Five Things That Make Me Happy And One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off

by Katy on October 22, 2013 · 23 comments

It’s time again for Five Things That Make Me Happy And One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off. Why add the “One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off?” Because I’m a realist, that’s why.

Five Things That Make Me Happy:

I stopped by my father’s house to borrow his Squeezo Strainer, which allows me to make applesauce without having to peel even a single apple. My family has been using this contraption for decades, and I expect it will last longer than any of us.
My father had a small box of spotty apples to add to the 40-lb box that my husband brought home the other day.
It is a wonderful, amazing, sunny and affirming day here in Portland, Oregon. This is normally a grey, wet and depressing time of year, but our weather forecast calls for at least another week of sunny and dry weather. We native Oregonians know to soak up any and all vitamin D we can before the inevitable gloom sets in.
After realizing that my increasingly blurred close-up vision was making it difficult to read books, I finally stopped at The Dollar Tree and picked up a pair of +1.00 reading glasses. (My long distance vision is still fantastic.) $1 reading glasses, people! Plus, I can now rock that sexy librarian look. Shh . . .
I stopped at the N.E. Broadway Goodwill on my way home, and found a $6.99 pair of brand new looking Levi’s for my younger son and an adorable $2.99 framed cross-stitch for my mother’s birthday. I also bought a Lane Stressless-style leather chair for $49.99, I will sell it through Craigslist to plump up my sons’ college fund. (Click those links to see pictures of my Goodwill finds!)

One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off:

My husband is apparently unable to say “no” to free stuff. Whether it’s through his multiple soccer related non-profits, workplace or a space alien offering free doodad polishing kits, (true story, bro) the man is constantly coming home with cluttery and unnecessary stuff. You’d almost thing that he and I are different people. Sheesh . . . .

Now your turn. What’s making you happy, and conversely what’s pissing you off? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 23 comments }

Non-Consumer Photo Essay — Back in Portland

by Katy on October 20, 2013 · 14 comments

Last week’s trip to New York City has become a sweet but disjointed memory. Highlights included the Wolk-Stanley Party. (The Wolk-Stanley Party was actually just my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah after party, but since my same-named sister made the restaurant reservation, these hilarious signs led the way. I couldn’t resist the photo op.)

The visit was crammed with Bar Mitzvah preparations mixed with touristy activities such as walking over to The Cloisters to gaze upon the Unicorn in Captivity tapestries. My father was entranced. My son? Less so.

But life at home has returned to its regular routine.

Reading library books while waiting for my sons’ soccer games to begin:

Taking advantage of the last few sunny days to crank as much laundry through the clothesline before the deluge of the inevitable rains:

Appreciating the freshly completed cushions that my mother made for my thrifted Old Hickory chair. (Old Hickory has been creating hand crafted furniture for over 100 years, and their pieces furnish The Crater Lake Inn and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn.)

Thrifting for cool finds, such as this midcentury $3.99 Thomas Flammfest casserole dish. I love, love, love the bold tulip graphic on the lid, and will eventually sell it on eBay. Although for now, I’m happy to just gaze upon it.

Planning an afternoon of applesauce making, as my husband brought home this 40-pound box of apples. Marked at $15, the 37.5¢-per-pound price pleases me to no end.

And back to my routine, which is a pretty great place to be.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will — Smurfette Mushroom & The Uh-Oh Feeling

by Katy on October 17, 2013 · 16 comments

Herald the trumpeters, because it’s time for another installment of Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will! I may be in the midst of a virus sinus fest, but I still convinced my friend Sasha to ferry me to the main Goodwill in search for hidden ~~oddities~~ treasures.

She’s a good friend that way.

Ready yourself fellow non-consumers, because things are going to get a little bit whack-a-doodle and a little bit bawdy. (The secret original lyrics to the Donnie and Marie song.)

At this point you may be asking yourself this question:

“Wait, how wacky can things get?”

To which I answer:

“This wacky!”

Why? Because of this. It’s a ceramic mushroom, a Smurfette mushroom, and it look like a . . . well . . . umm . . . let’s just say it’s not for the kiddos.

It’s not for the clock girl:

And it’s not for the lamp boy:

The mushroom is very confusing to them, some would say it gives them an “uh-oh feeling.” You can see it in their eyes:

It’s a good thing that I was there to help them to understand their feelings.

