In this blog we’ll go over the Top 5 Effective Strategies to Lose Weight From Home. Don’t spend a ton of money on a gym, that you’ll probably go to once and then give up.
Losing weight can be a challenge, but with the right strategies, it’s possible to achieve your weight loss goals from the comfort of your own home. Here are five effective strategies to help you get started:
Create a calorie deficit. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. To do this, track your daily caloric intake and make sure you’re consuming fewer calories than you’re burning through exercise and daily activities.
Incorporate strength training into your routine. Strength training helps build muscle, which can boost your metabolism and make it easier to lose weight. Plus, it can be done at home with minimal equipment, such as dumbbells or resistance bands.
Drink plenty of water. Water is essential for weight loss, as it helps your body metabolize fat and can also help you feel fuller, so you’re less likely to overeat. Aim to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is crucial for weight loss, as it helps regulate hunger hormones and can also help reduce cravings. Aim for at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night.
Stay motivated. Losing weight can be a difficult journey, so it’s important to find ways to stay motivated. This could include setting small, achievable goals, enlisting the support of friends and family, and rewarding yourself for progress made.
By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can lose weight and improve your overall health from the comfort of your own home. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any weight loss program.
If you have any questions about this blog, feel free to write them in the comment section.
There are some interesting and forgotten dishes eaten during the great depression. Who knows, with our current economy, we may end up going back to a few of these meals from the 1930’s, just to survive!
There wasn’t a lot in the great depression, so stretching your food to last as long as possible is the only way to keep feeding your family. No all families were lucky enough to be able to eat these ingenious meals.
Fried Bologna Casserole
The Bologna Casserole was made out of just that, Bologna. If they had the ingredients the will include bacon, onions, peppers, pork and beans, chili, inexpensive cheese and anything else they can find to add to the casserole to make it last.
Hot Water Pie
Made with baking ingredients, such as; flour, sugar and butter to create the pie base. Then using boiling water, sugar, butter and eggs for the filling.
Great Depression Egg Drop Soup
The name is the same as the famous Egg Drop Soup that you find in Chinese restaurants. However, this dish doesn’t taste anything like it. Made of boiling water and onions, browned potatoes and scrambled eggs with a lot of salt.
The Garbage Plate
The great depression garbage plate was often served at diners in the western New York region. Made with a variety of combinations of flavors, but all are loaded with nutrients and needed calories.
The dish is usually made with a combination of home fries, baked beans, macaroni salad, ground beef and sometimes sausage. Then they top this mixture of ingredients with chili, onions, hot sauce, mustard and ketchup.
The Great Depression Cooked Bread
This is a dish that’s made out of old stale bread, that would be tossed out these days. During the depression they couldn’t afford to toss out anything. They would cut the old bread into slices, soak with butter or oil and cook on the stove top.
Creamed Peas on Toast
This is oddly satisfying and has been served at my own family dinners. Made with a gravy that includes flour, butter and milk with salt and pepper. If they have sausage of some sort, they include it when adding the peas. Pour the mixture on toasted bread and it made a hearty dinner.
Cabbage and Dumplings
Cabbage is cheap and provides a lot of soup, they would add onions and any spare vegetables that they might have available. The dumplings were simply flour and eggs. This soup can be stretched out for days if needed and has good nutrients.
Frozen Fruit Salad
This was a popular dish during the holidays and provides a tasty treat. These are usually made with canned fruit, whipped cream, flour, eggs and mix-ins such as nuts, raisins and marshmallows.
Great Depression Meatless Meatloaf
We all know that there was a meat crisis during the great depression, so creating something that resembled meat was often used.
The meatless meatloaf could be made out of anything they have hanging around in the refrigerator. Often they used liver, raisins, peanuts or whatever was left in the pantry. It never tasted the same twice, but could be good and nutritious depending on that days recipe.
Boiled Carrots and Spaghetti with White Sauce
This was the staple that replaced spaghetti and meatballs during the great depression. Since there was very little meat most families had to find a new way to present this meal.
