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The Tip is 'Watch What You Eat' While in the grocery store recently I noticed that the apples were from South America. Next to South American apples were a bin of apples labeled Made in USA. I decided to go with the Made in America apples since they were US grown. Always remember the Big Secret- buying more American made products helps put Americans back to work. It will guide you to food you will want to eat that is grown with US labor. If you just take a moment to look and think before you buy, it is likely you will find what you are looking for. Also, be careful because sometimes labels are not what they seem. Some companies use the letters USA to fool you into thinking they are American products. Trust only those products that literally claim their country of origin. Look for labeling like: Product of USA, Made in USA, Grown in USA, or other definitive markings. And last, when you begin the journey of purposely identifying American products keep in mind that it may take a little time but the more you look the easier it becomes. You will start to remember which brands are made in the USA and which aren't. This knowledge makes it easy and will accumulate over time. Some food items are not grown in the USA and you will learn that too. The Big Secret tells us we don't need to purchase everything from USA manufacturers just a little more than we are accustom to. If you can average $200 a month more on domestic purchases than you otherwise would it adds up fast. $2,400 a year is equivalent to 7 MILLION new American jobs. We believe that is a good thing. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Roy Denim I started in my little apartment sewing these jeans that, in hindsight, were really terrible. Somehow I was encouraged that I could make anything at all and within about 4 months I was making some wearable stuff. I really had no idea what I was doing, but would put in tons of time either sewing or talking to people or reading about sewing machines. I've had a few professions and one still is metal fabrication. I think it helped me to be able to think. I would close my eyes and work out a lot of sewing problems by thinking it through. So I just kept at it and I'm telling you, the highs were high and the lows were low. About 9 months in I met a really key person that, I felt, took me under her wing. Then she and her friends taught me about denim. Up till then I didn't know anything about denim. I was just trying to learn how to sew. This led to meeting a string of really smart people who seemed to be the gatekeepers of a lost art. Its funny to say the making jeans is a lost art, but it sort of is. Also, I started getting into the old machinery under certain peoples influence. This just made it even more fun for me. I already like old stuff, but old sewing machines have so much soul. At some point the apartment just became overwhelmingly packed with machines and my neighbors weren't that stoked. I found a great space for my studio and started getting even more machines. This started another phase because with all that I'd been learning, my stuff was getting better. I was trying new things ? jackets, shirts, skirts. And, the whole time I'd been working on men's and women's jeans by doing custom jeans to force my self to learn. Every pair was like designing a piece in a line. At some point I had to say no more to custom and focus on what I really want to be making. From there I narrowed in on one style that I liked and was willing to sell. I put up a website with pictures of my shop and a page to buy the one style to test the waters and see what the response would be. To my surprise, and due in no small part to the nature of modern communications, orders started rolling in. As an experiment it was valuable, but it also opened a porthole to another kind of work and, consequently, life for me. As I saw the close of that test, I took all the lessons and worked out how I, as a lone worker, could produce lots of my jeans and effectively sell them and develop new styles and still keep it fun. This is where I am at now. Honestly, I'm still experimenting. |
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