tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70139073334510984442024-03-13T05:46:47.657-07:00My Year of Shopping LocallyFor one year, starting Oct. 1, I will shop only in New Westminster.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-31445707542638834832011-11-16T17:55:00.000-08:002011-11-16T18:03:11.694-08:00The Ultimate Freedom: Saying NoI did something stupid today, but then I immediately undid it. <br />
<br />
One of the best things about my year of shopping only in New Westminster was how much stuff I got to ignore. Flyer from a store not in New West? I'd toss it without a second look. (And by "toss," I mean recycle, of course.) Email about some daily deal not in New Westminster? I'd hit delete, without a second thought. Or better yet, I'd unsubscribe and be done with it forever.<br />
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Since my year officially ended Oct. 1, I've been sticking mainly to New Westminster for shopping. I've yet to hit Metrotown or any other mall, which is also a relief. You know how some people love shopping so much they are energized by it? That's not me. I generally come home from a trip to the mall feeling like I've had the life sucked out of me.<br />
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Still, some of what I was able to blissfully ignore for a year has started to creep back into my life. I'm starting to look at flyers from places like RONA, even when there's nothing I need to buy from there. <br />
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Today, I received my <a href="http://www.frugalbits.com/">Frugal Bits</a> e-newsletter. It's a local website, that has all kinds of consumer and shopping information, including a feature that compares common supermarket items like pickles and ketchup. It also offers daily deals and since it focuses so heavily on buying, I do question its name. Because you know what's really frugal? Not shopping. Not subscribing to yet another email newsletter that brings mountains of merchandise to your inbox every single day.<br />
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Anyway, today's edition described a website called Gilt, which I'd never heard of, but apparently it's amazing! Offering great, time-limited, members only deals! Now shipping to Canada! And free shipping for the next week! Today's special was Hunter boots, which I've always wanted. So, before I knew it, I had signed up for the damn thing. <br />
<br />
I clicked around a bit on the site, where, in addition to Hunter boots, one can also buy gaudy jewellery for the low, low price of something like $2,758.29. This was when I realized that I'd fallen for it, the delusion that seems to drive so much spending these days.<br />
<br />
That delusion is the idea that being able to buy a bunch of stuff from all over the place is some kind of freedom. That in order to be truly fulfilled I must be able to order low price Hunter boots from a website and have them delivered to my very own country. That my quality of life will suffer if I can't drive across multiple municipalities to get a good deal on a chair or a winter jacket or whatever. <br />
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It's not that I have anything against bargains or shopping in general. It's that limiting where I shopped did not feel limiting at all. It felt like freedom. Letting all the noise<span style="font-size: medium;">—</span>all the flyers, the ads, the online sales<span style="font-size: medium;">—</span>creep back in feels stifling. That does affect my quality of life and not in a positive way.<br />
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So after a brief dip back into delusion, I said no, not today. I unsubscribed to Gilt as quickly as I had subscribed and it felt good. I'm not going to buy the Hunter boots. I can't afford them anyway, bargain or no. Besides I already have a perfectly good pair of cute rubber boots (blue with red cherries).<br />
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Sometimes, saying no is the most liberating thing of all.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-57899758306091204512011-10-01T11:52:00.000-07:002011-10-01T11:52:31.684-07:00What New West NeedsMy year of shopping only in New Westminster is officially over, so I have to write this post quickly. I have to get to IKEA, Costco and Metrotown as soon as possible. Kidding! I'm sure I'll stray out of New Westminster eventually, but for the moment, I feel no particular compulsion to do so.<br />
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I was <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Community+will+determine+business+type/5488098/story.html">reading in the Sun today about two creative guys in Vancouver who are polling the community</a> to see what kind of store they should open in a 600-square-foot commercial space one of them owns on Union Street. <br />
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The choices are restaurant, service, retail or other. When you vote, you write in what specific type of business you'd like. <br />
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One of the things I like about the project is how the project's partners, Michael Leung and Josh Michnik, have linked business to community building. The partners want to start a business they think is viable, but it's inspiring that they also want to start a business the local neighbourhood community needs and will, one hopes, support. <br />
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They seem sincere about the project; it goes beyond intensive market research or a gimmicky idea to get publicity. They say they want to hire local residents and support community gardens, park restorations or homeless shelters with a portion of the venture's proceeds.<br />
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The idea of community building and retail business might not seem a natural one, but if there's one thing I've learned over the past year, it's that where we choose to spend our money is a powerful decision. It's not, I'm now convinced, just about the buying and selling of goods. Where we spend our money affects the communities, for better or for worse, where we live.<br />
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Check out the project's site at: <a href="http://thisspace.ca/">http://thisspace.ca/</a><br />
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One of the things I did over the last year was compile a list of stores and services I'd like to see in New Westminster. I think New West needs these kinds of stores/businesses:<br />
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<ul><li>Outdoors/camping goods</li>
<li>Children's indoor play area</li>
<li>Cupcakes</li>
<li>Kitchen supplies</li>
<li>Greater variety of clothing and shoe stores</li>
<li>Sporting goods </li>
<li>Maternity</li>
<li>Department store </li>
<li>Bagels (there are already stores in New West that could sell good bagels, but no one seems to)</li>
<li>Hardware (yes, there's <a href="http://www.griff.ca/">Griff's</a> in Queensborough and Lowe's is about to open, but I'd like to see a Home Hardware-style store on the mainland)</li>
<li>Pop-up Halloween store</li>
<li>Tacos, need more tacos!</li>
</ul>I had gelato place and garden store on the list too, but there is now a gelato place on Sixth St., with another set to open at River Market and <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/130882943.html">a garden store just opened at River Market</a>.<br />
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If there was a This Space type project in New West, what business or service would you suggest? What is New West missing that it needs and that you would actually shop at? What businesses and services would help build community in New West?SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-27064529851517397362011-09-24T09:04:00.000-07:002011-09-24T09:04:05.819-07:00What I've Learned: I Like Shopping More Than BloggingMy year of shopping only in New Westminster is winding down, so I've started reflecting on what I've learned and discovered over the year. Instead of writing one big long post at the end of the month, I've decided to do a few (so far just two!) posts throughout the month.<br />
<br />
I like shopping more than blogging. Regular readers of this blog (fingers crossed I haven't lost everyone completely) will have noticed my blog entries have tailed off quite a bit. There's all kinds of reasons for that; mostly, life is busy. <br />
<br />
As I've told various people, I didn't find it hard to stick to shopping only in New Westminster. It's true there has been some, ahem, slippage, in my faithfulness to New West as my year winds down. I'll confess: I bought a dress in Dawson Creek while I was on vacation in August. I'm actually leaving on a trip in a few hours, a repositioning cruise to San Francisco. I think the chances of me leaving San Francisco without making a purchase or two are low. Very low.<br />
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Still, I feel I've been relatively successful in my local shopping mission. I feel less successful at blogging about it. Now that my year is almost up, people have been asking me what's next? Despite my inconsistency with the blog, I don't think I want to abandon it entirely. There are so many exciting things going on right now in New West. The River Market is filling up with new tenants. The first building in the Brewery District in Sapperton is now almost complete. Ground has been broken on the new civic centre downtown. <br />
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I have some ideas about what to do with the blog, including doing mini-features on local businesses that gauge "How Local are They?" But I'm curious to know what readers of the blog think. Is it worth it to keep the blog in one form or another? What would you like to see?SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-80725086575945244852011-09-13T13:34:00.000-07:002011-09-13T13:34:45.350-07:00What I've Learned: New West is not Second BestMy year of shopping only in New Westminster is winding down, so I've started reflecting on what I've learned and discovered over the year. Instead of writing one big long post at the end of the month, I've decided to do a few posts throughout the month.<br />
<br />
First of all, I've learned that New West is not second best.<br />
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When I first moved to Vancouver in 1999, my attitude was decidedly anti-suburban. Whether or not New West is actually suburban is another question. At the time, I thought it was.<br />
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"If we're going to move to the city, we're going to live in the city," I told my husband. I remember openly sneering at someone who told me they had just moved to Burnaby. Burnaby! The horror!<br />
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(This seems a fairly cocky and snotty attitude for someone who moved to Vancouver from Kamloops.)<br />
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But after a year of living just off the Drive, I got a job in New Westminster and we wanted a bigger place to live. We found a great apartment with the Holy Grail for renters: in-suite laundry.<br />