The spaghetti is usually boiled for a long time to make it mushy with carrots and white sauce that is made out of salt, flour, milk and butter. It’s not as tasty as Spaghetti and Meatballs, but is nutritious and provides food for their family.
Peanut Butter and Mayo Sandwiches
If a family in the depression was lucky enough to have pantry staples, they would have peanut butter and mayo sandwiches that would provide just enough protein and nutrients to keep one going from day to day.
The Great Depression Milkorno
Scientists at Cornell University in 1933 invented a gruel called Milkorno, a mix of powdered skim milk, cornmeal, and salt, to help families in need “stretch budgets without sacrificing nourishment,” promising “Meals For a Family of 5 For $5 a Week.”
As the name implies, Milkorno comes from combining “milk” and “corn.” There were also Milkorno’s step-siblings, Milkwheato and Milkoato. Milkwheato, in particular, was incredibly successful. The government purchased 25 million pounds of it for use in hunger relief efforts.
When boiled, every member of the Milkorno family turns into porridge, though the Bureau of Home Economics considered them a decent substitute for noodles in Chinese chop suey.
Hot Milk Toast
Often used for breakfast, but can be used as a desert as well, depending on what is put on top. Usually used with old bread, toasted and buttered. Then heat up some milk and pour it over, enough to make the bread soggy. When used for desert they would sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top. Truth be told, I was raised on hot milk toast and I didn’t live through the depression, but I loved it!
In the midst of the Great Depression, Americans found creative ways to stretch their food dollars and provide nourishment for their families. They ate a variety of unusual dishes that made use of the ingredients they had on hand like food that they foraged or grew in their gardens.
Whether you’re looking for some fun and frugal new recipes or you just want to explore a unique period in America’s history, consider whipping up a few of these odd Great Depression meals today!
This is a true story that just happened to me only a few weeks ago. Some red flags are more obvious than others, some you might not think are red flags, but you might learn a few things to look for or what you can change in yourself to get a first date. So, tell me in the comments below if you agree with how many red flags I found and I’ll send you a discount code to my store.
Here we go, how many red flags can you find on this first date?
We had only messaged each other two times when Mike asked me to go to a concert the following weekend. I’m usually much more cautious about going out that fast, but I was desperate to get out and since I love music I decided to take a change at this opportunity and said yes.
When the concert day arrived I made sure to get to our pubic meeting place 10 minutes early, just in case. Mike arrived 30 minutes late. He pulled up right behind me and got out of his vehicle, I could see him in my rear view mirror and the man that stepped out was nearly twice as heavy as the pictures online. Since heavy people don’t bother me, I got out and shook his hand. Sized up the situation and felt I was okay to continue on the date.
Honestly, the love of music and the opportunity to go to a concert was out weighing the red flags to this point, so I hopped into his vehicle and off we went to the concert. After we arrived and walked up to the front doors, I discovered that they were still locked and that they don’t open for another 2 hours! He knew this and didn’t tell me that we were arriving 2 hours early, so he can get in line. The tickets are assigned seating, so standing in line for hours doesn’t change where we sit and is just a waste of time to me. To top it off, he ignored me the whole 2 hours and talked to others in the line, sometimes walking off, leaving me standing there alone.
Once we finally got inside he turned to me asking if I was hungry, I replied that I was and we went to get food. I asked if he wanted his own meal or if he wanted to share something, he said that we can share chicken strips and fries. I agreed. After getting the food we wiggled our way through the crowd and found our seats on the 8th row. He sits down, turns his massive back to me, blocking the food completely and proceeded to eat everything, he didn’t even offer me a fry.
Finally, the concert started and I started having fun, but there was an extremely drunk man sitting next to us that was being rude and obnoxious. For the most part, we just ignored him and enjoyed the concert. Then he got very loud and started heckling the singers, screaming obscenities’ and telling them to get off the stage and never come back. I waited for Mike to say something, but he just looked the other way, so I stepped up. I reached over and popped him on the shoulder, just enough to get his attention and told him to be nice. At first he was annoyed, but I then explained that we’re here to have a fun and have a positive experience and would like him to stop being negative because the bands worked very hard to get on that stage and that he couldn’t do any better. He immediately calmed down and apologized. The rest of the concert was a blast.
