How to Save Money on Your Next Car

Car dealership (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are in the market for a new car, you may think that there are simply no ways for you to save money on your purchase. However, this cannot be further from the truth! There are countless ways for you to save money on your next car, and we are going to examine a few of the top methods here.

Conduct Some Research First

The fact of the matter is, not all car dealerships are equal. Some of them have higher prices than others, and some offer better deals. With that said, it definitely pays to shop around and conduct a bit of research before you step foot on a dealer's lot.

There are many websites where you can discover the average selling prices for various cars. In this way, you will know whether or not a dealership has overpriced its vehicles. Additionally, by accessing the Internet, you can shop around for the cheapest and best vehicle of your choice. 

Obtain Your Own Financing

Before you begin shopping for a car, you need to determine just exactly how much money you can afford to spend on one. In short, what size of a payment can you fit into your monthly budget? Contact your bank or local credit union and apply for a pre-purchase loan. If you qualify, you will be better prepared to determine what you can afford.

Try to save up as much money as you can for a down payment. This will help significantly in lowering your monthly payments or the term of your loan. Once you have been pre-approved for a loan, you will have about two months to find a car you wish to purchase.

Use the Power of Negotiation

After you have obtained financing and determined what you can fit into your budget, you will then be prepared to visit a few dealerships. Keep in mind, though, you should always stick to what you want to spend. In other words, never let a dealer take advantage of you. Additionally, make sure that the price you are offered includes everything.

By “everything,” we mean the price of the car, taxes, the cost of the title, tags and any other applicable fees. All of these expenses added together equal what is known as the "out of door" price for the car. Furthermore, never conduct negotiations over the phone or Internet--always negotiate in person. 

Get the Most for Your Trade-In

If you want to use your old car as a trade-in for the down payment, be sure to find out its Kelley Blue Book value before visiting any dealerships. Furthermore, do not mention your trade-in to the dealer until after you have negotiated the price of the new car. In this way, you will get a much better deal for both the old and new cars.

Never Give in to Pressure

The best tip when shopping for your next car is to never give in to pressure. A dealership is going to try to pressure you into buying one of its cars right then and there. The salesperson does not want you to think about your purchase because you very well may change your mind. However, remember that it is your money, and you have every right to walk away.

There are other dealerships that may offer you a better deal. If you do not like a price or need time to think about a deal, ask the salesperson for their business card and tell them you will call after you have thought over your decision. When you use these valuable tips, you just may be able to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next car.


Bill Akintoye works at Shabana Motors in Houston, TX. They buy used cars and provide appraisals in fewer than thirty minutes.

The Top Four Cheapest Cell Phone Plans for Even the Tightest Penny Pincher

Your cell phone plan is one of the most important concerns. Of course, if you are on a tight budget, you might want to spend less money. At the same time, it is not always the top priority to get a plan that offers too few services when there are many that offer unlimited everything. With that being said, you can enjoy some of the best plans that are inexpensive and should appeal to you even if you are among the tightest penny pinchers.

Bell Voice and Data Lite Promo 45

Samsung Galaxy phones are some of the most popular, and you can get them at a reasonable price if you sign up for a brand new contract with your wireless provider. One of the best plans is also extremely cheap at only $45 per month. It is referred to as the Voice and Data Lite 45 plan and offers 200 minutes, unlimited text messaging, which includes SMS and video messages, unlimited nights and weekends and 200MB of data. Should you go over your data by an additional 100MB to a total of 300MB, you will be charged an additional $15. Of course, you can enjoy using your Samsung Galaxy S4 or Samsung Galaxy Note II with free Wi-Fi at home, the office and other places to save your data. Get your great Bell.ca Android phone and sign up for the plan.

T-Mobile Individual Simple Choice

T-Mobile’s individual Simple Choice value plan is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to spend less money on their wireless plan. It is $50 per month and provides you with unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500MB of data. You can even use up to 2.5GB of data at the highest 4G speeds, although anything used thereafter is throttled down. If you are not a very heavy data user, you will find this plan to be absolutely perfect for you.

AT&T GoPhone

AT&T’s GoPhone plan is one of the cheapest you can find. You can even purchase a great new smartphone in the Nokia Lumia 520, which runs on Windows Phone 8, for only $99. One of the newest plans is only $40 per month and offers 500 talk minutes, unlimited text messaging and 200MB of data. For each additional 100MB of data, it costs only $5, which is a great deal.

