Mindful Shopping: A Grace-Filled Guide

Practical ways to ditch Amazon and shop your values

Today I’m super excited to introduce you to my friend, Elicia, who writes at The Hands We Hold. It’s a rare and lovely thing to meet someone whose venn diagram of interests so closely matches my own. From her love of books and great food, to her commitment to integrating faith with justice, I have been continuously encouraged and inspired by her writing.

I asked Elicia to join me in this space to talk about one of the things we’re both passionate about: using our economic power to vote for the things we care about.¹ For us, that’s meant shifting away from big box retailers like Amazon and towards smaller, local retailers and other businesses who are committed to fair workplace practices.

Making a shift like this is not easy. For many of us, Amazon has been woven into our day to day lives for years, even decades, and stepping away can feel overwhelming, if not impossible. We’re not here to tell you to completely overhaul every single expense in your life. Instead, we want to offer the mindset shifts and simple swaps that have helped us, and help you find ways to shop that feel aligned with your values, your budget, and your lifestyle.

8 Ways to Rethink Your Shopping Habits

1. Consider Your Why: This is your chance to consider what matters to you. There are many reasons you might be rethinking where you shop right now. Understanding your "why" is the first step in reclaiming your economic power and will make decision-making easier for your brain to handle. Maybe it’s prioritizing environmental justice or sustainability. Maybe it’s supporting local businesses for community health. Maybe it’s fair wages or union support or a commitment to equity and inclusion. Maybe it’s simply freeing yourself from mindless consumption and focusing on high-quality, long lasting products. Whatever it is, this is the thing you want to come back to every time you’re ready to click “purchase.”

2. Start Where You Can: You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Pick an area that excites you—maybe it’s food, fashion, makeup, or gifting. You could also start where you spend the most money or make an easy switch that gives you a confidence boost. Small wins build momentum.

3. The Goal Isn’t to Be a “Perfect” Consumer- It can be very easy to fall into perfectionism, shame, and overwhelm when considering our shopping choices. Let us be very clear: There is no “perfect” way to ethically shop. We all have different considerations based on personal budgets, geographic location, and our own values. Make changes that work for your family. Celebrate progress, not perfection.

4. Think About Where You Shop—and What You Buy: Supporting ethical brands can be just as meaningful as choosing retailers. Keep an eye out for smaller and local brands by scanning the shelves—they’re often on end caps! They don’t get the prime real estate like major brands do. When they go on sale, stock up if you can.

5. Shop Small, Make a Big Impact: Supporting small businesses isn’t just about strengthening the local economy, but fostering community connections. Whether it’s grabbing coffee from a family-owned café, dining at a neighborhood restaurant, or purchasing handmade goods from an artisan market, each choice makes a difference. Many small businesses also collaborate with local suppliers, keeping even more dollars circulating close to home.

   Many local farmers participate in CSA (community-supported agriculture) programs that pay them for the upfront costs of food production. Some offer delivery programs or meet-up locations where customers can connect with them and other customers during pick-ups. Shopping small isn’t just a transaction—it’s an opportunity to think about our neighbors.

6. Delete Apps: Consider deleting the apps, even if you plan to boycott just for a season, it’s like scrolling through pictures of your toxic- ex. It will limit the distractions and slow your purchases down, allowing time and space to consider the purchase.

7. Second-hand, Hand-me Downs and Bartering: Shopping second-hand is a treasure hunt, so if you’re new consider going with a friend to help you shop or make Facebook Marketplace a stop before you head to the store. Gifting hand-me-downs is a parent’s way of saying “I see you” and is helpful on the budget. Passing along “fancy” clothes that are hardly worn is a sustainable practice to avoid fast fashion.

   Bartering is still alive! As a small business owner, I (Elicia) would often meet makers at shows or online and it’s a regular practice to barter with one another. Many of my favorite gifts have been bartered!

8. Buying Less: Resistance can also involve simply shopping less, which is a bonus benefit of ditching big-box retailers like Target and Amazon. Giving up the ease and convenience of a quick click can result in less spending overall, which is great for our wallets and the planet. Brittany's Notebook has a great resource discussing more ways to reduce consumption overall.

A Few of Our Favorite Swaps

If you’re ready to ditch Amazon, but don’t know where to start, here are a few businesses we recommend. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we hope it provides some accessible swaps to get you inspired! In general, we always recommend shopping locally first—get to know your local hardware, grocer, book store, and boutiques! They depend on their neighbors to survive.

Subscription options

I (Courtney) personally love a subscription, and it was one of the things that was hardest for me to give up when moving away from Amazon. Luckily there are some wonderful options to help fill the gap, and still have the convenience of the products you use most showing up at your door without having to think about it.

Thrive Market- A great alternative to Whole Foods that specializes in organic and ethically and sustainably sourced groceries. We’ve also enjoyed their coffee, beauty, and cleaning products. They charge a yearly membership, but each membership also provides a free membership to students, teachers, veterans, nurses, and first responders. They also accept SNAP benefits.

Grove Collaborative-If you’re passionate about sustainability and environmental impact, try Grove Collaborative, which specializes in eco-friendly cleaning products and supplies, plus toiletries and personal/beauty care. You can subscribe and save to your favorite products or shop as-needed. I’m a big fan of their hand soap, Dr. Bronner’s all purpose cleaner, and cleaning cloths.

