Dollar Voting is an important concept to think about in economics. Basically, spending your money on a product tells a business what your preference is, but not spending your dollar can say just as much. When you go shopping, you are supporting a product, as well as a business, in essence, you are “voting” for that business as opposed to its competition. Now, would you vote for a politician who didn’t have your best interests in mind, or had views you entirely opposed? Of course not!

So why do we spend our dollars without consciously thinking about who we are, in essence, voting for?  What are we promoting by purchasing certain products and what does that mean for the future of products offered and our economy?

This is why we believe making a conscious effort to buy American made products is so important. As Townhall Finance explains, when you tell a business that you are only going to let your dollar go to their American made competition they are forced to give you, the consumer, what you want or risk losing profit. So, if a company has bad business practices, we wouldn’t want to vote for them – basically a boycott of their products would ensure that they hear your voice.

Here’s where a fantastic app comes in handy – Buycott. You enter the app and tell it what causes you support. Let’s say Made in America and GMO usage is important to you. Then you head to the store and you want a specific brand and flavor of chips, just scan the barcode and Buycott tells you if that product is in line with your personal views. This is a great way to make sure your votes count towards something you care about.

With every dollar poured back into American made products and services boosting our economy and creating jobs, a dollar vote for Made in USA businesses is extremely important. We hope that the next time you are considering a purchase that you vote American with your money.