The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. Our cell phone bill went up by $20, so I called Verizon and was able to get them to lower it by $50 per month. (All I had to do was to say that were considering switching to a different carrier, which is always true.) To clarify, this is for four cell phone plans, plus internet. Plus they lowered November’s bill by an extra $100. We also receive a “first responder discount” through my husband’s job, which helps.

2. I swung by Domino’s for a free gluten-free pizza for my daughter, as I’d earned a free “emergency” pizza last week from my son ordering a pizza. I had to order it in person as the gf pizza comes in the small size, while the free pizza was for a medium. Kind of a pain, but also not the worst thing. I brought a library book to kill time in the car while I waited.

3. I gave away four propagated spider plant starts and a folding table through my local Buy Nothing group. The plant starts left in glass Oui yogurt jars, which I’d pulled a neighbor’s recycling bin.

4. • I sold a thrifted Frankenstein costume on eBay for $22. This was very stale inventory and I’m happy for it to have found a new home. Buh-bye!
   • I wanted to buy a replacement heating pad for my husband, as the last one stopped working, so I looked up the brand on Amazon and then went to eBay to find a cheaper alternative. This way I support an independent seller instead of Schmeff Schmezos, plus the purchase doesn’t trigger the manufacture of a brand new item. There were multiple options of the “new in box” heating pads for $20-$25, instead of the $45 that Amazon charges. Buying used instead of new will always be my first choice.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My neighbor set out free green apples, so I walked around the corner and grabbed a dozen or so. She has a prolific apple tree and has a hard time keeping up with them. I’ll assemble some desserts for the freezer, which’ll come in hand come Thanksgiving. I turned right around and brought her a gargantuan bouquet of hydrangeas as a thank you.

2. I baked four mini loaves of no-knead artisan bread from a single recipe, which makes them giftable. This also allowed me to bring a cute lil’ loaf (with thick Tillamook cheese slices) to my mother at her skilled nursing facility.

3. I sold absolutely nothing, but I did renew my Facebook Marketplace listings a couple of times. It often takes awhile to find the right buyer and I have nothing against playing the long game.

4. • I walked to The UPS Store to return an incorrect vacuum cleaner cord that my son ordered from Amazon. Happy to help him get his money back.
   • A different neighbor returned some Pokémon early reader books that I lent to her son last year.
   • My step mother handed down a pair of library books that she enjoyed.
   • I made a paste with dish soap, baking soda and water and scrubbed out a couple stains from my favorite fall cotton sweater. Stain removal skills are basically an infinite clothing hack.
   • I have a neighbor going though rough times, so I raked their yard for them.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My son recently downsized from a two-story townhouse into a studio apartment and as a result, my back room/attic is now Tetris-ed full of the furniture he no longer had space for. I guess it’s the price I pay for being an empty nester in a big house. So much empty space!

   Luckily his stuff was all bought used, so he should be able to recoup his costs and maybe even turn a bit of a profit.

   So far he’s sold:

   • A $250 couch that he bought in January for . . . $250!
   • A garbage picked wooden bench for $10.
   • He listed the thrifted $30 IKEA dining table for $200.
   • He listed a microwave oven for $50, that he bought for $45.

   There are a few more items to sell, which he can do bit by bit. It pays to buy used, not only because it’s cheaper and keeps already manufactured items in circulation, but because you might be able to  flip it later on for more than you paid!

2. I made a pot of chili from random ingredients and it was the best ever!

   • Bulk purchased black beans, cooked in the instant pot.
   • A container of crushed tomatoes, leftover from my son’s meal prep adventures.
   • A “clump” of frozen sautéed onions that I’d prepped after scoring a huge $1 bag of white onions from the Fred Meyer clearance shelf.
   • Frozen chopped yellow peppers, also prepped from a $1 clearance shelf score.
   • Trader Joe’s soy chorizo, purchased when my sister visited in August.
   • Bulk purchased herbs and spices.

   I topped the chili with cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chip shrapnel. Freaking delicious!

3. I saw there was a $5-off-$40 Safeway coupon, so I stopped by and grabbed two cases of on-sale canned cat food. I also grabbed a single $1.99 eight-ounce bag of Tillamook sharp cheddar shreds to get my total over $40. I always need cat food, so I might as well get it as cheaply as possible.

4. • I finally sold my curb picked office chair, but only after I dropped the price from $20 to $12. Hey, it’s free money and I’m not too proud for smaller sales.
   • My neighbor gifted me a Rosh Hashana apple challah that she made from scratch. Thanks, Laura!
   • We had a full deep day of rain, which kept me from having to water any of my drought-vulnerable outdoor plants.
   • I stopped into Costco for my husband’s work lunch supplies, as I was passing by it anyway. I 132.7% wasn’t in the mood to face the crowds, but did it anyway. This saved us from having to do an additional Costco run. No hotdogs were purchased, no samples were eaten. I was in and out in record time!

5. I didn’t panic buy any toilet paper or paper towels.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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1. I used THIS LINK to order four free Covid-19 tests for my household, then ordered additional ones for my son and sister. (My daughter had already ordered hers.) I like to keep extras on hand for those inevitable “is this a cold or something worse?” moments. A box with four tests cost $28.88 on Amazon, so these three test kits will save my family $84.64.