Boost Mobile Shrinking Payment

Boost Mobile has great unlimited plans that start at $50 per month. However, what is special about Boost is that your plan can be reduced to as low as $35 per month when you remain in good standing. For every six payments you make on time, the carrier will lower your payment by $5 until you ultimately reach $35 per month. This is a great package that includes unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data.

How to Protect Your Credit Standing

A credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to theconsumer . The modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes 

If we talk about a couple of investment services, now it’s time to talk credit scores! Your credit score is a measure of your financial stability and a key component to approve your loan. So, naturally, we have to keep track of our score. So Credit Sesame is one of the brand names that are designed for credit monitoring. This site actually lets you monitor your credit score for free.

Credit Sesame uses complex algorithms to give you a gauge of your overall credit worthiness in their own, very unique credit score. Although it is not an F.I.C.O. score, it’s still worth tracking. Also, your score is updated every month for monthly tracking of your progress.

Credit Sesame is a free credit score and credit monitoring provider. Not the type of free that only lasts for a week or two but, free for life. Credit Sesame was created in 2010 as a free tool for consumers to monitor their credit reports. They provide various tools that allow you to track loans, payments, credit scores and more and, they never ask you for a credit card!

Credit Sesame Review

Credit Sesame is 100% free, they provide a way to see how much money you owe to whom and great finance management tools and you can get credit score update per month. Credit score provided is not the credit score that you’re looking for. There is a difference between the F.I.C.O. score and any score calculated by anyone else. Credit Sesamedoes their own calculations.

Credit Sesame is becoming so popular with monthly monitoring tools; you can watch your report for security and growth. It’s always good to keep track of your loans. If you haven’t done so in a while, you may be surprised when you open your Credit Sesame account. Their debt and loan analysis tool can help you to prioritize your debts and get them paid off faster!

Credit Sesame has tools that help you save money by reducing payments on loans. You can even customize the alerts so that you get an email when it’s time to save!

When you get to the website ModestMoney.com, you need to give them your social security number and answer a few security questions. Once you’ve answered the security questions, you will be taken to your dashboard which is very user friendly.

My Overall Thoughts about Credit Sesame Review on ModestMoney.com is that it is a great company that has come up with a great product. It provides us a platform that makes the lenders pays for your service through advertisement. The tools provided by Credit Sesame have helped consumers to take control of their financial stability and can definitely help you.

What Type of Retirement Account is Right for Me?

When starting their careers after school, new members of the “real world” are likely given some options to invest their money. This can be multiple different avenues, and many of them can help prepare for the future. If retirement is on a person's mind, they may want to look at a couple of choices to help strengthen their financial strategy.

We at World Financial Group know that individuals need to think about retirement starting at an early age. This can be a tricky process, but there are many options available to help people achieve their goals. Starting early is important, and it can prevent delays in a person's fiscal plan later on.

Planning for retirement necessary from the get-go

Everyone wants to retire comfortably, but there may be some issues on how a person will accomplish those goals. By setting a strict plan from the time a person is getting into the working world, it can improve the chances of retiring on time.

• Start saving now – There is never a point where it is too early to start putting money away for retirement, and delaying this process can hurt the chances of getting it done. 
• Know what is needed – Having set goals are only as good as the likelihood an individual can reach them. Saving a set amount and working to increase that level gradually may put the person in a better spot later on. 

Not all retirement accounts made equal

Young people need to look at a variety of retirement options, and considering these choices should be a long process. When finding the right type of plan, a person can adjust their strategy to ensure they are in the best position to save a sizable amount of money.

• Roth IRA – One of the best aspects of having a Roth IRA is that all withdrawals of the account are without any tax penalty. There are still some tax contributions, but the money taken out belongs to the person who owns the policy. This policy also allows for withdrawals before a person retires without a penalty, which can be beneficial if the account holder needs the money. 
• 401(k) – This policy allows for an individual to work with their employer in order to build their retirement savings. If account holders put a certain amount of their paychecks toward this account, they may be able to get their employers to match their contributions – thus providing a nice boost to their savings. 

These available options can help a person get the tools they need to retire successfully. However, these may be even better if a person combines them with other diversified savings plans such as a nest egg account and a college fun for any children they may have.

The Benefits of Mortgages for Boomers

Many home buyers are under the mistaken impression that they should try to purchase in cash. While cash-buying can certainly result in some benefits for home buyers, it also robs them of the chance to take advantage of the benefits of a home loan.

