Baltimore Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
~~MrsBobCat~~
what/why are you personally having issues w/ Chinese manufactured things?
Is this a quality/jobs issue or something else?
just curious
Re: ~~MrsBobCat~~
I keep singling out China when I don't mean to. I want to bring more things into our home that are made in the USA. I've felt like that for years and for a variety of reasons: safety concerns, human rights, economic principles, American pride, and a general desire to want to be more "green." The biggest reason is that when I graduated from grad school the economic absolutely fell apart. I was unemployed for much longer than I'll ever care to admit and it was terrible. A part of me said, "when I have a job I'll try to do more to buy local products to help stimulate the local economy."
Granted, I know if China ever picked up the phone and told the US that they weren't going to buy anymore of our debt... well then we'd all be screwed.
But, it's little moments like what happened to DH and I last weekend that keep encouraging me to buy more domestic made products.
We stopped into Hobby Lobby to pick up a flag case for the American Flag that draped DH's grandfather's casket. Sure enough, Hobby Lobby had casket flag cases and they were even advertised to hold American Flags. Yet, every single one was made in China. Call me crazy, but I thought it was really messed up that a flag with the specific purpose of holding a casket flag being sold in the US would be made anywhere else besides the US. Who buys casket flag cases? Someone who probably has a casket flag and those are usually only given out for military and police officer burials (I'm sure there are others).
I really can't explain why it bugged me so much, but it did. DH was pretty upset by it too and refused to buy one that was made in China. We eventually found a local store in North Carolina that customizes casket flag cases.
It's been an eye opening experience that's for sure. I'm re-organizing my closets and I came to the sad realization that all of my shoes except for four pairs were made in China. My Converse were made in Vietnam, one pair of Cole Haans were made in Brazil, one Kate Spade was made in Italy, and one J.Crew was made in Italy. I'm going to try to find a pair of running shoes made in the USA, but it looks like New Balance only has a few exclusively made in the USA.
So many things I thought were made in the USA aren't any more. My Levis are made in Mexico, as well as my new American Standard toilet. Moen faucets are made in the US, but most of their bathroom hardware is made in China. It's sad that the LL Bean classic wellie boot isn't even made in the US anymore and LL Bean used to be synonymous with American made.
DH bought lights for his mancave over the weekend at Wilson's Lighting in Towson and they were made in China. So it's not like we're cutting off China completely. He finally found lights that he liked and we bought them from an independent store, so he felt okay with it.
And yes, I drive a Prius and will continue to do so! In 5-7 years when DH and I are trying to adopt a child we'll fly to the ends of the earth in order to bring home a baby girl or boy.
I'm jumping in this post too.
I try to make an effort not to buy things made in China. Let me tell you, its nearly impossible.
Their (lack of) product safety standards are scary. And then there's the whole human rights issues.
I bought a Kate Spade purse for Christmas with my Christmas money from my MIL. I was really disappointed when I got my purse and saw that it didn't have a label on it for where it is made even though it says "imported" online. If you look on Kate Spade's website it will say, "Made in Italy" or "Imported." If they're proud that the product is made in Italy they'll say it, but if they don't want to proclaim that it's made in Taiwan, China or Vietnam where the rest of their products are made. J.Crew is the same way.
It sucks because J.Crew makes up half my wardrobe and I'm not buying anything from them in the near future.
I've noticed in the last few years their quailty has gone downhill. I bought a cardi from there 2 years ago, in 3 months holes in the elbows. The ELBOWS! the only thing I could think of was that the material was so so crappy that putting my elbows on my desk must have worn them down, in 3 months.
and just think of the melamine in formula.
It's hard to track down defective shipments of stuff when the country of origin ships a product to another country and they repackage as their own. Scary crap.
I stopped buying from them a few years ago as well because everything kept falling apart. Their quality has really gone down but their prices haven't.
I too have stopped buying from J.Crew. All of my sweaters used to be from J.Crew and their quality has definitely gone downhill!
I have tried to buy more Made in the USA products. They are hard to find, but I feel like I have saved someone's house by buying that product. (I know I'm exaggerating)
If anyone wants I can add you as a contributor on two of my Pintrest Boards. One is for Made in the USA Fashion and the other is Made in the USA Home Decor.
Let me know if you're interested. I'd definitely love for others to post when they find something that's made in the USA.