D - Dollars
DECENT SEAS · First action
DDollars
Starve the machine. Feed the movement.
Every dollar you spend, save, and donate is a political act — whether you think about it that way or not. Big banks fund fossil fuels and lobby against consumer protections. Outrage media sells your attention while training you to feel helpless. You can stop funding the machine and redirect that money toward the people and institutions actually doing the work. This guide tells you exactly how.
Why this one first
Money is the infrastructure of power
The financial system is a set of choices, made by people, that can be unmade by people. Your bank is lending your deposits to industries that lobby against your interests. The streaming service you pay for may be owned by a conglomerate whose CEO sat on an advisory council designed to deregulate their own industry.
None of this is inevitable. You don’t have to dismantle all of it at once. You have to make better choices with your own money — consistently enough that the alternatives grow.
“Every dollar is a vote cast before Election Day.”
This isn’t about purity. It’s about friction and redirection. When you move your checking account to a credit union, you deny a big bank the float on your balance. When you shop from a vetted small business instead of Amazon, you keep money in hands that share your values. Small actions at scale produce structural change. That’s the whole theory.
Before you spend anything
Know where your money goes
Before redirecting spending, you need to see where it’s currently flowing. These tools make that visible — quickly.
App spotlight
Goods Unite Us — the one to have on your phone
Enter any brand name and see its political donations in seconds. Clothing, banks, airlines, restaurants, car brands — thousands of companies, rated and searchable. Use it in the store, at the market, before you click buy.
goodsuniteus.com — free on iOS + Android ↗OpenSecrets.org
The gold standard for following political money. Search any corporation, PAC, or industry to see campaign contributions, lobbying spending, and which candidates they’ve funded. Nonpartisan, deeply sourced, free to use. Essential before any major purchase decision. opensecrets.org ↗
As You Sow
Research your mutual funds and ETFs — political spending, fossil fuel exposure, gun involvement. Crucial if you have a 401(k) or IRA and want to understand what you’re actually invested in. asyousow.org ↗
FollowTheMoney.org
State-level campaign finance data across all 50 states, integrated with OpenSecrets. Particularly useful for local races where the bigger databases have less visibility. followthemoney.org ↗
Vetted places
Put your money somewhere it means something
The question after you know who to avoid is: who do I shop with instead? These are places that have done the vetting for you.
Marketplace spotlight
Little Blue Cart + Little Blue Market
Little Blue Cart is a directory of vetted progressive small businesses — women-owned, BIPOC-owned, queer-owned, veteran-led. Little Blue Market is their marketplace where you can shop across all vendors at once. The values-aligned alternative to Etsy and Amazon.
littlebluecart.com ↗ market.littlebluecart.com ↗Costco — worth keeping, and more useful than most people realize
Costco rates well for worker treatment — above-average wages, strong benefits. It scores favorably on Goods Unite Us. As of March 2026, Costco has partnered with Sesame and IVI RMA North America to offer members up to 80% off fertility medications and discounted access to IVF, IUI, and egg preservation. Fertility drugs typically run $3,000–$6,000 per cycle at standard pricing. Covers LGBTQ+ care, no income cap. sesamecare.com/fertility ↗
Credit unions for everyday banking
Member-owned, not shareholder-owned. No fossil fuel lending, no corporate PACs. Your deposits stay in your community. Most are in the Co-op ATM network — 30,000+ surcharge-free ATMs. MyCreditUnion.gov ↗
Local and independent businesses
Money spent locally recirculates in the community at a significantly higher rate than money spent at chains. Use Little Blue Cart to find values-aligned providers near you. Before defaulting to Amazon, ask whether a small business carries it. Often they do.
Food specifically
Where your grocery dollars go matters too
Grocery spending is one of the most frequent purchasing decisions most people make. Here’s how to think about it — from the chains you already shop at to farmers markets and local butchers you might not know about yet.
