Buying with Purpose

I want to live my life as a good steward of what I've been given.  Is it crazy to think I could use every penny to make my world a better place?  I don't think so.  The movie Food, Inc. tells us we VOTE with our money.  I love that concept, and I think it is completely true.  If I want hungry people to be fed, to see our environment become more healthy and well cared for, to help my neighbors prosper rather than become oppressed by big business, to see organic food become more common than the alternative, to help free enslaved men, women, and children, and MOST importantly, to help the Word of God to be spread all over the world...well, then, I had better use every resource I'm given to make a change. 


How am I going to do this?  Some of my ideas include giving to the church (of course!), buying from local businesses, purchasing clothes and shoes from non-profits that strive to serve the needy, frequenting farmer's markets, buying from companies that use only moral and environmentally friendly practices...I'm no pro at this, and I know it will mean educating myself further, but I believe it is a goal worth striving for. 


Here are some sites that relate to this topic:

• http://www.toms.com/
• http://www.lovecantbebaht.com/Love_Home.html
• http://theandyproject.com/Home.html
• http://www.broadripplefarmersmarket.com/
• http://www.ides.org/

These are just a few, and there are many more.  Let me know if you have any ideas or sites on how to buy with purpose. 


I don't make a ton of money, but God is not bound by my boundaries.  If I give what I have, He will use it to make bigger impacts than I ever dreamed possible!