Goodwill, you just never know what kind of er . . . umm . . . whaa . . . thing-a-ma-bob is waiting there for you.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Five Frugal Things – A Zero Waste Cold, Scoop-Your-Own Cat Litter & A Frugal Fail

by Katy on October 16, 2013 · 42 comments

It’s time again for Five Frugal Things, small and random frugal hacks that are completely attainable to the average ~~Joe~~ Katy.

I am munching on delicious toast. The Dave’s Killer Bread was purchased at the outlet store by my neighbor, who’d called to ask me if I wanted her to nab me some extra loaves. ($1.99 a loaf instead of $4.99 a loaf, so yes!) The local blueberry jam was left by one of my mother’s guest cottage tenants, and the Tillamook butter was bought at Fred Meyer during their anniversary sale. (It was a loss leader, so I took advantage of the great price to stock the fridge.)
I have a cold, and am working through my pile of handkerchiefs instead of using facial tissue or toilet paper. When I run out of hankies, I’ll switch over to rags made from old T-shirts. I’m also using my Neti-Pot, but I will spare you those details. (You’re welcome!)
I stopped at Petco last night after dropping my son at soccer practice. I buy their scoop-your-own cat litter, which eliminates the awful amount of plastic packaging that normally accompanies this purchase. (One pound of packaging according to their in-store sign.) And priced at $9.99 for a 30-pound bucket, it’s a deal to boot! The best part is that the store is on my way to soccer practice, so I was able to batch this errand without wasting gasoline. (And before you ask, we tried environmentally friendly cat litter, which made my cats pee in the back of the coat closet. So . . . pass.)
My son and I took advantage of New York City’s fantastic public transportation system to get from my sister’s apartment in Washington Heights to JFK airport. A taxi would have cost $49.50 plus tip. We paid $5 for the subway, and $10 for the Sky Train, which drops you directly at your terminal. And that’s for the two of us! That’s a $40 savings, people!
My son and I somehow didn’t pack any food for our JFK ->LAX flight. However, I asked for full cans of tomato juice from the free beverage cart, which sated my hunger. My son drank apple juice and repeatedly denied that he was hungry. (I am not so cheap that I wouldn’t feed my son.) I did buy him a $9.80 meal at LAX, and bought myself a $3.00 bagel with cream cheese, which was the cheapest thing I could find. Next time I will not forget to pack our own food. #FrugalFail

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.”

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Who Are You & What Makes You a Non-Consumer?

by Katy on October 15, 2013 · 252 comments

As The Non-Consumer Advocate, you all know who I am. A wife, a mother, a nurse, a sister, an aunt, a daughter and a lover of all things non-consumerish. I buy almost nothing new, find joy in the simple tasks of daily life, and scour thrift shops like my life depended upon it. And I try not to take myself too seriously.

Me. Katy Wolk-Stanley.

But The Non-Consumer Advocate is more than a blog about a single person, it is a community. We share ideas and commiserate about our daily struggles. We find like-minded people to remind ourselves that our frugal and simple aspirations are admirable rather than weird. We’re here in America, and we’re all over the world.

But today, I want to know about you. Who are you and where do you live? How did you start coming to The Non-Consumer Advocate and what kept you coming back? How has non-consumerism affected your life, and what has been your family’s reaction to any changes you may have made?

**Essentially, what makes you a non-consumer?**

I will be checking in frequently throughout the day and I’ll try to reply to all comments. So please, share your thoughts and join in the discussion. After all, this blog is about you.

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.
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{ 252 comments }

Today I . . .

by Katy on October 13, 2013 · 28 comments

Today I . . .

Woke up in New York City.
Ate brunch at Coppella at 14th Street and 7th Avenue with my mother and a publishing friend/contact.
Walked over to the Highline, where I met Gianluca Vassallo from FreePortrait.org. He and I had a wonderful conversation about the connection between consumerism and freedom. I took this photo of him:

And he took this photo of me:

Wandered around lower Manhattan people watching and photographing architecture.

Like so:

Treated the Marimekko store like a museum. (Slowly browsing, taking pictures and ignoring the gift shop.) I did make them look at pictures of my Marimekko lampshade. Like they had a choice.

