The Non-Consumer Advocate

I sold a Shiny Brite tree topper* on eBay for $20 and packaged it up in the ugliest but most functional Frankenbox. I also used two inside out Amazon bubble mailers as bubble wrap. I was able to get it out for the mail carrier maybe ten minutes before he came by the house this morning, which is great as I imagine the buyer wants it before Christmas.

Maybe it do, baby. Make it do!

I used my minivan to help my step mother pick up a mattress she was buying from Facebook Marketplace. It didn’t exactly fit, so we drove a mile or so with the mattress sticking out of the back of the car. Luckily, it wasn’t raining.

I stopped by the Goodwill in my father’s neighborhood and although I didn’t find anything worth buying, I did find a dime on the ground.

I wanted to buy a multi-bit screwdriver for my daughter’s stocking and chose to buy it from a locally owned hardware store. Wink’s Hardware, which touts themselves as an “old fashioned hardware store” has been in business since 1909 and is a breath of fresh air in the era of Amazon and Home Depot. The store really does feel like stepping back in time, which is my favorite kind of shopping experience.

My father gave me a similar screwdriver maybe 25 years ago and I swear that I’ve used twice a week ever since. It’s not an easy thing to find used, but I still feel good about this purchase.

I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

I drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain to pick up a pair of Facebook Marketplace gifts for my mother. (I can’t be any more specific as she reads the blog more than I do!) I then decided to hit a juicy suburban Goodwill since I was in already the area, but accidentally programmed the GPS to take me to a “Boutique Goodwill.” (Boo!) I normally avoid these stores as they’re stocked with dull designer name clothing, which is totally not my thang. However, I figured that I might as well give it a look see.

I browsed the store and ended up buying a cute pair of earrings for my daughter’s girlfriend that were priced at a reasonable $7.99. I also used their bathroom, so I’ll call it a win.

I boxed up my sister’s Chanukah/birthday gifts by creating a Frankenbox from a package that my husband got in today’s mail. I’m really hoping that he doesn’t need to return his purchase, as he’ll be up a creek.

I used Pirateship.com to prepay for the USPS label, which saved me a bit over two dollars. I could’ve saved a lot more had I chosen UPS, but the package would’ve taken four extra days in transit and my sister’s birthday was yesterday.

I’m not putting up a Christmas tree this year, which is my small protest against right wing Christian nationalists forcing their religion into secular government agencies and policy. (Also, it’s an unpleasantly scratchy endeavor.) I did grow up with a Christmas tree, as did my father, although he tells a funny story of how his family spied his religious grandfather slowly walking to the house on a Saturday. (He didn’t drive on Shabbat.) My dad and uncle then hurriedly yeeted threw their fully decorated tree out the window and their Jewish grandfather was none the wiser.

Instead I stopped at a Christmas tree lot and grabbed an armful of free cut branches and arranged them in a vase for winter solstice. I’m content with my wintery blue and white decor, especially since William Shatner made the cut.

I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

I’ll be picking up a pair of brand new Apple EarPods from someone in my Buy Nothing group. These’ll serve a stocking stuffer for my daughter who doesn’t read the blog.

My daughter and I went to Cost Plus World Market to pick up yummy treats for people on my gift list. I try my best to not buy anything new, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t buy edible gifts. (No used food for my loved ones!) I can’t share what I bought as my sister does read the blog.

I signed up for their membership, as it you 15%-off all purchases, although I immediately hit “unsubscribe” as my inbox is cluttered enough as is.

I walked down to a neighborhood consignment shop as my sister’s birthday is today and I wanted to send something besides the aforementioned food items. My first thought was something small like earrings, but instead I scored a $8 kitchenware item that I know she’s been wanting. Again, I can’t share what I bought, but I think she’ll be very happy with her gift.

• I sold a Land’s End needlepointed Christmas stocking on eBay for $40.
• I sold a trio of tiny die cast Alaska Airline toys for $15.
• I made a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup as my husband is fighting an upset stomach.

I’m not gifting any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

I sold the KLM ceramic Amsterdam houses for $50 a couple hours after listing them on eBay. This may sound like a win, but it’s actually a sign that I underpriced them. Oh well, still not too shabby considering that I paid $4.58 for the pair of them.

Of course I packaged them in a random used box, complete with scavenged bubble wrap.

My father gave me a tour of the tool kit he received as a Jewish confirmation gift 75 years ago. I remember using these tools as a kid and my father continues to use them on a regular basis. (It’s quite ingenious, sort of like a precursor to the Leatherman.) Although the leather case is sadly now fragile, the tools themselves are still in excellent condition.

Imagine if all consumer goods were of this same quality.

I’ve done essentially no Christmas shopping, although I do have some idea of what I want to get for the people on my gift list. We’ve winnowed down who we exchange gifts with through the years, which helps. Mostly I give consumables, which gets around my “buy nothing new” edict, plus I like that my gifts won’t clutter up people’s homes.

I did ask for one specific item on my Buy Nothing group and will be picking that up on Monday for my son. It rhymes with schmortar and schmestle and I think he’ll really enjoy having one to grind up his own spices.