After the concert we headed back, he started quizzing me on the bands and names of classic music. I told him that I’m not good at band names, that I just love the music. He kept quizzing me. I mentioned again, that I won’t know these answers and he started picking on me. He started asking me questions again and I again told him that I really don’t know band names. Then he started harassing me and never let up all the way to the park-n-ride.
It felt like forever, but when we finally arrived back at my vehicle, I jumped out and headed to my drivers side door. Unlocked it and tossed my purse on the front seat. Suddenly he was right next to me, wiggling his way between me and my vehicle door, to block me from getting into the vehicle. He large size basically squeezed me into the bushes next to me, I stumbled into them and nearly fell over. When I turned around he had his hands on the door and side of the vehicle, completely blocking me from getting in. That scared me and I wanted to freak out, but knew that wouldn’t help in any way, so I took a few deep breaths and stayed calm.
He started small talk, but it was 1:30 am and I hadn’t eaten anything since I ate a Toaster Pastry that morning for breakfast. I was tired, hungry and annoyed. Seeing way to many red flags to feel comfortable talking to this strange man that late at night in a nearly deserted parking lot. I took another deep breath and humored his small talking for a moment, then said I needed to go. He asked if I wanted to go on another date. I hate hurting peoples feelings, but I felt this time I needed to make sure this guy had a definitive answer and gave him a gentle, but solid no. Gratefully he then moved to the side and let me get in and get away from him.
So there you have it. How many red flags did you find? I’ll now show you my answers below. Do you agree?
Flag 1: There are a lot of sick people out there that prey on desperate single females. Taking sometime to get to know an online prospect and then speaking to them over the phone is important to do before a first date. One of the rules I have in place is to make the fellow send me a quick video of his face and him saying my name, so I know that who I’m actually speaking to is really the person on the profile and not someone that is just trying to scam or catfish me. In my experience, there has been way more scammers and catfishing accounts than real people on dating sites.
Flag 2: If a man can’t respect you enough to be on time to a first date, he won’t respect you in a relationship. You deserve a man that can be reliable.
Flag 3: When someone’s profile photos don’t represent their current self, they are basically lying. Misrepresenting who you really are speaks volumes about what you think about yourself and how little respect you have for the person you’re wanting to date.
Flag 4: Standing in line for 2 hours, for no apparent reason and ignoring the person your dating the whole time is selfish and rude. A little heads up would have been nice or a discussion on the time line would have been courteous.
Flag 5: What kind of man agrees to share food with you, then selfishly eats every single bite? I don’t know … I was so perplexed by this behavior that I just sat there staring at his back with my jaw nearly hitting the floor? Does anyone have any answers to this behavior? Maybe his was really that hungry? I would have been fine buying my own food, he just needed to tell me.
Flag 6: A man should be able to protect his date, not make her step in and do it. That man was getting belligerent, was inappropriately touching me and could have become a threat if someone didn’t calm him down. It shouldn’t be up to the woman to take care of a potentially dangerous situation.
Flag 7: If someone doesn’t want to talk about a subject and gets harassed about it, instead of just changing the subject … well you know! Don’t pick on your date people.
Flag 8: Never block a woman from getting into her car, this will throw her into fight of flight mode and you might not like how things turn out. Most women I know immediately think they are going to get raped or killed when a man blocks her from escaping. This will never get you a second date.
Tell me how many flags you agree with and why? I would love to know your opinion. I asked several of my friends about this situation to make sure I wasn’t being to sensitive and they all agreed that I should never date this guy again.
Do you think I should give this guy a second chance?
If you know someone that ignores red flags and keeps getting hurt over and over, you might want to consider this fun Red Flag Mug for their next gift.
In this blog we will talk about 4 solutions on how Not to be overwhelmed in life.
