Please enjoy today’s Non-Consumer Mish-mash blog post, where I write about a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Missing Money
I’m so happy that I blogged about the MissingMoney.com website, as multiple readers responded with how they found money for themselves and family members. Here’s a sample:
“Thank you for this, Katy! I found two family members on there. I cross-referenced the info on missingmoney.com with our state’s Commerce Department database (a more official looking site) and they each have between $100-$250 coming to them!”
“Thanks so much we found over $9K. Turned in the paperwork today.”
And my favorite:
“This site helped convince me that I am a good person–one of our step-mothers, a wretched, wreck of a woman, was on there for quite a bit of money from an old pension account, and I contacted her to let her know. I have to admit my first instinct was to keep my mouth shut, but I thought I might as well put a deposit into my karma account.”
To clarify — this is not a referral link. I get zilch from this website. MissingMoney.com consolidates the states’ departments of revenue. If you haven’t already checked, I highly encourage you to do so!
I sold some tables
Remember that tray table set that I curb picked a couple days ago? I just now sold it to a woman for $20, which was a bargain for her and free money for me! She’s a quilter and apparently these tables are useful as mini ironing boards to use while quilting. She keeping two for herself and giving two to a friend, which I love!
I’ll put the money in our high yield savings account, which earns 5.25% interest.
Happy Birthday
My husband’s birthday was yesterday and we celebrated all day long. Our first stop was Excellent Cuisine for dim sum and it was, well . . . excellent! Seriously, their dim sum is so tasty, generous and fresh. If you’re from Portland, this restaurant is a must!
We then placed a order for an enormous and complicated Starbucks coffee to share, as we’re never going to forget to use that free birthday reward!
Last stop was Costco for dinner supplies. My husband had requested steak, so he picked out a five pack of enormous steaks, as well as mushrooms and brussel sprouts. Hardly a bargain at $60 for the beef, but exponentially cheaper than going to a steakhouse! The biggest bargain with this meal is that I still had a 99¢ bag of Winco potatoes and a freezer full of sale priced butter. I baked the birthday cake using a gluten-free mix I pulled from Winco’s clearance shelf.
The kids (plus one) joined us for dinner and it was a lovely relaxed evening. My son’s birthday is in a couple of days and we’ll do a bigger celebration for him. My husband and I don’t exchange gifts, as we want for nothing.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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Portland weather is finally at the stage where sunny days are the norm rather than a rarity, which prompts many people to set out their unwanted belongings for the taking. Whether it’s a “free pile” or a “free box,” it’s a great opportunity to save things from the landfill while nabbing a bargain.
Just yesterday I drove past this tray table set, which I promptly brought home. Sure it needed a thorough wipe down, but such is the price of curbside shopping. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep or sell it, but I know that free is better than the $68 you’d spend to buy it on Amazon.
Later in the day I passed by this box of psychology books while on my way to the library, which I photographed but didn’t touch. (Boy oh boy, do these books look outdated!) However . . . I know that people do well selling vintage books as decor and a couple of these would fall under that category. Especially the blue one.
This free pile caught my eye on my way home from the library, although I didn’t bring any of it home. I might have grabbed the chair if I hadn’t been on foot. 1970s decor it very fashionable right now and this chair would’ve been easy to bring back to life. All it would have taken would be a rug shampooer and a swipe of some Restor-A-Finish. Groovy.
My husband and I later took an after dinner stroll and passed by this initially unpromising free pile. It may look terrible, but it actually had a bag of Specialized brand bike pedals, which if you needed them would be a great find. (They start at $56 on their website.) Also, that rug pad would be useful if that’s something you needed.
We also walked past this jumble of gardening pots. I briefly considered the galvanized tub, but I couldn’t think of how I’d use it which is my sign to not bring something home.
The last free box on our walk was this books-and-boots combination. I kind of liked the wooden box, but I wasn’t sure that it was actually up for offer.
Does your town have a “free pile” culture? I’ve been both the giver and receiver countless times and I love that it’s a practice in my city.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I had a nice low key Mother’s Day with the kids here at the house and a simple brunch. No pressure and the kids staggered their visits, which expanded it into a nice long afternoon.
I then took my mother out the next day for belated fun, just the two of us. I picked up a Starbucks mocha along the way, (her favorite treat, plus I had credit on my Starbucks account) and we browsed an antique mall in the neighborhood. I also took her to Montelupo for their mushroom focaccia with fresh ricotta and arugula. She also received the rooster planter that I curb picked a few weeks ago, now freshly planted with hens and chicks from my backyard.
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We were almost out of Palmolive bar soap, so I stopped into Dollar Tree. I heard a rumor that their prices are going up again, so I also grabbed extra toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner. I miss the era when their soap was 3/$1 especially since it’s now 2/$1.25.
Those were the good old days . . . .
