Merry Christmas!

by Katy on December 25, 2010 · 5 comments

Merry Christmas from everyone here at casa Wolk-Stanley. I am currently sitting bleary eyed on the couch, slightly nauseous from lack of sleep. This is due to a certain twelve-year-old son who was sooo excited about Christmas that he only slept until 1 A.M. I finally gave up at 6 A.M. to accompany him downstairs to watch him open his stocking, which as always was topped with a Goodwill Bearista.

Good thing he’s cute. (The kid, that is.)

I hope your Christmas is chock full of loved ones, wonderful food and thriftilicious goodness!

And perhaps even a nap.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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2010 Word of the Year?

by Katy on December 23, 2010 · 12 comments

Merriam Webster says that the 2010 word of the year is Austerity. Boooring!

My word of the year?

Thriftilicious!

Go on, use it in a sentence. I dare you. 😉

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Last Minute Panic?

by Katy on December 21, 2010 · 27 comments

My official last minute panic day of the Christmas season is normally the 23rd, but this year it’s today. I work both tomorrow and Thursday, so those days are officially a wash. I’m now back from my staycation, and spread all my gifts out onto the bed last night. And guess what? I’m pretty much done with all my Christmas shopping. (Although I am Jewish, our gift giving happens on Christmas, which is how we did it when I was a kid.)

I was a little concerned that I didn’t quite have enough for my nephew who turns 11 on the 23rd, but that was only because I actually bought him a brand new hardback copy of the new Rick Riordan book which set me back $17.95. (I chose to buy from the locally owned The Looking Glass bookstore.)

Really, all I have left to do at this point is to hit up the Asian grocery store for fun treats and I. Am. Done.

Are you done? Have you been crafting gifts by hand, scouring the thrift stores, perusing local stores or ordering online? Please share your last minute 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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Tiny House Porn

by Katy on December 18, 2010 · 39 comments

I live in a big house. Big living room, big dining room, big kitchen, tiny bathroom, but big house. Nowadays, this feels like a confession rather than something to be proud of. It’s no McMansion, as it was built in 1914, and we certainly use every room on a daily basis. There are currently five of us living here, (two parents, two children and a Japanese exchange teacher) so it feels right. But there’s a part of me that pores over simple living and tiny house blogs like a suburban father downloading porn.

Ooh . . . look at the clever storage solutions and the sexy little sleeping loft!

Titillating.

School has let out for winter break, and my family is facing a couple of weeks without too much responsibility. Sure, my sons still have soccer and martial arts and I work a few days, but we will mostly get to sleep in and enjoy a break from the normal hustle and bustle of life with teenagers.

My mother owns a guest cottage business for out of towners who are looking for a short term place to stay, and Lexi House, (my personal favorite) is unoccupied until Thursday. Add to that my Japanese host son’s pronouncement that he’ll be away for the weekend, and suddenly it’s staycation time! The house we’ll be staying in is dollhouse-like in its dimensions, but tall ceilings keep it from feeling claustrophobic. It is literally across the street from both the library and a food cart cluster, so it’s pretty much a gigantic treat to stay there. It’s approximately two miles from home, so the fear of forgetting some uber-important cog of daily life is not a stressor.  I think we’ll stay until Tuesday, but I’m not really sure. I don’t actually have to micro-plan this kind of getaway.

Interested in watching some tiny house porn? Here’s a video of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company’s Jay Shafer showing off all 96 square feet of his living space:

Do you yearn for your own 96 square feet of bliss? 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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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on December 16, 2010 · 20 comments

Thrift store pajamas. Wrinkled from being slept in, but otherwise perfectly fine.

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

The Non-Consumer Advocate on Get Rich Slowly

My mornings are perfectly timed these days. The kids’ schools start an hour and 15 minutes apart from one another, which means that our mornings start slowly, with one kid at a time. Seriously, I don’t even wake the 12 year old until the 15 year old has left! For someone else this would be a negative, but I like the one-on-one time with each son. No fighting. No sibling issues. Easy.

This morning brought a nice surprise, which was an article about The Compact on Get Rich Slowly by staff writer Sierra Black. I had given this interview so long ago that I had completely forgotten about it, so at first I was actually kind of confused.

I don’t remember saying all that stuff. It’s sounds like something I would say, but . . . huh?

A nice addition to my otherwise relaxing morning.

Click HERE to read the article.

Bangladesh Fire Reaffirms my Reasoning for Not Buying Crap

There was an article in yesterday’s Oregonian newspaper about a garment factory fire in Bangladesh that killed at least 27 workers. (Most likely much more as there are reports of at least 100 people jumping from the tenth story building to escape the flames.) The factory produces clothing for Gap, JCPenney, H & M and Wal Mart and employs 13,000 people.