In a world of uncertainly, we seem to concentrate on just surviving life, but to thrive in your life, career, home you are impacting lives and securing your future. What if all of your struggles were designed for you, that you need to go through what you have to be successful in life. What if life happened For you not To you?
Now is not the time to play small in life, most people will do that, but it is the right time to gain capabilities, take action and thrive instead of just trying to survive. Are you wiling to make a necessary pivot in life to grow and discover exponentially during this economy shift?
Many people these days are feeling overwhelmed with too many things hitting them at once, they are feeling lost and don’t have direction, they feel like they are drownding, but not getting anywhere, they aren’t where they want to be in life and are tired of not living life to its fullest potential. Wanting more in life and knowing you can achieve more is the best way to generate passion for those wants and building that pathway to create what you desire.
When you are thriving in life you are filled with clarity and direction, you feel confident in yourself and start creating goals and plans to live life to the fullest, you enjoy your relationships, feel peace and have a great quality of life. Focus on creating a better you, better life, better relationships.
Ask yourself a few questions:
Have I gone through a mess that taught me something valuable?
Have I learned skills or gotten really good at something?
Do I have a hobby or passion that I’ve invested a lot of time and money into?
Imagine taking any of those situations and turning it into generating multiple streams of income. Extracting what you already have and sharing it with the exact people that need it is the perfect way to start thriving in life. Finding a niche and creating and income from it is up to you and your experiences.
There are 100+ more to choose from and you can do this too, you need to do this for your future, so you can thrive not just survive. Remember, it will take 10X more time, effort and tenacity that you think it will, but don’t give up. The moment you give up is the moment you failed. You can massively impact your life and generate abundance at the same time.
Inflation is hurting most and investing in yourself and creating self care can be difficult, but finding a way to do so is a must. Let’s explore a few ways to thrive in life. Start with your life experiences, your skills, your hobbies and your passions or even the life challenges that you had to overcome and made it to the other side.
1) Start your own business. There are so many options, but opening a business gives you a great way to help with taxes, create your own income, build a future for not only yourself, but your family, kids, grandkids. If you want to start your own online e-commerce store, comment below and I can help.
2) Invest into a low cost, high margin game changer. These are hard to find, do your research, if it was easy everyone would do it. This can be in the form of stocks and bond, cryptocurrency or buying into or starting a new trendy business in a tightly defined niche.
3) Self care is a must! Self care is simply the practice of looking after your own physical and mental health in ways that support a good quality of life and prevent illness or endangerment. Everyone’s self care needs are different and should be based on determining what you need specific to your life style, such as hereditary health and your environment, occupation, habits, interests, stress levels, and more.
Examples of selfcare to consider:
Exercising regularly.
Eating healthy foods.
Fostering and maintaining healthy relationships.
Getting good-quality sleep.
Seeking professional help when you need it.
Following treatment plans for current ailments or diseases.
Have a cup of tea.
Sit in the sunlight.
Take a shower or bath
Drink more water
Get a massage/facial/pedicure/manicure
4) Be prepared for disasters, emergencies and economic downturns. Disasters can occur naturally (e.g., tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, mudslides, or drought) or be human-caused (e.g., mass shootings, chemical spills, or terrorist attacks). Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and traumatic events is essential to the good behavioral health of individuals and communities alike. Find more info here.
I hope you enjoyed this blog on 4 Solutions On How Not to be Overwhelmed With Life and learning to thrive instead of just surviving. Please leave a comment below and I’ll send you a discount code for 10% Off your next purchase.
Are you ready to go from just surviving to Thriving? The time is now, just do it!
Being frugal can be fun and fabulous, but getting there is easier if you have a frugal mindset. Having a frugal mindset is about making smart, sensible choices with your money. It’s about understanding and being intentional with how you spend that money and the budget you set. With the economy as it is today, being frugal helps you to plan ahead and take control of your life, your finances and the positive energy that you put into making frugal fabulous.
