A Questioning Day

by Katy on October 18, 2012 · 186 comments

Today I turn the tables and ask you, the readers to share a bit of yourself. So here goes . . .
  1. Have you turned your heat on yet? And if so, where do you live?
  2. When the last time you bought something new? What was it?
  3. What’s the weirdest thing you do to save money?
  4. What is your biggest non-frugal splurge?
  5. What’s your biggest non-environmental guilty pleasure?

Here I’ll start:

  1. We have not turned our heat on yet, although the house has been feeling mighty chilly in the mornings. We live in Portland, Oregon.
  2. The last time I bought something new was a few weeks ago, when I bought You Can Buy Happiness (and it’s Cheap) How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too by my friend Tammy Strobel. I used Amazon credit that I earned doing Swagbucks web searches.
  3. It’s hard to say the weirdest thing I do to save money, but ya’ll already know that I am always on the lookout for new frugal tricks. My latest was filling up jugs of water to put in my not-exactly full basement chest freezer. It was a tip from a reader, and one of those duh moments for me.
  4. My biggest non-frugal splurge would have to be food. Although I shop the sales, use coupons and cook from scratch, I never hold off from buying the food I want for my family.
  5. My guilty pleasure is long hot showers. I take them daily and I do not apologize for them.

Now you!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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How to Declutter With a Teenager

by Katy on October 17, 2012 · 24 comments

I have two sons. One loves to clean and organize his room, and the other is like a cliche of a cliche of a cliche of a teenager. Clean laundry never gets put away and all horizontal surfaces are cluttered with Japanese souvenirs, candy wrappers and enough dust to create the world’s largest dust bunny. However, this kid is 17 years old, and I am not going to be that mother who cleans his room while he’s at school.

Hell, no!

But that doesn’t mean that I’ve given up. Just last night I trapped him in his room and forced him to go through his clothing and decide what was ready to go to Goodwill. (His younger brother has a completely different sense of style, so hand-me-downs are rarely welcome.) Yes, there was whining and complaining, but I didn’t let that stand in my way.

Whining will happen. This is not a barrier to the process.

One at a time, we dumped each dresser drawer out onto his bed and made individual decisions about what to keep and what to donate. My son likes to hold onto old T-shirts to wear as “pajama shirts,” but this practice has resulted in thirty or so designated sleep shirts, which is just ridiculous. We decided that seven sleep shirts is a reasonable number, which gave my son a concrete way to get rid of the extras.

Concrete is key. Saying “how about we organize your clothing” is worthless. But saying “choose seven T-shirts to keep as pajama shirts” gets actual results.

Then drawer by drawer, we culled out the stretched out underwear, the giveaway T-shirts, the ripped-knee jeans. We then moved over to the closet and removed the too-small sneakers, the Homer Simpson hoodies and more giveaway T-shirts.

Task thus completed, there is suddenly enough room for his clothing, and favorite items have been located and are no longer hidden by the stuff my son would not be caught dead in. I’d been thinking my son needed a bigger dresser, but it turns out he just needed less clothing.

And yes, there were probably at least seven occasions of of “Are we done yet?!”

My plan is to go from category to category in his room to declutter and make room for actual functionality, (crazy, right?!)  until we rid his room of all the crap that mysteriously accumulated over the years. And because my son was involved in the process, he will have the tools to go through this process on his own.

Supposedly.

Steps for decluttering with a teenager:

  • Involve the teen as much as possible. Give them ownership of all decisions. Do not take their belongings away without their permission.
  • Strive to make the decision concrete rather than vague. “Choose seven sleep shirts” rather than “Get rid of some of these.”
  • Tie the activity to the goal. “When your room is decluttered, then you’ll have space for displaying your favorite doodads, spreading our your homework or practicing your Gangnam-style dance moves .”
  • Choose a slow pace. You or I might enjoy an entire day dedicated to decluttering, but your teen will not. An hour at a time is a good guide. Those hours will add up and eventually make a difference.
  • Remember that the teen’s brain is not fully developed, so expecting logical behavior is highly discouraged.

Clear enough for you? Good, then you must be an adult.

Have you tried working with your teen to create a clean and organized space? Please share your ideas and tips in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash — CPR, Nate Berkus and Registering to Vote

by Katy on October 16, 2012 · 13 comments

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

The Real Hero is the AED

This last Sunday started out in an unassuming manner.  My husband coaches our younger son’s soccer team, so we bundled up and drove the mini-van out for the 8:30 A.M. game. It wasn’t raining and wasn’t actually that cold, so the parents were pretty content. There were no serious injuries, and I commented to another mother that it’s handy to have the coach (my husband) be a paramedic.