Even though most people may view mortgages as simply a debt that must be paid off, home loans come with their own advantages.

Flexibility

If a home buyer opts to only make a purchase in cash, their options dwindle considerably. Many properties may be out of their price range, narrowing their choices. Mortgage borrowers, however, have the freedom to choose the home of their dreams, not just the home they can pay for upfront.

Mortgages also give home buyers more flexibility in how they can pay off a home. Different payment plans can be selected, and if interest rates fall in the future, borrowers can refinance their loans to take advantage of the savings.

Protection

While paying for a home in cash may seem like a great way to prevent the risks associated with loans, it will also generally wipe out an individual's savings. This means that if another issue arises which requires financial assistance - medical treatment, college tuition, etc. - they will be at a disadvantage. A mortgage borrower, on the other hand, will be able to hang onto their cash in case such a situation occurs.

Additionally, many home buyers often forget that the costs of a home go beyond the purchase price. Closing costs must be accounted for, as well as things like maintenance and repair. Buying in cash can leave home buyers at a disadvantage when it comes to financing these things.

Taxes

Mortgage interest is tax deductible, as is the interest on a home equity line of credit. In addition, borrowers can roll the costs of property taxes into their loan amount, making it easier to pay them as part of a monthly bill.

Credit

All debt is often lumped into the bad category, but there's a difference between good debt and bad debt. A high-quality mortgage qualifies as good debt on a person's credit report, and as long as they stay current on their loan, it can give a big boost to their score, making it easier to borrow money in the future and receive low interest rates on credit cards.

Time

The greatest benefit of home loans is that they allow buyers to make a purchase sooner rather than later. Chances are cash buyers will have to put off homeownership for a long time in order to save up enough money. Depending on the market, waiting too long can make the cost of a home even more expensive, which in turn means having to wait even longer. Mortgage borrowers are able to finance a home purchase when they want to, giving them the freedom to make homeownership a reality.

The New Baseline - Why Oil Prices Won't Go Down

After a decade that saw oil prices skyrocket, only to come suddenly crashing back down, it’s easy to wonder where the market might be heading in the next few years. Despite these fears, though, every indication suggests that oil prices aren't going to drop far from their current level ever again.

The Big Drop

If you were on planet Earth over the past few years, then you've felt the pinch of the Great Recession. But people investing in oil and gas took a bigger hit than many, with oil prices dropping from more than $145 per barrel in July 2008 to just more than $30 per barrel that December.

Since then, however, prices have climbed a bit more slowly than in the lead up to the crash, hovering around $100 per barrel. Now oil investors are asking, "What might cause the next crash?"

The New Normal

It's impossible to say for certain that there won't be another big drop in oil prices, since the commodity is so intimately tied to the global economy. The world took a hit at the start of 2010 when a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan.

But it's important to at least understand one idea: $100 oil should be the expectation.

There will always be ups and downs, but the lead-up to 2008 was a clear bubble, and the crash in prices simply mirrored the huge shock to the global economy. But as a recent infographic demonstrates, the oil market has seen some fundamental changes that will keep prices well above the levels we saw at the low point of the recession.

• Developing demand - In 2007, before the worst of the run-up in prices, the globe consumed around 85 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), according to numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. alone made up nearly one-quarter of that, and Europe was another fifth. By 2012, American demand had actually fallen by more than 2 million bpd even after largely recovering from the Great Recession. European demand fell nearly as much. Yet, global consumption rose by nearly 3 million bpd, driven by growth in developing economies like China (2.7 million bpd), Saudi Arabia (844,000 bpd) and India (600,000 bpd). 
• Rising costs - While China is certainly driving the demand end of the equation, there are pressures on the supply side as well. Many Americans have heard about how hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - has helped sparked a domestic energy boom, and wonder why that isn't leading to lower prices. The problem is that these techniques are driving production purely because of these high prices. Production costs for conventional oil deposits vary dramatically from region to region, but tend to range around $20 or $30 per barrel. For fracking, the break even point is often closer to $80 per barrel.

With conventional wells starting to slow down and more oil coming from expensive new sources, oil investments are increasingly protected by the fact that nobody in the industry can afford for prices to drop too far below $100 per barrel. That means it might take some patience to wait out economic dips, but if you're worried about oil selling for cheap, you're probably worried about nothing.