It’s easy to spot people that are not frugal, they have lots of debt and usually hold down 2 jobs just to keep up with all the stuff that they bought. These days with all the prices going up on housing, gas and food, being frugal has become a necessity of the majority, not just of the few like before the COVID epidemic. It’s more important now to become adept at stretching your pennies and saving money whenever you can.
I was talking to a fairly wealthy friend the other day about the economy and how pretty much everything has increased in price, yet the average pay has stayed the same. He gave me an interesting idea on how to save money, that he uses himself. “I never pay full price for anything.” he said, “I look for the sales on items that I actually use, then buy out the store.” His purpose was to show the store that he refuses to pay the higher rates, that if the stores see that only ‘For Sale’ items are flying off the shelves, maybe they will start lowering rates again. Interesting concept, I suppose if more people get on that bandwagon, maybe that would make an impact. We can all contribute in different ways to helping the economy, but personally I’m more worried about providing for my family.
A few ways to Thrive in life and be a fantastic fun frugal person:
Budget your money: Although budgeting isn’t necessarily fun, it is a critical piece of the puzzle. Within your budget, you can prioritize things that matter and ruthlessly cut out things that don’t.
Plan your meals: I know this isn’t fun, but when you have a set list of items that you need from the store, it’s easier to not over buy and you save a lot on eating out.
Cook Larger Amounts: I don’t like cooking, so if I don’t have to do it everyday that makes it easier when I do have to cook. I make large amounts, then create individual meals, put some in the refrigerator and some in the freezer for later.
Downsize and Minimize: Take a look around, I bet you have many items in your home that you don’t use. Sell them, get some value out of them. Clean out your garage, go through your clothes, do you really need all of those gadgets? The key is, don’t sell then rebuy new things. Sell and put that money towards bills or in savings.
Grow your own Food: Not only is it healthier for you than what you can buy at the store, but you are then starting to Thrive by not having to rely on the store. There are many different easy ways you can start, check out our garden selection for awesome planting options.
Free Fun Adventures: There are a ton of free things you can do that don’t cost a cent, such as going to the park, play board games, go swimming, go on a bike ride, take a free online course, write out your life plan/goals, having a picnic, or having a bonfire are just a few free fun things to do.
Living frugally doesn’t have to be a sacrifice, but a way to thrive instead of just surviving. Make an effort to think of frugality as a way to fully enjoy what you care about in life. When you have your money under control, it can be easier to spend on things that matter.
Have you heard about the 300 wants challenge? Time to get your list started, so you can stop just surviving in life and start Thriving.
Any life coach, guru, business coach or personal coach will tell you that you need to write down what you want in life, your goals, asperations, because writing them down helps make it real. 10% is the average of items on your list that will come true, you must believe you can achieve these things at some point in your life time. Therefore, writing 300 wants down on a piece of paper (not a digital list) will result in you getting at least 30 of your wants to come true!
Let’s get started, write at least 300 things down that you want. At about 75, you might get stuck so begin to ask yourself a few questions to help keep you motivated. How many cars do you want? What kind of car? What color? Where do you want your next house to be? Do you want a summer home? What about your finances? Your relationships? Your love life? What do you want to learn, do, achieve? Where do you want to go?
At first I didn’t think I could do this because all my life I’ve taken care of everyone else’s wants, never really knowing what I wanted. I never had a chance before to express or even think about what I wanted. It took a lot of thinking to even begin, but once I got going and really took a look a myself, I discovered a great deal that I wanted.
When you document your wants on an actual piece of paper, not only does this create a paper trail, but it spells out your thoughts in a way that you can then reflect on them in the future. Some of the most successful individuals always carry a notebook around with them so they can write anything and everything that may come to mind. I’m here to encourage you to push past the mental barrier that you have placed on your mind and think beyond those limitations that we hold ourselves. We can achieve more than we think is possible and I know you can do this.
Anything that encourages you closer towards your ultimate goals should be a priority and should be approached with a desire to achieve them swiftly and efficiently. Knowing what you really want is something that not everyone even understands about themselves, once you do you can start working towards those future goals and thrive in life. Be sure to review this list often and add to it after the 300 when new wants come up.