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While we liked lots of things about New West, including its small town feel, I think I held on to remnants of my originally snotty attitude even years after moving here, especially with regards to shopping. I thought, sometimes subconsciously, sometimes consciously, that if a store or restaurant was in New West, it was bound to be not as good as a store or restaurant elsewhere, particularly in Vancouver. <br />
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After about a year of working in New West, I started working in Vancouver again. That only solidified my attitude. New West was where I slept, but the exciting stuff—shopping, eating out, entertainment—was elsewhere.<br />
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Over this past year, my attitude has been transformed dramatically. <br />
<br />
I can say with confidence that I've found many stores, restaurants and services in New Westminster that stack up against the best anywhere. <br />
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Here's just a few of the experiences that have changed my mind. <br />
<br />
Over the past year, I:<br />
<ul><li>had <a href="http://www.trueserenitydayspa.com/">one of the best facials</a> I've ever had,</li>
<li>had <a href="http://www.in-stylehairstudio.com/">one of the best haircuts</a> I've ever had (bonus: definitely the most reasonable hair cut I've ever had),</li>
<li>had some of <a href="http://www.bellacakes.ca/">the best cake</a> I've ever had,</li>
<li>had some of <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1496388/restaurant/Vancouver/Farm-Cottage-Bakery-New-Westminster">the best pie</a> I've ever had,</li>
<li>found a new favorite tea drink, the River Market Mist, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/GreatWallTea">the best tea latte</a> I've ever had,</li>
<li>drank one of <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1580212/restaurant/Vancouver/Ambers-Choice-Cafe-New-Westminster">the best Americanos</a> I've ever had,</li>
<li>bought a <a href="http://www.justswimwear.com/">top-quality made in Canada bathing suit</a>, and</li>
<li>bought a <a href="http://conceptsinrealwood.com/">solid wood, made in B.C. desk</a>.</li>
</ul><br />
All in New Westminster.<br />
<br />
I'm still not sure what I'm going to do when my year of shopping locally is over. It's doubtful that I'll stick solely to New West for all my shopping. But I do know this: I will look in New West first and for many items and services I won't even think of going anywhere else. There's no need to leave home when I can find the best so close by.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-57790268686901793002011-08-04T23:19:00.000-07:002011-08-05T00:04:19.804-07:00What to Do When Local StinksWhen I decided to shop only in New Westminster for a year, I made an exception for my pits. Yep, my armpits. I can't use most antiperspirants and deodorants, even the all-natural kinds. They make my armpits all red, bumpy and itchy. So I don't smell, but I walk around all day scratching myself, which is probably just as unattractive as stinking. Some time ago I found a <a href="http://kiehls.ca/Superbly-Efficient-Anti-Perspirant-and-Deodorant/525,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=body-hygiene">cream deodorant at Kiehl's</a>. It's expensive, but it doesn't make me itch. I wasn't even sure how well it worked because it doesn't have a strong smell; I was just happy I wasn't itchy anymore. <br />
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But a couple of months ago I decided to try something I could buy in New West. I was hoping to save time (no more trips to Kiehl's in Vancouver) and money. I bought a made-in-Canada deodorant from <a href="http://www.greenbeaver.com/">Green Beaver</a>, which was available at Donald's Market. That's when I figured out just how well the Kiehl's stuff works: when I saw (or rather, I've gotta say it, smelled) how poorly the Green Beaver stuff did. <br />
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The experience got me thinking about the risk involved with trying new products and services. It's a lot easier to stick with the tried-and-true than to try something new. For the sake of everyone I know, I have gone back to my Kiehl's. But I won't stop trying new stuff. I won't even abandon trying Green Beaver products. <br />
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While I've found more hits than misses in my local shopping, here's a few things I keep in mind to get the best shopping experience: <br />
<br />
<strong>1. Ask for recommendations</strong><br />
Do some research. Ask your friends. Do an internet search. Check out sites like <a href="http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&ns=1&find_loc=New+Westminster%2C+BC">Yelp</a>. For New Westminster specifically, go to <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23newwest">Twitter</a> and ask a question with the #newwest hashtag at the end. "Hey, does anyone in #newwest know where I can get a good haircut for curly hair?" is a question I asked and got several good recommendations. I picked one and found a stylist who really knows how to cut curly hair. (<a href="http://www.in-stylehairstudio.com/">Sarah at In Style Hair Studio</a>.) <br />
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<strong>2. Don't be harder on local products and businesses than on big brands/stores</strong><br />
I tried a vegan cupcake recently at the New West farmer's market and was super disappointed. It was gloppy and moist, not cake-like at all. The thought that popped into my mind was, "I'm never eating a vegan cupcake ever again, if this is what they taste like." My son however liked it and encouraged me to buy another one. So I did. The second cupcake was delicious: light and fluffy with yummy icing. <br />
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That taught me to give a new business or product a fair shot before I make up my mind. I think I used to judge small businesses more quickly and more harshly than big businesses, for reasons I'm not quite sure of. After all, I do a lot of grocery shopping at Safeway and I don't always love everything I buy there, but that hasn't stopped me from shopping there. I keep that example in mind while shopping at smaller businesses. If I don't like one product a local merchant offers, I'm now willing to try another. <br />
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<strong>3. Talk to the owner</strong><br />
Small business owners don't have several layers of management to go through to make a change. They can and do make decisions all the time at the direct request of customers. That's what happened when vegan blogger Melissa Balfour talked to the owners of <a href="http://crepedesamis.blogspot.com/">Crepe Des Amis</a>. She was hoping for the business owners to start making vegan crepe batter. <a href="http://www.thehungrytaurus.com/home/2011/7/28/vegan-crepes-in-new-westminster.html">As she describes on her blog, The Hungry Taurus, they went beyond that and created a whole vegan menu.</a> <br />
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Imagine if you suggested to the person taking your order at McDonald's that they start serving a vegan "burger." What would happen? Absolutely nothing.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-30142997410559994652011-06-23T17:51:00.000-07:002011-09-14T23:54:10.002-07:00Mmm, pie and other delights of Sapperton Day<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BpoeOt5TSqE/TgPc6PkDT3I/AAAAAAAAACE/c5il8ml-MNE/s1600/sapperton+day.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" i$="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BpoeOt5TSqE/TgPc6PkDT3I/AAAAAAAAACE/c5il8ml-MNE/s320/sapperton+day.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sapperton Day Festival, June 12, 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While I'm regularly on East Columbia St., going to cardio karate at <a href="http://www.hawkesmartialarts.com/index.html">Hawkes Martial Arts</a>, I have never attended the <a href="http://www.shopsapperton.com/">Sapperton Day Festival</a> before. It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity for East Columbia St. businesses to showcase themselves to large crowds. I didn't "win" anything on the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation silent auction, but since I tend to get a little carried away with bidding, that's probably a good thing. This event is definitely going on my "must attend" list.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rAI9Bb5CtA/TgPdWjtqW7I/AAAAAAAAACI/HGcMtGgno0c/s1600/sapperton+day+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rAI9Bb5CtA/TgPdWjtqW7I/AAAAAAAAACI/HGcMtGgno0c/s320/sapperton+day+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bought soap from a street vendor. If I see soap, I buy soap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80jxF4yFVms/TgPdm8vblvI/AAAAAAAAACM/fKkw5A8ycOo/s1600/sapperton+day+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" i$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80jxF4yFVms/TgPdm8vblvI/AAAAAAAAACM/fKkw5A8ycOo/s320/sapperton+day+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bought pie at Farm Cottage Bakery. Meant to take picture of the whole pie, <br />
but got fork out before camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-63824890951344462722011-06-06T10:03:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:07:05.431-07:00Flowers are Pretty!Not much to say today, I just wanted to share a pic of this lovely bouquet from <a href="http://www.queensparkflorist.com/">Queen's Park Florist</a> that I got in the silent auction at the <a href="http://rcfm.ca/">Royal City Farmers Market</a> fundraiser on May 26. I took this pic right after I got the bouquet and while some of the blooms have now faded, it still looks pretty enough to keep on my table.<br />
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Don't forget: The 2011 summer farmers' market starts this Thursday, June 9, at 3 p.m. in Tipperary Park. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tc63jqI1s9o/Te0G7wi9k_I/AAAAAAAAACA/qXzHMII63pw/s1600/Queen%2527s+Park+flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tc63jqI1s9o/Te0G7wi9k_I/AAAAAAAAACA/qXzHMII63pw/s320/Queen%2527s+Park+flowers.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-75953915044313076862011-05-06T20:06:00.000-07:002011-05-17T19:01:16.624-07:00Chair Shopping in New Westminster (or Oops! I Bought a Desk)Today was big day in local shopping for me. I went out looking for a desk chair and ended up buying a desk. I got it at <a href="http://conceptsinrealwood.com/index.php"><span style="color: blue;">Modern Home Furnishings</span></a> on 12th St. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's going to look something like this, but in a dark stain and with different handles:</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGWGs6gZ7y0/TcSQzwL9W0I/AAAAAAAAAB8/CU3tnyE7klA/s1600/desk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGWGs6gZ7y0/TcSQzwL9W0I/AAAAAAAAAB8/CU3tnyE7klA/s320/desk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Despite doing this blog and this local shopping experiment, I have a conflicted relationship with buying stuff, particularly big stuff. (Yeah, yeah, husband, I know you don't believe me.) But it's true.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid, my aunt and cousin came to visit us one summer and they took a trip to the local mall. When they got back to our house, my aunt said it was so cold in the mall, she had to buy my cousin a towel to wrap around herself to keep warm. I was astonished and even shocked by this because this is something my parents never would have done. They didn't actually use the phrase, "Suck it up," but that was their attitude. In the same situation, they likely would have told me to go outside to get warm. Spending money and buying something was never the answer to a problem. <br />
