Yesterday was a convergence of several rare factors. I was off from work, my husband was off from work, the kids were in school, it was not raining and neither of us had much in the way of pressing business to attend to. Bizarre to say the least. So my husband and I decided to...
This piece is a reprint from an earlier blog. It is dedicated to my ten-year-old son, whom I am training to be my trust sidekick -- Coin-Boy. (He did find 23 cents at our grocery store last week, so his future is promising.) I possess a secret talent. And no, it's not the juggling...
I possess a secret talent. And no, it's not the juggling of flaming chainsaws while whistling the Star Spangled Banner. (I'm actually a pretty poor whistler.) I find coins on the ground. Wherever. Whenever. Always have and always will. My parents joke about how I exhibited this talent from the time I was first walking....
Like everyone else, I enjoy a little something for nothing. Whether it's food samples from a warehouse store, or a free pile in front of a neighbor's house, free stuff always adds a little excitement to my day. I had been reading Angela from Frugal Living NW rave on and on about a search engine...
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! My regular readers know that even though I masquerade as Katy Wolk-Stanley, mild mannered labor and delivery nurse, I am actually better known as Coin-Girl. Staunch supporter of dropped change and defender of the the under-appreciated copper penny. But Coin-Girl appears to be suffering from multiple personality disorder, as...
Here I sit, the day after Christmas waiting for the great relief of a job well done. And mostly, it's there. I have been hosting my sister's family of four, provided Compact friendly gifts for all, cooked and baked for holiday meals and have just finished buying the gifts for my in-law's holiday gift exchange....
The following is a reprint of one of my very favorite columns. Enjoy! I possess a secret talent. And no, it's not the juggling of flaming chainsaws while whistling the Star Spangled Banner. (I'm actually a pretty poor whistler.) I find coins on the ground. Wherever. Whenever. Always have and always will. My parents joke...
My regular readers know that even though I masquerade as Katy Wolk-Stanley, mild mannered labor and delivery nurse, I am actually better known as Coin-Girl. Staunch supporter of dropped change and defender of the the under-appreciated copper penny. But Coin-Girl appears to be suffering from multiple personality disorder, as she is quickly morphing into Dave Ramsey-Girl. Staunch...
It's time again for Five Frugal Things, small and random frugal hacks that are completely attainable to the average Joe Katy. I picked up two over the counter medications at a hospital based pharmacy that's affiliated with my employer. My employee discount knocked approximately 35% off the bill, and it sure as hell beat the $250...
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...
Looking for a recap of 2022? Well then, you're in luck! In 2022 I found $7.71 in change on the ground. Not as high as the $42.65 I found in 2018, but still better than a swift kick to the tuchus! I somehow forgot to take a picture of the receipt, which had a breakdown...
My family is in Washington D.C. right now, and it's a very interesting mix of very expensive and extremely frugal. Here, let me elaborate: My husband is being presented with an award, so the airfare and very nice hotel for the two of us was free. However, the tickets for the kids were $580 apiece....
I really enjoyed the Found Change Challenge for 2012, and have already started up a new jar for 2013. For those who are new to the blog, the Found Change Challenge was a year-long project to save up all my picked-it-up-off-the-ground money and then devote it to a single cause in the end. My goal...
52 Weeks, 52 Letters Challenge I started this challenge last year, with full intention of mailing out my 52 letters. Alas . . . life and a susceptibility to distraction brought this down to a twenty-something letters challenge, which I'm actually okay with. I sat down to write a couple of thank you notes the...
January first. A day of new beginnings. A day when citizens around the world reminisce on the previous year, and then look towards a new start and the lofty goal of self-improvement. Many choose to make new year's resolutions, running the gambit from the ever popular lose weight and exercise more; to the increasing popular...
My recent frugal activities have ranged from hanging out at home and reading library books while hanging out with my kids, (super frugal) to finding coins on the ground wherever I go. (Coin Girl to the rescue!) Here's a little peek at five of my recent frugal activities: I went to a reading at a...
It's time again for Non-Consumer Mish- Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. Coin Girl is Smoking Hot! It's rare for me to go places and not find coins on the ground. They are however, almost always pennies. And as much as I love these little freebies,...
Umm . . . this post accidentally got parked in draft form, even though I wrote it in time for the February 1st start time. All I can say is, Natalie. . . so sorry. Whoops. For the past four years, The Frugalista's Natalie McNeal has set aside the month of February as a No...
If you're like most Americans, you wait until the absolute last minute to donate to your area's charitable thrift stores. The combination of the end of year unwanted crap-fest, with the tasty tax deduction is too good to pass up. Gee, aunt Myrtle -- thanks for the off-brand salad spinner/scented gnome candle set/gold plated Elvis...
I have a tendency to get a little down when I feel like all I'm doing is what I did the day before, and also what I'll be doing tomorrow. You know, the treading water of day-to-day life. Kids off to school, get laundry going, write blog, tidy up, run errands, make dinner, take kids...
Today, March 22nd is recognized as World Water Day, whose goal is "Clean Water for a Healthy World." Sound simple? Well it's not. If you live in a community where you have access to clean water at the turn of the tap, then you are lucky. And if you do have access to clean potable water,...
