The Non-Consumer Advocate

I repaired my Birkenstock suede clogs using the last of two tubes of super glue and a couple of clamps. My sister gifted me these shoes maybe ten years ago, as they were too big for her, but the suede disconnects from the sole every so often. However, it’s just a matter of gluing them back together to get another year or so of use. Somewhat annoying, but time is going to pass either way, I might as well use fifteen minutes of it to keep these handy clogs in circulation.

I signed up for a seven-day free subscription to the Hallmark channel through our Roku box, as I wanted to watch a specific movie. I then went into my account to “unclick” the auto-renewal. <– This is key to all those “free trials!”

The goofy part is that the movie I’d wanted to see, (Confessions of a Christmas Letter, starring The Office’s Angela Kinsey) was actually streaming over on Peacock, which we get for free through Verizon. Oh well . . . At least Hallmark always has a handful of Chanukah movies, which I feel contractually obligated to watch.

I helped my son sell his $30 West Elm chair for $110. It’s easier for me to meet with potential buyers, so he lists just his things through my Marketplace account. He works a 9-5 job that doesn’t allow him to have his phone on him, (corporate espionage issues) so I’m happy to help. He sources his own inventory, takes his own photos and then lists by himself; I just do the communication if he’s at work and I meet with buyers at the house. Team effort, bay-bee!

I got sucked into Simplysarahhart’s Instagram food prep reels, as she uses something called Super Cubes, which are silicon molds that allow you to meal prep single servings in a cuboid form. (I guess they were on the Shark Tank TV show, but I’m always little behind the times.) I looked them up and holy crap are they overpriced! Think $70 for a set of four for what is essentially a reconfigured ice cube tray!

However . . . my husband owns a pair of big silicon ice cube trays, (fork for scale!) so I used one to freeze some leftover pumpkin pancake batter. I then popped out the batter cubes, which are now stored in a ziploc freezer bag. I really like the concept of this product, but I’m not one to overspend. I guess I’ll start keeping an eye out at Goodwill and figure out how to use what I already have on hand.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky!

I decided to reorganize the closet in our spare bedroom, which led to giving away two board games and a cycling backpack through my Buy Nothing group. I needed a few extra organizing bins/shelves, but remembered that I had a stash of curb picked wire grid component pieces that would do the trick. I also nabbed a small bin from a shelf of DVDs, which created enough storage for everything.

Oddly, I’ve curb picked this type of organizing cube system thrice over the years and love them as they can be configured in so many different ways. The key is to use zip ties to assemble, which keeps them structurally tighter than the actual doohickies that come with them. Does everything match? No, but that’s not a goal for me as this is hardly a visible area.

There’s just something so satisfying about a freshly organized space, especially when it’s able to be achieved without spending a dime!

My son texted asking if I wanted to go thrifting, as he wanted “to find stuff to sell.” You can guess my answer. He picked me up and drove us to the Goodwill on S.E. 52nd, off Woodstock, which I suspect prices their furniture lower than other stores, as their store has a smaller footprint and they need their furniture to sell quickly.

My son quickly found a West Elm arm chair for just $29.99 and gave it a quick inspection, realizing that there was was enough potential profit to be worth the thirty bucks. I also found a $4.99 vintage lighting globe for him to flip.

We then drove over to Lounge Lizard to sell the globe and were rewarded with two ten dollar bills. “Finding stuff to sell” isn’t always so successful, (or immediate) but it’s pretty awesome when it is!

I stopped at the library to return one of my copies of After Annie and pick up two new holds.

• I found nine raggedy wet pennies in the Lounge Lizard parking lot.
• I didn’t buy anything for myself at Goodwill.
• My son photographed and listed the chair within an hour of bringing it back to the house.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

I’ve scheduled a free haircut through the Supercuts training center for next week, which is good as my hair has reached the length where it snakes around my throat while I sleep. I love this frugal hack as I get to do something semi-indulgent for myself without the guilt of overspending. (The average price for a woman’s haircut is between $45- $75, if not more for hip urban salons!) The stylists aren’t students, but are instead fully licensed professionals, so there’s no worry about being on the receiving end of a wonky haircut. I’ve been enjoying their services for at least six years and have been 100% happy with each and every experience.

You can check if free Supercuts salon services are available in your area by just calling around, which is how I got on the Portland area’s email list.

I checked out a fresh stack of library books when I took my mother to sign up for a library card. My library is closed for construction, so I haven’t been able to browse the stacks for at least a month. I won’t necessarily read every book, but it’s nice to have choices to match whatever mood I happen to be in.

I accidentally checked out a “Lucky Day” book that I already had at home, which I guess shows that my taste in reading is consistent.

I perused the clearance rack on my recent trip to Winco Foods and scored a big $1.28 jar of Plochman’s Stone Ground Mustard, which was a great deal as it would’ve cost $8.39 had I ordered it from Amazon. I’m unlikely to score 10¢ bags of chocolate chips ever again, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be checking that shelf with each and every trip!