My son scored a goal and got a chance to show off his mad cartwheeling skillz.

A good day.

But my husband who recently began playing soccer for a 40-and-over league had a game that afternoon, which he went to on his own. No big deal, right?

Wrong, a huge big deal!

Why? Because a player on the opposing team collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during halftime. And while my paramedic husband and a doctor-player began CPR, others ran into the nearby school and amazingly were able to locate an Automated External Defibrillator. (AED.) My husband, who frequently defibrillates patients was able to shock the player back into a normal heart rhythm, which saved his life. However, AED’s are designed to be used by anyone of any skill level. And when you get your CPR certification, you learn how easy they are to operate.

CPR is well and good, but it only buys time until a defibrillator is available.

The player is now just fine, and as of last night was in the hospital undergoing treatment and observation.

I think I’ll go to next week’s game.

Click HERE to read the newspaper article.

Click HERE to find a CPR class in your area.

 

Best Decorating Tip Ever!

I like Nate Berkus. Not only does he rock the vintage Hugh Grant floppy hair, but he’s funny and down to earth. (Seriously guys, his hair is awesome!) Granted, I’ve never actually watched his talk show, but only because I believe that sitting down to watch daytime TV is a slippery slope of slothitude. 

So when Sunday’s Parade Magazine featured an interview with him, I set it aside to read. And sure enough, it did not disappoint, as it featured this quote:

“No. 1 tip for improving home decor: ‘Clean your house, people. It costs nothing! You can’t have a beautifully designed space if you can’t see the furniture and surfaces in your home.’ “

Gotta love it, it’s so true!  A clean and decluttered home looks a million times better than a cluttered home. (And is easy on the pocketbook.) And since I spent a couple of hours yesterday cleaning and decluttering casa Wolk-Stanley, it’s resonating rather nicely with me. My house is clean and decluttered, and is looking mighty fine. Mind you, not Hugh Grant/Nate Berkus fine, but fine nonetheless.

Register to Vote

Today is the very last day that Oregonians can register to vote for the upcoming presidential election. And as much as I make it a rule to stay away from political discussion on the blog, I am breaking that rule.

Voting is an inalienable American right, and is one of the most important community actions you can practice. People in other countries protest under dangerous conditions for the opportunity to vote, and all we Americans have to do is stroll down to a local community center to exercise this right.

Click HERE to register to vote in Oregon.

Click HERE to register for other states.

And please note that I will delete any and all rude political discussion in the comments section.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Goodbye Disposables, Hello More Money!

by Katy on October 15, 2012 · 76 comments

Do you find yourself frustrated with how much trash your family is generating? Feel the same about how much money you’re spending?

I’m here to tell you that you can decrease the amount of garbage you produce while also saving money. How? By saying buh-bye to almost all the disposable products in your life. (Okay, perhaps not every disposable product, as I am a huge fan of toilet paper.)

Here’s how:

Paper Napkins — If your family automatically reaches for paper napkins, it’s time to switch over to cloth. Not only are cloth napkins almost endlessly reusable, but they simply work better than their flimsy paper counterpart. They can be used a number of times before needing to be laundered, and lend decor and formality to any meal. Sure, you can buy them brand new, but I’ve found wonderful like-new napkins at garage sales, thrift shops and even a  free pile or two. And if you’re lucky, your mother might even have a couple dozen to send your way.

Menstrual Products — If you’re of childbearing age and of the female persuasion, you already know that monthly menstrual products are both expensive and overly packaged. However, there are reusable options that are easier to use than you might think. I invested in a silicone menstrual cup four years ago and haven’t looked back since. Yes, it took a cycle to get it figured out, but I estimate that I’ve saved $60 per year, or $240 since I made the switch. For those who prefer a pad, there are many, many reusable cloth pads options as well. Not having to deal with all that menstrual-related garbage and the fear of being caught without supplies? Priceless.

Coffee Filters — Although I’m a fan of tea, my husband is a coffee drinker through and through. But that doesn’t mean that we buy or dispose of filters. Instead we own gold coffee filters for our coffee maker, (came with the machine) as well as a small one for individual cups of coffee. They seem to last at least a decade with daily use, but I was recently able to find a replacement at my local Goodwill. (Yay!) I just love how the coffee grounds pop out for composting, and how we never have to buy and then dispose of the paper filters.