<br />
This upbringing has left me with the mindset that if anything costs more than, let's say, $20, it's too expensive. Of course, I do regularly buy things that cost more than $20, (the desk, for the record, cost more than $20) but there's always a voice in the back of my head telling me I'm spending too much. Thank goodness for this blog, which is helping to snuff out that little voice. Because of this blog, I would feel bad if I didn't buy stuff.<br />
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And there are all kinds of reasons to feel good about this purchase.<br />
<ol><li><strong>Yay, new desk! </strong>I've <a href="http://newwest-localshopper.blogspot.com/2011/03/local-shopping-missionary-or-losing-my.html">written before about my desk chair</a>, the one that I bought second-hand for $25 over 10 years ago. I didn't mention that my current "desk" is a plastic folding table. I used to use a small table my grandfather made as a desk, but it's now our hall table. </li>
<li><strong>B.C.-based and made in B.C. </strong>Modern Home Furnishing is a local chain. Most of their products, including my desk, are made at their factory in Surrey.</li>
<li><strong>Made of B.C. wood </strong>My desk is going to be made of alder wood and, from what I understand, alder wood grown here in B.C.</li>
</ol>I'd say this desk is so far my biggest purchase in my year of shopping locally. I'm glad it's such a thoroughly local one.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-89180281010827874972011-04-18T23:43:00.000-07:002011-04-18T23:43:18.807-07:00What's in a name? New Westminster's retail mixWhile driving home a few days ago I saw some workers pounding in a few new signs at the corner of the outlet mall in Queensborough. "Coming soon! The Gap!! and Banana Republic!!!" <br />
My first reaction was to get excited because, like all North Americans, I've been trained to salivate at the sight of shiny brand names. My second was to think, "Hmm, maybe if I start dieting now, I can actually fit into some Gap and Banana Republic clothes by the time the stores open." (Hey, I'm sharing my thoughts here. Some of them are stupid.)<br />
<br />
It got me thinking about the ideal retail mix for New Westminster. North Americans are trained to salivate at the sight of brand names. But when New Westminster gets big chain stores, they are choosing to locate mainly in the island of outlet stores anchored by Wal-mart in Queensborough. There's nothing really cool, nothing really local or independent. New West's other shopping areas are mostly absent of many big name chains.<br />
<br />
The question is, would a few "big" names in other parts of New West help out the existing locally owned, independent stores? <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2180301">There's some evidence this works</a>, at least for coffee. It's called the <a href="http://hbr.org/2000/03/the-starbucks-effect/ar/1">Starbucks Effect</a>. Essentially, Starbucks revived interest in coffee and gave the public a taste for expensive, premium coffee, which was good not just for Starbucks, but for anyone selling coffee.<br />
<br />
A store called Red Brick just opened on 6th St. at Carnarvon. It features a funky mix of modern home furnishings and eclectic accessories, such as salad servers with twig handles and oversized vintage (or vintage-look) clocks. I have to confess though, when I walked in to check out the store, I felt a pang of fear. It's exactly the kind of store New West needs; it's exactly the kind of store that has trouble staying alive in New West. Would it be more successful if there was a chain store nearby? An Urban Barn perhaps? <br />
<br />
But I wouldn't want New West to ever have a retail landscape like Robson Street's, despite its popularity. I'm old enough to remember all the character Robson St. used to have when it was still called Robsonstrasse and young enough to remember scoring drinks while underage in several places along it. Robson Street's location and all the foot traffic that location brings meant <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=447af12f-73fc-4618-af2a-c547bb46f71e&k=83599">rents skyrocketed</a>, until only the biggest companies with the deepest pockets could afford stores on Robson. It now has all the character of a suburban mall. A glossy, upscale mall, but a mall nonetheless.<br />
<br />
New Westminster has, in Columbia Street, the kind of downtown main street urban planners go crazy for. We have what other cities are willing to pay money to try to recreate. Just take a look at <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/news/Mayor+track+aliveness/4605701/story.html">this story about Surrey and Mayor Diane Watts talking about the importance of town centres</a>. <br />
<br />
New Westminster is lucky, we don't have to build <a href="http://www.thevillageatparkroyal.com/">Fakey Town like they did at Park Royal Mall</a>. I hope for a funky future for New West's shopping areas, less like Robson St. and more like <a href="http://www.thedrive.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Commercial Drive</span></a>, which last time I checked has very few big chain stores, (unless you consider <a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Ten Thousand Villages</span></a> a big chain). <br />
<br />
Screw the brand names. Let New Westminster and its retailers make a name for themselves.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-15274448098259878092011-04-05T21:15:00.000-07:002011-04-05T21:15:18.689-07:00Special Spend Report: Shop Small, Save BigDuring the month of February I didn't shop at any major chain grocery stores. I did all my shopping at smaller grocery stores. I assumed prices would be crazy expensive and that my monthly grocery bill would skyrocket. I was wrong. <br />
<div> </div><div>So, where did I buy my groceries? </div><br />
I shopped at:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.donaldsmarket.com/">Donald's Market</a></li>
<li>Uptown Market</li>
<li>Queen's Park Butcher</li>
<li>M&M</li>
<li>Kin's Farm Market</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bellacakes.ca/">Bella Bakery</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.hollandshop.com/">Holland Shopping Centre</a></li>
</ul>Probably the best deal I found was black forest ham for just .99 cents/100 grams at the Holland Shopping Centre, which has a deli. (That seems to be the regular price for it.) Safeway's was $1.79/100 g.<br />
I did most of my grocery shopping at Donald's Market. I found that on produce and regular priced items, Donald's was very competitive with Safeway, which is where I usually do my big grocery shops.<br />
<br />
For example: <br />
<ul><li>Philadelphia soft cream cheese: $4.49 at both Safeway and Donald's.</li>
<li>Bananas were .79 cents/lb. at both Safeway and Donald's.</li>
</ul>Some items were cheaper at Donald's, like Eggo Waffles, which are $2.99 at Donald's, but $3.29 at Safeway.<br />
<br />
It is hard though to beat the big stores' sale prices: Safeway sells Eggo waffles on sale for $2. I bought a big box of Froot Loops at Donald's for $6.49; the same box at Safeway is regular priced at $7.11, but on sale, it's just $4.99.<br />
<br />
It was tough to find a deal on milk. I'm used to paying about $4.50 for 4 litres. It was a lot more expensive at Uptown Market—$5.99 for 4 litres—and a bit more expensive at Donald's—$4.99 for 4 litres. And the wonderful glass bottles of Avalon Dairy milk are way more expensive, I think about $2.99 for 2 litres.<br />
<br />
But sometimes it's worth it to pay for the quality. That's what I found at Queen's Park Butcher, where I got a pound of ground beef that cost about $1 more per pound than at Safeway. But there was such a noticeable difference in quality, I know I'll go back. When I cooked up the ground beef and went to drain off the grease, there was nothing to drain off. Not that it was entirely fat-free, but there was not enough to drain.<br />
<br />
Was there any cheating? You bet. My husband made a couple of morning runs to the nearby Price Smart for milk. I felt a wee bit bad about this, but while Price Smart is part of a big chain, it's a B.C. chain. Plus the store near our house is always being threatened with closure so I always feel good when I shop there because if it closes pretty much the only place to buy milk near our house will be Wal-mart.<br />
<br />
<div>Other than avoiding big chains, I did make one other big switch to my shopping habits in February: I meal planned. Every Sunday, I figured out what we already had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry and I planned my meals around that. Instead of buying things I thought we might need, I was buying only the specific items I knew we would. </div><br />
<a href="http://www.maillardvillemanor.com/2011/02/meal-plan-monday-budget_21.html"><span style="color: blue;">According to one blogger, after she started meal planning, her grocery bill was cut in half.</span></a> Mine didn't go that low, but I did spend less, and I did use up way more of what I had in my pantry, fridge and freezer.<br />
<br />
<div>In total, I spent about $380 on groceries in the month of February. In January, I spent just over $450.</div><br />
I have to admit that after February I pretty much reverted back to my old grocery shopping habits and I've abandoned meal planning. That's something I want to start doing again. <br />
<br />
I'm also hoping to make my way back to the smaller stores on a more regular basis especially now that I know I can get:<br />
<ul><li>reasonably priced ground turkey at Uptown Market; </li>
<li>great meat at Queen's Park Butcher; and</li>
<li>a made-in-Vancouver laundry detergent at Donald's Market that is formulated for this area's soft water and is priced comparably to big name detergent brands.</li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-66179065850616585432011-03-29T23:28:00.000-07:002011-03-29T23:32:32.661-07:00Local shopping missionary or losing my religion?I've had a couple of reminders that I haven't exactly been devoted to updating this blog recently.<br />
<br />
The first kick in the pants came from a <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/opinion/118537749.html">recent column in the New West News Leader</a> about the importance of shopping locally.<br />
<br />
"Ideally, we’d all be doing more of what Sheila Keenan’s doing this year," wrote editor Chris Bryan. "She’s a missionary type, going at it with a zeal few could sustain for the long term." <br />
<br />
So full of zeal that I hadn't posted on this blog, which he included a link to, for over a month. D'oh!<br />
<br />
What really got me though was an e-mail today from a reader in Texas, asking if I was still shopping locally since she had noticed the blog hadn't been updated lately. I didn't know I had a reader in Texas, let alone one I was disappointing with the infrequency of my posts.<br />
