The thing to know about me is: I’m a petty bitch. I will boycott a company or organization at the drop of a MAGA hat. I will slam my wallet shut at the mere sniff of a policy I don’t like.

Boycotts have been my preferred method of protest for ages. Not because I think it actually hurts the company or organization (Let’s be real here: these companies don’t care or even know I exist), but because it makes ME feel better. It makes ME feel like I’m doing something. I am happy and willing to spend based (almost) entirely on my conscience with companies that align with my values, even if it costs a bit more.

My longest boycott has been Nike. I have been involved in a single-person boycott of Nike over its decision to “renew their relationship” with animal torturer Michael Vick back in 2011. I have not bought a single Nike item since then and I will continue to steer my money away from them.

Similarly, I hate the Walton family. They have obscene amounts of money and they don’t give back to their employees or communities. They’ve decimated communities with their cheap imported crap and have run small businesses everywhere out of business. So, they are my absolute last choice for anything.

After a couple of visits to Southeast Asia where I saw all the trash and single-use plastics from other countries washing up on the beautiful beaches, I decided I wanted to spend my money on more sustainable household products, so I made the switch and focused on buying sustainable goods.

Hobby Lobby. Chick Fil A. Home Depot. SeaWorld. My boycott list is not short.

Of course, I’m going to boycott any company or organization that aligns itself with the current administration (looking at you, Amazon). Instead, I support retailers that have chosen to keep their DEI programs (thank you, Costco).

I re-downloaded my Goods Unite Us app (I had taken it off my phone. Silly, hopeful child.) and have wielded it like a shopping sword of justice, hacking away companies that donate heavily to Republicans.

More importantly, I’ve been trying to reduce my consumerism overall because I don’t want this administration to have any good economic news whatsoever. I want it to be all doom-and-gloom headlines, like the recent ones we’ve seen about Walmart’s stock taking a tumble due to lower sales (quelle tragique) or Target’s foot traffic falling after it rolled back its DEI initiatives (I used to consider Target one of the good guys, so this one is a bummer – but FAFO, I always say.)

I told you: I am a petty, petty bitch.

I assumed people knew how to avoid companies they don’t like and shop at the ones they do. I figured it out. Surely others would as well.

But apparently, I was wrong, because lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social (Threads and BlueSky) along the lines of “If I can’t shop at Target, where am I supposed to buy [preferred brand]?” Or: “I wish Walmart wasn’t my only option. I live in a very rural area. So unless I drive 3 hours which isn’t feasible I’m stuck with Walmart.”

I’ve commented on several of these posts with the places and resources I use, and basically, all I get back are a bunch of excuses. “I don’t have the time. The alternatives are too far away/ too expensive/don’t have everything I need/like/am used to using. I’m only one person and don’t need/can’t store bulk items from Costco.”

To which I say: Suck it up, buttercup.  

If you really want to spend according to your values, you’re going to have to put in some effort. A boycott is not meant to be easy. It involves work. Find a substitute. Try a different brand. Shop at a different store. Drive further. Order directly from the manufacturer and get comfortable with longer shipping times.

Or, go without it. We all know that we don’t need the majority of crap we buy on any given day anyway. I loved Target, but a quick trip for one item would often lead to a bunch of impulse purchases as well. The ease and quick dopamine rush of Amazon Prime led me to hit “buy now” on a ton of things that I probably didn’t need.

So, first and foremost, I’m really trying to be slower and more mindful of purchases overall rather than just substituting or buying elsewhere.

Boycotting brands and companies you already use will be uncomfortable and yes, inconvenient. So is the alternative, which is sitting by and letting big corporations kowtow to the Orange Dick-Tater and his South African lapdog. You will get used to it. Heck, you might even find you like the substitute item or new store better.

