When you spend time or money here in Hinton, most of the benefit of that action stays here. But when you go out of town, the businesses you support or causes that benefit don’t have any cause to invest in your community. They don’t pay municipal taxes, they don’t buy from local suppliers, provide time or money to the many events in our community, or employ local people. Sometimes, buying an item online or at a warehouse store may be the cheapest option, but when you consider the costs of not having the businesses that offer those items or services in town, the price starts to rise dramatically.