Six Ways to Save Money on Your Home Technology

Technology can easily become very expensive, but it does not have to. Here are six ways you can save money on your home technology.

1. Shop Around

One of the easiest and quickest ways to save money on home technology you are looking to buy is to simply shop around before you make your purchase. A gadget’s price can vary widely from store to store. Compare prices for both online and brick and mortar stores on the internet. One quick search could save you hundreds of dollars!

2. Shop Sales

Being patient can really pay off if you wait until your gadget is on sale before you buy it. Black Friday is the most well-known sale day for electronics, but it isn’t the only one. Cyber Monday, Black Friday’s online counterpart, happens the Monday after Thanksgiving. Good deals can also be found during Back to School time and Christmastime as well.

3. Take Advantage of Rewards Programs

Some stores offer incentives for you to shop with them. They may offer you a free product or a money saving coupon after you spend a certain dollar amount at their store. If there is a technology product you buy frequently, like printer cartridges, you can end up saving some real money this way. Of course, skipping buying new cartridges and just getting a printer cartridge refill is a good option too.

4. Buy Used or Refurbished

Another good option is buying your electronics used or refurbished. With so many people always looking to upgrade as soon as possible, it is completely possible to get a used phone or television that has not actually been used that much. If it is relatively new and still works well, why pay more?

5. Get Rid of Excess Features

Make sure you are not paying more than you should for features you don’t even use. If you mostly watch local channels, you may not need the top-of-the-line cable package. If you have a cell phone you use for all your calls, you may want to get rid of your landline. You may choose to buy the basic printer without the fax and scanner you have no use for.

6. Ignore the Joneses

One of the best ways to save on technology is simply to ignore the Joneses. Use your phone awhile longer instead of always having to have the latest and greatest upgrades right away. Take care of the electronics you have so they last. Buy last year’s model.

Using these six tips will ensure that you will have the technology you love without spending an arm and a leg to get it.

Is It Too Late For Life Insurance?

Life insurance is one of the most important purchases you can make, and can also be one of the most expensive. Perhaps you are young, or started working young, and could not afford life insurance or you didn’t think it was important at the time. Now you are a little older and seeing the need for life insurance. You might have a family and children now, and you want to make sure they are cared for and not left in financial need should anything happen to you. You might be thinking it’s too late for life insurance, but it is never too late to purchase life insurance. This article will discuss how elderly individuals can purchase life insurance, and will discuss the different options available to you. After reading this article, hopefully you will be better equipped with the knowledge of how to purchase life insurance, and you and your family can continue stress free.

When looking for a life insurance policy, it is important to sit down and think about your needs. You may want to consider your health issues or needs you currently have, the number of family members you have, your age, income, etc. There are several factors that impact the cost of life insurance, as well as help you determine what type of life insurance you will need. Make a list of what you want out of your life insurance policy and bring it when you speak to the representative.

Temporary/Permanent

There are two basic categories of life insurance: temporary and permanent. Temporary life insurance means that you are being protected for a specific amount of time, and the policy will only cover death expenses during that time, and nothing else. Permanent life insurance means that the policy increases in value over time, and you cannot cancel the policy. These policies are typically better for those starting young, as the price increases over time and with age, thus making is expensive for the elderly.

Insurance Representatives

The best way to obtain life insurance is to speak directly with the representative of the company you are interested in. It is a good idea to research several different companies and narrow down your choices. Research can be done online or with a family member with whom you trust to help you in your search. Once you narrow your choices down, you can then call, or have your family member call, and get more information over the phone or in a personal meeting. Make sure you ask all the questions you want to ask, that way you get all the information you need. Visiting life insurance brokerage general agencies will be helpful.

Although you may think it might be difficult to obtain life insurance when you are elderly, it is not as hard as it seems. Although health issues are a factor, there are policies available that offer coverage despite health risks and issues. Doing your research is an important piece to obtaining a life insurance policy.

About the AuthorAshley Parker is a caregiver for her mother, and she has researched several different policies for life insurance. She suggests taking a look at a local brokerage general agency for more ways to secure your family’s financial future. 

Make Extra Money By Renting Out Your Static Caravan

English: The caravan park at Pease Bay A high quality static caravan holiday home park in a secluded bay. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the early day of the package holiday, we all loved to save up and get away from it all on our “two weeks in the sun”. But against the background of the credit crunch and recent economic woes the financial landscape has changed and many of us simply can’t afford to holiday abroad any more.