“Monir Hossain, a local journalist at the scene, told The Associated Press the blaze broke out on the two upper floors during lunch break. A gate on a stairwell was locked, trapping people inside the factory, which mainly produces T-shirts for international brands, he quoted witnesses as saying.”

The article has a lot of interesting and eye opening information about how Bangladesh’s workers are among the lowest paid in the world, and how there have been a number of recent violent protests concerning the low minimum wage,  which is $45 per month. There was also another another deadly garment factory fire in February, which killed 21 people.

I am almost entirely assembling my Christmas gifts from thrift stores, apart from two flatiron hair straighteners, (didn’t want to buy used) and a single made in China/overly packaged/plastic-ey toy that I bought for my six-year-old niece. (I was enticed by a super low Amazon price, combined with my Swagbucks gift cards.) I do have a few gifts left to buy, but think I’ll be able to plug these holes with consumables, experiential gifts and more thrift shop items.

One of the stock gifts for my family every year is a new pair of pajamas. We open them up on Christmas eve, put them on and get to wake up in attractive sleepwear. And yes, I always buy them used. I’m usually able to find new (or look like new) pajamas at Goodwill for around $3 – $7, often with the tags still on.

Right now, Old Navy’s Jingle Jammies were on sale for $8. (Old Navy also manufactures in Bangladesh.) It would have been super cute to buy everyone matching brand new pajamas, (think of the photos!) but I don’t want to support an industry that locks poorly paid workers into unsafe factories.

Would you consider making a one year pledge to buy nothing new for a year? I’ve been doing The Compact since January of 2007, and will continue on in 2011.

Need Extra Christmas Money?

Are all the extra expenses of the holiday season making you wish for a few extra dollars? No problemo, fellow non-consumers because now is an excellent time to take your unwanted belongings and turn them into money and store credit. And it’s e-a-s-y!

  • Take books you can bear to part with (including kid ones) to used book stores.
  • List large or valuable items on Craigslist. (I recently sold Robeez booties for $8 and an artificial Xmas tree for $15)
  • Glean your closet for unused clothing, coats, shoes and winterwear and take them to consignment shops. Don’t forget that kid consignment stores will also take books, furniture and toys. (I recently sold some ill fitting Danskos for $20)
  • Bring cool household items to antique stores or second hand (for-profit) shops.
  • Ebay! (I just sold a $5 Goodwill doll for $117.)

Use your creativity. Look around your house and turn that clutter into cash. It’s super addictive.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Just For Fun — The Frugal Girl on CBN

by Katy on December 14, 2010 · 2 comments

I know I’ve posted this before, but I just re-watched The Frugal Girl’s CBN interview and thought it was worth a rerun.

The funny story with this video is that I actually watched it when it first aired. I was at work and I knew the story was due to air, and my patient just happened to coincidently be watching CBN. I gave her strict instructions to hit her call light when the story started and she was quick to follow her nurse’s instructions.  (Always a good plan 😉 )

As a cable-free Jewish gal, I had never watched CBN before, so it was pretty random to actually have this happen.

Enjoy!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Overeating to Avoid Food Waste

by Katy on December 12, 2010 · 33 comments

I don’t know about you, but avoiding food waste in my house is a full time job. I’m constantly scanning the fridge to make sure that leftovers don’t transform into swamp monsters, and I employ all sorts of  food waste avoidance tactics such as buying perishables in smaller amounts and storing all refrigerated food in clear glass Pyrex containers whenever possible.

But there’s an ill advised food waste avoidance method that I’m certainly guilty of. I eat more than I need to in order to keep food from getting thrown away, (or composted.)

I prepared a lovely brunch for the family today. I had picked apart a crab last night, (one sale, extra discount and making sure to eat it before it got, ahem . . .  fishy.) so I made a delicious dish of crab and scrambled eggs. I also made toast to accompany the meal. Unfortunately, my 15-year-old son wasn’t in the mood for toast and left his untouched. My first reaction was to eat the toast myself in the name of the Waste No Food Challenge. Luckily, my critical thinking self took over and smacked me upside the head to remind me that overeating is never the answer.

So what did I do with the toast?

Well . . . I have put it in a plastic bag and will rip it into small pieces for the birds. I know it’s not the perfect solution, but it’s better than throwing it away, composting it, (mice!) freezing it, (I already have enough crusts in there awaiting their reincarnation as bread crumbs) or eating when I’m already full.

Some food waste is inevitable, especially with children. And I don’t want to be that mom who enacts a clean plate club rule. Children need to learn to stop eating when they’re no longer hungry.

Really though, two pieces of toast is nothing when you look at the big picture. Every day, Americans waste enough food to fill the Rose Bowl. But the majority of food waste happens before it hits our refrigerators, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much.

