The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. My free garage sale rug has proven itself to be a keeper, so I hauled the old one out to the curb and stapled a “Free” sign onto it. I checked back a few hours later to find it gone. It’s the circle of life!

2. I fell prey to a pair of yellow jackets, so my sister took pity on me and pulled a dinner together from a variety of random bits and bobs. She titled it “Hearty Peasant Food” and I was more than happy to accept her silly meal. By the way we dined on cole slaw, cucumbers, hamburger buns and Tillamook cheddar cheese. It would’ve been easy to order a pizza, but I’m glad we didn’t.

3. We added another out of town guest to the house today, but did so without buying anything to ready the room. A lot of people look around their houses and imagine how it’s perceived by others, then use that  imagined criticism to fuel unnecessary purchases. Please don’t do this to yourself.

4. Our guest beds are set up with thrifted mismatched sheets, but rich with welcoming spirit.

5. I didn’t go on Amazon.com to browse for false “Prime Day” deals.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My friend texted asking if I’d water her garden, as she’s in NYC and the person who’d agreed to do so backed out at the last minute. She doesn’t live too far away, so I let her know I was happy to lend a hand.

   I then offered to connect her with my sister, who works with the American Museum of Natural History. It turns out that it’s a full family trip and my sister was able to hook her up with eight free tickets, which’ll save her $328! As I’ve written before, I love saving money but I especially love when I can help other people save money!

2. My sister and I took a long evening walk through the neighborhood. There were lots of people hanging out at the local bars and restaurants, but we were happy to just get out of the house without spending any money.

3. We invited our mother over for an afternoon of Scrabble and snacks, which was great fun. We munched on crackers and cheese; hummus, pretzels and spicy pickles. All from the fridge and pantry, but still tasty.

4. I helped myself to a handful of raspberries from my friend’s garden when I went over to water her plants.

5. I continue to live my life without sending my money to that Schmeff Schmezos guy!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My father’s sweet dog Buddy passed away last week and everyone is understandably sad. I went ahead and printed a nice photo of the family with Buddy and placed it in a curb picked frame for him. The total cost was 39¢ for a Walgreen’s print.

2. I sprayed out and repaired my yard debris wheelie bin, which was both revolting and deeply satisfying. The lid was a repeat repair, but I’m happy to do the work if it keeps it in circulation and out of the landfill.

3. Tonight’s dinner was what we jokingly call “after school snack for dinner.” Think carrot sticks, hummus, crackers and cheese. We did add a salad a couple hours later, but a frugal affair either way.

4. My sister and I have been watching episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer through her Hulu account.

5. I have zero-point-zero plans to buy anything from Amazon during Prime Day, or really any other day. Morally bankrupt billionaires don’t deserve a penny from me.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My sister and I went on a post-supper neighborhood walk and happened upon a garage sale leftovers pile from that provided an empty Altoid tin and a sturdy plastic clothespin for me. My sister scored yarn, art supplies and a couple of books. We then came across two free ceramic flowerpots, one for each of us. My one has the same silhouette as one that already sits on my front porch, which is my kind of frugal serendipity!

   

2. I took that single Altoids tin and added it to my organizational system for tiny items. Keep in mind that I don’t buy Altoids, so these were all scavenged. I enjoy figuring out creative solutions that bypass corporate America, even when it’s just a small project.

   There, that’s better!

   

3. I made another batch of chive-y cream cheese to keep in the fridge and spread on Dollar Tree Monet crackers. Cheaper than Boursin and all I added was seasoned salt, chopped fresh chives and garlic powder!

4. I dropped People of The Book off at the library and picked up Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler. I love this author and am happy that she’s still writing. I had to wait a long time for this hold to come in and I’m excited to delve into it.

   On another note, I really appreciate that Portland’s libraries are open seven days a week.

5. I didn’t remove protections for my country’s most vulnerable citizens to benefit America’s most morally bankrupt businessmen.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. Remember when I planted sprouted grocery store garlic back in November? I’d read somewhere that you’re supposed to harvest garlic on 4th of July, so I pulled it up and was very excited to find that I had indeed grown garlic! This was a very passive effort and for that reason I’m calling this a success. I now have my massive harvest (Four! Heads of Garlic!) drying in the cool dark basement and will make sure to plant much more come fall.

   

   

2. My sister and I went to the Franz Bakery Outlet, as they sell their “Bargain Wall” bread for $1 apiece on the first Saturday of the month. I ended up with eleven loaves, as you get an extra loaf when you spend ten bucks. Plus I filled my punch card!