The Following is a guest blog by Julia Park Tracey of modernmuse.blogspot.com. Julia is a Compact-chum, and a fellow conscious frugality enthusiast. I really like how she is working to build savings a few dollars and a few dollars there. It's something we can all do. Katy Wolk-Stanley "Use it up, wear it out, make...
I love magazines. I love their glossy covers and smooth pages. I love the loud thwack sound they make as their hefty presence drops to the floor on delivery day. Lovely, lovely magazines. This love of magazines may be genetic. My maternal grandmother, (parent of seven unruly kids) apparently would close herself in...
Today marks the 100th blog entry on The Non-Consumer Advocate. So in the tradition of television, it's time for a show of flashbacks. A best of, if you will. (The special effects department is suspiciously absent, so you'll just have to imagine the wiggly lines across the screen.) I remember it as...
Kristen from The Frugal Girl and I stopped for a container of Tillamook ice cream at Fred Meyer, which gave me the opportunity to grab these clearance items: • A bag of six nectarines from the $1.50 clearance shelf. • Two cans of baked beans for 67¢ each. • Four boxes of Betty Crocker gluten-free...
My college age nephew arrives tonight for a week-and-a-half long visit from New York and my plan is to indulge him without breaking the bank. Mind you, I'll spoil him silly, but that doesn't mean I can't do so on a tight budget. My husband and I only have one niece, one nephew so we...
I schlepped my 2021 Found Change Challenge jar to my credit union's coin counting machine to discover that I'd gathered a mere $11.91 in dropped money over the course of the year. (Even though I'd found two one-dollar bills!) This shouldn't have surprise me though, as I was serious about minimizing outings last year. Being...
Screen-Free Week has ended, and although my emphasis was on minimizing screen time, I was absolutely continuing with my frugal endeavors. Some impressive, but mostly not. So to make up for a week without The Non-Consumer Advocate, I present to you . . . thirty-five frugal things! I took a small bag of unwanted household...
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! It's time again for Goodwill, Badwill Questionable-will, where I share some of the rather spectacular things I come across during my thrifting adventures. First up is a very special treat for you. Why? Because it combines steampunk with snails, clocks and monkeys. Plus, it's priced at $19.99, which...
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! Many people on their frugal journey are perfectly fine with scrimping and saving for themselves, but are hesitant to buy used gifts for their loved ones. Or . . . when they pick up a fantastic $5 used gift that normally wold have cost...
This cute thrift shop dinette set caught my eye last week. Not just because it was complete, (a rarity) but also because the textured chair pattern looked familiar. Does this pattern look familiar to you? How about you, Drax from Guardians of The Galaxy? Is this your favorite dinette pattern? Although I didn't buy this antique...
Today I am . . . Making pumpkin scones, as I wanted to bake something and the recipe doesn't call for any eggs. (We're all out.) I enjoy that I'm using the pumpkin puree from our run of the mill Halloween jack-o-lanterns. Enjoying the warm Portland weather that allows me to keep the furnace off. I...
My younger son and I are currently in New York City for my nephew's Bar Mitzvah. And because I am who I am, (completely, utterly and unapologetically cheap) I am using garbage picked paint to paint the town red. (In this metaphor, my frugal activities are "the paint," and hanging out with my son is...
It's time again for Goodwill, Badwill Questionable-will, where I share some of the rather spectacular things I come across during my thrifting adventures. First up is a very special treat for you. Why? Because it combines steampunk with snails, clocks and monkeys. Plus, it's priced at $19.99, which I would expect from a priceless antique, but this...
Many people on their frugal journey are perfectly fine with scrimping and saving for themselves, but are hesitant to buy used gifts for their loved ones. Or . . . when they pick up a fantastic $5 used gift that normally would have cost $50, they feel like they still need to buy additional gifts...
I am very good at finding free opportunities, and no I don't mean horrible over-packaged and chemical laden commercial samples. I mean great adds-to-our-lives-without-creating-more-junk-in-the-world kind of stuff. Here are examples of some recent great free finds: I fill out three minute online surveys for Einsteins Bagels about my transactions. This then gives me a free...
It's time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. Fishy Cherub Girl Finds a Home For those of you who doubted that I actually bought the cherub riding a fish ashtray, here she is on my bedside table. Don't you think the marble and...
Yesterday was a pretty typical day off from work for me. I did a little writing, hung a lot of laundry and ran a number of errands. However, by late afternoon it occurred to me that I was embracing the art of scavenging. I have written before about my opportunistic tendencies, and how I seem...
I've been writing a lot recently about happiness, simple living, decluttering and the general challenges of day-to-day life. But I wanted to let you know that my main groove is still money, and how not to spend too much of it. For example, today I: Rented (for free) the seed spreader and roller to reseed...
Not a day goes by when I don't hear/read/see something that makes me think I should include it in the blog. Unfortunately, not a day goes by when I don't cook/clean/play with kids and run errands. (Literally, as I acvtually ran to the grocery store this evening to return a Redbox DVD by the 9:00...
I am in a good place in my life. Life is good. Most everything is going well, and I want to recognize and quantify this good fortune. I had written a column entitled, "What Makes Me Happy" in October of 2008, and I think it's time to do a re-evaluation. So here's what makes me...
Today was the last day of Winter break, and unlike years past, we didn't really do anything extra or fun. This was due to the combination of house guests, work schedules and, let's face it, inertia. I was feeling bad about the lack of snowy fun days on Mt. Hood, so I proposed to my...