The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I planned a Winco Foods shopping trip, but first hit Fred Meyer (Kroger) as their produce clearance shelf has been popping off lately. Today was no exception.

   What did I buy? Two big bags of mushrooms, plus a mixed bag of four big avocados plus two tomatoes. Each for a buck-fifty! I then scoped out the non-produce clearances shelves and grabbed two 12-packs of flavored seltzers for $1.40 each.

   The best part? I paid for everything using my blood money Red Cross gift card!

   

2. I used one of the avocados in a big batch of sushi and then soaked and peeled the pit to propagate. I used one of the free glass vases that I got from the Habitat ReStore a couple weeks ago. I read somewhere that it helps to peel the skin when propagating and it worked really well the one time I tried it.

   

3. I discovered an abandoned piece of firewood in the Fred Meyer parking lot, so it now resides in my fireplace. Hardly the day to light a fire, (Portland heat wave!) but chilly days are around the corner.

   

4. I sold my $7.99 thrifted Yakima rack for $50 through Facebook Marketplace. This was a fun flip, as it was super dirty when I bought it, and it was deeply satisfying to wipe out all the nooks and crannies.

   

5. My mother had a classic waffle-weave dish rag in her living room and offered it to me after I asked about it. I gave it an overnight oxyclean soak, (store brand, of course!) and will add it to our stash. We don’t buy paper towels, as it’s easy enough to use thin washcloths that can be switched out every day or so. Mind you, these are not Pinterest-worthy dish rags. A couple of them are literally leftover baby washcloths from my 29-year-old daughter! They put the “rag” in “raggedy!” Weirdly kind of excited to have a minimally scrappy dish rag.

   Am I . . . fancy now?*

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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I was out and about running errands today and came across this post-garage sale “ALL FREE” pile. (It’s hard to read the sign, but I assure you that everyuthing here was free!) I pulled the car over without a moment’s hesitation.

What did I grab?

Seven IKEA Sortera bins. Normally $14.99 apiece. Our basement is in great need of a round of organization, so these bins will be put to great use. They were in perfect condition, but I still hosed them out and set them in the sun.

I also took this new looking Honeywell ceramic heater. I’m a fan of heating the room you’re in instead of the entire house, so this’ll come in handy come winter time. It looks like it originally sold for seventy-some dollars.

This North Face rolling suitcase with backpack straps. I can’t find a similar one online, but will research it further. One of the wheels is a bit busted, but I like a repair project. Otherwise, it was in excellent condition. The price was definitely right, especially since similar suitcases sell new for $350!

I later returned to find nothing other than the twin bed frame. This was a bummer as I’d decided to take this green wooden shelf if it was still available. I realized it would slot perfectly in my youngest’s childhood bedroom. Oh well . . . you can’t take everything without crossing a line into hoarding.

How did I do? A win for what I brought home or a loss for everything I left behind?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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My husband and I visited the Oregon coast yesterday. Not an expensive vacation where we’d have to fly and pay for accomodation, just a simple two hour drive from 100° Portland to seventy-some degree beach breezes. We enjoyed slightly overpriced fish and chips overlooking a bay and then shared a burrito before heading home.

We saw orange starfish.

Purple starfish.

An unfortunate starfish.

And a flock of maybe 80 pelicans. Okay, this was amazingly cool, as we’ve been to this sepcific beach maybe twenty times through the years and this was a first. Sure, we’ve seen pelicans here and there in the past, but such a large number at once was new. It’s hard to give a sense of how big they are in a photo, but compare their size to the also-not-tiny seagull!

We also stopped into the Tillamook Goodwill, where I picked up what looks to be a complete Yakima bike rack for $7.99. I’ll clean it up today and either list it on Facebook Marketplace or bring it to the used bike rack store.

A perfect getaway for a couple of lucky Oregonians.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I treated my husband to a lunch date at IKEA. I chose a pair of $1.30 veggie dogs and he enjoyed a half-price $5 meatball and mashed potato plate. (Half price entrées on Thursdays!) Of course, we both partook of the free coffee. To say that I’m a “cheap date” is actually an understatement.

   

2. I stashed a deck of cards in my purse and we played a few hands of gin rummy while sipping our coffee. I suggested that we go find a faux living room setup to hang out in while playing cards, but I was outvoted.

   

3. We then headed over to the nearby Costco, where we gassed up the car and bought a round of staples for the kitchen. Needless to say, samples were enjoyed.

   

4. My husband grabbed his tools and we drove over to our daughter’s apartment as her roommate’s bed seemed to have broken. Luckily it turned that the slats had just fallen off the frame, so no repairs were necessary. The easiest and cheapest repair is no repair.

   

5. I enjoyed that the main character in my book balked at the idea that “You always have to throw out the first pancake.” Finally, a character that I can identify with! 😉

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I came across this free pile outside an apartment complex in my neighborhood and had to do some browsing. See the baseball cap on top?

   

   It’s an embroidered guy in a towel* standing in a puddle of liquid. Because, you know . . . fashion. I’m ashamed proud to admit that I brought it home in case anyone ever invites me to a white elephant party.

   

2. The box also contained two pairs of Bombas socks, which normally sell for $18 apiece. I brought them home to launder because they looked essentially new and I hate throwaway culture. Also, I think they might be Cookie Monster socks?

3. I walked to Fred Meyer to pick up a half gallon of milk and bought nothing more than the milk. I did scope out the clearance shelves, but there were no amazing bargains. I paid using my $30 Red Cross gift card from when I donated platelets. They also sent me an additional $15 card that I tucked into my wallet.

   For those keeping track, I received $45 in gift cards for donating platelets, although I declined the backpack and T-shirt.

4. I sold a coffee creamer for $12 on eBay. This is another example of an item I’ve had up for sale for too long, which is why I have a hard time letting go of stale inventory. It doesn’t take up that much space, but there’s still an impatient part of me that’s tempted to do a clean sweep.

5. My husband and I started watching the so-so TV show Butterfly through my sister’s Prime video account and started feeling peckish when the main character and his daughter shop for snacks in a Korean grocery store. I didn’t have any Korean snacks on hand, but I always have Winco bulk purchased popcorn kernels. I paused the show and popped us some nice buttery bowls of popcorn and got back to our show. Spent maybe 20¢?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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