SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge — Day Six

by Katy on September 22, 2012 · 18 comments

Today is Day Six of the Snap/Food Stamp Challenge and I spent a bit of time at Safeway.

It may just be a local promotion, but every Friday, Safeway promotes special $5 sales. They tend to be items like take-and-bake pizza and soda, so I normally ignore them, but yesterday they had  32 ounce bag of frozen swai fish that caught my eye. (Get it, caught? Nuyk, nyuk. Oh, never mind . . . ) I like to keep frozen white fish fillets in the freezer, so I knew that this was a great deal. Luckily, there’s a Safeway very close to my house, so it was no big deal to swing by and pick it up. I took the time to look through Safeway’s Just for U online coupon center page to load e-coupons onto my Safeway club card. Yes, this step is a pain in the tuchus, but I did find a 50¢-off coupon for milk. I also had a paper coupon for a free bag of whole grain pita chips from the newspaper.

Here’s what I bought:

  • Half-gallon of whole milk (for my husband’s coffee) — 99¢
  • Two Luna bars (for my husband’s work lunches) — $1.98
  • 32-ounce bag of frozen Swai fillets — $5.00
  • Bag of pita chips — Free!

Total = $7.47

I was going to buy mayonnaise for my husband ‘s work sandwiches, but it was just too expensive, plus I hated the plastic jars. I’ll pick some up at Trader Joe’s instead.

Dinner last night was the red lentil soup plus grilled cheese sandwiches. I had a small amount of tuna salad leftover in the fridge, so two of the sandwiches ended up as tuna melts. My sandwich included thick slabs of fresh tomato, and the bread was from the Bob’s Killer Bread Outlet, so you know they were heavenly.

I’m not sure what tonight’s dinner will be, but I suspect it will involve cobbling together a variety of leftovers. And since it’s Saturday, we’ll be having dessert. (Every Saturday is dessert night at casa Wolk-Stanley!) I saw this Plum Cake on Frugal Living NW, and think I’ll assemble one tonight using the free plums from the other day.

Plum Cake!

Plum Cake!

Plum Cake! 

Here’s how much we’ve spent so far:

  1. Day One — $0
  2. Day Two — $15.66
  3. Day Three — $6.77
  4. Day Four — $41.48
  5. Day Five — $15.87
  6. Day Six — $7.47

Total for week – $87.35, which means we still have $24.65 left to last us thought Sunday.

I still want to make homemade yogurt, as well as homemade mozzarella, but we’ll see how the weekend goes. My sons both have soccer games, plus I’m the queen of procrastination. However, it is amazing how I can procrastinate making yogurt, yet it’s no big deal to get right on that plum cake. I wonder why that is? 😉

Click HERE to read Day One.

Click HERE to read Day Two.

Click HERE to read Day Three.

Click HERE to read Day Four.

Click HERE to read Day Five.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge — Day Five

by Katy on September 21, 2012 · 38 comments

Today is Day Five of the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge and I have reached that inevitable point where the challenge is kind of a hassle and I long for a day of getting to write about something, anything other than food! (At least this year’s challenge is just for seven days, instead of 2010 and 2011 when the challenges lasted for entire months.)

But that’s okay. Why? Because having to stretch food dollars is not a lot of fun, and the reality of an actual food stamp budget is a huge bummer. Not that I would normally be filling my shopping cart with filet mignon and swordfish, but the mentality of “Oh no, how much do I have left for the week?!” is not a restful place to be. (By the way, that dollar amount is $40.12 to last us through Sunday.)

I worked all day yesterday, which means I was gone from 6:30 A.M. – 8:30 P.M. I ended up leaving work on the late side, as my patient delivered her baby at 7:11 P.M., right at change of shift. I was happy that I was able to be there for her birth, but those change of shift deliveries make it impossible to leave work on time. By the time I did get home, my husband was already asleep, (he starts work at 3:00 A.M.!) and the remains of dinner were sitting on the dining room table. Teriyaki chicken, rice and a soggy green salad. I inhaled it cold and at rocket speed, and then found a New Season’s Market receipt in the kitchen.

