Eeking Out A Living

I've been away from this blog for several months, and you want to know: Where have you been? Well, you will remember back in January I was on the brink of losing my job, and I did. I lost my job. So, for the past several months, I have been eeking out a living.

Here is how I'm doing it. I fell back on an almost-forgotten skill I learned as a child. I have been... sewing! Yes, I said sewing! How did I get from there to here?

First of all, the prospects for a job in my field in the area where I live were not good. So I didn't even go in that direction. And I decided that if I was going to change the way I make a living, I was really going to change the way I make a living. So I figured, well, I'll just work for myself. And I'll work from home. That way, I don't have to buy gas, I don't have to buy nice clothes, I don't have to eat out, I don't have to stress over a "real" job. So, I started sewing. From about 7 in the morning until well into the night, handbags were flying off my sewing machine. And I was selling them - to my family, to my friends, to my neighbors, to my former co-workers. And was actually making a little money. Then I realized I needed to expand my customer base, so I found an internet site for selling handmade items and signed up in January. And guess what? I'm actually making a living... sewing! And, I have learned a few things along the way:

-Middle Class America may be broke. But it is still spending money.
-Middle Class America may be broke. But Middle Class (Other Country) is not.

I've also learned that there remain people in the world who appreciate handcrafted items. People who actually prefer handcrafted. And are willing to pay a little extra to buy something that isn't mass-produced in a factory. But, there are still some people who just don't get it.

Example: I have put some of my hand-stamped market bags for sale at a local outdoor fruit and vegetable market. But they aren't selling. Reason? The shoppers comment that they can purchase a market bag at XXXMart for $2.00. Why pay $7.00 for mine? Yes, you can. You can support the big corporation headquartered out-of-state by buying their mass-produced, imported bags, or you can support a local resident by buying a bag handcrafted right here in the good ole' USA, right here in your own community. Your choice. Unfortunately, I've found most will go with the XXXMart bag every time. And the funny thing is, they are purchasing fruits and veggies from locals to support the local farmers and the local economy, but they don't apply this theory to other purchases. Go figure.

So that is where I've been. And that is where I am. I wish I could tell you my endeavor as an entrepreneur has alleviated my financial woes and has taken me out of Middle Class Poor, but it just ain't so. And I don't foresee that happening. But I will tell you this. I feel more grounded than ever before because I am confident we will endure the hardships of living Middle Class, and I know we will survive. And in the meantime, we are living a little lighter. We aren't using as much fuel; we aren't making extravagant purchases; we are choosing to spend our dollars on local and handmade goods whenever possible; and, we are helping save the earth. One bag at the time.