<br />
The truth is I've been feeling kinda blah about this whole local shopping endeavour. In February, I did a month of grocery shopping only at small grocery stores and no big chains. That got me fired up about local shopping, though not, you'll notice, fired up enough to actually blog about it yet. (The short story: it's not as expensive as one might think. For produce and regular-priced items, a store like <a href="http://www.donaldsmarket.com/">Donald's</a> is fairly competitive with the big stores.)<br />
<br />
I didn't have any special focus to my local shopping in March and that's when the doldrums really hit. I bought my office chair used for $25 over 10 years ago. It now makes my butt sore every time I sit in it. I don't just write for fun, I do it for a living, so my butt's in the chair quite a bit. I really want a new one and I want a good one. I know I could drive about five minutes away from my house to the Staples in nearby Burnaby and pick one up pretty quickly. I'm not sure where I'm going to find one in New West and the thought of making a big hunt of it is just kind of tiresome. (Wal-mart has them, but they're $90 and I'd really rather not buy one there.)<br />
<br />
So much for my missionary zeal. Here I am ready to abandon the whole thing due to one slightly sore butt.<br />
<br />
Remember how saintly and devout everyone thought Mother Teresa was? Then after she died and some of her letters were published, it turned out she had struggled mightily with her faith for decades, to the point of doubting the existence of heaven and even of God at times. Not that my boredom with shopping in New West compares in scale with a saint's crisis of faith, but I have been wondering if doing this is worth it. If it really makes any difference at all.<br />
<br />
Then, it turns out I have a reader in Texas who cares whether or not I'm still shopping locally.<br />
<br />
And a friend tells me she tried a restaurant because I wrote about it. <br />
<br />
And I see this neat video about what the development around the New Westminster Skytrain Station is going to look like:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/InfnxRkximI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Or I read about <a href="http://www.tenthtothefraser.ca/2011/03/17/fresh-fish-bread-gelato-and-coffee-coming-soon-to-river-market/">all the super-cool stuff coming to the River Market</a> that I can't wait to see.<br />
<br />
And then I think, sore butt or not, it is worth it to keep the local shopping faith.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-36986689605899505772011-02-24T20:56:00.000-08:002011-02-24T20:56:44.634-08:00Small Shift No Chicken Scratch for B.C.'s EconomyThis post is an excuse to share this clip from the show Portlandia. (A great show with lots of evidence that Vancouver is quite a bit like Portland.) Since I feel the need to have a point when I write, I came up with one that fits in pretty well with the clip.<br />
<br />
Watch it first, then I'll make my point:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/l2LBICPEK6w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As you can see, this is taking the whole idea of going local to ridiculous (and hilarious) extremes. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There's a new "shop local" campaign that recommends a far different course. Instead of going to extremes, it recommends making a small change, a small change that could make a big difference to B.C.'s economy. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The <a href="http://www.tenpercentshift.ca/home">Ten Percent Shift</a> is a campaign aimed at encouraging B.C. residents to shift just 10 percent of their household spending to locally produced goods and services and locally owned businesses. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Think 10 percent wouldn't accomplish much? Think again.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The B.C. campaign ties in with many other "Shift 10" campaigns in the United States. A study recently completed in Michigan found that if the 600,000 residents in the area studied shifted 10 per cent of their spending the results would be dramatic. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In just one year the shift would:<br />
</div><li>Create 1,600 jobs. </li><br />
<li>Create $137 Million in <strong>new</strong> economic activity for the area. </li><br />
<li>Create over $53 Million in <strong>new </strong>wages.</li><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.10percentshift.org/design/localshift.php?p=studies"><span style="color: blue;">Check out more research on the benefits a small shift can make.</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The point is, you don't have to know your chicken's name to make a big difference to B.C.'s economy.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.tenpercentshift.ca/home"><span style="color: blue;">Pledge to go local in B.C. now.</span></a> </div>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-17522943487636843582011-02-17T22:06:00.000-08:002011-02-17T22:08:08.420-08:00Spend report-a-palooza: Spend Reports #16 to #21I've gotten incredibly far behind on my posting, specifically my spend reports. I got derailed after Christmas. Going through two months of receipts is not fun, but I've done it. December and January were the months of both shopping at Wal-mart and at a whole bunch of fast food joints. I must have never said no to my son when he wanted to go to Tim Horton's or McDonald's. I have to work on my resistance to letting him get his way. Him saying, "Wow, you're letting me get away with so much stuff," one day really drove that point home. And let's face it, I don't think I ever said no to myself either when I felt like eating out. <br />
<br />
I've decided to do one condensed spend report for Dec./Jan. and then catch up on February later. <br />
<br />
In February, I'm not shopping at any big chain grocery stores, so I will put together a post on how that's going. Sneak peek: I have paid $5.99 (!!!) for 4 litres of milk and .99 cents/100 g for Black Forest ham (also !!!, but in a good way).<br />
<br />
<div></div>My last spend report was from way back in December, so this one covers from Dec. 17 to Jan. 27. <br />
<br />
From Dec. 17 to Jan. 27, I spent approximately $3,000 in New Westminster. (Wow, that's a big number. Bear in mind two things: this includes Christmas shopping and covers six weeks.) I bought:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Groceries at Safeway, IGA, Donald's Market, PriceSmart, Save-on, M&M, and Kin's</li>
<li>Baking supplies, mostly nuts, at Galloway's. Their nuts are so reasonable compared to grocery stores. </li>
<li>Food/drink at Hi Dozo Sushi, Indian Star, Taco Del Mar, Boston Pizza, Starbucks, Opa Souvlaki, Tim Horton's, <a href="http://www.schanks.com/home.asp"><span style="color: blue;">Schanks Sports Grill</span></a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/GreatWallTea"><span style="color: blue;">Great Wall Tea</span></a>, Graze, Dairy Queen, McDonald's, and Queensboro Pizza</li>
<li>Christmas presents at: <a href="http://www.fraserriverdiscovery.org/shop.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Fraser River Discovery Centre gift shop</span></a>, <a href="http://www.blackbondbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Black Bond Books</span></a>, Home Outfitters, Purdy's, Wal-mart, <a href="http://www.pedagogytoys.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Pedagogy Toys</span></a>, Chatters, London Drugs, Moores, and Shoppers Drug Mart</li>
<li>Clothes at <a href="http://www.lauracanada.com/index_en.spy"><span style="color: blue;">Laura</span></a></li>
<li>Winter boots at <a href="http://www.softmoc.com/ca/default.asp?WT.mc_id=42&gclid=CL-O89iBkacCFQkPbAoda1Svdw"><span style="color: blue;">SoftMoc</span></a></li>
<li>Toner at BestBuy</li>
</ul>I also did some non-New West spending, including a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium, which is a pre-Christmas tradition for my family. After my husband's Christmas party, we stayed downtown at the Hyatt. We could not resist taking advantage of the grandma in-home babysitting, which is not available to us very often. I also went to a movie and to the Burnaby Village Museum. I've never really settled on what I'm doing about stuff like this, which is not exactly shopping, but it is spending money outside of New West. I do want to make more of an effort over the upcoming months to go to New Westminster events and entertainment.<br />
<br />
I also took a trip up to Dawson Creek for my uncle's funeral and a trip to Kamloops for a fundraiser at my high school. On trips, I'm buying only essentials: food, gas, lodging and not doing any other shopping.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-67377930663977236252011-02-03T16:53:00.000-08:002011-02-03T17:03:26.855-08:00Great idea, but you're doing it wrong! What does "local" mean anyway?<span lang="EN-CA">I get a variety of reactions when I tell people about my shopping in New Westminster experiment and those reactions generally fit in to three broad groups.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
<strong>1. "Oh my gawd, that's going to be impossible!"</strong><br />
This reaction is the one that is most surprising to me. Also surprising is that I've gotten this reaction from some merchants in New Westminster. While I certainly can't deny getting swept up in a consumer frenzy now and again, it's always at the back of the mind that most of the stuff I buy fulfills wants, not needs. I didn't (and still don't) see giving up shopping outside New West as any sort of particular hardship. There's plenty of food here after all and if there does end up being something I can't get here, going without for a year doesn't seem like such a big deal.<br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
<strong>2. "Uh-huh. Huh. Interesting."</strong><br />
These are the people, who, like me, don't think limiting myself to New West is a hardship.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. "Ooh, good idea. But you're doing it wrong."</strong><br />
People who have this reaction generally have difficulty with how I have defined "local." I've always been clear that I was using "local" in its geographic sense, not in the "independently owned business" sense that some would prefer. It's not that I disagree with organizations like LocoBC, <a href="http://locobc.com/2011/01/25/year-of-buying-locally/"><span style="color: blue;">who both praised my experiment and chastised it (albeit gently) recently</span></a>. Far from it. I think it's fabulous that more and more people and groups are promoting shopping at independent businesses and making more informed consumer decisions.<br />
<br />
