They say that Money is Power
How do you spend your power?
As consumers, we have more power than ever to affect change. To be conscious of where our hard-earned dollar goes into supporting and ultimately funding businesses. I'm not going to lie, I do like a bargain and try my best to get the best price possible. However as I become more aware of the money in my bank account and the change in consumer/business behaviour, one cannot deny the power to affect change.
A good example is when it comes to movies. Movies featuring people of colour or women as leads generally don’t get made or have big budgets. I remember when Crazy Rich Asians and Black Panther came out and I saw strong community unity supporting both films, knowing that showing support with your wallet showed that films like these are bankable and worth being made regularly. You can see this from a local scale, big companies versus small chains and problematic businesses that don't reflect social values that are important like equality and diversity.
Nowadays I am hyper-conscious of brands and stores I shop in. If I don’t see myself in campaigns or staff I fail to see why my money should go to a business that doesn’t see me. Voices are strong, but voices with money behind the are much stronger. Every time I spend money I am aware of how that is a vote towards a said business over another. The support of their practices in front of the scenes and behind. It’s not a perfect strategy and like I said I do like a bargain. But I am learning to be more aware of how my dollars speak. And when I’m employed again I will know how to best spent my money to reflect my voice.