You may have noticed on the news lately lots of stories about how our economy is not doing so well. It appears that we are headed into another recession, unless something drastic occurs to change the course we're on. For a lot of us, we feel too small to make a difference in the larger picture--we are small consumers struggling to survive day to day. Even so, there is something we can all do to help our economy recover. One of the biggest issues facing our economy right now is unemployment. Even though we went through a 'recovery' the past year, the jobs outlook never really improved. Currently there are 13.9 million people unemployed within the United States. That has a huge ripple effect in our economy, with decreased spending at local businesses, who in turn either lay off workers or close altogether. I personally know that so many of you are struggling right now with unemployment, which makes this topic even more important to me. But there is something that you and I can do about this issue, and it is very simple to do: Buy Made in the U.S.A. products. According to ABC News and Economy.com, if every American simply spent an extra $3.33 a year, we'd create 10,000 new jobs. If we each spent an extra $64 on products made in America, there'd be an extra 200,000 jobs this year.  This was a hot topic about twenty years ago, but it is sooo important now. It isn't always easy either--so many of the items we buy daily aren't made in the USA. But those statistics shocked me at how little I really needed to do to make a huge difference in our economy. I don't know about you, but I can definitely spend an extra $64 a year to help people get jobs! Even more, this isn't an extra $64 on top of what I'm already spending--I just need to pay attention and instead of spending that $64 on products made outside the USA, to spend that $64 on products made here!  Even more, if I spent more on products made or produced locally, I can help boost the Cincinnati region economy as well. To help jump-start this for you and for me, I'm going to begin focusing on this issue and highlighting local businesses and products Made in the USA. I'm not talking purist here--if something is made or produced here by local workers but has parts made outside the USA, that's fine with me. Why? Because the production is here, creating US jobs. That's our ultimate goal--creating jobs.  I'm also going to be looking at the common belief that products Made in the USA are more expensive. Are they? I don't know. I have that idea floating in my mind, but I've never investigated it. I want to know once and for all--is it fact, or is it myth? If you have a Made in the USA product, service or story you'd like to share, I'd like to hear about it! Send me an email at LittleMissKnowitAll@cincysavers.com. If we all work together, we can make a significant impact in our economy with very little effort!