I went back to the Goodwill Outlet bins a few days ago to hunt for lightweight inventory for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. I spent $1.40 and still have a $54.15 balance left on the card. Here's what I bought: This "Kathe Kruse" brand lovey, as it stood out as less commercial than your...
1. I sold two Goodwill bin items for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge! Click HERE to see the eBay listing. Click HERE to see the eBay listing. Total profit thus far is $91.25, which will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank in one lump sum at the end of the challenge. The gift...
I may not have earned impressive numbers of sales from my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge, but I did make a $60 eBay sale from the LoveSac cushion covers, which isn't too shabby considering that I paid just $4.99 for the pair of them. I originally listed them for $45 apiece, but accepted an offer...
There's a Goodwill right up the street from my favorite grocery store, (Hellooo, Winco Foods!) so I often pair my trips. Because, seriously . . . why not reward yourself for ticking a boring task from your to-do list?! First step was to donate a grocery bag of books from our Little Free Library. There's...
I've been feeling kind of embarrassed that my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge hasn't been more of a booming success, but I didn't let that didn't stop me from the hitting the bins for fresh inventory. As always, my goal is to find high value-lightweight items. Luckily I had this above Pixies T-shirt sale from...
1. I sold the bins-purchased Peugeot salt grinder for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. I think the reason it took awhile to sell is that I had the box dimensions completely incorrect, which made the shipping look like it would be oddly expensive. Oh well, I accidentally made a few extra dollars on the...
I spent another $7.59 at the Goodwill Outlet "bins" to buy four items for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. This leaves me with $55.55. I'm trying to be very deliberate with what I'm thrifting to resell, especially at the Goodwill bins, as heavy items defeat the purpose of paying by the pound. Here's what...
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to? 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.
I took an hour or so from my day to scout treasures for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. (My goal being to find items to resell to support the Oregon Food Bank.) Unfortunately I didn't find anything to resell, but I did buy a couple items for myself, which meant paying out of pocket....
My 17-year-old son had a hankering for some Goodwill over the weekend, and since I was still packing a leftover gift card from Christmas, I didn't have to be asked twice. Things looked pretty normal. Lots of coffee carafes. Lots of Greg Oden bobble-heads. It still bothers my son that the Portland Trail Blazers had...
Like many others, I internalize the pressures of holiday gift giving. Sure, I like the creative challenge, but however much I try to keep the expenses under budget they always seems to spiral out of control. I try not to get too anxious about the holidays until after Halloween, but the subject keeps coming up over...
1. I sold the thrifted desk organizer for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge, although I took an offer of $22 and then noticed a crack in the plastic when I grabbed it off the shelf. I contacted the buyer with photos and she accepted a $5 refund and while it was far from a...
Today's blog post is going to be out of focus and wobbly, as the forward facing camera on my iPhone finally remembered that it got run over in Albuquerque. I stopped at both a standard Goodwill and a Goodwill Outlet in search of resellable treasure. I picked up this piano bench, which featured a hand...
1. I donated $137.82 to the Oregon Food Bank for February's $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. That amount is bolstered by $50, as I chose to keep a Pottery Barn linen duvet cover that I thrifted in January. It's much higher quality than the crappy Ikea version in our daughter's childhood bedroom and it didn't...
1. I sold my Goodwill bins backpack through Facebook Marketplace for $100! I was on the fence on whether or not to keep it, but came to the conclusion that I already have a backpack and only use it a couple times per year. This indicates to me that I am in no need of...
It's been a few weeks since I stopped by the pay-by-the-pound Goodwill bins to stock the shelves for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. As always, my goal was to choose the lightest of lightweight items, in order to stretch the card as much as possible. I spent $8.74 on nine items to resell. These...
1. I threw my name in the hat for a fuzzy white Pottery Barn robe in my local Buy Nothing group and was chosen to receive it. (It helped that no one else responded!) I host a fair number of house guests and like to have the rooms set with comfortable amenities. I already have...
1. My Husband and I spent an afternoon walking down Portland's S.E. Division Street in the name of enjoying a series of small treats. For those outside the area, Division Street has become a central area for small restaurants and dessert spots. Especially for desserts! First up was this taco plate from Taqueria Bravos Tacos....
1. I gathered my trusty Starbucks "splash stick" and empty Blistex containers to consolidate everything into a singular tube. (Yes, "splash stick" the official name!) This is a once a year-ish chore and quite satisfying. I know they sell makeup spatulas for five bucks or so, but this freebie works perfectly. 2. I had a...
1. I made a great big batch of chana masala, this time adding a ton of spinach right at the end. (Which inevitably shrunk down to "never enough spinach!") Extra frugal since I cooked the garbanzo beans from scratch. It scratched that restaurant food craving without paying restaurant prices. I'd share the recipe, except that...
1. I gathered our clear plastic recycling and walked it to a New Seasons grocery store. We're able to recycle (wishcycle?) most categories of plastic through our curbside pickup, but the "clamshell" style of plastic requires an extra step. My plan had been to grab some individual items from their salad bar, as it was...
I try my best to pay attention to the frugal moments in my life so I can create content for the blog, but oftentimes my daily frugalities aren't unique enough to create "wow" moments. Yesterday is a perfect example of this, as it was technically frugal from start to finish, but also . . ....
1. My husband and I drove across town to check out (wink!) the newly built Multnomah County library branch in N.W. Portland. It's not very big, but the interior is beautiful and they did a lot with the available space. I know I'd spend a lot of time here if it were in my neighborhood....
1. I drove across town for my free Supercuts Training Center haircut, which as always was a 100% positive experience. The certified hairdressers are closely guided by their manager and it takes no more time than a standard salon cut. If anything it's faster, as there are no added services that extend a traditional salon...
1. I returned to the Goodwill bins in search of high value lightweight items for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge, and scored this Coach card case. In a bin, mind you that had already been completely picked through by the professional flippers! Yes! I'm not sure of the value, as the only other recently...
I went to the dented vegetable store and bought a big package of organic mixed greens for $3 and was mildly annoyed that it wasn't $2 like it normally is. A few days later I shopped at the Thriftway on Mt Hood and paid $9 for the same thing. No longer upset with the $3!...
My eBay woke up over the past few days, and I sold a number of things including an antique bronze griffin for $150, a $60 electric typewriter, a $21.50 mug, a $30 barkcloth curtain panel and a $15 diploma case. I also listed a few more items to keep my inventory fresh. I'll be hitting...
My mother and I took our $3 stipends to the Goodwill Outlet to try our luck at recreating Bargain Hunt in our own cheap American fashion. I chose a number of lightweight items with an eye for resale, while my mother bought a single heavier item that actually cost $3.86. (She gave me the gift...
The following is a reprint of an earlier column. Enjoy. My son's 11th birthday is coming up, and it's time to start brainstorming some party ideas. Please put your ideas in the comments section below. A parenting challenge that is sure to rise its ugly head exactly once a year is this -...
Today ended The Frugalista's No-Buy-Month, and with it ended my 28 days of no eating out, no shopping and no movies. Supposedly. Because even though I had signed up for the no-buy challenge, I did slip up a tiny bit. I took my sons to see a second-run showing of The Tale of Despereaux...
A parenting challenge that is sure to rise its ugly head exactly once a year is this - How do you throw a kick-ass kid birthday party yet stick to your goals of frugality and green living? No one wants to have their child suffer as a result of their parents' idealistic goals. But...