It's just not exactly what I'm doing. It's not that I didn't think about shopping only at New West's independent businesses this year. I decided though that I really want to deal with New West as it is, not as I (or others) may wish it to be. (And let's face it, I knew I would have to buy my toilet paper and light bulbs somewhere. Cutting out all big chains would probably have meant my family and I would end up sitting in the dark sometime this year, wiping our butts with newspaper. I'm into this experiment, but I'm not that into it.)<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA">Sure, I've got a picture in my head of an ideal New Westminster: one full of dozens of unique, diverse, independently owned small businesses that attract not only local residents but people from all around the Lower Mainland. But that's not reality, at least not right now. Not yet. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-CA">I want my experiment to reflect the reality of what shopping in New West for a year looks like for the average consumer. And that means my choices are between some locally owned businesses and some big chains. </span><span lang="EN-CA">It's fascinating to me that if I stuck to shopping at stores only within walking distance of my home my choices range from as local as one can get (produce and flowers grown at a tiny farm about two blocks away) and, well, Wal-Mart, where much of the merchandise is imported from China. </span><br />
<br />
I want my experiment to deal with the reality of New Westminster's retail landscape as it is today. That's not to deny I'm hopeful it will look different tomorrow.</span><span lang="EN-CA"></span> </span>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-55690250261335018282011-01-23T14:34:00.000-08:002011-01-23T14:34:12.314-08:00Catching up after ChristmasI've let things slide on the blog since Christmas. And now it's January 23. <br />
The New Westminster NewsLeader did <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/114143799.html"><span style="color: blue;">a story on shopping locally</span> </a>last week where I discussed my blog and how my experiment is going so far.<br />
<br />
As I said in the story, I'm still sticking to the local shopping and there hasn't been a case yet where there was something I really, really needed to buy that I couldn't find in New Westminster. (Other than food and a sufficient amount of clothing, there's really not much that anybody really, really needs to buy. Most purchases fulfill wants, not needs.)<br />
<br />
Still, I am having moments where I really, really want to go somewhere, anywhere else, and buy something, anything. <br />
<br />
The main conclusion I've reached at this point in my experiment, almost four months in, is that limiting my shopping to a small geographic area hasn't magically made me shop only at small, locally owned independent businesses. I thought maybe it would. Despite the impression some have that there's no shopping in New West, it's actually pretty easy to find major chains to shop at and to shop solely at big chains. <br />
<br />
One of my main goals for the year is to change my shopping habits and include smaller independents in my routine shopping. So far, it hasn't happened yet, so I'm going to make February no big chain grocery shopping month. I'm curious to see how that will change our eating for the month and especially how it will change our grocery bill.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-59148196441714810002010-12-22T00:32:00.000-08:002010-12-22T00:40:16.092-08:00Spend Reports #14 and #15: Christmas blackoutWith the Christmas crazy season, I have fallen behind in both writing for and thinking about my blog. Predictably, with Christmas approaching, my spending is up. I'm not expecting the January credit card hangover to be too bad since I have been using debit a lot.<br />
<br />
<div>I've been dreading writing about what I'm buying for Christmas and how much I'm spending. Itemizing every single present I've bought and posting about it doesn't seem very Christmas-y. Saying how much I'm spending on presents doesn't seem very Christmas-y either. </div><br />
<div>Theoretically, someone could do the math and figure out roughly how much I'm spending per person. Theoretically, you might say, but who on earth would actually do such a thing? Bear in mind the kind of family I'm from. My dad once counted every single carrot, pea, green bean and piece of corn in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables because he felt the photo showed more carrots than were actually in the bag. He then wrote a letter to the vegetable company complaining that the photo was false advertising since there were far more carrots <strong>on </strong>the bag than <strong>in</strong> the bag. </div><br />
<div>So, for the month of December, I've decided to do a truncated version of my usual spend report. I've named all the locations where I shopped, but I haven't named any presents and the amount doesn't include the price of any Christmas presents.</div><br />
<div>Overall, shopping only in New West for Christmas has been a relief. One night early in December an Old Navy commercial came on blasting away about some great deal on jeans or sweaters and I was glad when I realized I didn't have to pay one moment of attention to it. I didn't have to go to the Old Navy Website to figure out if the deal was being offered in Canada. I didn't have to drive to Metrotown to fight my way through crowds to see if I could get a stripey sweater or whatever the heck they're selling this season for $10. I haven't had to pay attention to the stacks and stacks of Christmas flyers in the paper either. </div><br />
<div>I do feel though my Christmas shopping in New West has been somewhat of a failure. I had every intention of checking out every cute-sy store in New Westminster and I did check out some (<a href="http://www.tenthtothefraser.ca/2010/11/29/buy-local-this-christmas-heres-where-to-shop-in-new-westminster/"><span style="color: blue;">as I wrote in this post for 10th to the Fraser</span></a>). I found lots of things I liked for myself and I bought stuff for myself. But in terms of finding stuff that fit the people on my Christmas list, I did not do so well and ended up sticking mainly to chain stores, including Wal-mart, for many of my gifts. <br />
<br />
Still, I did buy Christmas presents at places I have never considered before, like the Van Dop Gallery and the Fraser River Discovery Centre's gift shop. And I haven't been tempted to go shopping outside of New West. (We did buy our Christmas tree in Richmond as that's a family tradition to go to the same place every year. We also went to a Vancouver Giants game as we got discounted tickets through a reading program at my son's school.)</div><div></div><div><br />
From Dec. 3 to 9, I spent about $550 in New Westminster (excluding Christmas presents) on/at: </div><ul><li>Lunch at Victoria Sushi</li>
<li>Dinner at McDonald's</li>
<li>Massage at Columbia Integrated Health</li>
<li>Breakfast at Couzie's on Carnarvon St. – eggs Benedict for $7.95!</li>
<li>Deck plate for our new faucet at <a href="http://www.emcobc.ca/showrooms/location/new-west.htm"><span style="color: blue;">The Ensuite</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vandopgallery.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Van Dop Gallery</span></a></li>
<li>Bracelet (just $10) at the <a href="http://www.artscouncilnewwest.org/"><span style="color: blue;">Arts Council of New Westminster's Christmas Treasure Room</span></a></li>
<li>Starbucks</li>
<li>Tim Hortons</li>
<li>Swimming lessons at Canada Games Pool</li>
<li>Groceries at Safeway and IGA</li>
<li>Gas at Petro-Canada</li>
<li>Garland workshop at <a href="http://www.queensparkflorist.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Queen's Park Florist</span></a></li>
<li>Lunch at Graze</li>
<li>A&W</li>
<li>Taco Del Mar</li>
<li>Facial and brow wax at <a href="http://www.trueserenitydayspa.com/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">True Serenity Day Spa</span></a>, a great small spa right in Queensborough</li>
</ul><br />
From Dec. 10 to Dec. 16, I spent about $370 in New Westminster (excluding Christmas presents) on:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Groceries at Safeway and Kin's</li>
<li>Christmas cards at London Drugs</li>
<li>Baking supplies at Galloway's</li>
<li>Lunch at Graze</li>
<li>Stamps at Queensborough postal outlet</li>
</ul><br />
<div> Also bought items at:</div><ul><li>Wal-mart</li>
<li>Purdy's</li>
<li>Carter's/OshKosh</li>
<li>Home Outfitters</li>
<li>Lindt store</li>
<li><a href="http://www.fraserriverdiscovery.org/shop.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Fraser River Discovery Centre gift shop</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blackbondbooks.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Black Bond Books</span></a></li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-714392021912655312010-12-04T21:56:00.000-08:002010-12-04T22:00:59.970-08:00Spend Report #13: I can resist the mall, I can't resist a party <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0qe7p3vzouk/TPftXfOAgkI/AAAAAAAAABk/40hzAQ_0rvQ/s1600/pretty+ornaments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0qe7p3vzouk/TPftXfOAgkI/AAAAAAAAABk/40hzAQ_0rvQ/s320/pretty+ornaments.JPG" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas ornaments from Lofty Living, Cadeaux and Van Dop Gallery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had another busy shopping week (mostly) in New West. I thought I would be all prepared and early with everything for Christmas this year (I think this every year), but whoops, all of a sudden, it's December and I'm suddenly feeling very far behind (this happens every year too). <br />
<br />
<div>I did a <a href="http://www.tenthtothefraser.ca/2010/11/29/buy-local-this-christmas-heres-where-to-shop-in-new-westminster/"><span style="color: blue;">post for Tenth to the Fraser</span></a> about some of the places I will be shopping in New West this Christmas. I like giving and receiving Christmas presents that get used up or used often. I make an exception for Christmas ornaments, which don't get used every day, but they do get used regularly every year. I found lots of shiny, pretty ornaments at <a href="http://www.loftylivinghome.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Lofty Living</span></a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.ca/biz/cadeaux-gifts-and-home-embellishments-new-westminster"><span style="color: blue;">Cadeaux</span> </a>and the <a href="http://www.vandopgallery.com/exhibitions/index.php"><span style="color: blue;">Van Dop Gallery</span></a>.</div><br />
Now, it's true confession time: I left New Westminster and bought stuff in not one, but TWO other cities. I also broke my pledge to avoid Wal-mart for the entire month of November by buying some craft supplies for Beavers there on Nov. 29. (I know, I was so close!) <br />
<br />
As for my other shopping sins: I went with some friends to a wreath making workshop at Garden Works in Burnaby and out for dinner after. Our financial planner does a movie day every year at Silver City Coquitlam. The movies are free, but the snacks aren't and even at 10 a.m., the popcorn was impossible to resist. <br />
<br />
It was funny going to Garden Works because in addition to shopping only in New West, I've pretty much been staying only in New West for the past two months. Driving along Lougheed Highway seemed to take so long and the Garden Works seemed incredibly far away. I ended up driving past the entrance and had to circle around to get in. I felt like a tourist. <br />
<br />
I felt quite guilty during the wreath making. I bought the bare minimum to do my wreath and shielded my eyes from all the (I'll admit) tempting merchandise. I felt less guilty about the dinner because after two hours of sticking tree branches into peat moss I was cold and hungry.<br />