   

   My favorite find was the gluten-free hotdog buns, which normally sell for seven to eight dollars apiece. Good thing I have a freezer!

   Bonus photo of my entire haul:

   

3. The neighborhood pigeons who like to roost under my eaves are back, so I roped my sister and mother into accompanying me to Dollar Tree to buy helium mylar balloons. Why balloons? I fly them outside  our front and back windows, which gets in the way of where the pigeons like to hang out. It physically blocks them, plus it freaks them out a bit.

   I also bought panko bread crumbs, Monet wheat crackers and ginger snaps.

4. I curb picked these chairs back in April and had yet to refurbish them, so I set them out at the corner last night. They were gone by morning. I could’ve recovered the seats and painted the metal, but I either get right on a project or not at all. Perfect time to pass them along to someone else with fresh energy and creativity. Buh-bye!

5. I checked the library website to see if any fresh cultural passes had been posted, and lucked out on a free three-day pass to Rose City Comic Con! I’ve only once been to a comic convention, (mid-1980’s, and only because my father was speaking on a panel) but think this should be super fun! The normal cost is $99, so this is an especially good bargain. Thanks, Multnomah County Library!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My friend Katie posted something on her Facebook page about donating blood to the American Red Cross. As a thank you, she’d received a free pair of $25 Goodr brand red sunglasses, which couldn’t have come at a better time, as A) I can’t find my preferred sunglasses and B) I am nothing if not filled with blood. I literally made a same day appointment and was quickly in possession of a pair of my own quality sunglasses.

2. We enjoyed a yummy at-home dinner with both my kids, plus my sister. Nothing too elaborate, as I just set up a simple tostada buffet with black beans cooked in the Instant Pot. Cheap, easy, tasty.

3. You already know that I enjoyed many free cookies while at The Red Cross. Plus a few to go.

4. I woke up this morning to find the there was no power to the refrigerator, which was not the cheery “good morning” that I expect from my appliances. Luckily it was just matter of pushing the ground fault interrupter button to get her purring again. Crisis (and big expense) averted!

   I don’t think I lost any food, although I took it as an opportunity to make homemade chicken broth and soup from two frozen rotisserie chicken carcasses.

5. I didn’t gut America’s safety net to provide tax cuts for bloated billionaires.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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1. I went to H Mart for sweet rice vinegar and soy sauce and chose the biggest jugs they sell. Yes, I spent more today, but the price per ounce was lower which equates to long term savings. This choice is always a bit painful in the moment, but I just take a deep breath and consider myself privileged to be able to invest in the larger, more expensive size.

   

2. I browsed the deli section and considered splurging on one of their delicious, (and actually not that pricey) premade options. Their kimbap looked especially amazing, but I reminded myself that “You have food at home!” and drove back for a lovely bowl of bean and bacon soup.

3. I returned a huge bag of books to the library, even though I’d only read a couple of them. I like to have choices of what to read based on mood and vibes, so I’ll deliberately check out more books than I can get to. Not only did this declutter my living room, but I got the thrill of new books without spending a penny.

   I know it’s hardly an ah-hah moment to recommend the library over traditional retail therapy, but picking out and bringing home new books scratches the same dopamine itch as buying cute unnecessary doo-dads from Target. And we all know that Target is on our no-no-list!

   

4. I walked past Winco’s small book section and saw they had something by the author Jenny Green. I’ve read her novels in the past, but she’d slipped off my radar, so I made a mental note to see if Libby had any of her audiobooks available. I found that they had Falling for immediate download, which proved to be the perfect distraction from an upsetting news cycle day.

   Libby lost some of their funding, so I’m only able to reserve ten books at a time instead of twenty. I’m now being judicious about what I put on hold, as filling my hold list with audiobooks that take six months would be sad in the here and now. Immediately available books for the win!

5. • I deliberately ordered a large portion entrée last night, so I’d have enough leftovers to bring to my daughter.
   • I hung laundry on the clothesline on this hot and blustery day.
   • My friend Lise gave me a pot of sedum she dug out of her garden.
   • I went on the library website at the stroke of midnight on July 1st to see if they’d released any new discovery passes. Sadly they didn’t have anything for me, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
   • I scanned an abandoned parking lot Winco receipt into the Fetch app and got 1250 points! For reference, I normally get the standard 25 points as I’m not buying national corporate brands.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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