I don't like to put all my eggs in one basket. I feel much safer having a diverse supply of commodities. Even though we have our own eggs and raise a lot of our own food, we're not totally self reliant. I buy a lot of food and household goods.
Years ago, in my hometown, there were 3 large grocery stores and some smaller ones. Each of them would put out a weekly flier and I would watch for deals. But some things I only bought at each one because of the quality or selection. When THE big store (starts with a W ends with check-yourself-out) moved in, almost all the large ones gradually closed down. Most of the small ones went away quickly. As soon as there was no competition, the prices at THE big one went up. On top of that, the shelves weren't being stocked regularly. I found myself driving to other cities to shop.Now I do my shopping a variety of ways. Online shopping is handy and I get some stuff delivered that I wouldn't be able to get locally. But I can't always stay home a whole day to ward off porch pirates. We have some small discount stores that I pick up from occasionally. I have to be careful that I don't pay more for less product at those. And I especially like to buy from local farms. The price is usually a little higher but small producers will bend over backwards to make sure the quality is good. They are counting on my business to feed their own families. I want to know they will always be there when I need them so I'm glad to pay a little extra than the price at the BIG one. Plus I get a really good feeling keeping my money in my own community!
How do you get your supplies? Do you shop local?
