Well, don't just kick your dog. Find out more about the 3/50 Project, a simple plan to help motivate people to spend $50 a month (with money they're going to spend anyway) at local, independently owned businesses.
Did you know, for instance, that for every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures? If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays around. And if you spend it online, it's likely that none of it "comes home."
Let's start a trend.