There is so much value in seeing your dreams, goals, and wants spelled out in front of you to review when you need a boost. The task of writing these down is the first step towards giving life to those things that you want; furthermore, this act will hold you accountable to working towards achieving them. Comment below, and let me know how building out your list goes.
3: to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances
When you’re facing challenging times, how do you overcome and get back to thriving in your life? While it may feel like nothing good can come of your life circumstances these days, the truth is that difficult times can provide a great possibility to learn and grow. Even the toughest situations can transform everything and take your life to the next level.
Albert Einstein said, “
“Crisis is the greatest blessing for people and nations, because crisis brings on progress… It’s in crisis that inventive discoveries and great strategies rise. He who overcomes a crisis overcomes himself, without being Overcome.”
As human beings, we are meant to be the creators of our lives not just survive, but to thrive. We’re not made to merely survive – we’re made to thrive.
So many people today are unfortunately just surviving life and all of it’s trials, instead of thriving and moving forward, onward and upward. They have a “just get by” type of mentality and feel like they are just making it day to day. More than likely, they have forgotten who they truly are and have settled for second best without even knowing it.
Four tips to create a life where you are Thriving, not just surviving.
1: Be sure to take care of your health. It won’t matter that you’re thriving if you don’t have good health to enjoy it. Even adding a short walk each day will make a difference, but if you can get out of the house and go camping or hiking, get some fresh air and do this often, the difference in your health, your mental health, your general well being is wonderful.
2: One of the most important things to maintain is a good selection of emergency supplies. Those that don’t have anything set aside or have a bug-out bag packed and ready are the ones that lose everything in an emergency situation. Make sure you have a supply of all essentials, not sure what to pack? Click here to get your Free Emergency Preparedness Template.
3: Self-care is extremely valuable when thriving. There are many ways you can take care, but know doing things for you can make you healthier mentally as well as physically. Depression seems to be everywhere these days, so providing yourself some natural healing is even more important that ever before. Relax, get a massage, meditate, read, have some quality alone time, etc. Do whatever it is that brings you peace, joy and brings balance to your soul and chakra.
4. Money. There I said that dirty word. Thriving requires you to have multiple streams of income, without it you’ll be stuck in survival mode most of your life. Create a business, sell things online, rent your spare rooms, write a book. You have a skill, probably multiple skills, find ways to make money with those skills. Be creative, you never know what someone out the is willing to buy.
Thriving is also recognized as a “multifaceted” concept. The studies that the authors have reviewed range from child development to military studies. Across these, “thriving” has been alternatively defined as vitality, learning, task focus, “mental toughness,” or a combination of all of these concepts. Receiving support from one’s family, colleagues, and employers is also important, and being given a high degree of autonomy and being trusted as competent are key elements.
Nearly 500 Americans across the country were recently surveyed and were asked if they prefer to buy products that are labeled “Made in USA.” Would they be willing to pay more for these items? Nearly 70% of the respondents indicated that they prefer American-made products. Slightly more than 83% responded that they would pay up to 20% more for products made domestically. The likely influences in this perception include rhetoric against goods made in China, loss of manufacturing jobs in the Untied States, and past experience with poorly made and inferior foreign products.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Americans would favor American-made goods. Why wouldn’t they? American manufacturing means American jobs and better economy. That should make consumers feel good about their choice, even in some small way feel like they’re contributing to their own futures and their children and grand children’s futures. Aside from that, American-made goods have long benefited from a reputation of being well made and long lasting.
1. Provides Jobs for Future Generations
Our future generations matter. Jobs for our children and grandchildren are important so that they can build a life for themselves and provide for their families.
Manufacturing in the USA means guaranteed jobs for thousands of people. This happens because the more money that is invested in buying American-Made products, the increased money will then be put back into manufacturing American-Made goods. As this happens, the more the manufacturing sector will grow. By growing the manufacturing sector, more jobs are created in turn, will push more money back into the economy. This is a cycle that we can get behind to continue supporting Americans.
