Covid 19 coronavirus: How to support local businesses when you don't have much money

Maybe you can't spend money right now, but there are still many ways you can help. Photo / 123rf

While New Zealand is slowly trying to rebuild the economy at the same time it fights the Covid-19 pandemic, calls for Kiwis to "shop local" and "buy NZ made" continue to grow.

For some people, buying local can be tricky as, despite their best intentions, their finances have been impacted by the pandemic.

While you may not be able to support small New Zealand businesses with your money right now, that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to help them.

Here are a few ways you can support local businesses:

Give them your voice

The upside of living in a small country like New Zealand is that word of mouth still goes a long way.

If, right now, you can't purchase something from a small business you love, you can still tell all your friends about it, sing its praises on social media, share their website or leave them a review online.

Help spread their word

On social media, engagement is king and small businesses are fighting for people's attention alongside bigger businesses with big budgets. One good way to help is by liking, commenting or sharing their posts, to ensure they reach a wider audience.

Buy when you can

If their product is out of your budget but you'd still love to have it, add it to your wishlist - you might have a birthday or special occasion soon and your friends might be looking for something they can gift you or you might be able to get it soon.

Pay what you can for now

Small businesses are doing it tough these days. Even if you can't buy their product, some might offer an option to buy a gift voucher off them for a lower amount, which you can then save and add to in the future when you've got some more money coming in.

Sign up

If a small NZ business you love but can't afford right now has a newsletter, subscribe to it. You'll be part of growing their customer database, which is a valuable business asset.

Let them know

If you're not so keen on writing a public review, you can still send them a note saying you love what they do. For some, that note could make their day.