shopping

Packing for college made me realize exactly how much stuff I have.  In my short 19 years of life, I have managed to accumulate enough stuff to fill up probably over 20 bins.  Part of this is because I can't pass up a bargain.  I have always been a fan of bargains, the cheaper the better.  My rational behind shopping at cheaper stores was: 1. that I didn't want to spend money because I don't have that much and 2. because as a christian, I believe  being a good steward of my money is the right thing to do.

Around the time that I was packing for college, I learned just how many of the items I buy at "cheap stores" are made in sweatshops.  Modern day slave labor.  I realized what I was supporting by shopping at stores that are cheap; child labor, men and women working for nothing, unfair working conditions, and unethical treatment.  Basically, I was helping to strip these people of the dignity God gave them so I could get a bargain.

I've hear many people say that it's better to give these people jobs than to let them starve, but the Church teaches otherwise.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1753:

"The end does not justify the means"

Yes, giving these people jobs is a good outcome, but the means of doing this, are not ok.  The giving of jobs does not make stripping people of their dignity ok.

After having a good and hard think about this issue, I decided to try to shop less and much more smartly.    Shopping less is pretty self-explanatory.  Shopping more smartly is a little buit  harder, and I'm still trying to figure it out.  It definitely is not something that happens at the snap of a finger, it takes effort and time.

I bought a book called the Better World Shopping Guide. This book is a very handy, pocket sized book that ranks companies according to how ethical and environmentally friendly the company is.  Although  it does not deal only with the sweatshop issue, it does take this matter into consideration when rating the companies.  It is a very easy way to start "voting with your money" as other people say.  You can make a difference in your everyday grocery shopping jut by changing the brand of granola bars you buy.

I've also started researching fair trade companies.  I am so proud of the new sandals I bought from Sseko Designs.  These sandals are made by women in Uganda.  Here's what the website says about them:

The base of the sandals are hand made from genuine leather.  Every pair of sandals comes with a pair of straps.  The base of the sandals, regardless of the pattern or color of the strap you choose, are made the same.  Each sandal has five anchor points to loop the straps through that allow you to tie your sandals differently everyday!

And I really have tied them differently everyday!  They are also comfy (I've worn them to class everyday since I got them!)  Although they are a bit of an investment, once you buy the base, the straps are only $8-10.  You could also make your own using ribbon or material a friend of mine pointed out.  Just add up the cost of all the sandals you will buy in the future and I'm sure it will be more than buying one pair of Ssekos will cost.  Buying less and buying smartly...there you go!

Go check them out!  They would make great gifts!