2. Promotes American Independence
We as Americans have pride in our nation and in our independence. Relying on another country’s exports is counter-intuitive to our sense of being and to our national pride. Our country, which was once a powerhouse on the global market, is now placing vital importance on our trade agreements with other nations, hoping to receive their goods at a low rate. We need to end our reliance on the exports of other countries and take back our independence by buying products made at home and by buying American-made products and finally taking our power back.
3. Better for the Environment
Current technologies allow manufacturing processes in the US to lean toward cleaner, renewable, and Eco-friendly practices. If we invest in American-made products, we can be sure that we are doing our part to contribute to a cleaner environment for our generation and future generations.
4. Our Government Cannot Control Foreign Labor Standards
When products are made in the USA, federal and local governments can control working conditions and ensure that minimum wages are paid and proper laws are upheld in accordance with United States Labor Laws. Importing goods from abroad means that we do not have that level of control and transparency. Sweatshops and child-labor are rampant in third-world countries where many products are manufactured. Buying foreign products supports these violations against workers abroad. Ensure you are helping your fellow Americans by looking for “Made in the USA”.
5. Boosts American Investment Opportunities
American manufacturing means investment and finance for the American economy. The more that is pushed into national manufacturing, the more the nation’s economy will reap the benefits. With growth in manufacturing comes an increase in investment opportunities for Americans.
6. Guaranteed Quality of Goods
The term “Made in the USA” speaks of quality, excellent craftsmanship and a superior product. Continuing to use foreign imports gives no guarantee of quality. While shipments and products can be monitored, there is no true guarantee of the imported goods quality and longevity.
7. Guaranteed Safer and Fair Working Conditions
OSHA oversees safe working conditions in the manufacturing industry. There are controls and regulations in place to minimize accidents, while granting rights to employees. Foreign countries may not have the same level of health and safety and imports contribute to unsafe conditions for thousands of workers.
8. Helps to Reduce the Deficit
USA has a trade deficit that needs to be addressed and eliminated. Investing in American-Made products will boost the American economy which, in turn, will reduce the deficit.
9. Avoid Foreign Political Debates
Importing goods into the country can produce a whole host of barriers and obstacles, particularly with nations whose diplomatic relationships may be tense. Manufacturing inthe USA means these potential obstacles can simply be removed.
10. Outsourced Manufacturing Plants Rarely Return to the US
One less considered factor is that once a product has been outsourced to a foreign country, in most cases it will never again be manufactured in the US. That avenue of potential business has vanished. This must be avoided at all costs to strengthen our economic standing domestically, while eliminating our reliance on foreign goods.
So, are American-made products worth their price? Absolutely. The price reflects the fair market value of a product made to standards that are fair to workers and the communities where factories operate. It will always cost more to compel a factory to make products safely and humanely, so they won’t poison our lakes, rivers and air. So that children can play instead of being forced to work. So adults can earn living wages with dignity and basic health and safety standards. The price is an investment in ourselves, our family and our neighborhoods. And worth every penny.
It was the first hot day of the summer and my daughter wanted me to go out to her RV and make sure the cats weren’t too hot. All three dogs were in the backyard. Two get along great with the cats, but one doesn’t, so when we are at work we keep the cats safe in the new RV and leave the windows open with the air conditioning on low.
The cats were perfect, taking naps on the bed and greeted me with purring and snuggles. I hung out with them for a bit, but then needed to go inside to get supper started. As I was walking back I noticed that our smallest dog, Lazlo, was enjoying a roll in the grass. Our largest dog, Robin, walked up to him and attacked. She grabbed his fluffy scruff and immediately started thrashing him about. I dove in and grabbed her collar, tried to pull her up and out of the area, so she would let go, but her shear weight thrusted me violently off my feet, tumbling head first right into their snarling teeth.
