"Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table." -William Shakespeare

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Red White and Blue Update:3 months later


For my newer readers, on Independence Day this year I challenged myself to 6 months of *trying* to buy USA-made goods. It has been an education, to say the least! I think the term 'global economy' is a euphemism for 'you cannot survive without China'!!!

In any case, my children and husband and I have enjoyed learning about the economy and about companies and where their 'stuff' gets manufactured. And we've found some good news along the way.

I've compiled a short list of companies and items that you CAN buy domestically made- without going broke!!! Which seems to be the clincher for trying to find USA made goods.

Corelle dishes- cheap, beautiful, and still made in New York (some items
such as their mugs are made in China
Pyrex- the very best cooking/ baking ware, still made in the USA
Rubbermaid- most of it is still made the USA!
Cutco- not cheap, but it's what I use
Anchor Hocking- I love thier glassware, too
Libbey- more beautiful glassware
BlendTec
Vitamix
KitchenAid- but not all products
RugDoctor
ShopVac- no garage should be without one

IKEA- I was surprised to find how many of their things are made in
the USA. I've been needing to redo my toy storage, and to my
delight, many of their Trofast system boxes are made here

Kroger and Walgreens stores sell MANY varieties of USA manufactured toothbrushes

Little Tykes- most of their toys
Step 2- most of their toys
Green Toys- cute stuff!
Legos- some made here, most made in Europe or South America, with only a
few components made in China
Playmobil- ditto
Maple Schoolhouse- a bit pricier, but absolute hightest quality toys
Hoohobbers- specialty brand of toys, furniture etc. I love their gopher
tabler for toddlers
Wikki Stix- WE LOVE THESE! Bendarooz are a knock-off of them, and are
in made China
Lauri Toys- also some of our favorites! They make awesome non-toxic crepe
rubber puzzles. I highly recommend ANYTHING made by Lauri.
Big Wheel- the original, back in production, here in the states

Japanese Weekend- maternity and nursing clothes, mostly made in the USA...
like I needed 1 more excuse to feed my JW addiction!
JCrew- again, if I needed 1 more reson to wear JCrew jeans, most of them
are USA made. Of course, mine come off of ebay, but still....
Wigwam- still makes some of their socks here
New Balance- still has several plants in the USA

And don't forget etsy and HyenaCart, where you can find clothes, toys, and household goods made by artisans all over the USA.

Happy Christmas shopping!


"You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice." ~Steven D. Woodhull (U.S. geologist, 1976-)

And Happy Feast Day of St. Francis!

1 comment:

  1. Hey this is great! I was hoping you'd compile and share a list. I am surprised with how many there actually are! I was beginning to wonder if anything was made in the USA anymore.

    ReplyDelete