The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I sold a few items, including a hand me down Fiestaware teapot, a thrifted lamp, a thrifted painting and a rotary paper cutter. I also picked up two extra hospital shifts and just today found two pennies and a dime on the ground. My son’s tuition payment is due on January 1st, and it’s crunch time.

2. We got through the holiday gift giving season with minimal financial damage. I was able to shop from Goodwill thrift stores for all physical items, (three wallets, a curling iron and two pairs of pajama pants) and otherwise gave consumable gifts, practical gift cards and cash. But most of how we kept spending under control is that we’ve drastically minimized the number people with whom we exchange gifts. I’ll be back in New York City next month, and will individually take my niece and nephew out to do something fun. Neither of them needs any more stuff, and choosing an experiential gift creates memories instead of clutter.

   The only person who gives me a holiday gift is my mother, and she gave me two sterling butter knives, (that match my existing set) as well as a couple of tea towels, which will all be put to good use. Gone are the years when we’d be inundated with well intentioned but useless gifts that had no logical place in our home or lives.

3. I’m reading a library copy of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers, which I’m loving. The last couple of books that I’ve picked up haven’t held my interest so I haven’t read as much over the past couple of months. I need to remind myself that it’s okay to not finish a book if it isn’t grabbing my attention. (I have a tendency to halt any and all reading when I get stuck in a middle of a dull book.) My 2018 resolution was to “read and write,” and although I haven’t done as much writing as I’d hoped, I did read a lot more than in recent years. I’m just so happy to be immersed in a wonderful book again!

   Thank you, Multnomah County Library!

4. My son wanted to drive to the video store to get a movie, but instead I convinced him to find something on Amazon Prime, I packed up leftovers to bring for work lunches, a friend gave me two bins of brand new packaging supplies from her husband’s previous business, I cancelled a monthly subscription I wasn’t using anymore and I darned a weirdly huge hole in the sleeve of my son’s sweater.

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 sold a few things through eBay and Facebook Marketplace including two Christmas sweaters, two Elf on a Shelf plushies, a baby sized Patagonia coat and a collectable figure. Almost everything was bought for next to nothing at the Goodwill outlet. Seriously, how much can a 12-month sized down jacket cost when paying $1.29 per pound?!

   I ran out of padded manilla envelopes, so I texted my neighbor and she happily gave me an armload of her used supplies!

2. I’ve been really good about cooking at home and resisting the siren song of Portland’s endless restaurants/food carts. My son’s next college tuition payment is due at the beginning of January. We don’t have enough set aside quite yet, but you know I’ll be hustling my tuchus off between now and then. (You know, as in “side hustle,” not the other meaning of hustle. Just thought I should clarify.)

   Luckily we’ve winnowed down who we exchange presents with over the past ten years, so Christmas gifting shouldn’t be too painful. If you’re unhappy with your family’s gifting expectations, I suggest that you plant that seed for 2019’s holiday season sooner rather than later.

3. I finished reading an advance copy of Joshua Becker’s newest book titled, The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life. You likely know Becker as the guy behind Becoming Minimalist, which is a website “designed to inspire others to pursue their greatest passions by owning fewer possessions.” I don’t identify myself as a strict minimalist, although I do keep a tight eye on how much stuff my house contains, and like to think that I keep a balance between too much stuff and “why does your house echo?” (My mother complains that my house echoes. It doesn’t.)

   I enjoy reading books on minimalism, as there’s always a new idea or inspiring viewpoint to keep me on track. This one did not disappoint.

4. I drove 200 miles to pick my son up from college today, and even though I made sure to eat before leaving, I became hungry verging on hangry on the way home. (Can I just say that I love the word “hangry?” I wish I’d known about it during the years of parenting children who’d go from normal to inconsolable whenever an dusting of hunger entered their lives.)

   Hyperaware of budgetary limitations, I made a decision to drive through a McDonald’s. After all, their coffees are a buck apiece and there’s usually a $1 burger available through their app. My son also wanted a coffee so I ordered the largest drip coffee and asked them to put it into two cups. (50¢ coffee hack, people!) So for a budget friendly $2, I downed a increasingly necessary burger and my son and I enjoyed coffees. (Before anyone has a fit that I frequented a McDonald’s, let this be an example of how real life can get in the way of one’s loftiest ambitions.)

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 took a groovy vintage light fixture and magazine rack into a neighborhood shop, and received $60 for my efforts. This is a big deal, as I normally slog through the work of photographing, describing and then waiting on buyers in order to sell my thrifted items. However, learning that I can simply bring a new category of stuff into a nearby store for immediate compensation is a game changer. I already do this for certain categories such as Thule and Yakima bike rack component pieces, (Thank you, ReRack store!) but this is a better, stronger, faster method for my reselling side gig.

   I also sold a pair of Furby slippers in less than 24 hours from bought to sold. Cha-ching! 

2. I cooked up a huge pot of turkey noodle soup using the leftover Thanksgiving carcass and various tidbits from the fridge. I’ll likely throw the majority into the freezer for when the words “leftover turkey” are no longer an expletive.

3. I returned a library book that was only one day late, I arranged not one, but two (!!) Goodwill thrifting play dates, I picked up a few miscellaneous items for resale, (gotta replenish the merchandise!) my husband added 2% milk into a container of whipping cream for use as coffee creamer and I walked into Trader Joes and bought nothing more than the bananas, plain yogurt and lunch meat from my list. A Herculean effort during Candy Cane Joe-Joe season.

