Are you thinking about shopping local this Christmas? Are you sceptical about how you can make a difference? Remember every euro spent locally will have a positive effect on our local community by supporting local jobs and businesses.
This year purchase your Christmas gifts in local shops
Did you know?
That the average Irish household will spend a total of €943 at Christmas this year.
€258 will be spent on food for Christmas by each home. Every €10 spent on local food products leads to an injection of €34 into the local economy and helps to employ thousands of people around the country.
Every family will spend an average of €520 on Christmas gifts. Research by the Craft Council of Ireland has found that 83% of Irish women believe that an Irish craft piece is the perfect gift for Christmas.
A recent report has shown that if each of us just spent an extra €4 a week on Guaranteed Irish products and services we could create another 6,200 jobs.
Recent research by Guaranteed Irish found that four out of five people felt that it was more important now to buy Irish goods and services now than it was five years ago.
Continue Reading »
Contemporary Living has teamed up with Cavan Chamber of Commerce to offer you the chance to win €100 in Cavan Chamber of Commerce vouchers.
Shop local – do your bit!
As part of our ‘Do Your Bit’ shop local campaign, Cavan Chamber of Commerce is offering one lucky reader a chance to win €100 in vouchers.
Cavan Chamber of Commerce vouchers can be redeemed in over 60 shops in Cavan town. It is one simple way of ensuring that money is spent in the local community. The Cavan Chamber of Commerce vouchers make ideal Christmas presents and can be purchased from the Chamber of Commerce office in Churchview or from Eason’s.
Continue Reading »
At a glance, supporting local businesses and buying seasonal vegetables don’t seem to go hand in hand – but they do. Yasmin Maassarani finds out more…
Buying seasonal vegetables
The convenience of supermarkets and the plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables all year round means that many of us no longer know what is in season. Early this year Bordbia officially launched its ‘Best in Season’ campaign with the aim to educate us. Its web site has a useful calendar that clearly shows when Irish fruit and vegetables are in season.
What are the benefits of buying seasonal produce?
Did you ever wonder why celebrity TV chefs are always cooking with the seasonal produce? Firstly, it means that you are buying produce when it is at its cheapest, so this means you will get better value for money. Secondly, seasonal produce tastes so much better than fruit and vegetables that have been forced to grow under artificial conditions or that have been imported from overseas and ripened in transit. Finally, by buying Irish produce in season you are supporting Irish producers and therefore supporting Irish jobs.
Continue Reading »
Yasmin Maassarani talks to Jim Burke, the president of Cavan Chamber of Commerce to chat about his opinions on ‘shopping local’.
Cavan Chamber of Commerce President, Jim Burke
It’s raining heavily when I drop into Jim Burke’s Costcutter store to discuss the importance of shopping local. He tells me that shopping local is making a commitment to your local community. “I think the ‘shopping local’ debate has two main strands to it. Firstly, consumers have a right to ‘value for money’. This means that local businesses and service providers should make a commitment to deliver the right product, at the right price. In turn, consumers, if they believe in the importance of their community, should get a price from a local business before they buy.”
He tells me that shopping local is therefore a two-way relationship. “For example, if you need some new tyres for your car by all means get a quote from a business in Galway or Dublin, but also get a price from your local man. The onus is then on the local business to provide a reasonable and competitive price. Once the consumer has all the quotes, they can then decide where to spend.
“This is the crux of the whole argument. Give the local business a chance – it is then up to him or her to deliver a competitive price and a quality product or service.”
Continue Reading »
Contemporary Living is running a local campaign this Autumn to highlight the importance of supporting local businesses. The campaign is called ‘Do your bit!’
By spending a small amount in local shops every week you are helping to support local jobs
A recent Guaranteed Irish report has shown that if each of us just spent an extra €4 a week on Guaranteed Irish products and services we could create another 6,200 jobs. That’s amazing!
At the moment it can be difficult to feel that our individual actions can make a difference but this report proves that we can.
The ‘Do Your Bit’ campaign is to encourage local people to spend just €10 of their usual weekly shop in a local business. It will mean being a little more organised but it won’t cost you anything more. Here are some easy examples:
Continue Reading »
