careful

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I am a wicked pain in the ass when it comes to how and where I spend my money. Restaurants, grocery stores, department stores, gas stations... everything. I realize that a lot of people find my choosiness stupid and pointless. Does it really make much of a difference? I'm just one person, right?

Whether or not it matters to the places I avoid, it matters to me.

I'm not going to start my Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, I'm not going to buy one measly thing. Not one cup of coffee, not one cup of instant soup. I'm not lining up in the dead of night to buy toys at radically reduced prices. I don't shop at the stores with the best prices... I shop at stores that don't piss me off and sacrifice a few extra dollars for peace of mind.

Normally I don't broadcast my money-spending habits because no one really wants to hear it and I don't blame them. Occasionally, though, someone will ask me... why? And that's the best I can hope for.

Here's my Mobile Museum of Corporate Jerks! (I really tried not to use the word 'corporate' because it's gotten so cheesy, but, hell.) Truthfully, I have forgotten the reason I avoid some of these places. I just have to assume their evils are perpetual. And some of them may not have pissed me off, they're just monsters who probably don't need my money. Coca-Cola, for example. The New York Yankees of soft drinks.

-CVS
-Starbucks
-Kraft
-Home Depot
-Stop n Shop
-Nabisco
-Blockbuster
-Shell
-Shaw's
-Mobil
-McDonald's
-Coke
-Pepsi
-the Gap
-Wal-Mart
-Nestle
-Reebok
-Proctor and Gamble (too many to list)
-Frito-Lay
-Macy's
-Comp USA
-Oscar Meyer
-Gillette (Braun, Oral-B, Duracell AND Energizer batteries)
-Kodak
-Applebee's
-Toys R Us (unfortunately, my keyboard does not have a backwards 'R')
-Old Navy
-General Electric
-Nike
-FYE
-Domino's
-Hallmark (for no particular reason)

That's all I can think of for now. I'm currently trying to wean myself off of Dunkin' Donuts, which is a huge challenge.

Adios and happy Thanksgiving.