brings better quality of life to area

With the changing of the leaves and the thought of the Thanksgiving holidays entering daily discussion, it is obvious that Christmas is practically around the corner.

Christmas means longer lines at the stores, a premium on parking spaces near store fronts and the steady beeping and jingling of the cash registers.

With the evolution of reliable transportation, it’s not difficult for anyone to saunter out of town for a weekend shopping excursion. But the money spent in that town is money that could have gone toward local programs and to the pockets of local merchants who will in turn help that money circulate back into the community.

The most obvious beneficiary of dollars spent in Troy is the City of Troy itself that garners a percentage of all retail dollars.

The City will use those funds to improve roads, enhance services for residents or to put more people to work doing more good for the town.

And if this reason alone isn’t worth trying to spend your money in your local community, consider that reports show that a dollar circulates three times on average in the community where it is spent.

What this means is a better economy, more jobs, better services and a better quality of life. Money will go to the schools, into the streets and roads, and into local banks for loans to local residents.

Shopping at home keeps dollars at home, and that is something that every community needs. Consider the gas and time you will spend taking your business elsewhere and weigh the real costs. Consider the dollars lost to the school system, the need for more police officers on our streets and the bumpy roads that you drive down every day.

Consider the lost jobs, or gained jobs. Think about the effects less money circulating in the community versus the effects of more money going around.

Remember and consider all of these things when you consider taking your car to the station for gas as you head out of town.

Dollars found in Montgomery and Dothan often come at the expense of the dollars lost to Troy and Pike County.