As a disclaimer for this post, I want to make a note that I'm not intending to judge anyone for their spending choices. I wanted to provide some information for people interested in avoiding spending money with megacorporations. One of the people referenced in this post is fond of saying that everyone is at a different place in their journey when they want to make a change.

Some people want to make more of a change than they are able, but are limited by circumstances. If you fall into that situation, there's no reason to feel guilty about that. I wish I could avoid buying anything packaged in plastic, and many other similar choices, but that's a lot harder to do than you might think. Additionally, I'm not looking to tell anyone how they can or cannot spend their money. Some things that are wasteful, are surprisingly less wasteful than things you would expect to be more eco-friendly. There's a lot of research needed to be fully aware of making all the "right" decisions, and it's not right to place that responsibility on the average consumer.

And, with that...

I've mentioned a few times lately that I'm trying to steer away from large corporations, most specifically Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. A lot of that is data privacy-related, but trying to stop giving money to mega-corporations is also a big factor. I spend enough time tallking about the reasons, and I'll continue to do so in the coming weeks, but that's not what I was planning to write about tonight. Most of the things I've had something to talk about have been divisive topics, and at least in my case, come from a place of anger. That is partly at the root of the topic, but not really at the heart of it.

With tomorrow being black friday, and with a lot of the people I follow across social media being involved in a push for a nationwide weeklong blackout, I felt like putting together some info for people that wanted to look for some alternatives or learn more about the reasons behind it. Some of the people I follow can do a much better job talking about it, so I've linked a couple of them below. The Woke Ginger and Cut Off the Spigot are a couple people I found on instagram that share alternatives to large corporation spending, primarily small businesses. The Woke Ginger also does analyses on business political leanings and donation histories. This can be helpful for people interested in "voting with their wallets."

I included links for a couple of online marketplaces that I heard about a few weeks ago. I haven't had a chance to look at them since hearing about them (I haven't done any shopping at all throughout the month of November). Both of these sites are mentioned in the Holiday Guide linked under the Woke Ginger below. Both of these marketplaces are made up of primarily underprivileges groups, with minorities, women and lgbtq owners being listed as the primary store owners on the platform.

On the left-hand side below, you can navigate to the instagram site for the Woke Ginger or Cut Off the Spigot, or the marketplace for ShopRedBag and littlebluecart by clicking on any of the text or graphic in the box. On the right hand side, the social media icons will take you to the relevant social media page, and I've added a little blurb of info from each of their pages.

The Woke Ginger

✨ Loud. Proud. Ginger.
🌈 LGBTQ+ | Progress over performative
🎥 Unfiltered truth in Reels & Real life

(click anywhere in this box to visit instagram page)

A vlogger that posts videos and resources for alternatives to large corporations, as well as breakdowns of political donations of different coprporations so consumers can base purchase decisions on the company's values.

Social media presence on at least Facebook, Instagram, TokTok, YouTube, and Bluesky.

Latest post on Instagram is "a curated collection of small businesses and startups that don't just sell great products, but stand firmly behind their values."

2025 Holiday Guide

Cut Off the Spigot

Doing the research so you don't have to!
Sharing alternatives to big corps, badly behaving companies & private equity firms

(click anywhere in this box to visit instagram page)

A vlogger that posts numerous videos with alternatives to large corporations for shopping needs and gifts, streaming alternatives, etc.

Social media presence on at least Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Bluesky, and also has a substack with several articles and resources. Is very open-minded about making small steps and is not at all preachy.

The latest article on substack as of Nov 26, 2025:
The Most Comprehensive Alternative Gifting Guide You'll Ever Need

ShopRedBag

what do the numbers say?
Diverse entrepreneurs make critical contributions to our economy generating nearly $2 trillion in revenue each year. However, an equity gap remains between diverse and non-diverse-owned businesses. By closing this opportunity gap, there would be an increase of $6.3 trillion to the U.S. economy and an increase in the number of U.S. diverse-owned firms from 9.7 million to 12.3 million.

(click anywhere in this box to visit the marketplace page)

An online marketplace where consumers can shop Black-owned, Woman-owned, Veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, and Disability-owned stores.

"why did we make shopredbag?

In response to major retailers rolling back DEI initiatives and the resulting consumer activism, we built shopredbag to empower and elevate the brands and founders people truly believe in.
"

little blue cart

Little Blue Cart connects conscious shoppers with progressive small businesses—including women-owned, BIPOC-owned, queer-owned, military spouse or veteran-led. Every business is vetted so you can shop your values with confidence, knowing your purchases support fairness, freedom, and a future for all of us.

(click anywhere in this box to visit the marketplace page)

An online marketplace where consumers can shop Woman-owned, BIPOC-owned, queer-owned, military spouse or veteran-led stores.

"About LBC
Little Blue Cart began with a single, honest moment. Kate recommended a local photographer, and Erin asked, “But who did she vote for?” That question changed everything. It sparked the realization that our purchases—every single one—carry power. After the 2024 election, we turned that idea turned into action and build Little Blue Cart around a kitchen table. Our goal is simple: make it easy to support businesses that share our values of democracy, equality, and freedom.
"

the Minocqua Marketplace

The Minocqua Marketplace was created by the Minocqua Brewing Company, an activist brewery located in deep red Northern Wisconsin.

After Trump was elected in 2024, Minocqua Brewing Company's owner, Kirk Bangstad, formed this marketplace as an "economic collective" where progressive consumers can support progressive small business owners and help fund Wisconsin's fight against Trump's authoritarian regime.

(click anywhere in this box to visit the marketplace page)

An online marketplace where consumers can support business that do not donate to Trump or any parts of the MAGA movement.
"The goal of this collective of like-minded businesses is threefold:

We want to enable customers nationwide to purchase all of their goods in a marketplace where they know NONE of the profits will be donated back to Trump or the MAGA movement.

We plan to donate a portion of the profits from this marketplace back to the growing resistance movement in Wisconsin.

We hope to encourage businesses to speak up against fascism by rewarding them with a large national customer base of true American patriots with shared values.
"