Paper Towels — I stopped using paper towels a few years ago and have yet to regret the decision. In their place I use rags made from stained old T-shirts. But if you’re looking for a less ragtag solution, a pack of microfiber cloths can serve as an awesome substitution. Endlessly re-launderable, these lint-free cloths can work to clean windows, wipe up spills and pretty much anything else you would use a paper towel for. And the best part is that you’ll no longer have to store that huge pallet of paper towels in your pantry any more. (That, and the trees you just saved from being cut down!)

Clothing — This may seem like a strange addition to a list of disposable items, but hear me out. How many times have you tossed or donated an article of clothing just because there was a rip or a stain? Yeah, I thought so. By spending some time on stain removal or with a needle and thread you can bring your clothing back to life. And don’t worry that you need the skills of a 1950’s Home Ec teacher to mend a seam or sew a button back in place. As Bela Karolyi would say, “You can dooo it!”

Gift Wrapping — There’s no reason why you should buy (and then throw away) wrapping paper on special occasions. I am the #1 fan of reusable paper gift bags, yet I don’t think I’ve ever paid for one. How? I’ve received a number of them through the years, but I also save them from being thrown away whenever I’m at a gift giving occasion. Sure, I give more than I receive, yet I always seem to have more than I need. And want to know a great trick for wrapping large gifts? A single color pillow case tied with a pretty ribbon will save you from using up an entire roll of wrapping paper. Just make sure to get it back.

Fabric Grocery Bags — Keep them in your car and make it a habit to bring them into the store with you. I keep an small one in my purse and use it at least four times per week, and since I get a nickel off my purchase whenever I use it, I estimate that it’s saved me over 70 bajillion dollars so far. Just make sure to throw your bags through the wash every now and then, especially if you’re buying meat.

Handkerchiefs — Yes, we switch over to facial tissue when we’re ill, but for those times when you get a runny nose from allergies, going from cold to warm or eating spicy food, hankies are fantastic. Buy them once and create no garbage? What’s not to love?!

Reusable Water Bottles/Coffee Mugs/Takeout Containers —  Don’t be that person whose drinking habits are filling our landfills. Bring your own water from home, hand your own coffee mug to the barista and tuck an empty container into your purse for your restaurant leftovers. Want to know a secret? I’ve noticed that I’ll often get more coffee served in my reusable mug than if they’d used their paper cups.

Plastic Silverware — I brought home a couple handfuls of unattractive stainless steel flatware from a free swap a few years ago, and man, am I happy that I did! My family uses these forks, spoons and knives for our work and school lunches almost every day, yet we don’t have to worry about losing an errant spoon or two. I love that we’re not generating garbage from our meals, and frankly, I prefer the feel of metal in my mouth rather than plastic.

Do you have tips and tricks for avoiding disposable products? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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

by Katy on October 14, 2012 · 22 comments

  1. The bubbles that come to the surface of boiling water when I drop a package of dried tortellini into the pan.
  2. My son working hard and completely independently on his Halloween costume.
  3. A homemade waffle straight out of the waffle iron.
  4. Discovering that the audio book I randomly pulled from the library shelf is a completely wonderful and entertaining book.
  5. Finding a simple solution to a nagging problem. (The basket of sports uniforms that now resides in the living room has cut down the wails of “Where is my whatever?!” by 98%.)

 

  1. I am annoyed that I saw what would have a been a perfect present for my mother’s 70th birthday when I was visiting in New Hampshire this summer. However, I was too stupid to just buy it at the time.
Now, how about you?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash — Counter Culture, Renoir, Reselling and a Money-Free Life

by Katy on October 12, 2012 · 31 comments

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

Counter Culture

After 16 years in a fixer-upper home, my husband is sick and f*@&ing tired of working on household projects. The easy and cheap projects are behind us, and what’s left is dull, expensive and not even slightly fun. So imagine my surprise when my husband excitedly told me this morning about a countertop that he saw in a bar last night. (He plays on an adult soccer team, and they went out for beers after practice.) It was stained concrete, and somehow, it sparked his deeply buried motivation for home improvement projects.

Our current kitchen countertops are inoffensive Formica with an oak edging that I’ve hated since the day we installed it. But the nasty, nasty counters from the previous owners needed to go, so we slapped down the cheapest option Home Depot had to offer. (Our house was uninhabitable when we bought it in 1996, and I am not exaggerating. We had to work on it for a full year before we could even move in!)

So now my husband and I have a date planned to check out the bar and countertop. Color me excited.

 

Is Your Right to Resell in Peril?

There is an upcoming Supreme Court case that’s catching the eye of many Non-Consumer Advocate readers. The newsworthy case involves a university student who discovered that English language textbooks sell for substantially less in his native Thailand than they do here in the U.S. So this entrepreneurial student set up his own eBay business.

