I am fully committed to an adventure into our country's future - believing that we have lost our strength by losing our desire to work and allowing manufacturing to move outside of the Country. We demand cheap goods but do not want to provide the necessary cheap labor. We send raw materials overseas for value added processing and then buy them back again. The countries that we buy from are the ones making a living while we suffer unemployment. How to put America back to work and gain back our respect? Buy American or go without - Let Wal-Mart and other such stores know that we do not want 'made in China', we do not want our glorious flag and patriotic items to be made in China, we do not want our clothes to be made in China, Pakistan, Camboya. We want quality back in our lives, we want Made in America.
Please leave a comment if you have anything to be included here - I would love to hear from you and to be able to expand the network!
Since my commitment to Made in America began, I have found that it is very difficult to buy American products and very difficult to avoid Made in China. It is scary to find how many items that had previously been considered American Icons, are now made in China.
On the plus side, my bank balance is increasing as my ability to buy Made in America is decreasing - those who know me understand that I am a minimalist so this mounting determination to only buy Made in America, means that I am not gathering more 'stuff' - two very nice buy-products of the campaign.
Every shopping trip has become an adventure and this blog will become a growing list of who is selling what and what is made where - at times I am even going to be able to tell you where you can actually buy American product. It is often as amazing to find where you can buy Made in America as it is scary to find out what is no longer Made in America.
Shoe Carnival blew my mind - it was impossible to find any footwear (except for one lonely pair of lady cowboy boots) that was Made in America. Some American Icons such as Nike are now made mostly in China but some of their footwear is made in Vietnam.. The traditionally British Dr. Martens are no longer British made - you've got it, they have been made in China (and in Thailand) since 2003. Almost everything in the store is made in China. Adidas - made in China and Thailand, Caterpillar - made in China, Dr. Scholls - made in China.
Recently after much searching, I was able to buy bedroom furniture made in American and it was right here in Billings - Slumberland actually stock Made in America and the prices are very competitive to say the least!
Harley Davidson clothing line - some beautiful items, some very expensive prices - surely the 'American Legend' line of clothing must be Made in America at that price? $45 for a ladies T-shirt? Nope, made in China!
Wal-Mart - I scoured the Billings MT super store on King Avenue and finally found 1 line of rugs that was Made in America. Every item of clothing that I looked at was made in China. Wal-Mart look out - I for one am avoiding you like the plague, taking my money elsewhere and spending more if necessary to get the goods that I need, they will be Made in America.
K-Mart : What a pleasant surprise to find out how many Made in America products are available in K-Mart - I had thought that this was going to be another Wal-Mart but they are far from it.
My K-Mart purchases Made in America were : Craftsman garden hose, Household cleaner, American Flags and patriotic goods. Another Item Made in America that I bought was Timberwolf Landscape edging - not only is this product Made in America but it is made from recycled materials (recycled milk containers), I noticed that the Craftsman brand items that I looked at were surprisingly Made in America - kind of funny since a visit to Sears the same weekend left me reeling at how difficult it was to find something Made in America!
Check out Proud America Trading Post http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/
This place has some great clothing and you can even buy an American made T-shirt for $6-99 here!
Another site that I stumbled on to when looking at the Yum-O collection by Rachael Ray to see if it is made in America AND benefits her charity. Unfortunately I could not see proof positive of Made in America. However, I did find a special Made in the USA page at Cooking.com site - can find stand mixers and barbecues and dishes and a whole range of made in America - I am getting quite excited now, realizing that we really do still have locally produced items - take a look at this
Calphalon, Kitchen Aid, Pryex and Weber are just a few brands that are still made in America http://www.cooking.com/products/shcollection.asp?CollectionNo=2894&ViewAll=yes
This weekend I made a surprise find - we were at the gas station getting some coffee and I found an American Flag pin. It is small and just what I have been looking for - the price was small too, only $1.50 so of course it is made in China? NO it is actually made in America then came another surprise - when I spoke to the cashier about my quest to find Made in America, she showed me jewelry that was not only made in America but actually made in Montana! Not quite what I expected from the local Cenex station but I am very happy to be able to report on it so that you never stop looking in the most unlikely places.
October 4th 2011: Another 2 finds - this time it is bakeware. The excellent Nordic Ware (beautiful new seasonal bundt pans and mini loaf pans etc.) and USA Pan bakeware - yes they are Made in America !
October 19th: Now here is a double-dip find : http://www.getamericanmojo.com/cart.php Not only producting in America but being socially responsible at the same time. American MoJo (MoJo) is a newly formed social venture, headquartered in Boston, whose objective is to address the issues facing mothers who are poverty-stricken. By providing freedom from the strain of daycare costs and a new career path for this underserved demographic, MoJo enables a new start for moms who desperately need it. This one has a BIG thumbs up from me.
November 13th: Today I again found that it is very frustrating trying to buy birthday presents etc. while sticking to my principles. It is heartwarming We ended up in Costco where I was pleasantly surprised to find the following items are made in America:
Wigwam socks - these are nice warm winter socks : a 3 pair pack (ladies pack or mens pack) for only $14.99. I see that their products are carried at 10 other Retailers in Billings. Check them out at http://www.wigwam.com/
I also came across a roadshow stand for The ModBod Clothing Co. - this is stylish, well fitting line of clothing that layers really well or can be worn alone equally well. Apparently the owner started this clothing line to provide clothes that look good, feel good and are modest - something that is a big plus when added to the fact that they are all made in America.
Check them out at http://www.themodbod.com/ - they have a great online presence and lots of specials !
November 17th: I am so very happy with my purchases from themodbod - what comfortable, wearable clothing and what great service - my arrived within 3days. I bought 3 items and the shipping was only $7 - when I emailed to confirm the order and ask about shipping I was very pleasantly surprised by the great customer service and offers to help further. This one is a winner and will definitely be getting more of my business in the future - they have a great range of clothing and I really feel good wearing these clothes!
November 21st - During yet another trip to Billings today, I tried to buy a Christmas decoration item and found that Michaels is also another of those stores that buys everything from China. I really thought that I had found the ideal item, it looked as though it was made locally but no, everything was made in China - that is a store that I will not be bothering with again in the future!
