Image : Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A few years ago I stopped drinking beer I really liked because I discovered that its owners were making huge donations to a political candidate that went against pretty much everything I believe in.




Truth be told, I’m sure they’re not missing the $10-$15 I spent each month on their beer, but I didn’t like the idea that I could in any way be financially supporting someone I found morally reprehensible, and I didn’t want to support the people who were backing him either. At the time I was actively involved in fighting against that person. Buying the beer felt like I was working against my own interests.




In my case, the brewery had been making those donations for a while before I discovered they were happening. Companies make donations to PACs and candidates all the time, some on both sides of the aisle at the same time, so it can be hard to keep track. Progressive Shopper is a Chrome extension pointed out by CNET earlier this week that can make that easier.



As the name suggests, the extension is intended for people whose politics tend to lean toward the left, but it can be used by everyone.



With it, the site will let you know the recent amount of political contributions a company has made to both Democrats and Republicans. Data is taken directly from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).



Currently, the extension covers donations during the 2016 election cycle as well as the 2018 election cycle through September 18, 2018.




The extension will give you a breakdown of how much cash went to each party, and then makes a recommendation on whether to not you should spend your money there. The recommendations as to whether to buy or not are obviously going to be for Democrats, but the information is useful for everyone.



Image : Progressive Shopper


Recommendations are color-coded blue if a company gives 60% or more of its political donations to Democrats, purple if it gives relatively equally across party lines, and red if it gives 60% or more of its political donations to Republicans.



Just because a company gives primarily to the party you’re not a part of doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shop there, I’m of the opinion there are great people on both sides of the aisle worth supporting. That said, if the results are skewed dramatically in the wrong direction for you then it might be worth going a little research into where your cash is likely to end up before swiping that credit card.