Non-Consumer Photo Essay

by Katy on February 24, 2015 · 19 comments

Like The Non-Consumer Advocate but wish that you had a bit more visual information? Well then, today’s your lucky day!

Here’s our dinner from last night. Homemade calzones filled with broccoli, Tillamook cheddar cheese and chopped ham. (Inspired by large bunches of 99¢ broccoli at The Grocery Outlet.)

Screen Shot 2015-02-24 at 1.11.48 PM

On my walk home from dropping our car at the mechanic’s, I came across this poor lovelorn table:

free table

Single and ready to mingle!

lovelorn table

I did drop off a few too-scrappy-to-donate items at this textile recycling receptacle outside the Albina library. (Doesn’t it look like the next incarnation of tiny house living?)

The company is Gemtex, and here’s a link to frequently asked questions about their business model.

tiny house

I like that they’ll take “even a single sock.” I wish I’d known that last week when I was KonMari-style decluttering my wardrobe.

Textile recycling

Don’t believe that my stuff was too scrappy for even a veterinary donation? Check out the huge hole on this fitted sheet:

torn sheet

I also Goodwilled a bag of miscellaneous stuff left behind by the people who just vacated one of my mother’s guest cottages. Nothing worth keeping, but I was happy to take the tax deduction.

I was somehow able to resist this one-of-a-kind hand crocheted pillow. (Although I kind of loved the hanging balls.) It looks like something a set decorator would snap up for a crazy cat lady set.

Enjoy the pillow, it comes with a dozen fully grown cats!

goodwill pillow

I had a sad and somewhat embarrassing moment at The Grocery Outlet yesterday when I had to put back a half-dozen packets of ham after discovered they cost $5.49 each, not the 49¢ that I had thought they did.

Seriously though, am I the only one who reads this sign as 49¢?!

cheap ham?

So there you go, lots of visual imagery, and a glimpse in the intense glamor that is my non-consumer life!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Barb @ 1SentenceDiary February 24, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Those calzones look yummy! Do you make your own dough?

My day wasn’t nearly so exciting. I got up, walked upstairs to where my desk is, and worked all day. Now that it’s quitting time, maybe I’ll take a nap… 🙂

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Katy February 24, 2015 at 2:51 pm

The nap sounds exciting . . .

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Kathie February 24, 2015 at 3:55 pm

I love to crochet, but that pillow makes me never want to admit that I have ever picked up a crochet hook! lol

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Katy February 24, 2015 at 4:26 pm

And yet it’s wonderful in a certain way.

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Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom February 24, 2015 at 4:04 pm

I could read that as $.49. I can definitely relate to that feeling when you think you’re getting a steal to deciding not to buy something…

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lori February 24, 2015 at 4:21 pm

That totally looks like .49!

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Crystal February 24, 2015 at 6:31 pm

I love your photo essay! Your blog continues to be a daily inspiration to me. I look forward to opening my email at around 7:30 every day to read about your frugal ideas. I saw a piece on the World News this evening where a man makes 6 figures a year dumpster diving every night. He finds treasures (literally NEW stuff) and used stuff that businesses toss in the dumpster and he sells it. I was blown away. When the guy was interviewed, he talked about how we are a society of waste. Oh, by the way…that sign totally read $ .49. I would have made the same assumption as you.

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Katy @ Purposely Frugal February 24, 2015 at 8:51 pm

I love pictures! And I agree, that looks like a tiny home….someone should totally live in there.

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Katy February 24, 2015 at 9:21 pm

Maybe somebody does!

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CW February 24, 2015 at 9:17 pm

Yes, looks like a tiny house. Yes, looks like $.49.

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Katy February 24, 2015 at 9:21 pm

Thank you!

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Diane C February 24, 2015 at 9:39 pm

Reminds me of the time I scored some Go Veggie! Vegan Mozzarella at GO reduced to 2/$1. I scooped up the 10 packs that were marked down, eager to try them on pizza night. It was sooooo awful that nine bags are still sitting in my freezer, mocking me every time I open the door. I’m pretty sure if I shredded the bag it would taste better than what’s inside. Ugh. So maybe that ham would have been just awful too ;-).

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K D February 25, 2015 at 3:57 am

Unfortunately there is no Gemtax drop-off in my area. I have single socks that I need to figure out a use for.

Totally $.49.

Thanks for the pix to brighten my day.

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Isabelle February 25, 2015 at 8:09 am

OMG, those calzones look yummy!! But I find it’s so much work to make that I’ve done it only once and I’m done with this experimentation… Flour everywhere after, also, yikes!

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CarrieP February 25, 2015 at 10:21 am

That’s the worst feeling when you are ready to get an incredible deal and then you find out it’s not what you thought. That sign is terrible:( Boo.

Calzones look great. Could you direct readers to your dough recipe. Like Isabelle, I think of Calzone dough as very difficult to make. Have you found a semi-easy way to make it?

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Jill February 25, 2015 at 10:26 am

Did you take the table home? I am thinking how great that would be for my sewing machine!

And I agree with everyone else that those calzones look yummy!

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JD February 25, 2015 at 1:08 pm

I wasn’t hungry until I saw the calzones. Now I’m starving, and this half of an apple I’m eating isn’t cutting it!
Yes, I agree, I would have read it $.49. Why on earth would anyone write only 5.49 without the dollar sign? And that’s NOT a big sale, at $5.49. What’s underneath it? $5.90? Big whoopee.
I go to a small group after work, so I won’t get home until rather late. Still, I already have supper planned — a quick pot of rice and some leftover spaghetti sauce with meat to make what our kids used to call “sketti-rice”, and veggie leftovers for the sides. I go to this group once a week and try to always have leftovers, a crock-pot meal, or something fast and easy to whip up at home. Many thanks to this website for helping me stick to my guns on NO TAKE OUT just because I’m a little rushed or tired.

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meg February 25, 2015 at 5:33 pm

The $.49 thing reminds me of a bonehead me very I did today…the sign said 90% off all valentines, so I scooped up some m&ms that were on the shelf ( right by the signs, by the way). Got to the register, and they rang up like 50% percent off…90% referred to cards only, l guess. Bummer 😞. So I did without.

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Monica February 27, 2015 at 9:27 am

Inspired by your photo essay, hubby and I made calzones with leftover pizza dough, beef brocciole and tomato sauce last night for dinner. Am enjoying a portion of same calzone that was left over for lunch today. We put a lovely egg wash on our calzones to make them shiny and crispy. We didn’t add the slits however. They make yours look a little fancier than ours.

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