Here’s what my husband bought:
  • Rice vinegar — $2.79
  • 2 Luna Bars — $1.98
  • Lettuce — $1.99
  • Organic bananas @ 89¢/lb — $2.68
  • Gallon of milk from grass-fed/hormone-free cows — $2.69
  • 4-pack of kaiser rolls — $3.79

Total = $15.87

Would I have bought the same items? No. We have mature lettuce in the garden, vinegar is much cheaper from an Asian grocery store, I hate the expense of Luna bars and the kaiser rolls were simply too pricey. However, I was happy to have food in the house, and happy that my husband was A) buying ingredients for homemade salad dressing, B) didn’t make any impulse purchases and C) made dinner!

The Luna bars made their way into the kids’ school lunches today, as did the kaiser roll; so with the exception of the lettuce, everything was a necessary purchase.

Here’s how much we’ve spent so far:
  1. Day One — $0
  2. Day Two — $15.66
  3. Day Three — $6.77
  4. Day Four — $41.48
  5. Day Five — $15.87

Total for week — $79.88

Dinner tonight will be the red lentil soup that’s been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days, a green salad and maybe some kind of homemade rolls. I am dead-dog tired today and needing an extra cup or two of caffeinated beverage. (Where did my physical stamina go?!) I do have a fully-punched coffee card from Grand Central Bakery, and if they have a Tweets for Treats deal for today, I will most definitely be bringing my laptop in for a writing session. (I am only a blogger for The Huffington Post, if I actually write something for them now and then!)

How goes your week, have any great insights to share? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Click HERE to read Day One.

Click HERE to read Day Two.

Click HERE to read Day Three.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge — Day Four

by Katy on September 19, 2012 · 37 comments

It’s Day Four of the  SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge and I decided that I should replace some of the staples that I’ve been using yet not pricing out. Specifically, olive oil and frozen chicken breasts. (I haven’t actually cooked up any chicken breasts yet, but I work tomorrow, and know that my husband will prepare teriyaki chicken, as it’s the only dinner he ever cooks!)

So to Costco I did go. And then I did stop.

Because after filling the gas tank of my 1997 Subaru Outback, my car refused to start.

Crap.

This is the very same car that was giving me trouble last week, the same car that spent two luxurious spa days at the mechanic’s. Where they were not able to identify the issue.

Double-crap.

Luckily, I have roadside assistance as part of my car insurance, so I put in a phone call and then walked into Costco where I quickly located the olive oil and frozen chicken breasts. However, I was unable to locate the organic concentrated chicken broth that we use, so I decided that I would use up the vegetarian concentrate we already own before buying a new jar.

The cost of the trip was not cheap:

Olive oil –$19.99

Ten pounds of frozen chicken breasts –$21.49

Total $41.48

My budget limit for the week is $112, based on $4 per person per day for myself, my husband and our two ravenous teenage sons.

  1. Day One — $0
  2. Day Two — $15.66
  3. Day Three — $6.77
  4. Day Four — $41.48
Total for week — $64.01

And it may seem a bit suspect to repeatedly be given garden surplus. But my mother’s neighbor brought me two boxes of extra fruit and vegetables from her garden. The apples were all drops and bruised and far from attractive. However, I peeled and cut away the nasty bits and was able to assemble a rather delicious apple crisp. The zucchini got sautéed and included in our pesto dinner and the plums will likely get transformed into jam. And the tomatoes? They’ll get eaten in salads and over the sink. Like apples.

I don’t think of myself as someone who benefits from other people’s garden surplus, but I guess this is simply the week that Oregon gardens are finally producing! But should I be declining this free food? I have no answer for this. But I sure as heck know that I’m not going to decline wonderful locally grown organic produce just because I didn’t pay for it.

It was given freely and with kindness.

Now, about the car issues . . .

Click HERE to read Day One.

Click HERE to read Day Two.

Click HERE to read Day Three.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge — Day Three

by Katy on September 19, 2012 · 49 comments

Today is DAY THREE of the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, and all is well. Here’s how much I’ve spent from my $112 budget so far:

  1. Day One — $0
  2. Day Two — $15.66
  3. Day Three — $6.77

Total — $22.43

What did I buy? I was low on a few different spices, so I walked my refillable jars to Fred Meyer and bought dill, curry powder and nutmeg. I also was out of cream cheese to go with the bagels that I bought on day two.

Bulk spices are almost always the cheapest option, not to mention that they’re much, much fresher (and more flavorful) than buying the pre-filled jars. And for infrequently used spices, you can buy the exact amount you need rather than buying an entire container, which then sits unused year after year.

