The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. My friend Katie posted something on her Facebook page about donating blood to the American Red Cross. As a thank you, she’d received a free pair of $25 Goodr brand red sunglasses, which couldn’t have come at a better time, as A) I can’t find my preferred sunglasses and B) I am nothing if not filled with blood. I literally made a same day appointment and was quickly in possession of a pair of my own quality sunglasses.

2. We enjoyed a yummy at-home dinner with both my kids, plus my sister. Nothing too elaborate, as I just set up a simple tostada buffet with black beans cooked in the Instant Pot. Cheap, easy, tasty.

3. You already know that I enjoyed many free cookies while at The Red Cross. Plus a few to go.

4. I woke up this morning to find the there was no power to the refrigerator, which was not the cheery “good morning” that I expect from my appliances. Luckily it was just matter of pushing the ground fault interrupter button to get her purring again. Crisis (and big expense) averted!

   I don’t think I lost any food, although I took it as an opportunity to make homemade chicken broth and soup from two frozen rotisserie chicken carcasses.

5. I didn’t gut America’s safety net to provide tax cuts for bloated billionaires.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I went to H Mart for sweet rice vinegar and soy sauce and chose the biggest jugs they sell. Yes, I spent more today, but the price per ounce was lower which equates to long term savings. This choice is always a bit painful in the moment, but I just take a deep breath and consider myself privileged to be able to invest in the larger, more expensive size.

   

2. I browsed the deli section and considered splurging on one of their delicious, (and actually not that pricey) premade options. Their kimbap looked especially amazing, but I reminded myself that “You have food at home!” and drove back for a lovely bowl of bean and bacon soup.

3. I returned a huge bag of books to the library, even though I’d only read a couple of them. I like to have choices of what to read based on mood and vibes, so I’ll deliberately check out more books than I can get to. Not only did this declutter my living room, but I got the thrill of new books without spending a penny.

   I know it’s hardly an ah-hah moment to recommend the library over traditional retail therapy, but picking out and bringing home new books scratches the same dopamine itch as buying cute unnecessary doo-dads from Target. And we all know that Target is on our no-no-list!

   

4. I walked past Winco’s small book section and saw they had something by the author Jenny Green. I’ve read her novels in the past, but she’d slipped off my radar, so I made a mental note to see if Libby had any of her audiobooks available. I found that they had Falling for immediate download, which proved to be the perfect distraction from an upsetting news cycle day.

   Libby lost some of their funding, so I’m only able to reserve ten books at a time instead of twenty. I’m now being judicious about what I put on hold, as filling my hold list with audiobooks that take six months would be sad in the here and now. Immediately available books for the win!

5. • I deliberately ordered a large portion entrée last night, so I’d have enough leftovers to bring to my daughter.
   • I hung laundry on the clothesline on this hot and blustery day.
   • My friend Lise gave me a pot of sedum she dug out of her garden.
   • I went on the library website at the stroke of midnight on July 1st to see if they’d released any new discovery passes. Sadly they didn’t have anything for me, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
   • I scanned an abandoned parking lot Winco receipt into the Fetch app and got 1250 points! For reference, I normally get the standard 25 points as I’m not buying national corporate brands.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I went to Winco and dropped $99.12 on a tremendous amount of food. I won’t bore you with a specific list, but it included lots of produce, a bit of meat, a few treats, plus stock items such as salt, yogurts, cheeses, rice and bulk popcorn. The clearance shelf held nothing of interest, but I took a gamble on the Lindy’s brand Italian ices, as they were priced at $1.98 per six-pack! We gave them a try this evening and gave them an A minus.

   

   

2. Popcorn may be dull, but it’s a straight up bargain all day long!

3. I had a scheduled dental cleaning and asked the hygienist to give me “as many flosses as you’re allowed to give.” Two, the answer was two. Still better than one though.

4. I met up with family at a restaurant across town, but left early to enjoy the library’s air conditioning and book selection. I arrived to find the branch was closed for renovations, which left me an hour-and-a-half early on a 93° day. I thought about depositing myself inside a cafe, but instead walked to a nearby park and located a shady bench. I had a book to read, but instead enjoyed an extended phone conversation with my older sister. I’m old enough to appreciate that long distance phone calls are no longer a financial splurge!

5. I’m readying for Amazon Prime Day by reminding myself that Schmeff Schmezos has enough of our money and deserves not a penny more.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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My husband and I hit up Costco this afternoon with a short shopping list and a goal to stay away from impulse purchases.

We were down to one small bag of cat litter, so I fully stocked up as there was an “instant rebate” and I’d rather get ahead of the cost. (We bought three four-packs.) The most boring purchase, but it can’t be avoided when you have a cat. I checked my photo library to see how the prices have changed and was shocked to see that the cost hasn’t changed since I took this photo in December of 2023! Something that hasn’t gone up in price? Crazy.

The other thing on our list was laundry detergent, specifically the Kirkland Signature brand. This tub-o-detergent lasts my family a full year, specifically because I immediately remove the large scoop and replace it with a tiny scoop leftover from some long forgotten container of Dollar Tree oxyclean. My husband and I are not ditch diggers, so a small amount of laundry soap cleans our clothing/bedding/towels without issue.

I would estimate that I use a tablespoon of soap per load.

Of course no trip to Costco would be complete without a loop around the store for free samples.

Beef sticks:

Hotdog:

Quinoa:

La Croix seltzer:

And chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

The joke is always “I went to Costco for batteries and came out with $500 of random purchases,” but it doesn’t have to be that way. My husband and I don’t buy premade frozen food and we don’t go down the non-food aisles. Costco on an actual budget, it can be done.

P.S. My husband did get a $1.50 hotdog + soda.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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I’ve been practicing extreme frugality since 1998 when a copy of The Tightwad Gazette landed in my lap. I then got extra frugal and stopped buying anything new in 2006! It was kind of hard when I first started, but in time it became second nature. I rarely have any temptation to overspend now.

So when Non-Consumer Advocate readers or Facebook group members write asking for advice on how to spend less, sometimes the best advice comes from you, not me.

So today I ask you, dear readers:

How do you avoid consumer temptation? What advice do you have for people who continue to struggle with their spending?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you!

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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