The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. My sister and I took our mother to the Goodwill Outlet “bins” as an early birthday treat, (this may sound odd, but “the bins” is her favorite place on earth!) and although I didn’t buy much, I did come home with a few items.

   • Two 100% cotton dish towels.
   • Seven or so thin velvet hangers.
   • An empty Altoids tins, which I’ll add to my collection of overly organized office supplies.
   • A silicone cast iron skillet handle, which I’ve wanted to own for a long time as I use our cast iron on a daily basis. Mind you, not enough to go out and buy one, but enough to grab one from a pay-by-the-pound bin.

   Total cost: $4.74

   Click HERE to read my “Love Letter to my Cast Iron Skillet!”

2. I clicked on the library’s website at precisely midnight on October 1st to get first crack at newly available “Cultural Passes,” which scored me two passes to the Portland Art Museum, (normally $25 apiece) and as well as the Oregon Jewish Museum, which charges $10 for admission. My admission days aren’t until December, so I’ll file this under “Doing a favor for future Katy.”

3. We had a small knock on the door from a local elementary school student, selling pie orders to help fund their 5th grade trip to Japan. My kids also went on this cultural exchange and I chose to write a $50 check instead of placing a pie order. Otherwise they would’ve received maybe half of the money.

   I was PTA president for one horrific year and there are an endless number of companies that prey on schools in the name of “fundraising.” Not that a local pie company necessarily falls under this umbrella, but I’d still prefer to directly donate to whatever cause.

4. My daughter dropped her iPhone and broke the screen off, so I took it to a local repair shop and paid $80 for them to repair the phone and keep it in circulation. This phone is already nine-years-old, but there’s no reason to not buy a bit more time before it needs to be fully replaced.

5. I continue to drive all around “war ravaged” Portland, Oregon without witnessing even a single signs of conflict. I guess it’s just a way to get us to stop talking about the Epstein files. Oops . . . didn’t work!

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 26 comments }

1. I signed up for a free week of ad-free Paramount+ through my Roku box and immediately programmed the subscription to not auto-renew! We’ll spending the week watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but have no interest afterwards for this streaming service.

   

2. My sister is visiting from NYC and we briefly hit a Goodwill this afternoon and I picked up a pristine version of our 35-year-old waffle iron for only $7.99. Ours works as well as the day we bought it, so I figured this gleaming vintage appliance would do well on eBay. I’ll list it for around $50 and see how it does.

   I also picked up a 99¢ miniature silicone spatula and was planning on buying the Mondrian MOMA gift shop mug, but instead knocked it to the ground and watched it shatter it into countless pieces. Crap!

3. My husband is a well liked guy and has been hosting a steady stream of well wishers as he recovers from his five rib fractures. (We thought it was four, but it turned out to be five!) I’d never recommend this method to be on the receiving end of people’s generosity, but it certainly brings out people’s kindness! Just today someone brought by a home smoked salmon feast, complete with crackers, fruit and brie!

4. I had my annual medical exam yesterday and was able to decline the standard A1C diabetes test, as I’d been tested over the summer when I donated platelets at the American Red Cross.

5. My sister and I ran errands across town here in Portland, Oregon, yet found zero signs of war ravaging. So weird, right?

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 46 comments }

1. I picked up a “What Do You Meme? The Office” game for $2.50 at Goodwill, as both me and my youngest’s partner are big fans of The Office. I love board games and am always looking for people who’ll play with me. It helped that the game was the 50%-off color tag.

   

2. I came across this amazing pair of $30 heavy duty wrought iron chairs, which I didn’t actually buy as I hadn’t driven my bigger car. This’ll haunt me forever, as they were top tier quality and incredibly comfortable. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.

   

3. This table was likely from the same donation, as it was heavy cast iron and gorgeous. Priced at $7.99, it would have easily fit into my car, but I have zero need for an outdoor coffee table. Very cool though.

   

4. My husband came home from the hospital with the standard “Patient Belongings” bag, which works perfectly as a kitchen bin liner. Sure, it cost $30,000, but nothing’s too fine for my schmancy kitchen!