Here are the details from the Wall Street Journal:

“The case stems from Supap Kirtsaeng’s college experience. A native of Thailand, Kirtsaeng came to America in 1997 to study at Cornell University. When he discovered that his textbooks, produced by Wiley, were substantially cheaper to buy in Thailand than they were in Ithaca, N.Y., he rallied his Thai relatives to buy the books and ship them to him in the United States.

He then sold them on eBay, making upward of $1.2 million, according to court documents.

Wiley, which admitted that it charged less for books sold abroad than it did in the United States, sued him for copyright infringement. Kirtsaeng countered with the first-sale doctrine.

In August 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling that anything that was manufactured overseas is not subject to the first-sale principle. Only American-made products or “copies manufactured domestically” were.

“That’s a non-free-market capitalistic idea for something that’s pretty fundamental to our modern economy,” Ammori commented.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the case on Oct. 29.”

I’m not worried about how this will affect occasional resellers such as myself. There is no way that law enforcement would be able to track vintage resellers, let alone take an interest in little ol’ us. However, I will pay attention to the Supreme Court verdict.

Super interesting.

 

Flea Market Renoir Had Been Stolen

Do you dream of finding a priceless painting at a flea market, flea market or garage sale? Well, a recent flea market Renoir sale was halted recently, when it was discovered that the painting had been reported as stolen in 1951.

I feel bad for the seller, who must have already spent the expected $75,000 in her head. Not her fault she was holding onto stolen goods.

Such a bummer, but that’s not going to stop me from keeping an eye out for priceless paintings when I go thrifting. You never know . . . .

 

Could You Live Without Money?

An article from Shareable.com titled A Life of Abundance Without Money recently caught my eye. The article focused on Daniel Suelo, age 51 who has chosen a life dedicated to living without earning or spending any money. Eating perfectly good food from dumpsters, Suelo is bringing attention to the waste within our own society, blogging from the library computers and giving interviews. (I took a quick look though his blog, and please know I am not endorsing his ideas!)

“I’m not even sure what poor really means, because I don’t feel like I’ve been lacking since I gave up money. I feel in a lot of ways more wealthy and not so limited.”

It’s an interesting article, and worthy of attention. Of course, it’s not a lifestyle that many of us would sign up for, but there’s still food for thought.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Found Change Challenge — $23.77 and Counting!

by Katy on October 11, 2012 · 51 comments

It’s been a little over two months since I’ve written about the Found Change Challenge, but that doesn’t mean that my adorable vintage canning jar hasn’t been filling up with the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters that are moving me towards my 2012 goal of finding $65 on the ground. (The cost to spend one night at my friend’s beach cabin.) In fact, it’s actually time to switch over to a bigger jar!

So how much have I found so far?

 $23.77!

Oh . . . this is not great, as I already had $20.83 when I counted it last on August 6th. But it’s not something that I have a lot of control over, as sometimes I only find pennies, and then sometimes it’s much more. (Yes, that is a five-dollar bill you see sticking out the top of the jar!)

At this point, it’s going to be tough to meet my $65 goal, but you never know when a twenty-dollar bill might blow my way. However, the whole point of this challenge is that small amounts of money add up and do matter. Small amounts matter when they’re spent, but they also matter when they’re found.

Have you been keeping track of your found money this year? Do you have any great found money stories to brag about? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Five Frugal Activities

by Katy on October 9, 2012 · 58 comments

Frugality is part of my daily life. It’s there when I wake up in the bed we got for free, it’s there when I eat my bulk purchased oatmeal for breakfast and it’s there when I walk instead of drive my errands. Sometimes it’s newsworthy, but usually less so. Here, I’ll let you judge for yourself.

Here are five recent frugal activities:

  1. I am continuing to make yogurt from scratch, and am in the midst of fine tuning the recipe. I’m now using 2% milk instead of whole, and adding a half-cup of powdered milk to thicken it up. I’m also straining the yogurt it to help it discover its Greek roots. Opa!
  2. I baked a pie last night to use up some not-quite-crisp-enough apples that someone left at one of my mother’s guest cottages. I packed the last of the pie into the kids’ school lunches today, but scraped all the delicious dribbly juice into my oatmeal this morning. Highly recommend. (Yes, you read that right. I baked a pie last night and it’s already just a memory!)
  3. I’m reading Julia Park Tracey’s I’ve Got Some Lovin’ to Do: The Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen. I received this book to review, so it was free. But I’m loving it so much I would have happily paid for it! (BTW, all you Twitterers need to follow this flibbertigibbet of a girl @TheDorisDiaries!)
  4. I’ve become quite frustrated with how my living room has transformed into a dumping ground for sports uniforms, dirty pajamas and the like. But instead of fighting the trend, I’ve set up a organizational system for the room, which includes a large basket for clean uniforms, (the kids both run cross country and play soccer; and my husband is on a soccer team, so keeping clean uniforms on hand is a annoyingly daily task.) Not only are all the uniforms now easy to locate, but it’s helping to streamline our chaotic mornings. Needless to say, I usurped a basket from upstairs that I already owned instead of buying a new one. Or a used one for that matter.
  5. I’ve continued to line dry my laundry, cook from scratch, pack school and work lunches, avoid disposable products, batch my errands and make do with a small wardrobe.
How about you? What frugal activities have been keeping you busy lately?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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This Week, A Decluttering Task For You