Your nearest farmers market
The USDA’s Local Food Portal lists over 7,000 farmers markets nationwide — searchable by zip code, with hours, payment types (including EBT/SNAP), and what’s available. Michigan alone has around 400 listed, one of the highest totals in the country. This is the most direct way to put money straight into a local farmer’s pocket. usdalocalfoodportal.com ↗
A local butcher or ethical meat source
Good Meat Project runs a nationwide directory of values-vetted farms, butcher shops, ranches, and restaurants — searchable by location, product, and values like grass-fed, pasture-raised, or humanely certified. goodmeatproject.org ↗
ChopLocal is an online farmers market for meat directly from farms and small butcher shops, with regional shipping free over $75. choplocal.com ↗
Meijer — the Midwest chain that earns it Michigan
Meijer is privately owned and Michigan-based, with strong workplace inclusion ratings, including repeated recognition as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion. Meijer received a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equity Index (CEI) multiple consecutive years. Political activity comes from individuals, not so much the company itself; public data shows employee donations skew Democratic, though it’s a small, self-reported sample.
Kroger — worth knowing what you’re working with
Kroger spent nearly $1 million lobbying Congress in 2024, with individual employee political donations running 53% Republican. The company has racked up over $3 billion in legal and regulatory violations since 2000. It’s not the worst chain on the list — but it’s a good candidate for the Goods Unite Us app check before you default to it out of convenience. If there’s a Meijer, co-op, or independent grocer nearby, that’s the better call.
Misfits Market — fresh and rescued groceries delivered
Rescues food that would otherwise go to waste — produce rejected for cosmetic reasons, surplus packaged goods, overstock from farms — and sells it at up to 30% off grocery store prices. In 2024 they saved an average of 500,000 pounds of food per week, donate 100% of excess inventory to food banks, and run the only free nationwide packaging return program of any grocer. Fast Company named them a 2024 Brand That Matters. If you used Imperfect Foods during Covid, this is that company — Misfits acquired them in 2022. misfitsmarket.com ↗
Thrive Market — organic pantry delivered at wholesale prices
If Misfits is your fresh layer, Thrive is your pantry layer. Think "Costco meets Whole Foods" — organic and non-GMO pantry staples, frozen food, clean household products, and some fresh proteins, all at 25–50% below retail. It’s a certified B Corp, converted to a Public Benefit Corporation in 2023 (making the mission legally binding, not just marketing), and became the first online-only grocer to accept SNAP EBT in 2024. Every paid membership sponsors a free one for a family in need. One honest note: they settled a 2024 lawsuit over unclear automatic renewal practices — read the membership terms before signing up. thrivemarket.com ↗
The most direct food dollar you can spend
A CSA box — Community Supported Agriculture — puts money directly in a local farmer’s hands. You pay upfront for a seasonal share, the farmer gets reliable income, and you get fresh produce weekly. No middleman, no chain, no algorithm. The USDA Local Food Portal above lists CSA programs alongside farmers markets. If Misfits Market is your convenience layer, a CSA is your roots layer.
The biggest single move
How to actually switch your bank
Credit unions
Member-owned. Community-funded. No fossil fuel loans.
30,000+ surcharge-free ATMs nationwide through the Co-op network. Better rates, lower fees, and your deposits stay local — not in the hands of executives lobbying against your interests.
Find one at MyCreditUnion.gov ↗This sounds hard and isn’t. The reason most people don’t do it is inertia, not complexity.
Find your credit union
Go to MyCreditUnion.gov or ask your employer. Look for one in the Co-op ATM network. Most also participate in shared branching for in-person access nationwide.
Open the new account first — don’t close the old one yet
You’ll usually need a small opening deposit ($25–$100). Get your new routing and account numbers before touching anything else.
Update your direct deposit
Log into your HR or payroll system and switch to the new account. Give it one full pay cycle to confirm it’s landing correctly.
Move your automatic payments
Go through your old bank’s transaction history for the past three months. Update every recurring charge — subscriptions, utilities, insurance. This is the actual work. Give yourself a weekend afternoon.
Leave a buffer, then close it
Keep $200–$300 in the old account for 60 days. After 60 clean days, transfer the remainder and close it in writing.