<br />
I knew it would be tough for me to stick to my New West only rule at this time of year. I can resist the mall, but I can't resist a party and these were more social occasions than shopping expeditions. Other than that, I have nothing to say in my defence. Go ahead and pillory me. (But bear in mind it's Christmas, when we should all be keeping the words of that delightful old carol in mind, the one that says, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, be kind to wayward bloggers." It goes something like that. I can't recall the exact words.)<br />
<br />
From Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, I spent about $735 in New Westminster:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Coffee and food at Starbucks</li>
<li>Ornaments at Cadeaux</li>
<li>Groceries at IGA and Donald's</li>
<li>Ornaments and soap at the Van Dop Gallery</li>
<li>Christmas present for my son and ornaments at London Drugs</li>
<li>Pulled pork sandwich at Graze</li>
<li>Food at McDonald's</li>
<li>Craft supplies at Wal-Mart</li>
<li>Kitchen faucet at <a href="http://www.emcobc.ca/showrooms/overview.htm"><span style="color: blue;">The Ensuite</span></a> (on Braid Street)</li>
<li>Dinner at Boston Pizza</li>
</ul><br />
I spent about $40 in Burnaby:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Wreath making at Garden Works</li>
<li>Dinner at Soho Bar and Grill</li>
</ul><br />
I spent about $25 in Coquitlam:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Popcorn and pop at Silvercity Coquitlam</li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-40065577505395757742010-11-28T23:45:00.000-08:002010-11-28T23:45:36.733-08:00Spend Report #12: Soap, glorious soap!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0qe7p3vzouk/TPL0BSkuhwI/AAAAAAAAABg/uGiN9MFyU0M/s1600/Local+soap+and+beauty+products.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0qe7p3vzouk/TPL0BSkuhwI/AAAAAAAAABg/uGiN9MFyU0M/s320/Local+soap+and+beauty+products.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soap and other goodies from Pure and Juicy Bath</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Twenty-four. That’s how many bars of soap I have squirreled away in my bathroom. That’s why my husband groans a little when I tell him I’m going to a craft fair.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Other people go to craft fairs to buy Christmas presents. That’s why I claim I go. I really go to buy soap. My habit started off with the Body Shop’s glycerine soaps, especially satsuma. I was pretty loyal to their stuff for quite some time, but then I started trying other types and now I'm a hardcore bar soap user. I dabble a bit with some French bars, but what I really love is pure B.C. gold. There are a ton of fabulous soap makers in B.C. <br />
<br />
One of my favourites is <a href="http://www.nakedsoapworks.com/welcome.html"><span style="color: blue;">Naked</span></a>, made on Bowen Island, but I'm always on the look-out for more sources and craft fair season is when I feed my addiction. (See how close I was to making a lame joke about having "a good, clean habit," yet deftly avoided it? See how I got it in there while claiming to avoid it?)<br />
<br />
This year I discovered <a href="http://juicybath.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Juicy Bath Soapworks</span></a> at the Herbert Spencer Elementary craft fair. I got four bars, including chocolate covered strawberry, which my husband initially thought was fudge. I stopped him before he ate it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I also bought a bar made by <a href="http://www.puredailyessentials.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Pure Daily Essentials</span></a> (based in Langley) at Urban Academy's craft fair, along with some of their skin care products, which are gentle and smell great too.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It was a good shopping week in New West: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><ul><li>I attended the long-awaited opening of Donald's Market, (which <a href="http://newwest-localshopper.blogspot.com/2010/11/donalds-market-and-river-market-make.html"><span style="color: blue;">I waxed rhapsodic about in a previous post</span></a>); </li>
<li>I went to a shopping night at <a href="http://www.pedagogytoys.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Pedagogy Toys</span></a>; </li>
<li>I found some ultra-pretty, ultra-sparkly Christmas ornaments at <a href="http://www.loftylivinghome.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Lofty Living</span></a>;</li>
<li>I tried out the Village Coffee Lounge on 12th St. for the first time and found out they sell reasonably priced coffee beans;</li>
<li>and I got a massage at <a href="http://www.columbiaintegratedhealth.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Columbia Integrated Health</span></a></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">From Nov. 19 to 25, I spent about $750 in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">New Westminster (please remember, and I'm addressing my husband here, I had a couple of really slow spending weeks!). Close to half was spent at local, independent businesses and/or on locally or Canadian-made items.<br />
<br />
I spent $750 at/on:</place></city></div><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">A & W</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Hand cream at Adriana's in Royal City Centre mall</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Toiletries at <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">London</place></city> Drugs</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.blocotoys.com/Bloco2007/English/whats_new.html"><span style="color: blue;">Bloco</span></a> set at Pedagogy Toys</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Christmas ornaments at Lofty Living</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Candles and holders at a PartyLite party</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Lunch, an eggnog latte, and fair trade coffee beans at the Village Coffee Lounge</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Coffee and sandwich at Starbucks</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Snack at Tim Hortons</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Groceries at Safeway and Donald’s Market </div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Massage</div></li>
<div></div></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At Herbert Spencer craft fair:</div><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Cutting board </div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Soap and lotion by Juicy Bath </div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Christmas ornaments</div></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Urban</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Academy</placetype></place> craft fair:</div><ul><li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Tea</div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Pure Daily Essentials soap, skin care kit, and face mist </div></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Cookies</div></li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-66711883315194180582010-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:002010-11-23T21:59:38.357-08:00Spend Report #11: Another slow shopping weekIt was another fairly slow shopping week and mostly full of chain stores. (Still no Wal-Mart though.)<br />
<br />
I sent my husband out to do the big grocery shop since I was still sick in bed. He got to use my grocery list template, which I created in one of my rare Stepford wife moments. <br />
<br />
I wanted to improve my efficiency at grocery shopping. My usual procedure was to make a list in any old order, then go up and down each aisle, scanning the list to see which items were in that aisle. That meant I went up and down each aisle, whether I needed anything from it or not. So I made a template organized by aisle. The template includes the most common items I buy in that aisle. When I make my list, I just need to delete the items I don't need that week and print it out. Then I know exactly which aisles I need to visit and which ones I can skip. <br />
<br />
My husband was fairly stunned when I told him about the grocery list template. He's used to my lackadaisical (and somewhat contemptuous) attitude to housekeeping and the housewifely arts. Example: when the topic of ironing came up early in our marriage, I paraphrased the line from the English Patient: "A woman should never learn to iron and if she can she shouldn't admit to it." (In the movie, the statement was applied to sewing, which works for me too.)<br />
<br />
From Nov. 12 to 18, I spent about $310 in New Westminster on:<br />
<br />
Groceries<br />
Pulled pork sandwich at Graze in Sapperton<br />
Starbucks<br />
Taco Del Mar<br />
Advent calendar at the Lindt store in Queensborough – only $6!<br />
A baby gift at Carter's/OshKosh B'gosh in QueensboroughSheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-38724509099187269652010-11-20T12:17:00.000-08:002010-11-20T12:19:21.864-08:00Donald's Market and River Market Make Local Shopping an AdventureI'm only in my second month of my shopping in New Westminster adventure and frankly, it was starting to feel like not such an adventure. I was starting to go stir crazy, especially as I watched the Canadian dollar climb in value and saw all the glossy, tempting Christmas flyers starting to arrive in the paper. I was getting pretty bummed about not being able to make a quick cross-border shopping trip to Bellingham or even a quick cross-border shopping trip to Burnaby. <br />
<br />
Today all that changed. Today I got my local shopping mojo back. Today I went to the grand opening of <a href="http://www.donaldsmarket.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Donald's Market</span></a> at the <a href="http://rivermarket.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">River Market</span></a> and saw all that potential New Westminster civic and business leaders have been talking since time immemorial realized.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to lie. I had my doubts, especially given that the renovations dragged on for so long and at least one of the tenant choices seemed goofy. When I heard the <a href="http://www.vancouvercircusschool.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Vancouver Circus School</span></a> was a tenant I was skeptical. What the heck is a circus school doing in a market? After attending the grand opening today, I found out what it's doing there: being awesome. After all, which grocery store would you rather go to: normal grocery store with just groceries or grocery store where there's a guy doing a handstand all the way down the escalator and a girl juggling all the way up? I pick the grocery store with the circus school. (In addition to classes, they are also going to offer birthday party packages.)<br />
<br />
I actually got a little teary-eyed on the drive home, thinking to myself that this marvellous place is in New Westminster. I went to San Francisco for the first time in August and visited the <a href="http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Ferry Building Marketplace</span></a>. The River Market reminds me of that market, but I won't have to take a plane to get to it. It's right here where I live, in my city. And I think the River Market actually has a warmer, more organic atmosphere than the Ferry Building Marketplace. Maybe that's because the River Market is not quite finished yet. I found something rather charming about the work-in-progress feeling of the place.<br />
