I'm a mom who switched to 'Buy Canada' 6 years ago. It takes certain sacrifices, but I wouldn't go back.

Sarina Cornthwaite has been participating in the 'Buy Canada' movement for 6 years.

Courtesy of Sarina Cornthwaite Sarina Cornthwaite is a stay-at-home mom who has been participating in 'Buy Canada' for 6 years.

She said she doesn't mind buying non-Canadian products as long as it's not from the US.

The biggest challenge is balancing the budget while shopping local.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Sarina Cornthwaite, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom.

She is based in Muskoka, Canada.

Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

Since the Buy Canada movement started last year, I've seen so many more of my family and friends participate and become more conscious of where their money is going.

But being a stay-at-home mom, of course, I'm on a budget.

Six years ago, we had just moved to a new town in Canada, and then four months later, the pandemic hit.

I saw how many small businesses in our town had to close, and my husband and I started thinking, what can we do to try to support Canada through this? I've always tried to thrift and be more conscious, but buying from Canadian businesses and Canadian products became a huge priority for my family, especially when so many imports were being shut down, and we weren't sure what the full scale of things would be.

We've prioritized buying Canadian ever since.

Some things are more expensive to buy locally, but I've found a way to balance our budget.

I budget much differently now During the pandemic, I discovered that a few grocery stores near me were selling boxes of locally grown produce for around 30 to 40 Canadian dollars.