Like everyone else, I enjoy a little something for nothing. Whether it’s food samples from a warehouse store, or a free pile in front of a neighbor’s house, free stuff always adds a little excitement to my day.

I had been reading Angela from Frugal Living NW rave on and on about a search engine called Swag Bucks, and finally went to take a look for myself. I signed myself up to give it a trial run and see what all the fuss was about.

Here’s what I found — Swag Bucks is a Google-like search engine that randomly rewards you with points that can then be spent in the Swag Store. Points can also be earned when you online shop through their site, as well as a number of other ways. (Although I do next-to-no online shopping.)

So I started doing my online searches through Swag Bucks in January and have already earned $25 in Amazon gift cards, which I’ll use to buy the 14 piece Pyrex storage set, (as seen in my Amazon store to the right)  that I’ve been pining after. Yeah . . .  I know, I’m the life of the party. Woo-hoo!

I have looked at other online sites that offer free stuff in exchange for doing surveys (mysurvey.com) or viewing advertisements, (mypoints.com) and found that I was getting around 1¢ per minute of survey work, and remembered that I actually hate looking at advertisements. (What kind of Non-Consumer Advocate would I be if I enjoyed looking at ads anyway?!)

This graphic will show up if you "win" any swagbucks.

What I like about Swag Bucks, is that I’m earning points doing something I would be doing anyway. Is their search engine comparable to Google or Bing? No. But most of the time, I don’t need all the bells and whistles. Most of my searches are to find the phone number or address of a business. Simple stuff.

The fine folks over at Swag Bucks have given me a code for new users to sign up with, which is:

“COINGIRL”

This code will give new registered users 60 Swag Bucks, which is 30 more than usual. To give you a sense of what that’s worth, a $5 Amazon gift card costs 450 Swag Bucks, (SB) and most of the successful searches win you 10SB at a time. (Make sure to use all capitals, as it is case sensitive.)

I know this kind of reads like an advertisement, but it isn’t. I am receiving no compensation in exchange for this column.

Click here to register and take advantage of this offer.

If anyone wants to be referred by me, (you can still use the code) send me an e-mail at nonconsumer@comcast.net and I’ll send you an invite. This will expire on March 17th at midnight PST. (Full disclosure — this does benefit SwagBuck users to refer friends.)

Do you have an online site you use to get free stuff? Please share your faves in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

]]> http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/03/coingirl-says-to-wag-your-swag/feed/ 10 http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/03/a-compact-chat-2/ http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/03/a-compact-chat-2/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:45:34 +0000 Katy http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/?p=5823

Welcome, Get Rich Slowly readers. The following is a reprint of a previously published piece I wrote about The Compact, (which is why you clicked over here.) Enjoy!

My name is Katy Wolk-Stanley and I am a diehard member of The Compact, (a worldwide buy nothing new movement) and have been since I joined up in January of 2007. I buy used gifts, I buy used school supplies, Heck, I even buy used sheets.

It may sound like a source of frustration to not be able to walk into a store and quickly grab life’s necessities, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It turns out that much of what I had been grabbing were not necessities, but stuffthat were simply wants.

Not buying new has actually freed my life up. Saving not only untold thousands of dollars, but forcing me to make conscious and deliberate decisions about my purchases and how I live my life.

I already considered myself a thrift store aficionado and my house bulged with clutter to prove it. Sure, it was cool clutter, but clutter nonetheless. Cool dishes, cool vintage linens, cool toys, I had it all. Unfortunately I was also buying all the new stuff as well. Combine the two, and something had to give.

A short wire service piece in the local paper in December of 2006 then caught my eye. A small group of San Francisco hipsters had spent the last year buying nothing new and calling themselves “The Compact.” They were shopping thrift stores, bartering and horror of all horrors — simply not buying at all!

“We’re just a rarefied middle-class San Francisco greenies having a conversation about consumption and sustainability.”

I went into The Compact telling myself I would give it a month. What if I needed something? What about family birthdays? A month seemed about right, not too intimidating. I could handle a month.

The first year flew by with very few Compact exceptions. We bought a new glass carafe for our coffee maker as well as gifts for home-stay families that my son and husband would be staying with during a class trip to Japan. Besides that, I really can’t think of much else that needed purchasing.

Not only was I saving money, but I was experiencing a increased awareness of how the buy, buy, buy mindset of society was affecting our lives, our wallets and the environment.

I started to make other changes in my life.

