Let's Go Shopping
By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet
Our economy is a mess. I think we’d all be willing to acknowledge that on one level or another. While the political parties duke it out on how to balance the budget and reduce the debt, I suggest we all go shopping.
Lest I sound like a woman running away from her problems, let me explain.
I’m one of those people who believe that if we all chip in and do our part we can solve many of the economic problems on our own. We don’t need the Government to step in and help us support each other. We can do that on our own. As an entrepreneur I am particularly sensitive to supporting my fellow business folk. So I am going to be one of those people who ‘shops small’ this season. I am going to buy things from local, small, stores owned by people who live in the same city I do. There are so many other things we can buy that are a bit different. A bit more charming and personal. I’ve seen some lists that provide inspiration and I’ve got some creative ideas of my own. I thought I’d share them with you today since we’re all going to be on a dead run to do our shopping in the next month. So, ready. Set. GO!
Haircuts. Is there a salon or barber in your area that you can buy certificates from? Some people are hooked on one hairdresser but others would be grateful to get a gift of a haircut.
Oil Changes. I’m sure there’s a local car fix-it shop that does oil changes. A gift of a certificate to get that done would be helpful. We all need to change our oil.
Gym Memberships? This might be a BIG gift of a full year membership or it might be a trial certificate for one visit. Same thing for the local tennis club or even a golf course. That goes for trips to the local place where you can practice hitting balls.
Restaurants. I’d give certificates for breakfast out. What a nice treat for a weekend. Breakfast is the cheapest meal so you can get a good deal too. Good value for money.
Wine. Little wine shops are popping up all over. Some of them specialize in bottles of wine for under $10. There’s a sweet idea.
Jellies. Speaking of sweet ideas. You can pull up my recipe for homemade jellies made with no sugar and give healthy candy for Christmas
Nuts. Give nuts that you roast and season. If you email me I’ll send you a recipe for Zola’s Nuts. Just buy your supplies at the local grocery store. Even if it’s a chain it’s probably owned in the US and it supports local jobs.
Cleaning. How about you hire a cleaning lady for a woman in need? Just one day of cleaning can really spruce the place up.
Snow Removal. Maybe there’s a little old lady down the street who could really use her sidewalk cleaned this winter. How about you make up a homemade certificate and have your teenager on the hook to do the shoveling? I made a lot of money as a young teen shoveling snow. And I loved it. Same goes for cutting the grass. Or weeding the garden.
Plays. Buy tickets to a play. Local playhouse. Give the gift of culture.
Music. There are probably musical events in your area that you can buy tickets for too. Many people wouldn’t buy the tickets for themselves. They’d probably just stay home and watch TV, but if the tickets were purchased that would get them out of the house and maybe meet new people.
Crafts. The first weekend of December I’m going to a huge craft sale in Chicago. There will be about 400 vendors who are all local artisans, offering their wares. Everything from knitted scarves to pottery and art. Chicago does everything big but I am confident there’s something like this taking place in your town too.
Hardware. A gift certificate to the local hardware store could come in handy.
Handyman. Speaking of handy. How about you hire the services of a local handyman for a day for a person in need? Keep your neighbor off his ladder. He shouldn’t be cleaning out those gutters. Get some young buck to do it.
Charity. How about you donate to a local charity on behalf of a friend who doesn’t need gifts anyway? We have started this in our family. We just give a small gift and the rest of the funds go to someone who really needs it. This kind of gift feels good for everyone involved. Last year I got creative and gave charitable contributions based on the hobbies or preferences of the person whose gift it was. So if my recipient was an athlete I gave to an athletic charity. You’d be amazed at the massive number of charities you can find on the internet that really need help. And they can be local too.
A few years back some creative marketing genius came up with the idea of gift cards; those plastic things you find in the rack at just about every store. Well, we all jumped on that and it became a huge industry. How hard would it be to either buy the local certificates from stores near you, or make your own homemade certificates and then just wrap those in some creative fashion?
This list is meant to inspire. I’m sure you have some super ideas of your own. And your recipients will be thankful. You inspire me throughout the year to write and communicate from the Plan Z Diet with the world afar. And that’s a gift for me. Thank you.