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My father-in-law passed away last month, so my husband’s been busy going through their house and scrambling to find places to donate their belongings. There’ve been multiple loads of their stuff to Goodwill, (clothing, books and kitchen items) plus a number of dump runs as many items were no longer in any condition for usefulness. My late mother-in-law was an art teacher and had an overwhelming amount of unused art supplies. We donated those to the kids’ high school art department, which was a perfect solution. She also sold semi-precious stone beads, which we took to a bead shop in the neighborhood. The money will help a bit with all the sudden expenses. (Cremation, probate lawyer, bond and associated costs.) Everything is complicated by there being no will. There’s also a storage unit that we’ll have access to after my husband is named the official executor. Luckily the storage unit is in Portland.
This project is nowhere near completion and is complicated by them living two and a half hours away on the Oregon coast. This means that we spend a couple hundred bucks on a motel room every day my husband works on their house.
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• Our daughter needed a bicycle and my husband was able to put one together for her out of two bikes that were collecting dust in our garage.
• Our neighborhood is having their annual “neighborhood cleanup day,” and although I can’t think of anything we need to take over, I’ll still do a sweep through the house and see if there’s anything we can get rid of. I’m extra inspired at the moment to not burden my kids with a house filled with excess Stuff!
• My friend’s daughter is training as a volunteer docent at a local museum, so we’re going over there today to be her guinea pigs. Free museum entry!
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I knew about the MissingMoney.com website, (which coordinates the state departments of revenue for “unclaimed property,” aka “money”) but had forgotten about it until I saw it mentioned in a recent Instagram reel. It sounds so scammy, but it isn’t.
Hmm, I should look myself up . . . .
I didn’t strike gold for myself, but I learned that my sister (who has the same last name) had multiple matches for money back owed to her! She clicked “file claim,” uploaded her identification and is now getting more than $500 back! I was on a roll and started looking up all my family members and almost every name I entered had some unclaimed money floating out there just waiting to be “claimed.”
I found money for a college friend, (who’d used the website in the past, but had forgotten to also try under her nickname) my middle school best friend, my other sister, my niece and even my husband!
You don’t need to enter any personal information to learn if there’s missing money for you, although you do when you claim it. They then send a confirmation email, which understandably requires proof of identification.
Please, please, please try this for yourself! Get that money!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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An old Antioch College friend came into town and took me out to breakfast, which was a lovely treat. So great to catch up with her and hopefully we’ll see each other again while she’s in town visiting with her son.
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I found two nickels and a penny while walking home from the restaurant. So yeah . . . I recently came into some money.
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My friend Lise and walked to Fred Meyer (Kroger) on Tuesday, which was their monthly senior discount day. I didn’t actually need much, but I did pick up clearance price bags of kale, spinach and tomatoes; plus I used a 65¢-off coupon for eggs and a coupon for free Haagen Dazs. I’ll make a batch of kale pesto and save the vanilla ice cream for when I next make an apple crisp or pie.
10%-off Fred Meyer is still more expensive than Winco.
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• Portland remembered that it was Spring, so now I get to open the windows and keep the heat off.
• I was late returning two library books, but Multnomah County Library no longer charges late fees.
• I rewatched the first three seasons of The Detectorists (best show!) on the free Roku channel.
• My downstairs bedroom acts as a kind of catchall for this, that and the other, which means it can get disheveled. I spent a half hour or so reorganizing and cleaning everything, so it looks all nice and ordered again. No items were purchased in the making of this room refresh.
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I didn’t pay any hush money.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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My husband and I stopped by the Goodwill at 122nd and Halsey Boulevard the other day and I picked up a few items for myself. Starting off with a lucky penny in the parking lot. Needless to say it’s been added to my Found Change Challenge jar.
I bought this $1.99 wine glass, which matches the five we already had at home. I broke one a few months ago, so this was a perfect find. There is (was?) a vendor at Portland Saturday Market that makes these pottery wine glasses, so they’re not an uncommon find. They’re so pretty, and I like that my “set” is actually a mixture of different glazes.
I thrifted every single one of them.
I did not buy this stemless wineglass, which came complete with a vaguely upsetting nipple feature.
Lastly is my semi-annual reminder that there’s no reason to ever (ever!) purchase a brand new mug. I made a decision to only buy used in 2007, and can tell you that the overmanufacture of consumer goods means that it’s comically easy to stay true to this strategy.
Lucky me.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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It’s been a super low key week and Portland’s constant rain sure didn’t motivate me to go out and about for exciting adventures. Everything I need is at the house and I feel zero guilt about hunkering down and potato-ing the couch. My homebody status also happens to support the frugal lifestyle.
Going nowhere and doing nothing for the win!
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I got a bottle of soapy insecticidal houseplant spray from someone in my Buy Nothing group. My son had just noticed gnats on a plant, so I feel like we caught it early.
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• One of those curb picked planters from last week had a quartz crystal buried in the soil. My sister, who is a high school Earth Science teacher was most excited.
• I planted some rooted fuzzy bunny starts into my pot of purple heart plants as it was looking a bit sparse. More no budget gardening for the win!
• I rolled the recycling bins to the curb for most of the block and brought home a 10¢ refundable can as a reward.