I looked around my house and decided to put a full effort into de-cluttering. I donated to Goodwill a whopping 19 times in 2007, sometimes completely filling the mini-van with the excessive belonging that had been invited into my home.

I slowly began making other changes in my life as well. I began hanging my family’s laundry on a clothesline, I turned my thermostat to 63 in the winter, (which nobody seemed to notice) mixed up my own laundry detergent and make a concerted effort to minimize my driving.

All these changes save my family money, but most importantly we’re decreasing our energy consumption. Because The Compact is not about saving money, it’s about sustainability.

Luckily, frugality and sustainability are often one and the same.

Will I ever stop doing The Compact?

Well . . . I’ve actually started buying some new stuff when the big picture outweighs searching out the used. For example, I no longer want to be storing my food in plastic containers. This has meant that in addition to the couple scores of Goodwill Pyrex leftover containers, I splurged on a brand-spanking-new set. But in concordance with my conscious spending mindset, I noted that Pyrex is manufactured in the U.S. using union labor, plus the packaging is 100% recyclable!

I don’t think I will ever stop being part of The Compact, as my life has greatly bettered and my bank account has mysteriously plumped.

What more could a girl ask for?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Today I motored myself towards my local Safeway for big grocery trip #2 with my $10 off $50 coupon. This deal is valid over the first week of the month, and I take advantage of it by trying to do two big shops, both at the beginning and end of the week. This way, I’m able stock up on all the pantry staples that I need. (Can I call them “pantry staples” if I have no pantry?)

In addition to the regionally specific Safeway coupon, I also used a small handful of manufacturer’s coupons for items as diverse as toothpaste, flour and pasta. Although I use some coupons, I am a far cry from a coupon queen, who feeds her family on $4 per week.

Here’s what I bought:

• 10 pounds of flour, (whole wheat and unbleached white)*
• 2 boxes of Multi-Grain Cheerios*
• 1 box of Raisin Bran*
• 1 package of fudge mint cookies
• 1 box of Triscuits*
• 3 boxes of pasta*
• 2 pounds of shredded mozarella cheese
• 1/2 gallon of whole milk
• 2 gallon of nonfat milk
• 1 small container of sour cream
• 2 bags of frozen peas
• 2 containers of lemonade concentrate
• 1 large tub of vanilla yogurt
• Toothpaste*
• Dentotape dental floss
• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1 pound of bacon
• 2-1/2 pounds of bananas
• 2 avocados
• 2 pounds of carrots

This is a fairly typical grocery trip for me. We already had a large amount of grapes at home, and I want to see that eaten up before buying more fruit. We also still have a fair amount of broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower, so our vegetable needs were few. There is a Fred Meyer grocery store which is walking distance from my house that tends to stock cheaper and better produce, so I buy it there, instead of stocking up on produce that ends up going bad. The Cheerios were bought as a treat, as it’s normally a rarity for us to buy sugar cereal. And the cookies? Umm . . . .

The total for this trip was $45.13, which is pretty good. I now have enough food in the house to make at least a week’s worth of meals. We’re also stocked up on Costco needs (olive oil, cat food and litter, coffee, etc.)

Some people may enjoy shopping for food, but I really kind of hate it. It’s certainly better than when my kids were little and I would almost be in tears by the end of some trips. But even now, grocery shopping is still low on my list of enjoyable experiences.

Keeping my family’s grocery shopping low not only allows us to keep our expenditures low, but is also a huge component of our debt repayment plan.

Here’s a bonus picture of my groceries before I decanted them from their reusable grocery bags. My favorite is the one crocheted out of plastic bags by my ever-talented sister Jessica.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. I had one extra $10 off coupon, which I gave to to grocer and asked him to pass it along to next person spending $50, which he agreed to.

When I see eco-friendly claims on national products, my first reaction is “Ha, what a load of Greenwashing.” And although I don’t consider myself to be 100% cynical, I am a highly suspicious character.

I was perusing the cracker aisle at my local Safeway grocery store earlier this week, when I noticed that the Triscuit box was inviting me to “Join the home farming movement.”

Huh? Are Nabisco’s Triscuits now grown instead of “baked, not fried?”

A closer look showed me that each Triscuit box included seeds for either basil or dill, as well as instructions about how to grow the seeds and other educational information.

My next thought was to look at the ingredient list, sure I would be reading a lengthy paragraph of unpronounceable chemicals and trans fats. Instead, I saw:

“Whole wheat, soybean oil, salt, monoglycerides.”

