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I Love to Support Small Businesses…but $8 for Tea?!

While my parents were here, our tiny town hosted a downtown event titled “Sip N Stroll.” The purpose and concept was great. Our main street committee or organization, I’m not sure what you call it, has really worked hard to create events centered around the downtown area to drive traffic to the businesses there.

And although they cancelled the large annual Harvest Festival this year due to COVID, they have created several new smaller events to supplement. I, for one, am both grateful and impressed.

What is Sip N Stroll?

I digress…the Sip N Stroll encourage visitors to roam the downtown area with a $10 bingo card to be signed by the 13 participating downtown businesses. If you got at least 7 to sign your card, you earned a free ticket to an event at the downtown theatre (about a $5-10 value.)

And while you were strolling, each business provided a snack type food and your choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. They were sample size drinks, but it was good fun. I dragged my mom along and we were able to walk about a block of it together. (My dad was on standby to pick us up as we knew she wouldn’t last long but it was a fun way to exercise.)

New Business during COVID

During this event, we discovered a new business…a nutrition business per se. At least nutrition is part of their name. They were sampling their wares, and were actually opening the next day. They had a tea and a protein donut.

I was thrilled – low sugar, caffeine, healthy…score! We don’t have anything like that here at all. And I was super impressed that these women had pulled it together to pen a business during COVID when we have seen multiple businesses failing.

They are obviously bootstrapping it and that is totally okay. I am rooting for them!

But…

I stopped in this morning on the way to take over care-taking duties from my dad. The owner quickly informed me that aren’t taking credit cards yet, which was fine. There were so many options that I told her to choose for me.

A few minutes later, I had a large tea in hand, specialty tea mind you, and a price tag of $8…$8 for just the tea! Granted, it is a really large tea, larger than Starbucks Venti just for reference, but still $8!?!

I don’t know about this…but I’m still wishing them the best of luck. With that price tag though, it will have to be a treat rather than a regular purchase. Which in my mind is counter productive when you are trying to build a location based business in a tiny little town. But I have been wrong before…

Supporting Small Businesses

As I was driving away with my decidedly delicious tea, I got to thinking of ways I could support small businesses more. I mean, I get my staples from Walmart and Amazon. But this month’s challenge is Christmas shopping…

I have seen lots of posts on FB where people request their friends post links to their businesses to encourage supporting one another. I thought it might be neat to do here. If you have a small business or Etsy store or something similar that people might want to shop for Christmas presents, would you post it in the comments. I, for one, still have a number of Christmas gifts to get and the more I can support entrepreneurs, people’s side hustles and creatives, well, that’s all the better!

Hope

Hope is a resourceful and solutions-driven business manager who has spent nearly two decades helping clients streamline their operations and grow their businesses through project management, digital marketing, and tech expertise. Recently transitioning from her role as a single mom of five foster/adoptive children to an empty nester, Hope is navigating the emotional and practical challenges of redefining her life while maintaining her determination to regain financial control and eliminate debt.

Living in a cozy small town in northeast Georgia with her three dogs, Hope cherishes the serenity of the mountains over the bustle of the beach. Though her kids are now finding their footing in the world—pursuing education, careers, and independence—she remains deeply committed to supporting them in this next chapter, even as she faces the bittersweet tug of letting go.

Since joining the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015, Hope has candidly shared her journey of financial ups and downs. Now, with a renewed focus and a clear path ahead, she’s ready to tackle her finances with the same passion and perseverance that she’s brought to her life and career. Through her writing, she continues to inspire others to confront their own financial challenges and strive for a brighter future.

Preparing for End of Life

by Hope

My parents have now been here for two weeks and we anticipate they will stay through this week as well. We are so glad that came and have truly enjoyed getting to spend quality time with each of them.

I am especially glad my mom is getting to see her mother a couple of times a week. And we were able to celebrate my grandmother’s 93rd birthday together. We have all heard the horror stories about how families haven’t gotten to spend last moments together due to COVID.

When the Older Generations Get Together

While they have been here, there have been lots of end of life talk. Not about people dying as much as preparing for it legally. Between my parents, their siblings and my grandmother, there are lots of aches, pains and just general “growing old” health issues.

My grandparents, on both sides, prepared for their deaths early on. Although differently, they both set up their estates for their health choices, their assets, their final resting place and services and more to be handled by their 3 children and be as fair as possible.

But even now, almost 20 years after my grandparents on my dad’s side passed, they are dealing with division of property and financial decisions. And with my mom’s mother in long term care, there are lots of decisions and caretaking responsibilities to be handled on a weekly basis.

You just don’t think about all this until you see it. And we have seen a lot of it this week.

Planning for End of Life

I wrote a week or so ago about the options I am considering with my life insurance. And I’ve already designated who will take care of the minor kids should something happen to me and my desires for how that care would be given. This decision has changed a couple of times over the years especially affected by the ages of the kids.

But I don’t have a will per se. I mean, I don’t really own anything of value. My question is, what resources have you used to prepare to end of life. What documents do you have prepared and where do you keep them? Who have you discussed your decisions with?

If you have any free or low cost online resources for this type of planning, please share them in the comments. I think I’m going to create a notebook with all the documents and my notes so it’s accessible. And more than that, I’m going to sit the kids down and discuss my decisions and plans should something happen to me.

I’ve learned a lot this week about where my grandparents went right in their planning and then also seen some things that I don’t want my kids to have to deal with or wonder when I’m gone (or losing my mind which is a very real possibility based on family history).

Hope