I’ve had two nights in a row of lumpia for dinner, thanks to my friend Rosalie. Mmm . . .

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

I stopped by Fred Meyer (Kroger) customer service and was refunded $1.55 by presenting a coupon that could’ve been used with something my husband bought yesterday. I was there for powdered dishwasher detergent anyway, so it wasn’t an extra trip.

My friend Rosalie treated me to breakfast after having fed her at my house during our last get together. However I wanted to make sure she got the most for her money, so I looked over the restaurant’s online menu the night before and figured out that that it would be cheaper to order a few things à la carte than to order a pre-set plate of food.  Cheesy grits, poached eggs and a biscuit added up to $12, as opposed to $14 for a “two eggs breakfast” that included things I didn’t want.

My friend Lise and I teamed up to do our grocery shop, although we did sneak in a bit of 55+ senior discount day thrifting. Lise bought herself a brand new looking Saks Fifth Avenue merino wool sweater for $9 and I grabbed a $1.50 organizer bin and two $2.69 Royal Dutch Airlines KLM Delft ceramic houses to sell — which were still filled with gin! So yeah, I bought booze at Goodwill.

I then brought home four bags of groceries for just $65, because Winco is amazing that way.

Winco and Goodwill, not a bad afternoon.

• Rosalie gifted me with a batch of her homemade lumpia and a container of pancit noodles.
• I gathered up all my library books and pulled out the overdue ones. I’m normally responsible about returning books on time, but life has been really busy and upside down lately. Luckily Portland no longer charges late fees, but that doesn’t mean I should take advantage of their lax policies. I then stopped by the library to return books and even picked up a couple new “Lucky Day” books.
• Powdered-effing-dishwasher-detergent! Just say “no” to gimmicky and expensive pods, which easily cost ten times what I spend on the powdered stuff. I buy a $5.99 box that’ll last for ages. I simply decant the powder into a container and then scoop out a tablespoon’s worth for each load. Works great! Save your money for something more interesting.
• The restaurant, library and Fred Meyer were all in the same neighborhood, so I saved gas by batching these errands.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

I sold the Supreme brand knit beanie on eBay* for $65 that I scavenged from a “Free Stuff” box a few weeks back. I actually turned down a $40 offer on the cap a couple days ago and was second guessing if I’d been stupid to turn down what is essentially free money. No, I wasn’t. $65 is better than $40.

I tidied up and rearranged our downstairs spare bedroom, which serves as a catchall space and inevitably dissolves into chaos. I identified a couple of items to donate to Goodwill, as well as a few things to give away through my Buy Nothing group.

• I donated four curb picked baseball bats and a backpack.

• I gave away a box of broken vintage Fiestaware that I’d been holding onto for some imaginary mosaic project. (Since nursing school!) Decades have passed without action, so the broken dishes can now go to someone who actually does mosaic work and I couldn’t be happier!

I pulled a partially eaten Costco rotisserie chicken from the freezer and plopped it in the Instant Pot along with a couple of frozen onion ends, bay leaves, garlic salt, pepper and water. I’ll freeze some of the chicken for future recipes and make a big pot of chicken soup with the rest.

• I gave away the once filthy, now clean knit cap that I found under the bleachers last week. It turned out to be child-sized and will be put back into circulation instead of added to a landfill. The gloves I found that day have been added to our winter stash, as I actually needed a pair of cozy gloves.
• My husband and I were out and about and debating where to grab a nice bite to eat. We settled on a Mexican restaurant, where we ordered a $10 takeout burrito and had them cut it in half. Plenty of food and kind of freeing to just munch our lunch in the car.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky!

Our passenger side headlight went out, so my handy-dandy husband bought replacement bulbs and installed them himself. I’m not sure how much money we saved, but I can be happy without the hard data.

I was going stir crazy at home, so I invented an errand to donate a couple items to Goodwill. I didn’t go into the store and instead called my mother to see if she was up for a spontaneous visit. I returned home to find my son in the kitchen, working on his weekly meal prep.

Oregon in December is intensely dreary and it’s easy to succumb to seasonal affective disorder. Maybe I should consider taking vitamin D to stay above water.

I started listening to A Novel Love Story, by Ashley Poston through the library’s free Libby app. I allow my sister use my Libby account, (Portland’s library lets you check out so many more books than NYC’s does!) and she’d enjoyed the book, so she left it in the account instead of returning it.

• I broke the wood and wicker basket that I’ve been using for paper recycling. Luckily it took nothing more than a squirt of wood glue and a couple of clamps to bring it back to life.
• My son needed to pick up a couple specific items at H Mart and dragged my sorry tuchus along. I bought 33¢/bunch scallions and six sale priced mini-cans of coconut milk for just 48¢ apiece. This was perfect as I rarely need the entire can of coconut milk.
• I drove through McDonald’s and got a 50¢ double cheeseburger through their app.
• I used a hair dryer to soften the glue that held the metal piece onto the back of my son’s old cell phone case. We then glued it onto his new case so he can avoid buying a new cell phone mount kit.
• I invited my next door neighbor over for a chat and a catch up. These dates are hilariously cheap as we just bring our own tea to one another’s houses.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky!