Buy American Made! The other day the maintenance man came to my apartment to fix the toilet and I learned that he had bought it and hundreds of others from Mexico because he said they were better made and cheaper. Then he went on to tell me that that company he bought them from had gone out of business. He learned that he would have to remove all of the toilets he had installed in various places around the county because no one sold the parts. But apparently a local hardware store found a place where they could order the parts and he is now able to fix the toilets.

Now, I've received several forwards over the course of a year about buying American or challenging me to look for the American made products when shopping in the store. So, after the ordeal with the toilet I decided to start with my bathroom and see what other items in there are not made in America. I am proud to announce that only two products in my bathroom are currently not made in the USA- Vicks Vapor Rub and a body wash. This means that 98% of what I use for dental care, hair care, skin care, cold remedies and cleaning products, etc. are made in the USA. That made me feel pretty good.

I challenge everyone to do the same. In fact, I wish there was a website that listed all the products that are made in the USA. It would be helpful.