Despite the unpredictability of our British summer, the undeniable cash savings of holidaying in the UK have driven a massive growth in the “staycation”.

A large chunk of this new holiday market is based around static caravans, usually a cheaper option than staying in a hotel or renting a house. With the added attraction for holiday makers, that the holiday parks the caravans are on usually have entertainment and facilities to hand right there.

Suddenly things look more and more attractive for static owner to start or increase the time that they rent out their caravan. As popularity is growing the financial benefits of renting out your static move from a way to try to offset the costs of your family holiday home, to a reasonable way to actually make some money from what can actually be a relatively low upfront cost.

Obviously for an owner moving into rental for the first time can be a little daunting. Although they will be used to the various site fees associated with static ownership, renting to others can throw up new issues and costs, such as specific rental insurance and regular gas and electrical safety checks.

There are a growing number of websites and forums where owners and potential owners can find information and advice, but a great starting point is the National Association of Caravan Owners website. You can find plenty of advice and information about costs and issues around the ownership and renting out. In particular you will want to look into insurance issues and they can help with quotes for that.

Borne out of a need for some kind of group or association representing the caravan owners themselves when dealing with park owners or manufacturers, the National Association of Caravan Owners are can provide support, information and even legal advice where required.

The obvious way to rent out your static, especially on some of the larger big company owned sites, is to rent via the park owners themselves. Obviously the services the parks provide and of course the charges they make (often they just take their cut from the payment the holiday makers make direct to them) vary and its essential to read any rental contracts before you sign and ensure you understand the costs and responsibilities on either side. This is an easy and reasonably hassle free way to rent, but is usually the most expensive method you can use.

In order to maximise your income you may decide to take on the role yourself and deal with all the renting and booking issues directly. With the advent of forums and websites it is now easier than ever to get set up online and start to make extra money from your caravan.

Getting a Business Loan - Is it a Good Idea?

In this day and age, where money is almost everything, one should always know how to spend it wisely. But try as you may, today's economy is at an unstable position. With people losing their jobs because of the recession, it is sometimes a wise investment to try your hand in business. Whether it's a big restaurant or a small kiosk that sells t-shirts, what's important is that you know how to handle it.

This is especially true for people who are on the ready to retire from work. While there is pension, it's usually a good move to invest in business once retirement is very near.

The trick into handling a business is to make decisions quickly and wisely. Oftentimes, people don't like to face a decision because they end up wasting too much time thinking about it. More often than not, people usually make the wrong move when they decide quickly.

One of the things that needs a quick yet wise decision is whether you need to get a business loan or not. A business loan can help you fix any financial issues that you might have with your current business. Business loans are usually in favor of people who are starting or already have a small business. Of course, a business loan is all but free; there are things that you need to think about before you decide to get a business loan.

First, the basics. A business loan can mean two things; it's either a small business loan or a business expansion loan. A small business loan, as the name suggests, is meant for small businesses while a business expansion is for people who are planning on expanding their services or products. Both business loans are meant to help people with certain financial issues, like debt financing, surety bonding and equity financing.

I know, the terms are too complicated so we'll avoid those for now and just focus entirely on business loans.

So, should you get a business loan then? That entirely depends on your situation. If your company has financial obligations that needs to be settled as soon as possible, then a business loan is feasible. Unless if you have any other options, then you may as well get a loan. However, you need to ask yourself if you have a good plan on how to spend the money. List your financial priorities down and only use your money for things that are very important for your business. Doing this will help in maintaining the financial integrity of your business. Remember that even borrowed money, if well-invested, can actually help you gain profit and the money you need to pay off your business loan.

Also, keep in mind that different loan companies have different methods. For example, All Business Loans, an online business loan company, allow tax deductible loans and that a good credit is not required. Opportunity Fund has no application fees, but requires a good credit history. This means that you should not have any current delinquencies, tax liens or open bankruptcies. There are hundreds of loan companies out there or in the Internet, so if ever you do need to get one, then get in line or get online.

So, is getting a business loan a good idea? It will be, if you use the money wisely.

About the Author:

Jessica Greenberg is an avid blogger from San Diego, California. When she's not busy writing blog posts for Wordbaristas.com, she's usually in her bedroom, reading a novel or two.

Buying Local Movement: Is it Really Helping?