Make sure to check out Jonathan Bloom’s American Wasteland to explore the myriad issues related to food waste.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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When Doing The Right Thing is Cost Prohibitive

by Katy on December 11, 2010 · 65 comments

As The Non-Consumer Advocate, I wholly believe in buying used instead of new; puttering around instead of shopping and fixing instead of replacing. And when my $15 Craigslist microwave went kaput last month, (it was making Mordor-like sparks and flashes) I was totally fine with melting butter on the stovetop and reheating leftovers in the oven. It was not a big deal and I enjoyed the addition of the extra kitchen counter space.

But then my Japanese host son asked if I could please buy a microwave oven. I can’t think of anything else he’s asked for, so I told him I would buy one. So I started to peruse the Craigslist ads and unsuccessfully even replied to a few $30 listings. My husband priced one at Costco that was around $90.

Then I called an appliance repair business to investigate getting our old microwave fixed. I was quoted $109 for labor, plus parts.

$109 plus parts when a brand new microwave oven is $90?! I am all about walking my talk of non-consumerism, but I simply cannot prioritize my ethics over financial responsibility. I’ve only been getting about half the number of RN shifts the last month or so, and money is tighter around here than a glass slipper on a step-sister’s foot. Sure, we have enough money to pay for all the basics, but I don’t want to have to dip into savings until it’s an official emergency. And honey, not having a microwave is hardly an emergency.

This started me thinking about some ways in which we spend more than we have to. We pay extra for clean energy electricity, we sponsor a Zambian girl through Child Fund International and we have opened up our home to a Japanese teaching assistant without any compensation.

I want to provide a living wage to the appliance repair person and I want to fix instead of replace, but I just can’t make myself do it. I will continue to spend out in a few key areas, but I have to pick and choose the ways in which I can afford to do so.

What would you do in my situation? Would you pay to repair the microwave, buy a new one or keep an eye out for a used one? Would you risk a possibly dangerous home repair? Do you walk your talk? 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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Mooch Your Way to a Non-Consumer Day

by Katy on December 8, 2010 · 12 comments

My day yesterday was not going to be much to write home about. I was scheduled to work, which should have meant that there was not much in the way of non-consumer action aside from a possible nip into the West Burnside Goodwill on my way home. Sadly, I showed up at work, only to be told that I was not actually on the schedule, which means I got up at 6:00 A.M. and drove a twenty mile round trip for nothing.

Blarg!

However, it opened my day up considerably. So I called up my father who had left a message the day before asking about going to lunch together and set that up.

Free lunch? Check!

My father and I had a lovely meal at my very favorite restaurant in the entire world, (Jade) and then walked down to The Looking Glass bookstore so my father could pick up some books he had ordered, (I warn you to never get him started on an Amazon.com rant) and had a lovely chat with the owner. I had offered to give her a darling children’s chair to use in the kids’ book section on an earlier visit, but instead explained how I had been caught in a sudden rainstorm while spray painting it, which makes it now look like it’s suffering from a nasty case of smallpox. Needless to say, I haven’t followed through on my offer to bring in the chair.

The owner told me how she used to have a tiny caned rocking chair in the children’s section, but that the kids had been too hard on it.

“People think that every store is Barnes and Noble, they just don’t think about how the chair has an actual owner.”

Hmm . . . gotta get that chair repainted.

My father and I then walked a couple blocks down to the Columbia Sportswear outlet store. I had broken The Compact a few weeks ago and bought my 15-year-old son a brand new winter rain jacket. My son takes the city bus to high school and back, and needs to have good rain gear. And here in Oregon, that is serious business. Sadly, my son left his jacket in his biology class and it was gone faster than an heirloom tomato at a Michael Pollan fan club meeting. E-mails to the teacher as well as spelunking trip through the school’s lost and found proved unsuccessful. Luckily, the store still had the same coat, which was marked down $31.50 from $115. And even luckier, my father insisted in paying.

Mooch-power, activate!

And yes, I wrote my son’s name all over that coat this time. I highly doubt I’ll be able to buy this coat a third time.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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


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An Important Non-Consumer Message

by Katy on December 4, 2010 · 19 comments

Note: This video is somehow no longer available through You Tube. Sorry.

Okay, this is the weirdest freakin’ video of random somewhat hasbeen actors, musicians and athletes singing the Beatles’ Let it Be. I am going to pretend it has something, anything everything to do with non-consumerism in order to share it with you guys.

Extra points for those who note the Portland connection, which has to do with a certain local violent ice skater who shall go nameless. 😉

Seriously, it is bizarre. Enjoy the Norwegian subtitles!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Okay, I figured out the non-consumer connection, which may be “do without.”

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