• We ate every last bite of free pizza I got for free a couple days ago.
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A couple of not frugal things to keep things spicy:
• I threw out some leftover fried rice as I recently learned about fried rice syndrome and am employing some justified paranoia. It had reached day five in the fridge and I don’t want to make anyone sick.
• My son and nephew borrowed two nice umbrellas from me and I don’t think I’ll see them again. The umbrellas, not the people.
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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Grocery prices are absolutely out of control, which I understand is from a combination of corporate greed and the greed of corporations. Either way, consumers are hurting. Lucky for us Pacific Northwesterners, (plus the fine folks in Nevada, Utah, Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma) we have access to employee-owned Winco Foods.
Getting to Winco is kind of a schlep for me, plus there’s always some sketchy shit going down in the parking lot — but damn, their prices are low! (The sketchiness may be Portland specific.) Not as low as they used to be, but still so much cheaper than any other grocery store in town.
Just today I did a big grocery shop and spent a total of $86.12 for everything in the above photo, (although it should’ve be about three bucks less, as I accidentally paid for my son’s bulk sesame seeds.) I feel like this amount of groceries would’ve set me back around $65 a couple years ago, but $86 is still a screaming deal. In this economy.
Here’s a detail shot of the left side:
And the right side:
And here’s the receipt with the total:
You may notice that my groceries are pretty much zero frills. Think ingredients instead of snacks and premade meals. However, that’s how I keep our grocery budget low. I mostly follow the pantry principal and keep a variety of food on hand that can be combined to prepare multiple different meals. This saves us a ton of money and I can always figure out something yummy to cook.
Sure, I pick up sale items at Fred Meyer, Safeway and the Dented Vegetable Store, but Winco is the clear winner on its own. Just make sure to shop during daylight hours.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I run a Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group with almost 80,000 members and it’s a never ending challenge to protect it from spammers. One thing I do is to ask potential group members “Please share why you’d like to join a non-consumer group.” Simple, straightforward and shines a light on most spammers as “Hello mf 284643737848” is not an appropriate reply.
Normally I skim the answers, approve (or disapprove) membership and move on, but I decided a couple weeks ago to save answers as they’re fun to read. I find it so interesting how people come to non-consumerism from different mindsets, so thought you’d enjoy reading them as well!
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I’m cheap!
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I have prospered by practicing frugality my entire life. Now I am financially secure but still maintain thrift as a matter of principle. I look forward to reading the Non-Consumer blog – every update is fun to read which I’m sure the FB page also
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Long time blog reader, always looking for like minds.
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To find a like minded group.
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I’m trying to place importance on non material things.
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Recommended by The Frugal Girl blog that I follow. Thank you.
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I’d like to find ways to cut my consumption.
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I’ve downsized & continue to do so. Trying to inspire others to do the same.
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I am looking for ideas and support on how to stop buying unnecessary stuff and use what I already have.
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Reduce, reuse, recycle!!!
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I’m all for conserving and saving money.
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For inspiration.
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Having trouble recently being around a consumer society and needing support and influences that bring me back to my why of not being a consumerist.
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I am currently bettering myself and finding out who I truly am without attaching material things to my personality
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Recently moved to grandparents old farm….lots of misc stuff I don’t want to just trash.
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Learning.
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I just want a space where I can share my opinions with some people that will understand where I’m coming from. I’m also in need of some support to stay away from over consuming.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I love that however long I’ve been on my journey of extreme frugality, there’s always another trick around the corner. Remember these curb picked ceramic planters? It didn’t take me long to figure out a use for them.
I had this somewhat underutilized corner of the living room that put the whole space off balance. I’ve had a Big Plant™ there in the past, but had to move it for whatever reason. This eleven-inch tall pot was the perfect solution. Good timing too, as my son recently brought over this ponytail palm over from his apartment, as his kitten had zero chill when it came to leaving it alone. (Can you blame her though? It looks like it was created in mind to be a cat toy!) The palm is substantial enough to warrant a big planter and this corner of the room is once again anchored.
Zero dollars spent.
So what to do with the pretty faceted flowerpot? I rooted this purple heart from my sister’s plant in New York last year. It was in a small drab planter, so this was a just right upgrade. I did accidentally break off a couple branches while transplanting it, but I’ve set them in water and know this mistake will actually garner me two new plants!
Zero dollars spent!
And then yesterday I passed by this sad specimen while out for a walk and brought it home as A) It wasn’t actually dead and B) If nothing else, it’s free potting soil.
I think it might be that “lucky” bamboo, but some people on my Instagram feed thought it could be a monstera.
Either way, it has new growth and will reveal itself in due time.
Zero dollars spent.
Whether it’s scoring free barrel planters through my Buy Nothing Group or free potting soil through Fred Meyer’s annual Fuchsia Saturday promotion, I’m able to have a verdant and satisfying garden without spending any money.
For those wondering about that chicken planter? That’ll serve as a Mother’s Day gift in a couple of weeks. Now, to figure out what to plant in it . . . .
P.S. What do you think the mystery plant is?
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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