Not exactly the “lengthy paragraph” I was expecting, although the monoglycerides are a trans fat, which I’m trying to avoid.

According to their website, Nabisco is:

“Working with UrbanFarming.org to get everyone into the joy, the community, and the other bountiful rewards that are born of the Home Farming movement.”

This actually sounds good, but I just can’t wrap my mind around dry corporate Triscuits being part of the home farming movement.

The other corporate food that’s getting a eco-friendly makeover is Frito-Lay’s Sun Chips, which now come packaged in 100% compostable bags. I just watched the documentary Addicted to Plastic, so I’m on a fresh no plastics kick. This should be good news.

However, Sun Chip are made by Frito-Lay, who are also responsible for Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos and Tostitos. And if the company has truly embraced the ability to produce these compostable bags, why only do so for a single line of chips?

Marketing, that’s why. Sunchips are the snacks marketed to the healthy eating, hipster crowd, (a far cry from whoever it is that the Cheeto Cheeta is geared towards.) The Frito-Lay website even has a link for 46 steps to a healthier planet, which takes you to a listing of how the different manufacturing plants are lowering their environmental impact, although it appears to mostly be geared at the Sunchips brand.

I appreciate the compostable bags, I really do. But I would like to see all their bags be compostable, not just the Sunchips. (Which are actually my husband’s favorite chips.)

Both of these eco-friendly product changes are a step in the right direction, and not strictly a case of simple greenwashing. But most importantly, it (hopefully) tells me that corporate America is starting to get the message that consumers take this stuff seriously, and that there is money to be made selling to those of us who feel this way.

Now, about those trans fats . . . .

Do you feel that these changes are greenwashing or something more complex? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

The following is a previously published post. Enjoy!

Hello there, small, clear and handsome.

I’ve been thinking about you.

I can no longer hold back the strength of my emotions, and I must declare to all the world:

I love you, Pyrex!

Our relationship started out innocently enough with a medium sized measuring cup. Seemingly nothing all that special, yet how could I have known how I would grow to love the simplicity of your design, the beauty of your form, the strength within your fragility.

Along came a set of three mixing bowl with snap-on lids. (I shiver with the memory.) The bowls so bright yet still see-through. You declared your contents to me with an honesty that prior storage had shied away from. And when two of the bowls broke, the lids fit perfectly on my vintage Pyrex bowls, for your classic form never goes out of style.

Long before the dangers of microwaving in plastic became known, you provided me with the safety and security that I craved. I knew you would never harm me, that our love was reciprocal, equal, special.

I look around my kitchen, and there you are. My pie pans, casserole dishes, measuring cups and of course, my mixing bowls. Ahh . . . the memories of young love.

Our love has deepened and evolved through the years. I know I can depend on you.

But we are at a point where where we’ve been together for a long time, and I’m looking to add some variety to our intimate relationship. Fear not, my glassy eyed lover. I’m just keeping an eye out for some Pyrex bread pans. I feel that they will further strengthen and deepen our relationship.

While others may buy bowls, pans and storage that need constant replacing, you and I will stay together for better or worse. The landfills will not be filled with the detritus from our love.

Thank you Pyrex, you have made me a happy woman indeed.

To find out more about the effects of plastic food storage, visit fakeplasticfish.com, Beth Terry’s terrific blog.

Click here to read my other Non-Consumer Advocate love letters.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

I am a big fan of free time. It’s not unusual for me to spend a couple hours after the kids leave for school to drink my tea, read the paper and goof around on the computer work on the blog. I then throw in a load of laundry, tidy up the breakfast dishes, take a shower and then slowly enter the land of the awake.

Today was different.

I had agreed to help a friend ream through her basement today, so I knew I didn’t have the luxury of multiple cups of tea and my normal leisurely pace. And you know the phrase, “Need something done, ask a busy person?” Well today, that was me.