2. My son and I went to Winco Foods yesterday, which was a sorely needed trip for me. Unfortunately I had a fair amount of food waste last week due to being away from home, but everything got composted and today is a fresh start. I stuck to my list and took advantage of their bulk bins to buy onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt and cumin. I used the calculator function on my phone a couple times to compare prices (were 12-packs of eggs a better price per item than the 18-packs?) I steered my son towards store brands on items that made no difference such as corn starch and only succumbed to a single impulse item, which were chocolate wafer cookies at 78¢ per package.

   I took a quick detour past the clearance shelf and grabbed two $1.99 bags of Nestle mini chocolate chips, which were a good enough deal to stock up on. Remember when I scored 44 bags of 10¢ Bailey Irish Cream chocolate chips and them sold them for $10/bag on eBay? I keep hoping to come across a similarly amazing deal, but that day has yet to be repeated. Sigh . . . .

3. My friend Lise came over last night and we sat on the porch and caught up on each other’s lives. We indulged in some chocolate wafer cookies while she knitted and I grabbed a series of progressively warmer layers from the house. I’m no fan of hot summer weather, but I adore the longer days. I kind of hate that 7 P.M. is now too dark to walk around the neighborhood, but such is life.

   A lot of people think that socializing with a friend requires going to a coffee shop, bar or restaurant, but that can be a barrier due to finances, time restraints or simple overcomplification of life. I like to keep things generally simple, which works well for me. I might not be in the know on Portland’s genuinely fantastic restaurant scene, (there really are endless amazing places to eat!) but I’m content with the occasional food cart taco and my debt free life.

   

4. I spent a bit of time transplanting a laughably root bound prayer plant and then planted up some random rooted starts from my kitchen windowsill. I ended up with many more starts than I needed, so I offered up the extras in my Buy Nothing group. I have someone stopping by in the morning, but there’s enough to gift to more than one person.

   I love when my frugality allows for others to save money, as I really do want everyone to have the opportunity to save money whenever possible!

5. • I found a dime on the floor at Costco last week, but it was in a heavily trafficked area. I stood to the side for maybe 30 seconds until it was clear to pick it up. Free money, people!
   • I scanned all my receipts into the Fetch app*, which slowly earns free gift cards to corporate grocery stores and such. They have a deal right now where you get 1000 free points when you sign up through my referral link.

   Edit: I guess this link doesn’t work.

   • I renewed all my Facebook Marketplace listings this morning. It’s fun and impressive when something I curb pick sells immediately, but most items take awhile to find a buyer. This is a normal part of the reselling process and I just know to be patient.
   • My neighbors put another Bonne Maman jam jar into their recycling bin, which I promptly brought home to wash up for reuse.
   • I scored a four-pack of orange and yellow peppers from Fred Meyer’s $1 clearance shelf. I ate one that night in a quesadilla and then sliced and froze the other three for “Future Katy.”
   • I snipped off a half dozen or so spider plant babies for one of the buy nothing people.

6. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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1. I was extremely frugal over the ten days that my mother was in the hospital for her cardiac surgery. I made sure to eat a filling breakfast before leaving the house each morning, (bulk purchased bowls of oatmeal, sprinkled with homemade brown sugar!) and I packed boring but serviceable PB&J sandwiches for lunch. Dinners were either $6 Costco food court chicken Caesar salads or I just waited to eat until I got home around 9:30-10:00. I carried my ever present reusable water bottle. Most days I also threw a banana into my purse.

   When I was a hospital nurse, my motto was “I’m here to make money, not spend it!” and I guess that mindset lingers on.

   My mother is now recovering at a skilled nursing facility that’s conveniently located around ten minutes from the house. Perfect for shorter and spontaneous visits.

   

2. I mixed up a batch of no-knead artisan bread last night and molded the dough into four small loaves instead of one big one. I wanted to bring fresh bread to my mother without it being an overwhelming amount. It turned out exactly as I’d envisioned and I’ll absolutely repeat this process. Homemade bread always feels like alchemy, as such humble ingredients, (flour, salt, water and yeast) transform into absolute perfection!

   

3. • I started listening to Kalaine Bradley’s The Ministry of Time audiobook through the library’s free Libby app.
   • I used my garbage picked GEM canning jar as a vase for flowers.
   • I gave my free-from-the-library Connie Chung tickets to my friend Lise, who then used them with her daughter.  I’m relieved these tickets didn’t go to waste and that she said it was a really fun evening. Apparently Connie Chung is super funny. Who knew?
   • I gave my son a hand broom and dustpan that I garbage picked a couple months ago. I ran it through the dishwasher with a few other grody items first though.

4. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

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I continue to spend my days at the hospital with my mother as she slowly recovers from her cardiac surgery. I bring a library book, water bottle, travel mug, Tetley tea bags and a peanut butter and (homemade) blackberry jam sandwich with me each day. Dinner is whatever my step father and I figure out for that day. Tonight he sprang for teriyaki bowls from a nearby restaurant, yesterday I bought slices of cheese pizza and a chicken Caesar salad from the Costco food court.

I did sell a curb picked Kitchenaid bowl for $40 on eBay this afternoon and then packaged it up when I got home from the hospital around 10 P.M. . . .  so my weirdo uber-Frugal life continues on? Needless to say, I used scavenged packaging supplies.

I’ll continue to spend my days at the hospital, as my mother does better with me and my step father at her bedside. Sorry that I haven’t been responding to comments, but my mind is elsewhere.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

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