The resurgence of 'pocketbook patriotism'

“Sometimes I feel like my back is against the wall and I’ve gotta have something, and I think, ‘This really stinks,’” Toncheff said.

If she absolutely can’t find an American-made version of an item, Toncheff will at least try to support a U.S.  company that is manufacturing its products overseas. But overall, by limiting herself to American-made products she also just buys less.

“I’m not a big shopper like I used to be because I was turned off,” she said. “I hang onto stuff until it goes kaput.”

As it turns out, making the commitment to buying American is for many people also an austerity plan.

When River Skybetter can’t find an American-made version of an item of clothing she wants, the first thing she does is stop and think, ‘Do I really need this?’

“Usually, the answer is no,” she said, and that’s often the end of that.

“If I can’t find it made here, I’m probably not going to buy it,” she said. “I’m pretty sick of the way consumerism has just taken over our country.”

Skybetter, who is in her 40s, began a more serious commitment to buying domestic products a couple years ago after she started to see the effects outsourcing seemed to be having on America’s middle class.

“I decided, I can’t change the world, but I can, at least with my money, decide where I want my dollars to go, and I don’t want my dollars to go for slave labor. I don’t want my dollars to contribute to global warming,” she said.

Turning to the Internet, she found American-made products on forums devoted to such seemingly far-flung causes as veganism, anti-sweat shop work and union advocacy. Skybetter, who lives in Los Angeles, said she was surprised at how much was out there, once she knew where to look.

Sometimes, she said she does make compromises, such as buying clothes that may not be the exact fabric or shade she wants because they are made domestically. But she thinks the items last longer and are of higher quality. She said she often finds bargains, especially if she scouts out sales, and thinks that for the most part she’s not spending more money than she would otherwise.

“It’s just a very different way of thinking,” she said. “You may not be able to find everything you want, or exactly what you want, but I feel better about what (I’m buying).”

Skybetter also makes sure her fruits and vegetables are grown domestically, if not locally, and she plans to buy an American car in a few years to replace her Toyota (she’s hoping Chevrolet’s electric Volt will be available). She was thrilled recently to discover a company that assembles computers domestically.

Still, her television is growing old as well, and Skybetter knows she’ll likely have to buy a replacement that is made overseas.

“This is the kind of thing where you pick your battles,” she said.

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