Met up with my sister and niece at the Jonathan Adler store in the West Village.

Wandered around the village for awhile until taking the subway back up to Washington Heights, where we ate deeply delicious Bar Mitzvah leftovers.

Hijinks ensued:

Took the subway elevator with a family of Comic-Con attendees, including this super fun mom. I told her that “My shoes are super comfortable.” (It’s my super power.)

Am relieved that I was able to get through my aliyah at yesterday’s Bar Mitzvah without flubbing the Hebrew or forgetting the tune.

Now your turn. What did you do today?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Katy + NYC + Instagram = A Day Well Documented

by Katy on October 11, 2013 · 18 comments

My son and I are still in New York, and since my sister Jessica had an illustration job to finish yesterday, we took the subway into lower Manhattan.

We decided to start off with a quick Staten Island Ferry voyage, which should have been fun. It’s free, and super accessible to the subway. And since I recently became the recipient of my husband’s old iPhone, I am love-love-loving and over-over-using Instagram.

See how pretty Manhattan looks from a distance?

Everyone wants to stand on the side that faces The Statue of Liberty, as the view is rather wonderful:

My son was already getting tired of having his photo taken.

We were not grooving on the crowdedness, so we walked to the other side of the ferry to take in the not so popular view of Brooklyn. Which sadly meant we were right next to the front of the moving boat when a man ran past the NSA security man and jumped from the bow. Although I didn’t see his jump, I did see the doors open and heard the scream of the NSA guy. It was horrible.

The ferry then stopped, backed up and became still as a rescue was put into action. Police boats, a helicopter and a nearby tugboat raced to the scene to pull the man from the water. Most passengers moved over to the windows to watch and document the action, although my son and I sat away, as I really did not want to watch a possibly dead body being pulled from the water. (I assumed that he’d been hit by the then fast moving ferry, and possibly pulled under the boat.)

The woman yelling at everyone to “Get away from the windows and start praying,” which did not help my mental state.

Luckily, the man was somehow unhurt and is currently undergoing mental health evaluation, which is a huge relief.

HERE is a NY Examiner story, which pretty much gets the story straight.

After all this mental turmoil, my son and I walked up to Chinatown, where I used Yelp to identify a good restaurant amidst the myriad of options.

When our sated selves came out of the Mott Street restaurant, we were met by the sights and sounds of an enormous Taiwanese Independence Day parade!

It was absolutely incredible, as there were thousands of people in the parade! And when my sons and I walked over to Mulberry Street for cannoli, the saleswoman told me that “Taiwanese people really know how to party.” Which I kind of loved.

We continued to walk uptown, stopping so my son could look at shoe stores, as he had a wallet full of refereeing earnings and a never ending passion for shoes.

We stopped at a few different shops, including one that must have had an illustrious history, as the ceiling featured much-painted-over molding and friezes. So gorgeous!

My son eventually did find a pair of shoes to buy, which happened to be A) exactly his size, and B) the very last pair of the style. I asked the salesman if “There was a discount for being the last pair?” to which he answered “Well, I guess I could ask my manager.” They ended up knocking off an extra $5, which was great since the $90 shoes were already marked down to $55.

The bargaining did not faze my son, as he is very used to my unorthodox ways.

Here, tell me if he looks upset:

We then walked all the way up to 23rd Street and 7th Avenue to catch the subway back to Washington Heights, taking a moment to snap a quick sunset photo with the Empire State Building. (My son was refusing to be photographed at this point.)

To say it was a memorable day would be an insane understatement. Yes, it started with a very upsetting incident, but since I now know that the man attempting suicide is okay, I can now admit that the rest of the day was enjoyable.

Never boring. That’s New York City for you! And with my Instagram account, it was very well documented.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SkyMall or Chindogu? (The Japanese Art of Un-Useless Inventions)

by Katy on October 10, 2013 · 7 comments

SkyMall. The catalog. The absurdity. With its focus on the truly unnecessary, yet weirdly tempting merchandise, you’d be lying if you said you’d never flipped through its glossy pages without finding that one product that blew your mind.

I’m not sure if they have an official motto, but I would like to suggest:

“Solving the problems of the ever so slightly inconvenienced at 30,000 feet.”

Chindogu. The refined Japanese art of making un-useless inventions. The absurdity.