I screamed for my daughter to come help, as I realized I wasn’t strong enough to pull these two apart on my own. The third dog, a medium size dog named Jack, decided to join in. Now I have three dogs growling, snapping and tearing each other up and me right in the middle of them all. Blood and saliva was spewing out everywhere, I screamed for my daughter again. I felt like I was being tossed around like a rag doll as the dogs were fighting. I had a grip on the two largest dogs collars, trying to pull them back and up with the scruff of their neck, creating a choking sensation, which is the best way to separate fighting dogs. I just wasn’t strong enough for the both of them, but then my daughter arrived at the scene and with her help we were able to get the attack subdued and separated the dogs.
We went inside to check on the little guy, he was dripping with slobber and there was a few blood streaks on him, but for the most part he looked okay. However, I felt shattered. I was shaking so hard that I couldn’t hardly stand up, I started crying. I kept having flashes of poor little Lazlo being shredded up and killed by Robin. It felt so real that I went into shock. I just sat there on the floor shaking and crying.
This was such a horrible thing to be in the middle of. Seeing three of my fur babies tearing each other up my heart was aching. I get a stomach every time I think about it. I never want to go through that again.
In the dark of the night… Just kidding. It was morning. My three young children and I were driving home from my mothers house who lives in Utah and we lived in California at the time. I was overwhelmed with the drive and the bickering of my daughters. Did I have snacks just in case they get hungry? Yes. Did I have our favorite music CD’s? Yes. Did I provide them all with a full reusable water bottle? Yes. All the same questions I asked myself before we started the long trek back home.
We had been traveling all day, but as we got past Las Vegas and the temperatures heated up fast and my full size van started shutting down on me. We could drive about an hour, then we would have to stop and let the engine cool down. This made the trip twice as long, super hot with temperatures in Baker that had reached 117° that day. I’m so glad we had portable fans to help keep us cool, but it was still so very miserable. Anyone that has traveled through Baker, CA in July can totally understand what I’m talking about.
The day was almost over and I was ready to be home and sleep for a week. However, there was still a few hours left of driving left and my butt muscles were killing me. I was flexing my muscles hoping to make sure my butt didn’t fall asleep and wishing my daughter’s music CD would break because we’ve been listening to it over and over and over. We were on the road now for hours and hours and I was anxious to get the kids home and to bed, so I shower and sleep.
We were only a few blocks away, I started to see the end of this long arduous trip then suddenly I felt the van jolt, and heard the pop. Sounded like gun fire. My tire flattened. Great another thing to stress me out. My children were all asleep and I didn’t want to wake them, so I pulled out my Fix-A-Flat and sprayed it in. That only worked for about a block, my van is so big and heavy that it went flat again pretty fast. I didn’t care anymore, we had been on the road for a day and ½ and when I glanced at my travel watch, it was 11:55 pm. I couldn’t stand it any longer, so drove slowly home, hoping that driving on the rim wouldn’t cause too much damage and since we were only a block away I decided to take the chance.
When we arrived I jumped out and took a look. The tire was shredded, it looked like a wild animal tore it to pieces. Suddenly I had a funny thought and decided to play a practical joke on my daughters. However, they were all asleep, so I decided to do it in the morning.
The next morning I asked the kids if they remembered what happened last night. They looked at me confused and asked what.
“We were attacked by a werewolf last night”, I exclaimed, “You didn’t hear the growling?”.
Their little eyes bugged out and fear swept across their faces. They all started asking questions about what happened.
With a lot of vigor, throwing my hands up into the air, I excitedly expressed, “The werewolf chased us down the road, he grabbed our back tire and ripped it up, but I was able to speed up and we were able to escape, but we almost died!”
Then I ran them out front, frantic to show them the tire. They were shocked to see that it was shredded just like I said and they looked at me with total belief in their eyes, that werewolves really exist. Then suddenly I jumped and screamed, acted as if the werewolf had returned and they all started screaming as well. In a panic we instinctively ran back into the house giggling and screaming as we went. We laughed for hours afterwards and I was the mom hero of the day. Of course, now that we are all adults, they find it funny and plan a similar joke on their own kids.
The Unparalleled 
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