The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I spent the afternoon thrifting with my sister and mother and posed wearing the above pair of Dutch wooden clogs. My theory as to why EVERY THRIFT STORE has at least a couple pair of these is that tourists buy them as gifts, which immediately get shunted to Goodwill. I encourage travelers near and far to spend their tourist dollars on experiences and consumables instead of clutter. On an entirely different note, I make these look goooood! #DidntBuyThem

2. I took a pair of free Levi’s jeans from a garage sale leftover freebie pile and turned them into the above shorts. They had an unfortunate “boot cut” flare to the legs, which was remedied using nothing more than a sharp pair of scissors. Free shorts, people! FREE!!!!

3. I sold another item on eBay, which I quickly boxed up and have ready to drop at the post office tomorrow.

4. I mended a baby blanket from last week’s garage sale freebie pile, I mended a pillow case, I bought my husband a pair of pay-by-the-pound shorts at the Goodwill Outlet and I did another TV appearance.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My son and I meandered through a nearby neighborhood that had just closed shop on a community garage sale day. Many residents had just shoved their stuff to the front of their property with a “FREE” sign, which worked quite nicely for me. We scored so much amazing stuff including a large amount of newborn clothing, (which I’m gifting to a very gravid co-worker) a complete Yakima rack, three boxes of labeled fossils and minerals, vintage jewelry, a fitted twin sheet, two matching pillow cases, two pairs of jeans, a pretty lampshade, hangers for my clothesline, two great towels, a shrink-wrapped blu-ray of Julia & Julia, a fancy Italian drawer organizer, a new-with-tags West Elm pillow, two life vests and then more Yakima rack components! This is only about half of what we brought home. Worry not that I have developed sudden onset hoarding, and I’ll be selling most of what I took, although I am keeping the sheets and towels for our own personal use. Sadly, we didn’t have room in the car for the above wobbly, but fixable mission-style desk.

2. My sister and niece are visiting from New York right now, so I put together a burrito buffet for last night’s dinner. This worked perfectly to accommodate everyone’s individual food restrictions, as people could assemble exactly the burrito they were craving. The day had been hot with a peak temperature of 102°, so I placed the bubbling crock pot of pinto beans on my front porch to avoid heating up the kitchen. (It’s my summer trick and likely confuses the poor mail carrier.)

3. My son is taking two community college classes this summer, which he’ll transfer over to the state university where he’s a student. These classes are much cheaper and work perfectly to give his summer some structure. Sadly, the store where he’d worked for four (five?) years shuttered its doors, so he didn’t have a job lined up.

4. I earned some extra money by helping my mother clean her rental cottage. The place had been not well treated, and it took me over two hours to clean the kitchen, which is the size of the interior or my Prius.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I worked the past two days and brought my lunch both days, even though this meant taking one for the team with an impressively bruised banana and some dull enchilada leftovers that were probably a day or two past when they should have been eaten. However, I splurged on Vietnamese takeout for tonight’s dinner. This is a true example of saving on the daily boring stuff so your money is available for the big splurges.

2. I sold another item through my eBay account. Not a brag worthy sale by any means, but I’m not one to turn my nose up at extra income. Best of all, I was able to print the postage from home and simply hand the package to my mail carrier.

3. I attended a required three hour certification class this afternoon, which included an additional two hour test. I’ll make sure to stop by the hospital this weekend to submit the required paperwork to include these paid hours in my next paycheck.

4. My husband will be hosting a huge backyard party at our house for his employees and soccer buddies. He was able to borrow a heavy duty pressure washer from work to dislodge some of the moss and generalized scum from our play structure/tree house. There is no reason for each household to own infrequently used items when people (or companies) can share them. For example, we own a steam cleaner which is currently lent out, as well as a fire pit that’s being borrowed by a co-worker.

5. I successfully wore a secondhand outfit for a TV appearance this week. Mind you, I didn’t shop for this specific event, I simply pulled clothes from my closet. I’ve decided that I’ll wear the exact same thing for a TV interview this Monday, as I’m not interested in giving even 1% of my meager brain power over to “what will I wear?” If it works for Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, it can work for me.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My son and I took the bus downtown to get his hair cut. I used my free workplace public transportation pass and paid the $2.50 for my son. (We made sure to keep our trip under 2-1/2 hours in order to reuse his pass for the return journey.) We then walked around and purchased iced coffees using a $5 Starbucks gift card that I received from my union.

2. I returned a pair of sneakers to Goodwill as they were missing the insoles. I got store credit and wandered the store for a bit, but didn’t actually buy anything. The best bargain is the item never purchased in the first place.

