The Death of American Consumer Culture and Revival of Old Fashioned American Values

Casey G.
Apr 3
5 min read

“The Historical Importance of the Liberation Day Tariffs”

I recently wrote a piece on the restructuring of every aspect of my life, that included the way I parent, my role as a wife to my husband, and even the way I am running my small business. In this article, I referred to myself as a “chaos monster”. My mind has all kinds of beautiful ideas. Wild ideas that I tend to suck others into quite often. You see, my grand plans tend to energize me initially. It’s almost like a dopamine release that happens in my brain. And like any dopamine high, the excitement wears off fairly quickly and I am left with unfinished plans and projects.

I mention in my journal article, Restructuring, that one of the biggest mistakes I made with my business, one that kept me from growing and making a profit sooner, was that I spent more money than I made.

Sound familiar?

Yes, this also what the U.S. Government has been doing for decades.

Our government is the monster of all chaos monsters.

In a matter of 30 years, we have almost completely outsourced our materials, food, goods, and jobs. I started The Rooted Market because of what I discovered as I did extensive research (as a consumer and concerned mom) to find better goods for myself and for my family. Rarely could I find quality, non-toxic goods made in the United States. The few USA made goods I did find were extremely pricey.

For example, a 10x10 event tent made in the U.S. (there is only one manufacturer) is $17,000. All the rest are made in…you guessed it…China.

And yes, for a pinch of the U.S. brand’s price. The United States outsources most of our goods, mostly to China, and we pay very little for these goods. But not for long…

As of April 2, 2025, the U.S. has placed tariffs on dozens of countries around the globe. And I’m not sure most folks know what it means or what to expect.

Here’s the bad news first…

Starting soon, your imported goods will cost a lot more. And many goods will not be available for a while. And, no, the tariffs aren’t going away. Not for the next 4 years, at least. U.S. companies that have outsourced their goods will start making those goods here in the United States to avoid tariffs. This will take some time. They will have to rebuild factories, hire workers, and find a way to source materials in the U.S.

The good news…

We will see an energetic boom in industry, jobs, quality goods, and ultimately bring economic strength back to our country. This will trickle into communities and revive towns again.

Does that mean prices will go down eventually?

Slightly. But expect to pay more for your goods from here on out.

Does that discourage you or energize you?

For me, it means paying only for goods I need. It means changing our spending habits. No more Amazon easy-click 2-day shipping for folks. It means more quality and safer goods for Americans. Which will improve our mental and physical health (see my recent article called, A Simply Beautiful Home). We will learn to need less and spend more thoughtfully. The concept of the thoughtful consumer is one we’ve fallen far away from as Americans…

Starting in the 1970’s, the U.S. made a deal with the devil. Communist China.

It started off with the best of intentions (like most things). Some beautiful, quality goods like silk and porcelain made their way to America. However, by the 1980’s and early 90’s things changed. As technology boomed, we began importing primarily electronics from China. By the early 2000’s, we were outsourcing all kinds of goods. Most American companies jumped ship (and swam their happy behinds over to Asia) and as a result America lost 5 million manufacturing jobs due to outsourcing. America's poor economic choices over the past few decades has caused the death of the American Dream and the once postcard towns of our country are hard to find these days; most lying in decay.

The unforeseen result was that when factories shut down, towns deteriorated and communities died.

This, my friends, is why I believe that these tariffs will result in a much necessary death. The death of the American consumer culture may just be the key to reviving America. We’ll have less stuff, but we’ll start piecing towns back together with local markets, main streets, and spending our money in our own local communities again.

This last part may be more of my own hope than a reality…

I pray, not for the boom in giant corporations, big chain stores, or AI data centers.

No, I pray I witness the revival of local general stores, farm stores and small shops again.

I pray these tariffs humble American consumers.

I pray we learn to need less.

Live within our means.

Spend thoughtfully.

Raise our standards.

Expect better.

Live happier, healthier lives.

Slow down.

Chat a while with the shopkeeper.

Know who makes your goods.

Who grows your food.

Where it’s made.

How it’s made.

And what it’s made of.

That those values become important to American’s again.

This is my hope.

What we can do in the meantime…

Buy what you need now while the prices are still low.

Create a budget.

Build a habit of self-control.

Start saving more money.

Stop using credit cards.

Barter and trade.

Shop for used and thrifted items.

Keep the things you have.

Take good care of your belongings.

Buy goods that will last years and decades.

Stop buying into commercial holidays (literally).

Prioritize experiences over things.

Make it difficult to spend by not saving credit card info on websites, deleting apps, deleting subscription programs, and by choosing to not shop at big box stores or online stores like Amazon that tempt you with an endless buffet of stuff you really don’t need.

What do you think of the Liberation Day Tariffs?

Comment below or email me at therootedmarketgoods@gmail.com

Many blessings, friends!

~Casey

The Shopkeeper