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 the backyard lawn, which got destroyed during a soccer party last fall. The extra grass seed was $8.99 from the local nursery. This means we’ll have a lawn again for less than ten bucks, and we’re doing this early enough that the grass can establish from rain instead of store bought water.
- Washed all the towels, cloth napkins and dish towels. I try to only wash these on sunny days, as the outdoor clothesline is the only line that can dry the thick towels within a single day. We don’t own enough nice looking towels to wait out the days necessary to dry them on an inside clothesline.
- Drove to Goodwill, (batching errands along the way such as dropping off the plastics recycling) returning some too small slacks and buying another pair for my son’s Japan trip. He also needed a wrist watch for the trip, and I found him one for $4.99. I chose the one which was ticking along, thus saving the cost of a new battery. It appears to be working perfectly.
- I walked to Fred Meyer to buy tomato starts for my garden. They were $1.99 apiece, which I consider to be fabulous bargain, considering that each plant will grow dozens of fresh mouth watering tomatoes. I also bought organic lettuce, which was only 5o¢ more than the non-organic. I will choose organic food, but not if the price difference is astronomical. Bringing my own bags saved me 10¢.
- Stopped into Papa Murphy’s pizza to buy toppings for tonight’s pizza dinner. $1.50 purchased enough pepperoni and sausage for two pizzas. Plus, I brought my own Pyrex container, so it was packaging free.
- Enjoyed a lovely hour or so reading a review copy of “Your Money: The Missing Manual” by J.D. Roth while lounging in my luxurious got-it-for-free bed.
Spending as little money as possible is a huge component of my life. Sustainability and simple living are important, but given the choice, I’ll gravitate towards the frugality most any day. Luckily, there are very few times when frugality and sustainability do not intertwine.
I just wanted to make sure you knew that The Non-Consumer Advocate had not shifted over to a blog about decluttering, productivity and gift giving. It’s actually about living the rich life on a dime. That other stuff just came along for the ride.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Having never purchased anything from Papa Murphy’s, I had no idea they would sell just the toppings. Something to consider…
“It’s ALL about the money!” I think I shocked my daughter when I muttered this one time. She had always been careful with her money, but she was at a counter-culture, love of money/consumer culture is despicable, rebellious protester stage of her life. As she matured and was supporting herself while pursuing postgraduate studies, she was muttering that she needed to get her hands on some of that crass money herself. That’s when I said that it’s all about money, we discussed that a low consumer lifestyle ironically requires more attention to money than a spendthrifty life, but can be very satisfying in many non-financial ways. If anything, she is even more careful with money & manages to stretch it until it screams. Does my heart good!
I like all of your posts, whether they’re about money, simple living, decluttering, happiness, whatever–I think they generally go hand in hand. 🙂
I second whate Cate said! I love the variety!
Count me in as number 3! Variety is good, and all the topics are so interrelated as to make it difficult to know where one starts and the other ends.
I also love the variety of topics. It is about the money, but simple living is how we can live on less and enjoy life more. Keep writing the way you have been.
I also find it nice to read from someone who has children and can make it work.
Decluttering is an essential part of spending less for me. If you don’t know what you have then you might just buy it again. Buying used twice won’t make me any less mad if clutter caused me to forget owning something. The other concern is that if someone does not get rid of clutter then they will eventually need more space. People will loose more room no matter if they limit their purchases or buy everything that they see. The only issue is just how fast will they run out of space.
It’s not just about the moey, because we could crowd our families into horrible cheap housing, attempt to live on discount mac & cheese, and scream at the kids every time they tear their jeans or wear out their sneakers. It’s about quality of life, about love, about caring enough to forego some indulgences so you can send your son on an expensive learning opportunity. If it was about the money, and onlyt he money, you would never have agreed to open a saving saccount just for his wonderful trip! I hope he enjoys it very much, and that you will get as much joy out of it as he does.
Magdalena,
The blog is still about the money.
-Katy
😀
Hi Katy – talking about money did you get my e-mail about highlighting coingirl in my fundraising blog? Is that okay – would I be able to use your picture above? I reckon a superhero costume would be apt but perhaps thats one for the future? 🙂
Jo x
Simply Jo,
I don’t think I got your e-mail, and please feel free to highlight Coingirl in any way you see fit, and the photo is yours to use as well.
-Katy
I’m fairly new to your blog (love it, by the way), and I’m wondering if you’ve ever addressed the idea that being a non-consumer is only possible because of consumers. It’s kind of like not being able to eat lower on the food chain if there is no chain or if there’s nothing that is higher on said chain. Just curious to hear your thoughts.
Celeste,
I did address this issue in a post from a few years back.
https://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2008/06/calling-all-spendthrifts-keep-it-up/
Thanks for the nice words.
-Katy