<br />
I was pleased to read <a href="http://www.royalcityrecord.com/Venture+would+first+kind/3842306/story.html"><span style="color: blue;">in the Record that the Market's management is being very careful and choosy about its tenants</span></a>. I used to visit the Quay fairly often and always got a, "Close, but not quite," feeling about it. There were some bright spots among the tenants, but overall, the place didn't have a bustling, happening atmosphere. I think that's why I was getting a bit bummed about my local shopping: there are bright spots, but overall, New Westminster felt, "Close, but not quite."<br />
<br />
Seeing the River Market confirmed to me again, all New Westminster needs to do is build on what we already have, to build a critical mass of exciting shopping options. Seeing the River Market confirmed to me that it can happen here and it is happening here. Local shopping is an adventure again.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-12237275834915652852010-11-16T13:12:00.000-08:002010-11-16T13:12:26.635-08:00Spend Report #10: Finally, the secret of not spending moneyLast week wasn't a good week for shopping or anything else. I had a cold, so I was stuck at home most of the week with few opportunities to blow cash. So, finally, I've learned how to hold on to my pennies: be very, very ill. No need for anything life-threatening or exotic, just a cold bad enough to keep me curled up under the covers for most of the week—that kept my wallet closed. Funny how I managed to still eat out quite a bit. That's because in the early stages of the cold I was in denial about how sick I was, so I kept going out. By Thursday though, I took to my bed and didn't get out until Monday. So it's a pretty lame spend report, not much interesting on there, save, of course, for the wonderful pulled pork sandwich from Graze. <br />
<br />
From Nov. 5 to 11, 2010, I spent about $115 in New Westminster:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Starbucks – I like the new version of the Cranberry Bliss Bar and it turns out I like eggnog lattes too. I usually avoid those types of drinks because they're usually too syrupy and because I don't really need to like any more high-fat food and beverages. </li>
<li>Avalon Dairy milk and pulled pork sandwich at Graze in Sapperton. If you haven't gone yet, what are you waiting for!?!</li>
<li>Indian food at <a href="http://www.naanbites.com/uploads/final_Menu.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">Naan Bites in Queensborough</span></a>. Good concept—Indian fast food—and tastes good, they just haven't quite got the "fast" part of "fast food" down yet. Still the place smells so good, I didn't really mind the wait.</li>
<li>Bread from McGavin's Bread Basket in Sapperton</li>
<li>Glue sticks</li>
<li>Groceries at Price Smart</li>
<li>Dinner at A&W</li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-68780553560435870872010-11-06T14:01:00.000-07:002010-11-06T14:01:34.468-07:00Spend Report #8 and #9: Local stores need my dollars more than Wal-MartI got behind on my spend reports, so I decided to combine two into one. By the end of October, I realized I was still mostly sticking to chain stores, so I've decided for November to avoid Wal-mart.<br />
<br />
Shopping locally seems more important than ever, given news of the <a href="http://www.royalcityrecord.com/Orange+Room+close/3786506/story.html"><span style="color: blue;">Orange Room's closure</span></a> and a perhaps <a href="http://www.tenthtothefraser.ca/2010/10/15/sapperton-revitalization-more-fragile-than-it-seems/"><span style="color: blue;">shakier-than-hoped-for-revitalization of Sapperton</span></a>. I'm sure Wal-mart will survive without my dollars for the next month; local stores need my dollars more.<br />
<br />
I wish I had an unlimited budget, but I don't, so I'm also thinking up some ways to promote more local businesses through my blog, even if I can't buy something from each one every week.<br />
<br />
<strong>Spend Report #8 and #9</strong><br />
<br />
From Oct. 22 to 28, I spent about $490 in New Westminster:<br />
<ul><li>McDonald's</li>
<li>Toiletries at London Drugs – Including made-in-Canada shea butter hand cream for $1.99. </li>
<li>Slider at <a href="http://www.royalcitycc.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Royal City Curling Club</span></a> – not a mini-burger, some type of thing curlers wear on their feet; for my husband.</li>
<li>Gas </li>
<li>Groceries at Safeway and IGA</li>
<li>Craft supplies at a dollar store and Wal-mart </li>
<li>Dinner at Boston Pizza</li>
<li>Lunch at the<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://www.theheritagegrill.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Heritage Grill</span></a> on Columbia St. – I'd never been to this New West institution before, but I'll be back. I had a yummy lamb burger and the fries are great. This Columbia St. venue hosts many events and groups including <a href="http://5sdocnight.tumblr.com/"><span style="color: blue;">a documentary night</span></a>, Philosophers' Cafe, <a href="http://www.greendrinks.org/BC/New%20Westminster,%20BC"><span style="color: blue;">Green Drinks</span></a>, GIN (Gay In New West) Nights every Saturday and <a href="http://www.theheritagegrill.com/main/music_program2.html"><span style="color: blue;">lots of live music</span></a>. </li>
<li>Boots at Army and Navy for my Halloween costume</li>
</ul><br />
From Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, I spent about $280 in New Westminster:<br />
<ul><li> Halloween make-up and costume items at Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmasave on Columbia St., London Drugs and Wal-mart – I really think New West needs a Halloween superstore. An existing retailer—hello Salvation Army? Dollar store owners? Army and Navy?—could operate it as a pop-up store just for the Halloween season. </li>
<li>Lunch at <a href="http://www.quantumdelibistro.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Quantum Deli and Bistro</span></a> on Sixth Street</li>
<li>Scones and a cappuccino bar at <a href="http://www.bellacakes.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Bella Bakery</span></a></li>
<li>Bread and coffee at <a href="http://www.google.ca/#sclient=psy&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADRA_enCA353&q=farm+cottage+bakery+new+westminster&rlz=1R2ADRA_enCA353&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&psj=1&fp=6ddc0b12cb36f21b"><span style="color: blue;">Farm Cottage Bakery</span></a> in Sapperton</li>
<li>Puzzle and CD at <a href="http://www.pedagogytoys.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Pedagogy Toys</span></a></li>
<li>Three pumpkins at Yin Leong Farm in Queensborough – Can't make a more local purchase than this! Bought here, grown here, about five blocks from my house.</li>
<li>Pulled pork sandwich at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1536904/restaurant/Vancouver/Graze-Market-Deli-New-Westminster"><span style="color: blue;">Graze in Sapperton</span></a> – You must go here. That sandwich was so good, I'm still thinking about it a week later.</li>
<li>Coffee and a cranberry bliss bar at Starbucks</li>
<li>Sushi at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1460482/restaurant/Vancouver/Tora-Sushi-New-Westminster"><span style="color: blue;">Tora Sushi</span></a> in Queensborough</li>
<li>Groceries at Price Smart.</li>
</ul><div></div>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-44562631977548843682010-11-03T22:08:00.000-07:002010-11-03T22:10:19.166-07:00Local Brands or How the Internet Gave My Husband BeerI have all sorts of thoughts flitting through my head about local retailers, branding, and marketing in the age of social media, so bear with me if this post is a little scattered. I promise, I do have a point or five, though I may make them in a round-about, not-entirely-clear fashion. <br />
<br />
<strong>Point one: Brands matter.</strong><br />
<br />
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Not me, brands don't affect me." Yeah, well, you're wrong. That's what we all think and we're all wrong. <a href="http://newwest-localshopper.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-we-buy-what-we-buy.html"><span style="color: blue;">I'm reading a bunch of books that explain how and why they affect us.</span></a> <a href="http://beckwithpartners.com/brand_identity_marketing_promotion_strategies/How_Do_Brands_Work_10_20_2006.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">Brands affect our brains.</span></a> Or how about <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=3762858&sponsor="><span style="color: blue;">this story, where the mere act of carrying around a Victoria's Secret bag</span></a> affected how the bag carryer felt about herself?<br />
<br />
<strong>Point two: Local brands matter.</strong><br />
<br />
My husband has loved <a href="http://www.creemoresprings.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Creemore beer</span></a> for a long time. It's a brand of beer not available in B.C. It used to be a small local brewery located in Creemore, Ontario. It's still located there, but it's now owned by Molson. Technically, it's not a local brand anymore, but it was when my husband started loving it. And when we visited two summers ago, we saw that it has maintained its small brewery charm. On that visit we bought Creemore glasses, a Creemore hat and, of course, Creemore beer. My husband likes to call it "The Happiest Place on Earth."<br />
<br />
My husband started using Twitter a few months ago and took to it immediately. He rarely uses Facebook, but Twitter, he likes. He likes it even more now, because through it, the Internet gave him beer. <br />
<br />
One of the first things he started tweeting about was <a href="http://www.creemoresprings.com/live/home.php"><span style="color: blue;">Creemore</span></a>. Things like how Creemore was the best beer not available in B.C. How on a trip to Ontario, the first thing he was going to do was look for Creemore. Long story short, @CreemoreKaren, who tweets for Creemore, noticed all his comments and said it sounded like he worked for them. He asked if that was a job offer, she said no, but offered to send him a coupon for an eight cans of Creemore.<br />
<br />
He e-mailed me, "The Internet gave me beer."<br />
<br />
My response was suspicious. "Hmmm . . . I don't know if I like this. Some strange woman (or "woman") from the Internet wants you to send her your address so she can buy you booze . . . " <br />
<br />
Luckily, @CreemoreKaren was legit—I believe she's Creemore's marketing director—and before long my husband got his coupon. Someone my husband knew was going to Ontario and he agreed to pick up the beer for my husband and bring it back in his luggage. <br />
<br />
My point here is that when people like a local brand, they are loyal to it. They will go to great lengths to promote it. They will go to great lengths to seek it out, even if they live several provinces away from where it is sold. <br />
<br />
<strong>Point three: If you own a local store, you have a brand. Build it.</strong><br />