  • Dill — $1.07
  • Nutmeg — $2.38
  • Curry — $1.58

For those of you who are trying to minimize food packaging waste, it’s a win-win situation! See that curry container? It’s a baby food jar, so you know I’ve been refilling it for a looong time!

I spent a fair amount of time cooking yesterday, and was able to prepare two-and-a-half pans of restuffed potatoes, one of which I slipped into our freezer for a later night. (Aren’t the colors pretty?) I also made a batch of red lentil soup and boiled up some chicken stock using the leftover chicken and bones from yesterday.

I let the availability of 10¢/pound potatoes guide this meal choice. Add to that the sale cheddar and cottage cheese, and this meal was crazy cheap! I was going to serve the potatoes with red lentil soup, but since I was out of curry powder, we ate these as-is.

Tonight’s dinner will be the kale pesto with a small amount of chicken from the freezer. The red lentil soup, (which is already prepared) will accompany the meal. I have a stash of clearance bags of 80¢ pasta from last week, so I’m all set on that end.

I am running low on olive oil, frozen chicken breasts and chicken stock, all of which I buy from Costco. I will be working to clean one of my mother’s rental cottages today, so I’ll probably stop into Costco afterwards for these items. (Her neighborhood is about halfway to Costco, so this minimizes driving.) I’ll make sure to drive whichever one of our cars is lowest on gasoline, as their prices are significantly cheaper than anywhere else.

By running this SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, I hope I am shining a light on America’s food security issues, and also helping readers to glean ideas for bringing their own food costs down. I know I am in a privileged position to work part time, live within walking distance to both Fred Meyer and New Season’s, and be in possession of a well equipped and functioning kitchen. But I have made countless numbers of financial sacrifices throughout the years to make this all happen. I own very few clothes, rarely eat out, always bring leftovers to work, have zero expensive hobbies, repair or mend instead of replace and find contentment with less than perfect possessions. (I know I would love and utilize an iPhone, but for now, I make do with my non-smart phone.)

Not all of these choices have been enjoyable, but they all support my big picture goals. (Being present for my kids, having time for writing, carving out time to be alone and let my thoughts simmer, and not become a stressed out mess from overwork.)

Having the tools for frugality allows for life choices that would otherwise not be a possibility.

And for that? I will eat potatoes, lentils, sale chicken and oatmeal.

Click HERE to read Day One.

Click HERE to read Day Two.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge Week — Day Two

by Katy on September 18, 2012 · 31 comments

Today is DAY TWO of the SNAP/Food Day Challenge and I’m feeling pretty good about being able to stay under my $112 budget for the week.

I saw that Fred Meyer (Kroger) had some screaming good deals in their sales circular, so I decided to pick up these particular items and let them guide my meal plan for the first half of the week.

Here’s what I bought:

  • Ten-pound bag of potatoes — 98¢
  • Bunch of organic kale — $1.50
  • Two-pound block of Bandon cheddar cheese — $3.99
  • 16-ounce tub of cottage cheese — 99¢
  • Bag of six bagels from the day-old section — $1.39
  • Tray of chicken thighs, marked down to 79¢/pound due to being close to sell-by date — $3.67
  • Dozen eggs — $1.69
  • Two broccoli crowns on sale for 79¢/pound — 77¢
  • Two roma tomatoes — 73¢

I got 10¢ subtracted from my bill for bringing my own reusable bags.

Total — $15.66

$1.50 organic kale? Yes, please!

I will be able to put four dinners together from these ingredients:

  1. Restuffed potatoes from Molly Katzen’s Moosewood cookbook. (It calls for mayonnaise, and I am all out, so I’ll substitute sour cream, as my husband bought a huge tub of it last week.) I will prepare a second batch and pop it into the freezer for another night.
  2. Baked chicken thighs.
  3. Chicken soup made from the leftover chicken bones and any uneaten chicken.
  4. Kale pesto, made without nuts, as I didn’t have any in the house.

Cooking based on what food is on sale is way cheaper than sticking to a menu plan that disregards random available deals. This method not only encourages seasonal eating, but serves as a creative challenge. Potatoes were insanely cheap, so yes, I will be preparing some potato-tastic meals. (I’m thinking that I might take any money leftover from my $112 budget and buy as many 98¢ bags of potatoes as I can and take them to The Oregon Food Bank when the week is over.)

