Now that Thanksgiving is nothing more than leftovers, you’ll be “encouraged” to spend money like it’s going out of style. The winter holiday season is in full swing, and shopping seems to be some sort of national tradition. But, if we’re honest, we know that shopping and consumption aren’t things we do only during December. This is why we dedicate an entire chapter in our new book to the activity of buying and selling. Here is a sneak peak at our recommendations for how you can save the world while shopping.

The mall is one of those places that some people love and everyone else loathes. If we think back far enough, a significant portion of our teenage years might have been spent at the mall for some reason or another. Maybe we were shopping for the latest styles, meeting friends to sit and talk in the food court, or walking around in circles, hoping that our appearance at the mall would increase our cool factor by 10.

But, as we got older, perhaps we began to understand the mall and other errands truly for what they were: necessary evils. And, even if we've limited our number of trips to the mall down to the weeks leading up to a birthday or holiday, the fact remains that we've still got to get in our car, drive to various stores, and exchange the money we've earned for the goods we want.

But since there's no escaping it, then we might as well embrace it. Most of us make at least two trips a week to the grocery store, and we'll stop at a retail or discount store another time as we get what we need to face the week.

We make lists, clip coupons, buy in bulk, and are willing to try almost anything new, all in an effort to save time and money. We fill our shopping carts and stand in line, waiting to open our wallets and purses to reach for the checkbook or credit cards.

It all makes us a little nauseous sometimes.

Can we redeem this seemingly unstoppable machine? Can we really revolutionize this system of free enterprise that has made America what it is ever since the first nail was sold to the first carpenter at Jamestown?

Most of us aren't able to eschew the economic system that is capitalism and take our families and set up shop on our own island, appointing ourselves Czar or Premiere while we establish alternate systems of economic exchange. We badly want to throw off the shackles of the way the things are currently done, but at the end of the day, we still really want our Diet Coke and our kid still really needs those crayons. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day to overthrow the government.

But maybe we can keep our drinks and crayons and still shake things up. Maybe it's not that we're shopping but rather how we're shopping. Retail giants rake in more than $10 billion a day, and that’s just their earnings before the lunch hour. It's time to save the world while we shop. Doing what we can when we arrive, move through the aisles, check out, and head for home will make a difference.

The Shopping Cart

Today, when you go to the store, move a shopping cart from the middle of a parking lot to the front of the store on your way in. Or just find a random one and return it. Better yet, if you can time it right, take it from someone who just loaded their goods into their car. You may make a friend and experience retail karma—hopefully you won't come out to find an annoying ding in your door.

Take the Bag Back

500 billion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. These bags are often used once and then take eons to disappear. The next time you go shopping, take your old bags with you. Buy a bag holder for your pantry, and grab a few sacks to reuse (or recycle) at the checkout line. Better yet, ditch the plastic bag altogether, and take your long-lasting canvas (or other material) bags every time you go to the store.

Plus, we've got 7 more simple ideas, as well as a true-life story – all just for you (or a loved one) at NewDayRevolution.com.

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