A lot of people, college students especially, don’t have enough extra cash to frequently donate to charities. They see the Sarah McLachlan commercial during a late-night study session that shows shot after shot of the saddest looking shelter animals you’ll ever see while playing McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel” song as they desperately plead with the viewer to donate some of their scarce savings.

Unfortunately, said college student needs the last $100 in his or her savings for gas and groceries. 

It’s a heart-wrenching situation for people who aspire to be socially responsible, but don’t have the money to do so. Fortunately, outright donations are not the only way to contribute to a good cause.

Socially-conscious businesses present an incredible way for consumers to make a difference without breaking the bank. These businesses aim to make their money in an ethical way. An example would be a clothing company that pays its workers well rather than using sweatshops to make its products. 

The idea of “voting with your dollars” is an important one that everyone should understand. What it means is that every time you spend money on a product, you are, whether you are aware of it or not, voting for the company that produced it to succeed and thrive in the marketplace.         

Now knowing this, I would suggest that people use their dollars to vote for socially-conscious businesses. As you might have guessed, products from these businesses are rarely the cheapest option on the shelf. This is because socially conscious businesses refuse to engage in the unethical practices that save other businesses enough money for them to keep their prices lower.

So what do you get for spending a little extra money on ethically-produced products? There’s two things that could be considered as the extra “bang” for your buck. First, you get to know that you are making choices in your life that aren’t harming anyone or anything. Second, you get to avoid being a hypocrite. 

Let’s say you choose to refuse to buy chicken from a company that keeps its chickens stuffed into tiny cages for their entire lives. When that company looks at its sales numbers for that year, it’ll have sold a few less chickens than if you had been buying from them. Subsequently, it may choose the next year to decrease the number of chickens it produces. This would mean that you have effectively decreased the amount of chicken torture going on in the world. Your vote counted. 

Before explaining how voting with your dollars for socially-conscious businesses can also prevent you from being a hypocrite, I should point out that most people don’t know that their purchasing choices are making them hypocrites, making it unfair to blame them for their actions. That being said, the old saying “ignorance is bliss” only remains true for the ignorant. 

If I were to ask everyone reading this column to raise their hand if they think Michael Vick, the NFL player who was charged with running a dog fighting ring, got what he deserved by serving a prison sentence, many of you would raise your hand. And if I were to ask everyone reading this article if they buy the meat of chickens that have been raised in horrific conditions from grocery stores, many of you would again raise your hand. Taking a stance against animal cruelty, but continuing to buy the meat of previously-tortured chickens makes you a hypocrite.

There are a few things that can help curb your hypocrisy and make a difference in the world, one of which is voting with your dollars.

It first takes a confession that you may have been buying recklessly and that your shopping habits may be indirectly causing harm to others. The only option is to forgive your actions.

It also takes a willingness to actually align your newfound beliefs with your behavior. This is the hard part because we’ve all heard about things like the cruelties of factory farming, but then we have continued to purchase those products because they didn’t make a big dent in the budget.

Lastly, take time to research which businesses are behaving in ways that make them worthy of your money. This will allow you to enjoy your meals while knowing that the money you paid to eat or use a product is going to a company that morally treats its animals and workers.