Flex- I (Courtney) could write a whole post about how the flex disc changed my life for the better, but for now, let me just encourage you to give their period products a try (or message me if you’re curious about them!). They offer a monthly subscription model or you can get a year’s supply for even cheaper.

EcoSlay- Wavy, curly, and kinky haired girls, this black owned business is incredible! They source ingredients from a local urban farm (LOVE), and their products really, truly work. I (Courtney) recommend the Orange Marmalade for all curly types, but they offer plenty of education and resources to find the right product for you. They also offer several subscription options!

Groceries

If you love Aldi…try Trader Joe's! You may have heard that Aldi owns Trader Joe’s. This isn’t completely true, as the Aldi (German company) that owns Trader Joe’s is not the same as Aldi (US). This is huge for those who are boycotting Aldi. If you have a Trader’s location near you, they are a great place to pick up harder-to-find produce like rapini, shishito peppers, and delicata squash in the fall. I (Elicia) will pick up more international products from their freezer section (kimbap, scallion pancakes and Indian sides) if we’re in alternating week’s at the Asian grocery store.

If you love WalMart or Sam’s Club…try Costco! Costco has continued to support inclusion in their workforce and their shopping experience, while also increasing wages and investing in an innovative affordable housing development. We (Courtney) buy almost all of our paper products, baking supplies (especially butter and vanilla extract!), kid’s granola bars/snacks, maple syrup, honey, and coffee (Crimson Cup!) here. We also love their giant block of Parmesan cheese and, of course, the $5 rotisserie chicken and forever $1.50 hot dog from the cafe.

Penzey’s Spices- If you’re lucky enough to have a Penzey’s spices near you, I encourage you to take an hour and let yourself enjoy it! It is consistently one of the happiest, kindest, and best smelling places I visit. Plus, their spices are top quality. If you don’t have a store, visit them online! They regularly have amazing sales on gift cards and offer special gifts.

Clothing

Pact is my (Courtney) go-to for basic organic cotton tees, and they also carry my favorite socks. They are committed to making sustainable clothing in fair trade certified factories where worker safety and a fair wage are prioritized. They also have a super easy, convenient return policy.

Elegantees provides dignified and fair wage employment to survivors and those at risk of human trafficking. It’s a first stop for colorful and comfortable tops, sweaters, dresses, and skirts. They also have excellent customer service with an actual human being.

Evolverie is committed to making affordable, ethically produced clothing. They pay workers a fair wage and use leftover/deadstock fabric to prevent waste. I love their transparent pricing model!

For kid’s clothing, try Primary. Quality, sustainably sourced, and gender neutral cotton clothing without brand names, logos, or weird “Future Heartbreaker” sayings. We get our matching Christmas jammies here every year! They pretty regularly offer 30% off sales.

The Intentional Closet by Jaimi Stewart has a fabulous and exhaustive list of ethical and fair clothing and shoe brands and online thrift options. We recommend checking out her deep dive if this is a spending category you’re looking to overhaul.

Books

The best place to buy a book is always your local book shop. I (Courtney) am a big fan of Storyline Bookshop and Cover to Cover Children’s Bookstore here in Columbus. If you’re wanting to purchase online, check out Bookshop.org, where every purchase supports a local bookstore of your choice! I (Elicia) like to support bookshops from the many places we’ve lived by ordering online. It’s my way of staying connected to the small businesses that I cherish and because many offer gift wrapping it ensures gifts arrive in style.

Don’t sleep on the library! Libraries offer more than books, including a plethora of resources like afterschool tutoring, community resources, and meeting spaces, with many acting as warming/ cooling centers for those in need. I (Elicia) have a very active reader, so there is no way our book budget could afford all the series he’s read through. And when we’re in need of a new series all we have to do is ask and the recommendations come pouring in! Shopping at the Friends of Library sales are always a great treasure hunt and an easy way to support the work of the library.

Gifting

Ten Thousand Villages is an absolute treasure trove of ethically sourced, handmade goods from around the world. With everything from kitchen and tableware to jewelry, accessories, and home decor, it’s one of my first stops when I need a unique, thoughtful gift.

Hands Producing Hope provides dignified work, education, and hope for women and families in Costa Rica and Rwanda. They're one of my favorite stops for unique, playful jewelry with lots of pops of color!

Etsy has long been a favorite of those who love a handmade gift. While the landscape of the platform has changed over the years, it remains a place to find one-of-a-kind gifts. If something is hot and trending on Amazon then chances are you can find it made by a small business on Etsy.

Sela Designs- A go-to for gorgeous jewelry and accessories. This company is committed to breaking cycles of generational poverty through ethical job creation.

Check out thefull Gifts that Give Back Guide for 20 more companies that prioritize people over profits.

Makeup

e.l.f beauty has been vocal in the last few months about its commitment to affordability, low waste packaging, and bridging the gender gap in the industry’s leadership. It’s easy to find at major retailers and is my (Elicia) go-to when I forget a makeup brush at home while on vacation.

Thrive Causemetics is a makeup and beauty company committed to helping community thrive through their give back program. Every purchase gives back, ranging from donations to communities impacted by wildfires or families experiencing homelessness.

What about you?

We’d love to hear from you! What businesses do you love to support? How are you rethinking your purchases? Feel free to shout out your favorite local businesses in the comments as well!

1. See Elicia’s post “No, Thanks, We’ll Shop Elsewhere” for more on this.