lot of people think about voting in elections, too. Which is why only 31.8% of eligible voters (49.8% of the 63.9% who voted) were able to elect our current president.

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Think about how much ALL of our single votes, purchases, and actions add up. It can be huge. And very impactful.

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Voting with your wallet can also make you feel more peaceful in your daily life. When your actions feel aligned with your values, it just feels good. It's the main reason I choose to work with small, heart-centered businesses. They tend to have less money than big, profit-centered businesses, but I'd be miserable working for the latter.

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So, voting with your wallet can also include how money gets in your wallet in the first place.

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Now, when my granddaughter is filling her Instacart orders, she's looking at every item as a vote.

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What are you voting for today?

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One of the things that can make voting with your wallet easier is if you have all your options in one place (instead of having to go store to store). Well, that’s what the Thriving Business Spring Bundle is all about for wellness business owners. If you are a nutrition, health, or wellness professional, you’ll have access to over 50 free resources you can try to see where you want to invest more of your business dollars this year. See the P.S. for details.

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What I'm listening to, reading, and watching:

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​Do I Do? — Stevie Wonder. Do you want some candy? Yes I got some honey suckle chocolate dripping kisses full of love… Need a bump up? Turn this jam on now! Brought to my attention by Desmond Roberts on American Idol. (Yes, it’s American Idol season and I couldn’t be happier 😁🎵)

​Walking to Mercury — Starhawk. The prequel to The Fifth Sacred Thing (the prototype for the fiction book I’m writing). Walking to Mercury tells the tale of a visionary young woman caught in the crossfire of changing values in the 1960s. She's fighting for a world of love, peace, and creativity. But her family, society, even her best friend and lovers, aren’t ready for the changes to belief systems that will require. We follow her from high school into her 40s as she travels the world—and the inner terrain of her heart—to find her place.

​Everything, Everywhere All at Once — I know I’m behind on the times for finally watching this 2022 Oscar best picture winner. I hesitated to watch it because my #1 movie-watching buddy didn’t like it. And it’s described as an “absurdist comedy-drama” which is usually a no-go for me as well. But guess what? I loved it! Between the fantastic characters, a hilarious performance by Jamie Lee Curtis, and the depiction of multiple parallel universes where people have sausage fingers or can devolve into the black hole of a bagel, the story is firmly planted in a world based on empathy and love for home and family. (on multiple streaming services)

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What are you listening to, reading, or watching that you think I’d like? Reply and let me know.

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Let me know if there's anything special you'd like to hear about in the coming weeks. Just reply and I'm on it!

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Praying you are always empowered and enfranchised.

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Thanks for reading,

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Carrie

Author, ​So You Want to Be a Doula​​

​​​Website​​​​

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P.S. Looking for reliable resources to grow your nutrition or wellness business? Wish you could grow faster towards your goals this year? Well, you’re going to LOVE the Thriving Business Spring Bundle, which is happening next week! It’s a curated collection of 50+ expert resources valued at nearly $7,000. Gain access to courses, templates, guides, workbooks, and more to help you and your business take off! 🚀 I’ll be sharing all the details next week!