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As summer vacation slowly draws to a close, it is time to put that money to good use. A new school year is right around the corner, and that means time to rack up on pencils, paper, new clothes and a plethora of other items.

School shopping is inevitable for those with children. We have a tendency to gawk at the long list of supplies that is required these days. Regardless of the length of the shopping list, it is important to spend that money —which you have to spend anyways — locally. Money spent locally can only help the local economy.

The desire to log on to a computer and order everything online is strong. The want to head out of town during tax free weekend is even stronger, but by shopping locally, your money goes to good use. When you shop locally, a decent amount of the tax dollars stays local. That money can be eventually used for schools, road work, put to good use by city police or fire departments and much more.

An article by the USA Today states that for every $100 you spend in a local business, $68 stays in your local community. When that money is spent at a local branch of a chain store (Walmart, JC Penny, etc.), $43 remains locally. Almost no money stays locally if you purchase products online.

In addition to your tax dollars staying local, you are also helping out a neighbor if you buy products from their small business. This can turn into that small business being able to hire another employee, thus continuing the growth of the community.

If all of this doesn’t inspire you to spend your money locally, then shopping in your town at least saves you some money. If you’re going to shop at a large chain store, it is much easier and cheaper to take a car trip to the local Walmart than it is to drive over 50 miles to Knoxville – where you would likely spend $200 purchasing the same items that can be found in your local community.

So when you are thinking about making a trip out of town to do your school shopping, just remember that money spent locally is money used locally.