In 2010, Wal-Mart announced it would join the buy local movement by increasing their purchase of locally grown produce from farmers in areas where Wal-Mart stores are present. This is a giant leap for the buy local movement which has been around for decades but has received more media attention lately. As local economies struggle to rebuild, the buy local movement is meant to empower local economies and create self-sustaining areas around the globe. But is it really working and is it realistic?

What is the Buy Local Movement Exactly?

Some of you may have noticed a sticker in the window of your local Main Street shop which encourages you to buy local. The purpose of this initiative is to get consumers to buy food, products, and services from your local community. This allows local communities to keep consumerism within their local economy, reduce environmental effects of importing products, and help build a sense of community.

In some areas, co-ops have been developed to bring local farmers and product manufacturers to one location and allow them to reach local consumers. If you have ever shopped at a local farmers market, you have contributed to the buy local movement. This guarantees your money stays within your community and creates a local economy separate from the national economic climate.

Is it Working?

In 2009, there were 6,132 farmer's markets nationwide. In 2010 this number increased to 7,175. Of the money spent by buying local, 73% was reinvested in the community versus the 10% from large chain stores. This shows that buying local does in fact work. Your dollars spent on farmer John's corn will eventually be spent at Suzie's hair salon or Patty's Ice Cream Parlor. Those who sell local are more likely to buy local, keeping the community economy thriving.
Benefits of Buying Local

Aside from the economic benefits of buying local, there are many health and quality benefits. 27% of the people who buy local do it for the freshness and taste of produce. 19% buy local for the confidence that they are buying a quality product and know where it comes from. And 15% of the people enjoy the sense of community they get from purchasing products and services from their neighbors rather than a faceless brand.

For those selling products and services, you will reap the rewards. On average, those local businesses that launch a "buy local" campaign find a 55% increase in customer loyalty and a 47% increase in new customers. Buying local is the trendy thing to do.

Getting Involved in Buying Local

There are many different ways to get involved in the movement. Whether you are a business owner or a consumer, you can still be proactive in increasing the buy local initiative in your community. You may have seen the advertisements in the windows, banners around town, or posters in your community center that shows the various local businesses that offer locally made or grown products. Shopping at these participating businesses will keep your money in your community.

If you are a small business owner, be sure you advertise your buy local spirit. Shop window displays, business cards, or even a stamp on your website should show you are participating in the buy local movement to entice local consumers to buy your product or services.
Buy Local vs. Fair Trade: Which is Better for Farmers?

On the other side of the buy local coin is fair trade. For many produce growers this is a method of increasing profit. In 2010, the fair trade sales reached $2 billion in the US, and $4 billion internationally. For farmers, there is more profit in fair trade as well as credit for harvests before they come in. This assures the farmer's success rather than hoping for sales locally.

The profitability alone is enticing enough for large growers to get involved in fair trade, especially in areas where local commerce is limited. However, for smaller farmers, there is a lot to be said about selling at the local grocer or farmer's market. Keeping the community economy strong, assuring better quality and taste, and creating a sense of community can drive any grower to the local market.

Cost of Localization

There are many local farmer's markets where you can find a great deal on a bushel of corn. However, in Alaska, you may find it hard to find a good price on locally grown strawberries. The reason for this is simple, the care and equipment needed to keep produce safe from the climate can be costly. If you lived in Florida, you can walk outside and pick an orange for free, since it is a local product. In Nevada, you wouldn't have that option.

As nice as it would be to keep only locally grown produce in the grocery store, it is unrealistic if you are shopping on a budget. The end result of 100% locally grown produce is increased prices on "good" foods and consumers being drawn to the cheaper alternative, the "bad" foods. Fruits and vegetables which are high in nutrients will be cast aside for cheaper "fast foods". Growing outside of the natural limited regions can be a costly endeavor resulting in costly shopping.

There are many benefits to buying locally, and yet there is still a need for fair trade. Ideally if every major chain increased locally grown produce to 10%, we could still sustain local economies while keeping prices low on fair trade produce from regions where it is natural to grow. Complete localization is currently ineffective and costly, however, visit your local farmer's market and support your community as much as possible and perhaps in the future science will find a low cost way to grow strawberries in the Alaskan mountains.

Amy Chandler is an environmental blogger and small business owner who utilized www.discountbannerprinting.co.uk to get her buy local signs made. Follow her on Twitter @DBPamy.