Making it work
Based on how much time you have
15 minutes
Download Goods Unite Us and search 5 brands you regularly buy from
Browse Little Blue Market for one category you regularly shop
Look up your bank on OpenSecrets.org
Find your nearest farmers market at usdalocalfoodportal.com
One afternoon
Open a credit union account
Replace one regular Amazon purchase with a Little Blue Market vendor
Check your 401(k) fund holdings at As You Sow
One month
Fully migrate direct deposit and close old bank account
Switch retirement allocations if better options exist in your plan
Get a Costco membership if fertility care, prescriptions, or bulk savings apply
Sign up for a local CSA farm share for weekly produce
The one rule that makes all of this stick
Use Goods Unite Us before making any purchase over $50. It takes thirty seconds and changes the frame of the decision. Once that becomes habit, the rest follows naturally.
Common objections
What people say, and what’s actually true
Objection
“Credit unions are inconvenient. I travel for work.”
Reality
Most are in the Co-op network — 30,000+ ATMs, more than any single big bank. Many refund foreign ATM fees. Shared branching means in-person access at tens of thousands of locations.
Objection
“Shopping small costs more and takes longer.”
Reality
Sometimes, sometimes not — and Little Blue Market is built to reduce exactly that friction. For staples, Costco is values-aligned and cheaper than most alternatives. The goal is to redirect what you’re already buying when a better option exists.
Objection
“I can’t control my 401(k). My employer picks the funds.”
Reality
You can ask HR in writing to add ESG options — which creates a paper trail and sometimes works. You can choose the best available option, and open a separate IRA you control entirely.
Objection
“My individual spending decisions don’t move the needle.”
Reality
Targeted, sustained economic pressure works — the companies that reversed DEI rollbacks did so because of it. Individual action only feels small when it isn’t coordinated. Coordinated, it’s how the needle moves.
Quick reference
All the tools in one place
| Resource | Format | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Goods Unite Us | App | Check any brand’s political donations in real time. Free on iOS and Android. |
| OpenSecrets.org | Web | Deep-dive on corporate PAC spending, lobbying, and candidate donations at the federal level. |
| FollowTheMoney.org | Web | State-level campaign finance data in all 50 states, integrated with OpenSecrets. |
| As You Sow | Web | Research your funds for political spending, fossil fuel, and gun exposure. |
| Little Blue Cart | Web | Directory of vetted progressive small businesses — browse by category, shop direct. |
| Little Blue Market | Web | Marketplace: browse and buy from vetted progressive vendors in one place. |
| Costco Fertility Program | Web | Up to 80% off fertility meds + discounted IVF/IUI for Costco members. No income cap. |
| MyCreditUnion.gov | Web | NCUA’s official locator for federally insured credit unions near you. |
| USDA Local Food Portal | Web | Find farmers markets, CSA farms, and food hubs near you. 7,000+ markets listed. |
| Good Meat Finder | Web | Values-vetted directory of ethical farms, butchers, and meat sources by location. |
| ChopLocal | Web | Online farmers market for meat from local farms and butchers. Ships regionally. |
| Misfits Market | Web | Grocery delivery rescuing surplus and imperfect food. Up to 30% off, free packaging return. (Formerly Imperfect Foods.) |
| Thrive Market | Web | Organic pantry delivery at wholesale prices. B Corp, Public Benefit Corporation, accepts SNAP EBT. Read membership terms carefully. |
A note on scope
This guide covers day-to-day spending: banking, shopping, and where your money goes. Political giving is covered under E — Elect and Empower Workers. The information economy and outrage media is covered under N — Narrate the Truth. Each letter has its own lane.
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E — Engage Locally First →DECENT SEAS guides are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Organizations, platforms, businesses, and tools mentioned reflect our good-faith assessment at time of publication and are subject to change. DECENT SEAS has no financial relationship with any organization, brand, or business mentioned unless explicitly disclosed. Inclusion is not a guarantee or ongoing endorsement. We encourage you to verify, question, and use your own judgment.