How do you balance it?
I live in a neighborhood that is "in transition." It's one of the lower-income parts of town and has some trouble with gang violence and one particular street running through it with a rather unsavory reputation. But it's also a place where people know their neighbors and look out for each other, and there's a pretty strong neighborhood association and sense of community. I own the house and am expecting to stay here for at least 10 years.
The commercial street nearest my house is an odd collection of empty storefronts, obvious gang fronts, auto repair shops, and some really good restaurants that just needed the cheap rent. Right now it feels like things could kind of go either way -- if the restaurants go under, another entrepreneur might be less likely to give that same location a try and we'll wind up with more vacant and vandalized spaces. If they do well, other entrepreneurs may take note and some of those currently-empty places might get filled.
So on the one hand, my 'stache wants me to stay home and make my own coffee and eat rice and beans. But on the other hand, my community wants these places to succeed, and sitting at home wishing them well won't help that. Buying a cup of coffee at the new shop that's struggling through its first month of business, or having dinner at the restaurant on the corner, will.
Right now my balance is that I seldom go out, but when I do I try to choose a locally-owned place within walking distance. And if a new place opens up, I'll make sure to visit it at least once in its first month of operations. I'm just curious if other folks have a plan or system for contributing to the neighborhood economy enough to be meaningful, without adding too much unnecessary spending?