Cheers,
Our economy is a mess. I think we’d all be willing to acknowledge that on one level or another. While the political parties duke it out on how to balance the budget and reduce the debt, I suggest we all go shopping.
Lest I sound like a woman running away from her problems, let me explain.
I’m one of those people who believe that if we all chip in and do our part we can solve many of the economic problems on our own. We don’t need the Government to step in and help us support each other. We can do that on our own. As an entrepreneur I am particularly sensitive to supporting my fellow business folk. So I am going to be one of those people who ‘shops small’ this season. I am going to buy things from local, small, stores owned by people who live in the same city I do. There are so many other things we can buy that are a bit different. A bit more charming and personal. I’ve seen some lists that provide inspiration and I’ve got some creative ideas of my own. I thought I’d share them with you today since we’re all going to be on a dead run to do our shopping in the next month. So, ready. Set. GO!
Haircuts. Is there a salon or barber in your area that you can buy certificates from? Some people are hooked on one hairdresser but others would be grateful to get a gift of a haircut.
Oil Changes. I’m sure there’s a local car fix-it shop that does oil changes. A gift of a certificate to get that done would be helpful. We all need to change our oil.
Gym Memberships? This might be a BIG gift of a full year membership or it might be a trial certificate for one visit. Same thing for the local tennis club or even a golf course. That goes for trips to the local place where you can practice hitting balls.
Restaurants. I’d give certificates for breakfast out. What a nice treat for a weekend. Breakfast is the cheapest meal so you can get a good deal too. Good value for money.
Wine. Little wine shops are popping up all over. Some of them specialize in bottles of wine for under $10. There’s a sweet idea.
Jellies. Speaking of sweet ideas. You can pull up my recipe for homemade jellies made with no sugar and give healthy candy for Christmas
Nuts. Give nuts that you roast and season. If you email me I’ll send you a recipe for Zola’s Nuts. Just buy your supplies at the local grocery store. Even if it’s a chain it’s probably owned in the US and it supports local jobs.
Cleaning. How about you hire a cleaning lady for a woman in need? Just one day of cleaning can really spruce the place up.
Snow Removal. Maybe there’s a little old lady down the street who could really use her sidewalk cleaned this winter. How about you make up a homemade certificate and have your teenager on the hook to do the shoveling? I made a lot of money as a young teen shoveling snow. And I loved it. Same goes for cutting the grass. Or weeding the garden.
Plays. Buy tickets to a play. Local playhouse. Give the gift of culture.
Music. There are probably musical events in your area that you can buy tickets for too. Many people wouldn’t buy the tickets for themselves. They’d probably just stay home and watch TV, but if the tickets were purchased that would get them out of the house and maybe meet new people.
Crafts. The first weekend of December I’m going to a huge craft sale in Chicago. There will be about 400 vendors who are all local artisans, offering their wares. Everything from knitted scarves to pottery and art. Chicago does everything big but I am confident there’s something like this taking place in your town too.
Hardware. A gift certificate to the local hardware store could come in handy.
Handyman. Speaking of handy. How about you hire the services of a local handyman for a day for a person in need? Keep your neighbor off his ladder. He shouldn’t be cleaning out those gutters. Get some young buck to do it.
Charity. How about you donate to a local charity on behalf of a friend who doesn’t need gifts anyway? We have started this in our family. We just give a small gift and the rest of the funds go to someone who really needs it. This kind of gift feels good for everyone involved. Last year I got creative and gave charitable contributions based on the hobbies or preferences of the person whose gift it was. So if my recipient was an athlete I gave to an athletic charity. You’d be amazed at the massive number of charities you can find on the internet that really need help. And they can be local too.
A few years back some creative marketing genius came up with the idea of gift cards; those plastic things you find in the rack at just about every store. Well, we all jumped on that and it became a huge industry. How hard would it be to either buy the local certificates from stores near you, or make your own homemade certificates and then just wrap those in some creative fashion?
This list is meant to inspire. I’m sure you have some super ideas of your own. And your recipients will be thankful. You inspire me throughout the year to write and communicate from the Plan Z Diet with the world afar. And that’s a gift for me. Thank you.
Cheers,
To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/
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