<br />
Your brand is not likely to be built around a fancy logo or a multi-million dollar marketing budget—that's what big brands do. I think people stick with certain big-chain brands because they know exactly what they're going to get wherever they go. People don't eat at McDonald's because it makes the best hamburgers. They eat McDonald's food because they know it's going to taste the same wherever they go.<br />
<br />
Local brands are different. A local brand is strongest when people know it offers something they can't get anywhere else. <br />
<br />
Your brand could be built on a sandwich—a delicious sandwich that people can get only from you.<br />
<br />
I had an interesting exchange on Twitter on Tuesday with a number of local New West people about what I think is a great local brand in the making. It all started with my tweet: "<span class="entry-content">Can't stop thinking about the pulled pork sandwich I had at Graze in Sapperton yesterday. So good."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="entry-content"></span>I added the hash tag #newwest to my tweet. Before too long, someone from New West wanted to know where Graze was. Then someone else mentioned Graze has a ribs and beans night on Friday. Someone else complained that we had made the newsroom hungry and now, how were they going to put the paper out? (Though I have to say, in my experience, it's not hard to make a newsroom hungry.) I and others who had eaten there ended up making several people who didn't know about Graze curious and, in some cases, hungry.<br />
<br />
And here's my point about marketing in the age of social media: people will build your brand for you, with or without your participation. <br />
<br />
If you want to shape your own brand, it's probably best to participate. Pay attention to social media. If you don't know how to use Twitter or Facebook, find out how. Google "how to use Twitter" or "how to use Facebook" and you'll get a ka-jillion results.<br />
<br />
In doing my experiment, I've searched online for New Westminster businesses and checked for those that have Twitter and Facebook accounts. There are some exceptions, but a lot of New Westminster businesses don't have much of an online presence. I realize social media isn't the only way for businesses to market themselves, but it is a way and it is usually a very low- or no-cost way. <br />
<br />
<strong>Point Four: This is the most important point. Go to Graze at 450 E. Columbia St.</strong> (See all this free work I'm doing for a local brand? And I've only had one sandwich there!) Have a pulled pork sandwich. It's so good. The meat drips with sauce, there's a satisfying crunch of cabbage with every bite, the bun is so soft and delicious . . . it is truly food for the soul. It will leave you with a warm glow in your stomach and your heart. Graze also has a deli and grocery items and vegetarian menu items. <br />
<br />
<strong>Point Five: I really need to stop writing about food at night.</strong> I'm so hungry right now.SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-64623770593651183082010-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:002010-11-02T00:15:45.206-07:00Why We Buy What We Buy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em>"If we want independent retailers to stay in business, we have to patronize them. It's that simple."</em><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><em>From </em>The Mom & Pop Store <em>by Robert Spector</em></div><div align="right"><br />
</div><div align="left">My first month of shopping only in New Westminster is over. What I've learned is that it would likely be possible for me to spend the entire year shopping only at chain stores without ever setting foot in an independent, locally owned business. Of course, that's not what I want to do, but it would be possible. I did go to some independent, locally owned businesses in October, but not nearly as many as I thought I would have by now.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.royalcityrecord.com/life/Stopping+shopping+town/3577341/story.html"><span style="color: blue;">I told <span id="goog_692894553"></span>the Record</span></a> I didn't want this to turn into "My Year of Shopping at Wal-Mart." <span id="goog_692894554"></span>Despite my perception that I don't shop at Wal-Mart much, I went there six times in October, so at least once or twice a week. Part of what I want to do over the course of this year is to change my spending patterns and habits, to re-focus them to more local stores. So, for November, I'm going to go no Wal-Mart. Let's see if I can break my Wal-Mart habit.</div><div align="left"><br />
I've also been reading a lot about consumer behavior and why we buy what we buy.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Here's my reading list this month, with a brief summary of what I've gleaned from each book so far:</div><ul><li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1152122/?opt=kw&q=h.ts&tsf=y&so=oh&qs=the+mom+%26+pop+store"><span style="color: blue;">The Mom & Pop Store: How the Unsung Heroes of the American Economy Are Surviving and Thriving</span></a> – Locally owned businesses are good. <br />
<div></div></div></li>
<li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1152122/?opt=kw&q=h.ts&tsf=y&so=oh&qs=big+box+swindle"><span style="color: blue;">Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses</span></a> – Big chains, especially Wal-Mart, are evil.</div></li>
<li><div align="left"><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Treasure-Hunt-SILVERSTEIN-MICHAEL/9781591841234-item.html?ikwid=treasure+hunt&ikwsec=Books"><span style="color: blue;">Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer</span></a> – I saw this one at the library and wasn't sure about getting it, until I read the book jacket description: <br />
". . . the average mall shopper will spend about $100, then leave when she hits that limit. She'll probably buy shoes rather than clothing, because she doesn't want to think about her dress size." Clearly, this guy knows me, so I better see what else he knows.</div></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1152122/?opt=kw&q=h.ts&tsf=y&so=oh&qs=cheap+the+high+cost+of+discount+culture"><span style="color: blue;">Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture</span></a> – I'm not too far into this one yet, but love this quote: "I do not prize the word 'cheap.' It is not a badge of honor." – U.S. President William McKinley</li>
</ul><div></div><ul><li><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1152122/?opt=kw&q=h.ts&tsf=y&so=oh&qs=buying+in+rob+walker"><span style="color: blue;">Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are</span></a> – I haven't got too far into this one yet, but the author talks how pervasive brands are, despite consumers' assertions that we are not affected by marketing. ". . . we can talk all we want about being brandproof, but our behavior tells a different story. This is why I have come around to the view that there is nothing to be gained by simply believing we are immune to brands. But there might be something gained in understanding why we aren't."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bookmanager.com/1152122/?opt=kw&q=h.ts&tsf=y&so=oh&qs=spent+geoffrey+miller"><span style="color: blue;">Spent. Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior</span></a> – How evolutionary psychology explains what we buy and why we buy it. Essentially, the author's theory is that we buy what we buy to signal fitness (of various types) to others. But as the author explains, evolution has already endowed us with all the equipment we need (both physical and mental) to display fitness and form lasting, meaningful relationships with others without buying a single thing. But we're all caught up in "the fundamental consumerist delusion—that other people care more about the artificial products you display through consumerist spending than about the natural traits you display through normal conversation, cooperation, and cuddling."</li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7013907333451098444.post-28327769473901887002010-10-23T21:32:00.000-07:002010-10-23T21:34:37.006-07:00Spend Report #7: When I think I'm not spending any money, I'm still spending moneyHuh. My perception was that I had bought absolutely nothing last week. In reality, I spent just over $600. Huh.<br />
I've always had the magical ability of making money flow through my fingers like water. (My husband does not think this is a magical ability. He has other words for it, but he doesn't use them out loud.)<br />
If my husband starts the week out with $100 in his wallet, he'll finish the week with maybe $87.75 and know exactly where and how he spent the $12.25. If I start the week out with $100 in my wallet, on the second day, I'll ask my husband if he has any money I can have. <br />
<br />
Then we'll have a exchange something like this:<br />
He'll say, "What happened to the $100 you had?"<br />
"I don't know."<br />
"Well, what did you buy?" <br />
"I don't know. Give me some money."<br />
"What do you need it for?" <br />
<div>"I don't know. Give me some money."</div>Then he won't give me money, I'll go to the bank machine instead and the cycle begins again.<br />
<br />
Despite having managed to blow over $600, I'm feeling guilty about not having made much effort to get out to small local businesses yet. I feel like shopping is my job and I'm not doing it very well. (Imagine the look on my husband's face as he reads that. I am and it's making me giggle.) But I have been stuck at home most of the week doing my other job, the one that actually pays me money, so exploring small local stores had to wait. <br />
<br />
We did go to <a href="http://www.taverna.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Taverna Greka</span></a> on Columbia St. last week for dinner. I'd been there before, but not for seven or eight years. And, other than the Keg, I don't think we had ever gone out for a family dinner on Columbia St. Taverna Greka has a great view of the river and the food was good, especially the dolmades and a wonderfully creamy, custard-y dessert. (I have to stop writing this blog at night, I'm getting really hungry.) We will definitely go back.<br />
<br />
From Oct. 15 to 21, we spent just over $600 in New West.<br />
<br />
We bought:<br />
<ul><li>Girl Guide cookies</li>
<li>Food at the <a href="http://www.royalcitycc.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Royal City Curling Club</span></a></li>
<li>Lightbulbs and toiletries at London Drugs</li>
<li>Cleaning products at a Norwex home party</li>
<li>Groceries at Price-Smart and M&M</li>
<li>Haircut at Gem Barbers on Sixth St. (That was my husband.) </li>
<li>Dinner at <a href="http://www.taverna.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Taverna Greka</span></a>, part of <a href="http://www.zestofnewwest.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Zest of New West</span></a></li>
<li>Coffee/food at Starbucks</li>
<li>Scholastic book order (Someone should do a year of buying stuff only from school and kids' group fundraisers.)</li>
<li>LEGO and Halloween candy at Wal-Mart (My son saved up his allowance money for a few months to buy LEGO.)</li>
<li>Piano lessons</li>
</ul>SheilaKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798102154259727826noreply@blogger.com2