We got a nifty email from Boulder Weekly (an independent newspaper) today with the following message:

"By pledging to spend $100 of your shopping dollars at locally owned stores, you will have a potential 21 million dollar impact on our community, an estimated $3.1 million dollars more than if it was spent at a non-local big box retailer. You can help the local economy this holiday season. Make the pledge!"

They're giving away $1,000 in gift certificates from independent locally owned merchants and restaurants to one lucky pledge-maker. Email "I pledge" to pledge@boulderweekly.com by December 3. Winner is announced December 4.

With the economy dominating news and politics, and the market crisis impacting businesses everywhere, we are faced with an uncertain future and real challenges. Investments are literally disappearing off the books, and credit is scarce. We just don't have the money we need to keep our businesses going and to pay our bills. And with local businesses in our neighborhoods closing every day, we can't afford to wait for Washington to figure out a solution that will work for us.

So then what can we do?