cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/6784

I see a lot of posts of people complaining that some import products from the EU are too expensive in their own country - namely there was a viral post about someone from Bulgaria sharing that the German Fritz Cola is 2x more expensive than the US alternatives.

In this movement no one is asking you to buy Fritz, buy Bulgarian alternatives first - I am sure there are plenty of bulgarian cola alternatives.

If you live in Bulgaria (ofc whichever country actually) this is best thing to do:

  1. ⁠Buy as local for your city, region you can get (support small companies, mom & pop shops, farmers etc)
  2. Buy generally Bulgarian stuff to support your own economy
  3. Buy EU stuff to support EU economy
  4. Buy Canada or any other ally nation stuff to support good relationship
  5. Buy from USA, China etc (arguably buy Chinese before american)

Ofc the list is just an example on the thought process, you can also make your own list based on your own convictions

Originally posted on Reddit

  • voodoocode@feddit.orgEnglish
    29·
    6 hours ago

    How about

    1. Buy nothing If not totally necessary. Try waiting a month If the immediate urge to own another thing goes away

    Edit of course this ist not meant for food…

    • Elvith Ma'for@feddit.orgEnglish
      10·
      5 hours ago

      Edit of course this ist not meant for food…

      I mean, if you wait a month to buy food, the immediate urge to get food will probably have gone away as every other urge you might have felt in that time 😅

      • tfm@europe.pubOPEnglish
        3·
        4 hours ago

        This is also the way to a more meaningful and fulfilling life!

        • Slaf4eg@feddit.orgEnglish
          3·
          2 hours ago

          Indeed. I’ve decided recently to start proper budgeting and getting into investments and I can already say just seeing how much money you spend on things has a huge impact on motivation when going to buy groceries, etc. There are usually not so many problems that need to be addressed (as in, what stuff would make your life easier and comfortable) and excluding all the things you’re tempted to buy in the moment has a huge effect on the budget. Even 100$/month spent on stuff you don’t need/harms you in some way is already 1200$/year. That’s a possible vacation right there. Or a boat for fishing. Or just a contribution to savings account/emergency fund. In a long run living healthy and enjoying more of free activities (like hiking or foraging) would make you happier anyway.

          • tfm@europe.pubOPEnglish
            2·
            1 hour ago

            It’s quite counterintuitive but most stuff is not an asset but rather a liability. You have to maintain, clean, store it. Messiness comes from having too much stuff. It’s almost impossible if you only have things that are really meaningful for you.

    • BananaOnionJuice@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      It’s an alternative diet if you use that rule on food, could be a bit dangerous. (I know you said that it should be used for food)

  • FortyTwo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 hours ago

    Though I like the spirit and intended message, so I don’t want to be too negative, I’m not personally too fond of this approach. Like you said, everyone can make their own considerations; I’ll add mine in case you find them interesting.

    A big obstacle that often comes up with joint European plans is that every country wants their own local companies to benefit. This has long been a problem with defence (though hopefully a bit less so now), everyone wants to do a little bit of everything, which often ends up with them doing it poorly, while the EU also misses out on the benefits of scaling up. Or from the perspective of consumers, it’s why we don’t have a proper European alternative for Netflix, but instead dozens of “meh” national subscription services. For food, it can be complex; on the one hand it’s good for the environment to reduce transportation emissions, on the other hand, transport is often a negligible part of the emission cost of produce compared to other factors (but not always). So it’s often better to import produce from countries where it grows well, than buying locally from producers who use costly (financially or environmentally) methods.

    It can get quite complex quite quickly. I’d say let’s consider local products as good options with potential advantages and disadvantages, but don’t necessarily view them as superior to other EU products. And let’s avoid falling into the trap of expecting direct national benefit from every individual EU initiative (not saying you specifically OP, just a general point).

  • Lemmist@lemm.eeEnglish
    301·
    6 hours ago

    Buy Russian products

    Facepalm. Russia is even worse than the USA. What is fucking wrong with you?

  • truthfultemporarily@feddit.orgEnglish
    3·
    4 hours ago

    That’s cool but as a community, let’s please stay encouraging towards anyone that moves away from US products, no matter how small the step.

    Many communities or movements have died because over time, they keep adding more requirements to be “a member” until only a very small group are “members”.

    • tfm@europe.pubOPEnglish
      1·
      4 hours ago

      Yes we have to keep it inclusive. However, it’s still not bad that we encourage people to buy as locally as possible.

  • dergewerkschafter@feddit.orgEnglish
    5·
    5 hours ago

    But if you always keep the following in mind: only buy where the ecological conditions are good and there is a high level of unionization or collective bargaining. :D That would be my wish, but I think that’s too much for many people who are just saying goodbye to US products.

  • mimavox@lemm.eeEnglish
    91·
    6 hours ago

    A local brewery here in Gothenburg, Sweden has started to sell their own “Freedom Cola” draped in the Ukrainian flag. I’ve yet to try it out.