• I used up the last of a bag of mediocre store brand shredded cheese in some grits. It was about to go bad and I’ll make a mental note not to buy it in the future, even if it is on sale.
• I binge watched the TV show Somebody Somewhere through my parents’ HBO account. (So good!) It’s fun to have a new streaming service to flick through.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

My neighbor got her furnace replaced and returned the space heater that we’d lent to her. She also gave us two homemade “Crumbl” style cookies that were a meal in themselves. I rarely bake cookies, so this was a special treat. A smart blogger would’ve photographed the cookies. I did not.

I took my mother out to run errands yesterday and convinced her that she had time to pop into the library for a replacement library card. She recently purchased her first ever Kindle and is looking forward to getting back into the habit of reading. The librarian took the time to explain the many digital benefits of her card, such as using Libby.com and I anticipate many ebooks are in her future!

She also treated me to lunch. Thanks, mom!

I took my long detail shopping list to Winco Foods to make sure I’d hit the $125 barrier to qualify for a “free turkey” with purchase. It turn out that the promotion doesn’t actually begin until November 18th. Oops . . .

I still got six bags of groceries for $103, which included a case of canned cat food and multiple sale items.

She also treated me to lunch. Thanks, mom!

My husband and I stopped into the Franz Bakery outlet and picked up two sleeves of bagel, two loaves of marble rye and two enormous commercially packaged loaves of caraway rye bread for ten dollars.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

My daughter needed to get some paperwork notarized, so we went to our credit union and they did it for free, even though the form was unrelated to banking. They also made copies of everything for free.

I love credit unions, whose entire existence is for the benefit of their members. Why be a customer when you can be a member?

It’s the time of year for convoluted yard debris pickup, which is due to us sharing garbage pickup with our next door neighbors. (This currently saves each of us $234 per year!) It becomes an issue when my maple trees drop infinite number of leaves, as we take turns for which one of us gets to set out a yard debris wheelie bin. I get around this by the grace of other neighbors.

Before you assume that I’m a horrible mooch*, I make sure to return the favors in various ways. For example, today I texted the neighbors across the street asking if they’d be setting out a bin this week. Their answer was to go right ahead with my bin. I then spent maybe fifteen minutes raking their stairs and sidewalk, filling their empty bin as a thank you. I’ve done this in the past and know that they appreciate this act of service.

I did the math and we’ve been sharing garbage service with our neighbors for sixteen years. $234 X 16 = $3744 savings for each of our households. Worth the convolution.

By the way, this overwhelming amount of leaves are from my front sidewalk, plus my backyard brick patio and deck. Not areas where it would be safe to leave the leaves in place, as they get slimy and slippery.

I offered fresh rosemary to people in my Buy Nothing group, as my shrub is flourishing and it’s nice to share.

• I made a big pot of white bean rosemary soup, using this recipe as a template, but added lemon juice, red pepper flakes and soy sauce for extra flavor. Would be good with kale and maybe some sausage, but I used what I had on hand.
• My husband replaced our bathroom fan timer, as it was no longer turning itself off. Don’t want to burn down the house and I appreciate the money we save by doing these DIY projects on our own.
• My husband also replaced the bedroom light switch that controls the closet light. It was needing to be turned off and on a couple times before lighting up, so it was time for a replacement. Good to A) not hire out the job, and B) not burn down the house.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.

I stopped into Trader Joe’s yesterday to pick up eggs, bananas and cabbage. I walked past the flowers, pastries, chips, desserts, candy cane Joe-Joes, cheeses, booze and by-the-register treats. (I stand by my belief that Trader Joe’s is 90% impulse items!) Here’s what I bought:

• A dozen eggs for $2.99.

• Six 23¢ bananas.

• A four-pound head of cabbage for $1.99.

Yes, I weighed the cabbage for this blog post, although I’d already estimated it to be four pounds. My skills as a labor and delivery nurse include precise weight estimation of an item up to eleven pounds. Seriously, I was usually able to hold a newborn and guess the weight down to the ounce. Who knew this party trick would translate outside the delivery room?

I visited with my mother and step father yesterday and was able to weasel their HBO login information out of them. (Worry not, I double checked the terms and conditions and we’re not violating anything with their schmancy ad-free plan!) My husband and I then added it to our Roku last night and watched The Martian.

I watched a couple of Ardent Michelle’s “How to live on $1 a day” YouTube videos and reinvigorated myself to cook inexpensive tasty meals. There’s not much frugality content out in the world that’s new to me, but Michelle sometimes breaks through that barrier. I think she’d be proud that I shuffled through all the cabbages to find the biggest one.

• Yesterday was a rare sunny day here in Portland, so I jumped at the invitation to go for a walk with my friend Lise.
• My husband has been sick and tested himself twice for Covid. Luckily it was negative and that we had a couple boxes of free tests from the government.
• Today is also a precious sunny November day, so I’m washing bedding and hanging it on the backyard laundry line. The next week is forecast for daily rain.
• I’m fully aware that Trader Joe’s corporate is guilty of union busting activity, so I try to limit the amount of money that I spend in their stores.

I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.