3. I have a TV appearance tomorrow and remembered from last time that I somehow don’t own a lipstick. Did I go to Macy’s for a beautifully packaged and elaborately marketed tube of brightly hued glop? Nope, I stopped into The Dollar Tree for a perfectly acceptable alternative. I also bought an eye shadow kit as all mine are pure dust from apparently being dropped a time or two.

4. I approved the 35,000th member of the Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group this afternoon. How is this frugal? Amazing and wonderful ideas and inspiration from 35,000 individuals who will answer your questions and give you support as you navigate through your non-consumer journey. Plus, it’s free!

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

{ 155 comments }

1. I worked the past two days and brought my own lunch, drank the free crappy coffee and then the free delicious tea. I did take my younger son who is home from college out to dinner last night, but we drank water and didn’t order extras. We climbed to the top of Mt. Tabor afterwards to enjoy view and the non-rainy weather.

2. I scored some free vintage stacking chairs, which I’ll clean up and sell on Craigslist. They’re not quite prime midcentury level, but they’re likely from the 1970’s or late 1960’s and any money made will be pure profit. I’m tempted to keep them as both of my sons will be living off campus next year. However, they’ll survive just fine with random mismatched chairs. I enjoy a project and find it very satisfying to bring things back to life. I joke with my husband that “all my hobbies make money.”

3. I put together a number of eBay and Craigslist listings and although I have yet to sell anything, I have received a number of inquiries that should lead to sales.

4. I pulled a Kitchenaid dough hook from an estate sale free box last week, and just now gave it to someone who had asked for one in my local Buy Nothing Group. Perfect coincidence.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I holed up at the house yesterday and Friday to binge watch the fifth season of Orange is The New Black on Netflix. One of my favorite shows that never fails to disappoint. It’s amazing how the writers have yet to dilute the intensity and continue to expand on the complexity of their diverse characters. One storyline that resonated with me was the backstory of one character which closely follows a This American Life piece from a few years ago about the inequality of educational opportunities for Bronx, NY high school students. Great podcast that’s worth a listen.

2. I did venture out to a nearby grocery store where I bought a few items including an enormous $2 bunch of organic beets. This particular store tends to be really expensive, but sometimes you can get an impressive bargain when produce is priced per item rather than per pound. Of course I chopped up and sautéed the greens in my cast iron pan for a bonus snack. I’m the only one in my family who likes beets, so I’ll have all have the roasted deliciousness for myself.

3. I peeked into my neighborhood’s Little Free Library on my walk home, and was delighted to find that someone had added individually packaged chamomile tea bags. I took a handful and will return the favor later on with a few items from my own house. I enjoy a caffeine free cuppa in the evenings, and had almost worked through my stack of random herbal teas. Knowing that people are sharing more than books really opens up the possibilities.

4. I work the next two days, and am making sure to plan out my meals so I won’t have to hit up the hospital cafeteria for my lunches. Not only does this lazy practice use up my budgeted restaurant allowance, but I resent wasting precious minutes from my short breaks to walk across the hospital for food.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I was invited for an afternoon of dining and dancing thrifting with my new friend Sarah from Portland Sampler. Not only did she prepare a lovely meal for the two of us, but she also gifted me with a loaf of her blueberry yogurt cake which was sublime beyond comprehension.
2. The two of us then headed out to the Goodwill Outlet where I bought a nest of bandanas, (so handy to have on hand) a Brooks Brothers wool flat cap to sell, a vintage wool scarf from Scotland, a tiny wooden easel to prop up an old frame and a vintage rotary phone which will join my collection of old telephones. Total cost? $6.39. A bonus was that I found 36¢ in coins among the bins. Of course I added the coins to my Found Change Challenge jar. I did find a Lear Jet in one of the bins, but I put it back as they’re actually pretty expensive when you pay by the pound.
3. I cut roses from the garden to cheer up the kitchen. This particular rose bush is a volunteer that grows in the front yard whether I want it to or not. I usually prune it in February but somehow didn’t this year, and holy crap, it’s suddenly insane huge! I guess there’s a reason why Portland is called “The Rose City.”
4. My husband and I have an appointment this afternoon to meet with a retirement planner through my employer. Not only is the meeting free, but he’s not a salesperson so I won’t have to worry that he’ll steer us towards high commission products that benefit him more than us.
5. I lowered the prices on a few of my eBay items and have made eight sales since last night! I’ll pack everything up using free materials from the post office as well as free bubble wrap that I get from a nearby business.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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