Chris is embarking on a neat project–a year without buying anything she doesn’t need.

I thought about doing something similar over a year ago, when we were still living in a tiny town in Michigan. I was going to commit myself to only buying products from local artisans, farmers, craftspeople, etc; and then if I couldn’t get the item actually MADE locally, I would only buy it from a locally-owned business.

That seemed like a real challenge when I lived in a rural town of 3,000 people. Now that I’m here in Chicago, it seems like it would be more akin to shooting fish in a barrel. But Chris has gotten me inspired and once again thinking about ways to cut down consumption while still supporting local businesses.