Meanwhile, Back on The Farm . . .

by Katy on September 24, 2012 · 12 comments

This last week has been the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge all day, every day. Or so one would think from reading my blog. In actuality, lots of regular non-consumer activities filled my days.

  • I worked two full days as a labor and delivery nurse.
  • I spent an afternoon cleaning one of my mother’s guest cottages.
  • My son and I visited at the main Goodwill, where I picked up a pair of $3.50 black velour yoga pants for and a 99¢ pastry cutter. (I had no pants that were not jeans, and my pastry cutter had lost two of its blades and had become utterly useless.)
  • I brought home an adorable yet beat up curbside antique table that I plan on painting up all cute.
  • I took my older son to the mall to get his ears pierced, (A huge Compact exception!) which was a reward for getting good grades. Our only other purchase was a lollipop from See’s, where we each enjoyed a delicious free chocolate.
  • I picked up a loaf of free oatmeal wheat bread from Grand Central Bakery, through their Tweets for Treats program.
  • I happily accepted two big bottles of shampoo from my neighbor, who said they bothered her dry scalp.
  • I hung countless loads of laundry on my backyard clothesline, including all my reusable shopping bags who took a well-deserved trip through the washing machine.
  • I got my kids acclimated to using the city bus to get back and forth to school.

You know, a regular week that did not include anything expensive, wasteful or frankly, all that exciting.

Just the way I like it.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Reese September 24, 2012 at 8:00 am

OH! I have been meaning to wash all my reusable shopping bags… thanks for mentioning it…as maybe I’ll decide to actually do it now 🙂

Everytime I go to Goodwill, I look for canning jars. I typically get them for far less than 50 cents, but haven’t had much luck lately. Wonder who else is trying to can things right now in Chicago 😉

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Katy September 24, 2012 at 8:12 am

Our Goodwill charges too much for canning jars, but I’ve found that they’re cheaper at the non-chain thrift shops.

Katy

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Lesley September 24, 2012 at 8:00 am

These are the wonderful details of your daily life that keep me coming back to this blog at least once per day. Love it! Thanks for posting.

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Katy September 24, 2012 at 8:12 am

Happy to give inspiration from the mundane details of my life. 😉

Katy

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Linda in Indiana September 24, 2012 at 10:02 am

Ditto!

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Linda in Indiana September 24, 2012 at 11:06 am

So, it isn’t misundestood…I meant “ditto” to what Lesley said.

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Erin September 24, 2012 at 11:30 am

Katy, I’d love a blog post about sports equipment. I have a nine-year-old son who plays soccer and baseball. (As a side note: shin guards are the stinkiest things. Ever. I need an outdoor holding area for them!) And he grows so fast. Do you buy all sports equipment new? If you do get any used, where do you get it? Thanks.

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Ann September 24, 2012 at 6:12 pm

Maybe your youth sports league holds a sale of used equipment now and again…

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Karen September 24, 2012 at 7:15 pm

In the Bay Area, we have a mini-chain called Play it again, Sam. They sell used sports equipment that is still in great shape. This was a lifesaver when my kids were young. My husband also found good soccer stuff there when he was coaching a middle school team. Maybe you could google used sports equip plus your zip code?

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Bellen September 24, 2012 at 3:45 pm

According to a news article on Yahoo, the mayor of Phoenix did a SNAP challenge and limited his food shopping to $29 for the week. Good for him and I hope this will make more people aware of just how hard it is to be reliant on SNAP.

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Elaine September 24, 2012 at 5:31 pm

Found an amazing buy at our Goodwill this week. A Pendleton wool blanket, like new. They apparently are not familiar with the name Pendleton! I paid $12 for it . It still had the tag on it too. Sold on Craigslist for $115. Love, Love, Love the Goodwill!

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Lesley September 25, 2012 at 3:24 am

Elaine, that is FANTASTIC! All in a day’s “work,” right?

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