Yes, you could continue on your merry way, spending money on the wrong types of things for all the wrong reasons.  We’ve all done this.  But we don’t have to keep doing things this way.  To give you an assist, you can get some ideas and inspiration from New American Dream.

It is important to consider the long-term consequences of your purchases.  For example, what does it really mean to workers and the environment to buy bananas?   Here’s what (the site requires a simple and free registration). 

And what about bottled water?  It really is a big deal in the aggregate. 

Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.

Why should we strive to eat local food?

Estimates on how long the average food travels from pasture to plate range from 1200 to 2500 miles. A lot of energy is expended freezing, refrigerating, and trucking that food around. Eating locally grown food means less fossil fuel burned in preparation and transport. Local food is often safer, too.

How else could you benefit by spending wisely and consciously?  Maybe you can avoid some of the insanity of the Christmas season. 

We offer tips on how to simplify the holidays by focusing less on stuff and more on connections with family, friends, fun, peace, and even a little rest and relaxation.

There are a lot of tips at this site, some seemingly more worthy than others–but truly lots of ideas for turning you into a responsible consumer.  And you do want to be a responsible consumer, right?