This type of advocacy is a “do what you can if you can” situation. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Shop at your local grocery store, stick to a list, and buy just the essentials. If you have to order from Walmart or Target — do curbside pickup only to avoid impulse purchases. Even cutting back on your big store purchases (buying your favorite baby wipes at Target but purchasing the rest of your items elsewhere) is better than nothing and still sends a message to big corporations.

And if you can, consider participating in the “24-Hour Economic Blackout” on February 28. It’s a nationwide economic protest against corporate greed and price gouging from big companies. That means no purchases either online or in stores on Friday, February 28.  

There are other, more targeted economic blackouts planned, including Amazon (March 7-14) and Walmart (April 7-14).

My favorite minimalist Shira Gill has some advice and resources on how to align your spending with your values. One of the websites she mentions The Honest Consumer, has a list of 10 Better Places to Buy from Instead of Target & Walmart.

For me personally, I use a lot of online resources, especially when we are at our house in West Virginia (which has ZERO Costco stores in the entire state). The only options close to us are a Walmart, a Food Lion, and multiple dollar stores.

For pet supplies (my biggest expense and indulgence), I use Chewy. The nearest PetSmart or Petco to us in WV is an hour away but I’ve even started using Chewy when we are in Alexandria as well. I love them that much.

For sustainable household items, I use Grove Collaborative. Everything from cleaning supplies to trash bags to toilet paper and paper towels, I get shipped from there monthly/bimonthly. They also have personal care and wellness items, but I tend to be more product-loyal to these categories, so I haven’t really delved into theirs.

For haircare, face/body care, cosmetics, I order from Credo Beauty (lots of luxury sustainable brands) and Ulta, which has a strong DEI focus. I’ve also ordered from Kitsch, a small, woman-owned business in LA. For my favorite curl cream – AG Recoil – I order direct from the manufacturer. They have a bulk refill pouch so I can refill my existing bottles, which helps with my goal of further cutting down on waste. (Although, Ulta does carry this brand as well).

Note: For things I order direct from the manufacturer (like Kitsch shampoo/conditioner bars, my AG:Recoil curl cream) I tend to order multiples at a time or in bulk to cut down on the cost and environmental impact of shipping single items (plus the delivery times tend to be a bit slower).

Books are probably my other spending weakness. I like to support authors, so I generally buy a couple of books a month. For years, I bought my books on Amazon, especially ebooks that I could read on my Kindle.

BUT, I am so excited that Bookshop.org, which supports small and local booksellers, recently rolled out ebooks. We have a great bookstore near us in West Virginia – Wordplay in Wardensville – which is our go-to resource when we are in the area. Now, I am beyond excited to support them with my ebook purchases as well going forward (instead of Bezos).

I’ve downloaded the Bookshop app and I can now purchase ebooks via the app, which I can read on my phone or my laptop. Basically, the books can be read through any device where you can download the app, which includes a tablet or another Android-enabled ereader.

It does not, however, work with Kindle (surprise, surprise), so I’m currently researching Kindle-alternative ereaders (Boox and Meebook are the big ones. Also, BigMe and I think, PocketBook).

Food is a bit tricky in West Virginia. There are no Trader Joe’s anywhere in the state. We are very fortunate that there’s a TJ’s one block from our house in Alexandria, so we often load up there before we drive out to WV. We also stop at Costco on the way to buy items like toothpaste, coffee beans, soy milk, sparkling water, spices, meats, cheeses, and of course, a rotisserie chicken.

When we are in WV, I mostly shop at our local grocery store chain, Food Lion. We’re also lucky to have so many great farmstands out there, especially during the summer for fruits and vegetables. There’s a butcher we like very much (Farmer’s Daughter) and our local co-op-type store/bakery, Wardensville Garden Market. During the pandemic, we ordered meats and seafood from Wild Fork Foods, and they were really good quality.  

So that’s it. That’s how I boycott brands that don’t align with my values and where I spend my money instead. Go forth and be petty!

(This is Bezo’s $400 million yacht, by the way. I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to miss my coins. Nevertheless, we persist.)