Sunday, July 10, 2016

What WAHM's Wish You Knew.......

This post is either going to get a lot of "likes" or a lot of nasty comments. Please know that this is to inform people, not to bash people. I'm blunt, so what I say (Or type) can be taken wrong.

I've been making dresses , clothing and cloth diapers for years. One question I get asked  is, "Why don't you sell the dresses you make?"

Here's why......
I would have to charge upwards of $60.00 for each dress and most are not willing to spend that.

Here are few reasons why our prices are higher than Walmart:

1. We don't get our fabric in bulk from companies in China. Instead many of us are paying close to full price for our fabrics. Some of us get them from Co-ops but still, those prices are slightly lower... SLIGHTLY. This applies to our supplies and other notions. We get them with coupons, and with sales. We're not getting our supplies for pennies like factories do.

** The benefit to these fabrics that we use is the quality. I have made my daughter dresses that she's worn for 2 years. Then we have passed the dresses down to my niece and some of those dresses are now being worn by  another child. That does my heart good!! These fabrics don't rip and fade like the stuff from Walmart. When was the last time you bought a child's skirt from Walmart, or even Kohl's and were able to pass it down to multiple children?? 

2. Our time is limited. Many of us are mom's with other duties...like raising the children, cleaning the house, etc. For some, like myself, we're also homeschooling moms. Others work a full time job and supplement their income with their home business. As you can see, time is important. It's in high demand.

** The time we put into cutting, ironing, pinning and finally sewing is a labor of love. This all contributes to the quality of the items. The better the quality the longer these items last and can be enjoyed by many children. 


3. We are NOT making a fortune. Contrary to popular belief WAHM's are not making a fortune or even a large profit. If you take the cost of the fabric, notions, electricity  and time, you'd see that many aren't even making 10.00/ hour. That's ridiculous considering there are some that want those working at McDonalds to make $15.00/hr. Many try to cover the cost of their materials and make a little profit. A well-earned profit!!!


I have seen beautiful dresses and when I inquired what the mom was selling her dresses for i've seen prices range from $50.00 up to $120.00. The one for $120.00 was absolutely breathtaking.

***My last advice is NEVER...and I repeat, NEVER tell a hard woking mom that her item isn't "Worth the price.". Why?? That item is clearly worth the price because you liked it enough to inquire about it.
I once saw a beautiful dress for my daughter and when I inquired it was a custom made dress for $120.00....Now I can sew...but would I make a dress like this?? Probably not. I could NOT afford $120.00 for the dress...so what did I tell the woman??  I said, "That is a beautiful dress. It's worth every penny but I can't afford $120.00".

Ya know what she said, "Oh thank you, I have a sale at Christmas time and my over stock goes up 1/2 price"...


WOW!! That was so nice of her. It doesn't pay for her to keep her over-stock, so she puts it up for sale...how nice of her to share that little secret with me!!!

WAHM's provide great quality items that you can't get in other stores. When I was a kid I remember my mom passing my clothing down to my two younger sisters. Today you're lucky if you can get something to last the whole Winter season.

Making my daughters dresses or my son's shirts doesn't save me money. What I get is quality that can be passed down.

The next time you buy something from a WAHM, remember that it was a labor of love, not something from a factory.












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