• Woke up at 7:00 A.M. to wake son #1 and come downstairs to start tea and make school lunches, (I usually do this the night before, but had slacked off) and start the tea, which we all drink.
• Drove my 14-year-old to school for early morning Japanese tutoring.
• Wake son #2, and get him ready for the school bus.
• Eat breakfast, quickly check e-mail and head out the door. Make sure to bring camera to document the process, as well as a Vancouver library book I checked out in November to take to the house of the librarian who had arranged for a talk I gave. (I thank the big librarian in the sky for online renewals, I really do!) Turn the car back around as I realize that I forgot to pack an inhaler, and I’m thinking today is going to trigger all sorts of asthma symptoms.
• Drop off library book.
• Stop to pick up a dozen donuts.
• Arrive at my friend’s house at 10:00 A.M.
• Work all day with a fun team of friends on a rather un-fun task of basement decluttering.
• Rush back home at 4:20 P.M. to meet up with my kids.
• Drink a cup of tea, throw a load of laundry in the wash, short chat with a neighbor, and then start making dinner.
• Completely rearrange everything on my mantel to show off the antique chalkware bookends I gleaned from my friend’s basement.
• Serve dinner and then clean up from dinner. (Which takes an unbelievably lengthy amount of time.)
• Sew polar fleece onto a hoodie for my son in the pattern of a panda bear, while watching the documentary Addicted to Plastic with my son.
• Write my blog post for the day.

It is now 12:52 A.M. and I am beat, beat, beat. My feet ache, my back hurts and my breathing has that penny whistle sound that makes me wonder where I left my trusty inhaler.

Simple living? Not always. But I do feel like I actually got something accomplished today. I’m just happy that I can sleep in tomorrow and nobody is expecting me to make any basement appearances.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

I went through a phase a few years back when I sold an enormous amount of extraneous household stuff on Craigslist. From furniture to outgrown toys, it all got listed. Nothing was particularly valuable, but it certainly added up. I would estimate that I made a thousand dollars or so by the time I finished. Not bad for a small investment of time. And the combination of getting rid of stuff with making money is hard not to love.

Fast forward a few years, and the clutter has reinvaded our home. (Okay, it never really went away.) My husband and I have been starting to list things on Craigslist again. A horrific local crime has taken some of the innocent joy away from online classifieds, so I’m a little more defensive about how I operate. I only arrange for buyers to come when my husband is home, and I absolutely trust my instincts if something seems hinky.

I currently have our old washing machine and a Longaberger basket listed, and I’ve been eyeing my son’s outgrown snowboarding gear. And I’ve got a whole chest filled with large pieces of polar fleece fabric that I know some crafty fanatic would be more than happy to take over on.

The one thing I’ve held onto for sentimental reason, (as opposed to simple intertia) is a great big stash of boy dress-ups. My sons spent immeasurable hours pulling out animal costumes, super hero uniforms and the bits and pieces that would transform their days from dull to adventuresome.

Sadly, they’re 11 and 14-years-old now, and their dress-up days are behind them. And the bag that holds all this stuff keeps getting scattered around our storage room. I think I’m ready sort through and launder this wonderful collection and get it listed on Craigslist for the next wee generation to enjoy.

Although I’m sure I will hold onto a few key pieces. After all, I will be grandmother some day.

And all this money from craigslist will be going towards our savings plan.

Have you discovered the joy of selling unwanted items? Please share your storeies in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to read my interview in The National Enquirer.

I am a cheap date, which is to say that it doesn’t take much to make me happy.

For example, I’m excited that tomorrow is the first day of the spend $50, get $10 off Safeway coupon that runs once a month. I even made sure to glean an extra one from the neighbors, so I’ll be able to use it twice. I consider this to be free money, and a handy method to stock up on the staples that rarely go on sale.

This makes me happier than any five-star restaurant in the world.

And I wouldn’t trade this aspect of my personality for all the champagne in the world.

No wining or dining necessary.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

The No Heat Challenge officially ended on November 1st, although I continue to keep the thermostat set low. And I’m now starting to have a day here and there when I can turn the furnace completely off. (I even kept it off for a full 24-hours the other day!)

Granted, I live in Portland, Oregon, a city known for chilly dampness rather than wind chill factor. Our daffodils are in full bloom and the sunny days are starting to come in clumps of two or three.

Which means it’s time for round two of The No Heat Challenge:

How soon can you start to keep your furnace off?

We all live in different climates, so this will be regionally dependent. Live in Oregon? Start turning your furnace off pretty soon. Live in the Mid-Atlantic region? Gonna’ have to wait awhile.

So throw on a fleece, brew a cup of tea, grab some wool socks, throw open the blinds and ready yourself for part two of The No Heat Challenge.

Because there is light at the end of the tunnel. This winter will end. I’ve seen the daffodils and I tell you, warm weather is around the corner.

Are you in for round two of the No Heat Challenge? Please add your name to the comments section below, even if you have to shovel through the snow to get there.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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