5. I continue to live in peaceful quirky Portland, Oregon which has no need for military intervention.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 32 comments }

I finally brought a crate of books I’ve been schlepping in the back of my car since June into Powell’s Books. Mind you, these are all free books I grabbed after a neighborhood garage sale day. The Powell’s in my neighborhood only buys books on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus parking is a challenge on this specific street, which is how this task took so long to complete.

They only took a half dozen or so books, which was fine as I got them all for free! I ended up with a bit more than $20 in store credit, which’ll be fun to spend at some point.

One thing I made sure to document was their info on what books they actually want:

As well as authors:

I put the remainder of the books in my little free library for my neighbors to enjoy and I can put my “Crap, I need to deal with that!” energy towards better things.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 21 comments }

I got my free Supercuts training center haircut, even though my day was incredibly busy. (So busy that I forgot to take a “before” picture!) The manager told me that a lot of clients don’t even show up for their appointments, which is insane to me as there’s nothing short of a natural disaster that would keep me from my free haircut!

The newly hired stylist was coached by her boss, so there was zero possibility of a botched cut. Plus, the cut was done quickly, so it didn’t eat up my day. I’ve gotten free cuts from beauty schools before and it took a loooooong time, as the students had to get each step approved before moving onto the next step.

As always, I tipped the stylist $5.

Now I’m good to go for six months or so.

Unrelated, but please enjoy that I’m rocking my blood money free American Red Cross Goodr sunglasses!

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 26 comments }

1. I finished reading my library copy of Lisa See’s Peony in Love, which I started last month and somehow set aside. It’s an intense novel, and I do better with these types of books when I dedicate the time to reading them in sustained stretches. Worth it!

   For those looking for gripping book recommendations, may I suggest Lisa See’s The Island of Sea Women and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. Both amazing novels that I wish I could read for the first time all over again.

2. I enjoyed a filling and tasty tuna melt, made with a 28¢ can of Starkist tuna, between two slices from a $1 loaf of Franz rye bread. My dinner also featured an entire 50¢ container of raspberries from the Fred Meyer clearance shelf.

3. I happened to be at my laptop when an email popped up offering free Supercuts training center “long layer” haircuts. They only had one spot available, but I responded in under a minute and now have an appointment to get my straggly hair under control. For free. Free!

4. I bought a $13.79 box of chocolate dipped biscotti at Costco and dropped them off at an amazing LGBTQ+ health clinic that I can only imagine receives their unfair share of negative attention. I love that Portland has these important resources and I want to nothing more than to shower them with love. I’d make something from scratch, but know that food from a stranger is better when it’s sealed and trustworthy.

5. I sold a trio of vintage Mary Engelbreit Home magazines on eBay that I swear I listed around fifteen years ago. I subscribed to this magazine back in the day and loved how they shined a light on artists’ homes and studios — so creative and inspiring! Each issue featured a paper doll on cardstock, but I sold those for a pretty penny in 2005 or so. These late 1990s/early 2000s magazines predate the blandifying effect of HGTV on the American public.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 56 comments }

1. I pulled a Bob’s Red Mill mug from a free box. They recently closed their retail store, which is a huge bummer as it was always fun to shop from the bulk food section and then get lunch from their cafe. In the actual building that’s on all their packaging! Sigh . . . .

   

2. I used the IKEA bins that I curb picked a couple weeks ago to help my youngest move houseplants from their old apartment to their new one. They worked perfectly for the task and then stashed neatly back into the basement, as I’m still figuring out how best to use them.

   

3. I made sure to get enough money to take advantage of the 25¢/gallon cash discount at my favorite gas station. Sometimes the discount is as much as 45¢/gallon, but I’ll take what I can get.

   

4. I grabbed a couple thick plastic bags from this Safeway recycle container to reuse as kitchen bin liners.

5. I took a friend who recently moved to Portland to the recently opened Albina Library to get their very first Multnomah County library card!

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

{ 27 comments }