4. I’d heard rumors for years about free legal services through my employer, specifically will preparation. I realized that I could just call human resources, which I finally did this morning. I’m glad I did, because the instructions on how to access the information sounded a little something like this:

   “Go to this website you’ve never heard of. Now scroll down past where the page should end and click the carousel until an unrelated link shows up, click on that and now login in. Scroll past 23 links and then hover over the word “¢§∞¨˙©©∂´£˜¨•¨†®´´∂®†¥. Any questions?”

   I did eventually find the information on free will preparation, as well as other free services such as “letters of complaint, internet law forms and personal service agreements.”

   I guess I should give everyone fair warning to not cross me from here on out, as I now have unlimited access to intimidating legal letters of complaint. This is going to be fun.

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.”

{ 90 comments }

1. I sold a few items through eBay, including a new-in-box NBA robe, a sparkly Barbie outfit, a load of midcentury tapered table legs, a Hanna Andersson jacket, three Starbucks mugs and some miscellaneous board game pieces. Needless to say, all packaging was on its second (or third) life.

   Curious about whether your items are worth listing on eBay? Check out this piece I wrote for ClarkHoward.com.

2. My son was home from college for Thanksgiving break, so we drove up to my father’s Mt. Hood cabin so he could spend some time with his grandparents. We broke up the hour-long trip with a stop into the Sandy, Oregon Goodwill, where my son picked out a new looking corduroy shirt and I pounced on a leather footstool that was the exact match to my husband’s Lane brand armchair. (Seriously folks, it’s the same brand, style and color!) I’d picked up a similar-ish footstool awhile back, but its vinyl had begun peeling like crazy which looked like crap.

   Goodwill was selling the chair/footstool combo for just $6.99, but I chose to just buy the footstool as that’s all that I needed. And since the price was so reasonable, I didn’t even attempt to bargain them down.

   I have a theory that every item ever manufactured eventually shows up at Goodwill, and so far this theory has yet to be disproven.

3. I didn’t look for Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals on the internet. 50% off is still 50% that you’re paying. My husband and I have had an extremely expensive year with his medical bills and the kids’ college tuition. Now is not the time loosen any purse strings. Plus, there’s nothing we need. If anything, we need less.

   Instead, we’ve been completely content gorging on enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers and taking full advantage of the free opportunities that present themselves.

4. I spent five days in New York City helping my sister move. (She’s in an intensive graduate school program, which limits her time resources.) My mother booked the trip, so my only related expenses were $25 to ship my suitcase and a few random extras such as gasoline for the truck, a single airport meal, a couple slices of pizza and one diner breakfast. It was a challenging visit, made no better by a big ol’ snowstorm, but I’m proud of the amount that we did accomplish.

   For reference as to how focused this trip was, I drove a carload of my sister’s stuff to Goodwill and didn’t step foot into the store!! Shocking.

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.”

{ 61 comments }

1. I sold a board game, a vintage toy and a pair of shoes through Facebook Marketplace, as well as a pair of slippers through NextDoor.com. All items were cheapie thrift store finds.

2. I also picked up an extra shift at the hospital and confirmed that I’m on track to work enough hours to earn a bonus after the first of the year. (I get a $1.10 per-hour-worked bonus, but only if I work over 800 hours in a calendar year.) My friend once worked a few hours shy of her 800 hours, and her error put the fear in me. And since my son’s next college tuition payment is due at the beginning of January, it couldn’t come at a better time.

3. I’ve been making sure to keep a variety of cooked beans in the fridge for use in layered bowl meals, which are my favorite. White beans, black beans, pinto beans, they’re all so cheap, tasty and healthy! I’ve been watching YouTube videos from Stacey Flowers recently, and am inspired by her $50 per month food budget. (It’s rare that I find people who beat me in the financial extremity game!) Lots of what she calls “Buddha bowls,” which are essentially beans with easy add-ins.

   I’m working the next few days and have already pre-assembled my meals, which will be guessed it . . . mixed beans bowls.

4. 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.”

{ 133 comments }

I’m going to describe a situation that I know is far from unique to my personal experience.

I create tasty meals based on bulk purchased dried beans, I pick up every coin, (even the grubby pennies) I source my clothing from the pay-by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet or neighborhood free piles, I dumpster dive at dorm move outs, I pack leftovers for work meals, I stalk the library for reading material, my haircuts are all freebies from Supercuts’ new employees and I repair and mend anything that promises to last another day, another month, another year.

None of these things will individually ensure financial independence, but together they make a difference. An opportunity for financial breathing room.

Mind you, these are all sacrifices that I’m happy to incorporate into my life. These choices allow me to pay cash for my kids’ college educations, they make it possible to throw 16% of my income into retirement and to step away from the anxiety of a paycheck to paycheck existence. Plus, I firmly believe that over manufacture and purchasing of consumer goods is an environmental nightmare as well as a toxic mindset. So choosing this lifestyle pairs well with my beliefs.

However . . . it can be exhausting. It’s satisfying when it results in financial freedom, but it’s frustrating to save 50¢ here or $2 there’s when an unexpected $538 dental bill or yet another medical bill infesting my mailbox.

I feel like I’m celebrating a found nickel while simultaneously throwing hundred dollar bills into the abyss.

2018 has been a year of intense expenses with my husband having two (two!) surgeries, as well as kids in college and the general expenses related to home ownership and the audacity to stay on top of dental care.

So do I give up on my money saving efforts?

Nope. I renew my library books, grab my reusable bags (that save 6¢ apiece!) and head out to the inconvenient discount grocery store across town. I sell an item or two through Facebook Marketplace and pack up a bean based meal for tomorrow’s work lunch.

Do you feel like your scrimping and saving is hardly worth the effort when life is full of endless high cost obstacles? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

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