Last week I talked about the biggest shopping days of the year–Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and established in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday.

As a small business myself, being a professional blogger and freelance writer as well as a sporadic web designer and developer, I am grateful and downright ecstatic when any business, corporation, or single person decides to do business with me. They could have very well hired a huge PR firm or invested in ad space in a prominent women’s publication, or they could have recruited the help of a content writing or web design and development firm. Instead, they decided to invest in me, and by extension, in the well-being of my household.

Deciding to start a small business, take over a family business, or become a business yourself is a huge and risky decision for anyone to make. It means taking chances, resigning yourself to an uncertain financial future, and hoping everything will work out. Knowing that applies to my own life is enough to make me really want to pay it forward to support the people in my own community who have taken the same leap.

While I have my own reasons as to why I am so passionate about shopping small businesses, you may have your own reasons; and if you don’t, well, I have a few to share with you.

There are a ton of benefits to shopping small businesses. For one, the money you spend at local establishments stays local. The people who own the small business you frequent use the money they earn to support themselves, their families, and their households. They pay their monthly bills to the companies who provide services to your community; they shop at the local supermarket for their groceries, and they stop at the local cafe for a quick coffee in the middle of their days. When you shop small businesses, you know that you are providing these places with the finances they need to stay in business, and in turn, they are also helping to keep your local economy thriving.

Small businesses tend to be financially conscious. Not having the same influx of cash as the corporations we all know so well, small business owners have to make each dollar count, making them increasingly aware of the costs related to utilities, packaging, and even advertising. When you shop small businesses, you know that your money is being spent wisely, which is always a comforting thought because we all work hard to earn each dollar we bring in.

Because small businesses have to spend wisely, they tend to use less resources to run their businesses, and therefore have a much smaller carbon footprint when compared to larger businesses with more financial backing. See, small businesses aren’t just good for your local economy, they are good for the planet!

Want to help small businesses in your community? Mark your calendars for Small Business Saturday on November 24th and find a list of places to shop small that are local to you. You can also show your support and share your small business stories on Twitter using hashtag #SmallBizSat.

Do you feel passionately about supporting the businesses in your community? Why do you shop small?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.