New Series: Make Buy Skip

If you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.

I don't really believe that one bit.

There are times where it makes sense to Make a product yourself, and others when it makes sense to Buy a product.  And in the true sense of reduce, reuse, recycle, sometimes it's best to just Skip it altogether!


Take a sweater, for example.  Do you know how to make a sweater?  Do you have the time to make a sweater?  Do you have the money to buy a sweater?  Or the materials to make a sweater?  Do you live in a warm climate where sweaters, even really cute and fashionable ones, are just plain unncessary?

If you know how to Make these, I will Buy them from you.

The best choice for Making, Buying, or Skipping won't be the same for every person, every item, or every situation.

But seriously, Skip these.

I'm here to help!  This is the first in a new series intended to help you ask the questions that will lead you to determine whether you should Make, Buy, or Skip when it comes to personal/home care and whole superfood supplements.

In future posts in this series I will address these questions as pertain to specific items such as deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo, but here I want to address something that will pop up quite often.  A question that can throw the whole equation off.

Are you giving the item as a gift?

I initially stumbled upon the Miessence business opportunity when I was trying to develop my own range of homemade body balms.  It wasn't working in terms of coming up with anything sellable, what with the expenses of packaging development, labeling restrictions, small scale supply shipping costs, etc., but it did give me some good ideas for things I could spiffy up without worrying about cost effectiveness, and give as gifts.  While a certain amount of craftiness may be required (Martha Stewart, I am not), I am generally of the opinion that it's usually better to Make when it comes to gift-giving.  My friends and family may disagree--refer to the Great Scarf Christmas of 2006--and that's why it's a general rule rather than a hard and fast one.

Bacon Jam is probably on the Skip list, even when it is a Martha Stewart recipe.

And if your homemade personal care gifts wind up looking more like mud than toothpaste (more on that later), well I can help you with that too.