by Katy on October 8, 2012 · 19 comments

Decluttering is a harder task than it should be. Why? Certainly not because it’s physically difficult, but it’s just So. Much. Decision. Making.

What to do with this, shouldn’t I be holding onto that and can’t give that away because it was a gift. It’s enough to drive a girl to drink decoupaging.

However, there’s one significant deluttering task that’s both easy and takes away the mental taxation of decision making.

Return everything in your house to its rightful owner!

That’s right. Drop those books off at your friend’s house, return all you can back to the library and stop waiting to bake cookies to return your neighbor’s plate. Even if it means boxing stuff up and  mailing it across state lines, it’s time to get rid of everything in your house that belongs to someone else.

For me, it will mean mailing out the last giveaway books; returning my mother’s garden loppers and Rat Zapper 2000, dropping a tool at my in-law’s and gleaning the house for library books.

This is the easiest decluttering task you can undertake, so let’s all make a little more breathing room in our homes. After all, every solid object in your home means there’s less circulating air to breathe. And breathing is good.

Are you in?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Non-Consumer Photo Essay — Retirement Funds, When to Replace and a Manga Chair!

by Katy on October 7, 2012 · 43 comments

It’s time for another Non-Consumer Photo Essay, which today features stuff I didn’t buy, stuff I did buy and an rather fantastic chair makeover.

First off I have another goofy savings bank, this time for a “Retirement Fund.” I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of hoping that I’ll have more money than will fit in a small ceramic bank by the the time I hit retirement age. (I do love these save-for-a-specific-purpose-reason banks, as I showed in this earlier post.) Needless to say, I did not buy this bank.

You know that I like to “make do,” and not immediately replace my household items. However, when something is so messed up as to be non-functional, it needs to go. I give you the example of my pastry cutter. Not only had two of the five pieces snapped off, but the remaining three were always bending to the side. In other words, it was freakin’ useless.

So I’ve been keeping an eye out for a replacement pastry cutter at thrift stores, (as well as discovering that food processor pie dough is crazy easy, although I’m not a fan of the extra cleanup.) I was finally able to find an Oxo brand pastry cutter for the low, low price of 99¢ at Goodwill.

Which I say calls for a celebratory pie!

My daughter turns 17 today, which is absolutely flabbergasting to me. How on earth did this happen?! It really does seem like she was a baby just a few years ago. *Sniff*

For her birthday we’re giving her  Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, which the grandparent and my sister will chip in for. (This is super expensive, although we will use my father’s educator discount.) My daughter has been an artist since the day she ate held her first crayon, and she’s taking two art classes at school this year, one of which is a graphic design class. She will get so much use from this gift, as will I. (Prepare for my blog photos to start looking a lot better!)

But I wanted to give something fun as well, so when I saw this bent-wood chair at Goodwill, my mind started whirring. I’d seen a similar chair on Pinterest, which had been Mod-Podged with a vintage-style poster.

See? Very cool. I really like how the single piece of wood looks when decoupaged:

At $20, the chair was completely overpriced. However, it was one of those brand-new Target items, so there was no wiggle room on the price. (Believe you me, I tried to haggle.) In the end I decided to buy the chair, as I could envision the end product, plus it was, ahem . . . yesterday, the day before my daughter’s birthday! (Leaving gift giving to the last minute is always an expensive endeavor!)

My plan was to Mod-Podge Japanese Manga onto the chair, which is totally up my daughter’s alley, as she’s been studying Japanese since kindergarten. So I spent  yesterday evening cutting and pasting, while my daughter was under strict instructions to not come into the spare bedroom.

So, drum roll please . . . here’s how the chair turned out:

 And doesn’t all the Manga look so cool?!

And of course, a detail shot:

I haven’t given the chair to my daughter yet, as she’s still sleeping.

After all, she is 17 now. Man, do I love that kid, er, umm . . . young adult! *Sniff*

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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