Dinner last night was a mustard chicken which got rave reviews. (Sprinkle curry powder, paprika and pepper over chicken, then mix up a marinade of mustard, honey and apricot jam and let sit for a few hours. Bake at 350° until done. I also steamed the broccoli and made a batch of oatmeal cookies that did not include any raisins or nuts. (It’s okay and frankly cheaper to keep things simple.)

Here’s a shot of the marinating chicken:

Breakfast this morning was bulk-purchased instant oatmeal with brown sugar for my younger son and I, (half a cup oatmeal + one-cup water + 90 seconds in the microwave) eggs and toast for my older son and I’m not sure what my husband ate. (Cereal?) We all drank a cup of tea.

Lunches were bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter and jam, oatmeal cookies and a pear for the kids. (Pears were given to me as a thank you for having a friend’s son over last weekend.) My husband is attending an all-day work seminar, which includes both breakfast and lunch. (Yay!) I have enough bagels for two more school days, and hopefully enough cookies until the end of the week. (Although I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll get inhaled before then.)

Dinner tonight will be the restuffed potatoes and red lentil soup.  I expect to have leftovers, which will serve as after school snacks for the kids and lunches for me. I will prepare an extra pan of the potato dish for the freezer and will likely serve it again next week.

I already mixed up the kale pesto, (Roughly chopped, steamed and then whirled in the food processor with olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt. I had no nuts, so I omitted that ingredient) and my husband will prepare some kind of kale pesto dish on Thursday when I work.

Isn’t the pesto pretty? So dark and rich! That single bunch of kale made enough pesto for at least three meals.

Mmm, kale . . .

Although I am using some ingredients from my pantry, I will be replacing anything we use up, as well as buying ahead to take advantage of sales. (For example, I didn’t really need the cheese, but it was too rocking a deal to pass up!)

How are you doing? What meals have you prepared and are you cooking and shopping differently this week? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Click HERE to read Day One.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge Week — Day One

by Katy on September 17, 2012 · 46 comments

Today is Day One of The Non-Consumer Advocate SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, and I am super excited! This may sound odd (and frankly, privileged) to be excited to be spending a set small amount on food for my family, but I am looking forward to exploring the issues related to food insecurity in the U.S. and beyond.

My family of four includes two teenage sons, who both run cross-country five days per week and play soccer, so keeping them fed and sated is like a practical joke at times. I am curious how this week will go for them.

I have a number of ideas swirling around my head for the week, which include hosting a potluck, bartering for garden produce, shopping the sales/using coupons and time-honored simple cooking without expensive ingredients. I worked all weekend, and was too tired to put together any kind of meal plan, but I think this is a realistic way to forge into the week. I made sure to let my grocery stock dwindle a bit, and am currently out of eggs and mayonnaise; and almost out of flour. I do have a healthy supply of fruit and vegetables as a friend gave us fruit as a thank you for having her son over, and two of my co-workers brought garden surplus to work to share. I planned none of this, so I am going to include it.

How much will we budget for the week? $4 per person per day, which works out to $112 for the week. This will include my husband’s work lunches, the kids’ school lunches and all meals, snacks and treats.

Some readers have wondered how to allow for food already purchased, to which I answer to do what feels right to you. If you wish to calculate the cost of a cup of flour, half cup of rice, etc, then please, do so. I am going to cook food both using what we have, and will also replace any food that gets used up. (Keep in mind, that I do not have a stockpile of food to begin with.) I will also buy ahead to take advantage of sales like I would normally.

For example, Tillamook-owned Bandon cheddar cheese is only sale for $3.99/2-lb loaf, so I will buy one, even though we already have half a brick left in the refrigerator. The stock-up-while-it’s-on-sale method of food shopping saves us thousands of dollars, and is an important key to staying on budget for my family.

I also plan on making from scratch some food items that we normally simply purchase, such as yogurt and mozzarella cheese. (My sister gave me a mozzarella kit a few years ago, and I’ve been wanting to try it but have been scared.)

I am suggesting that participants donate any money saved to their local food bank, but it is not required.

So far today I packed the kids’ school lunches which were leftover homemade macaroni and cheese for my older son and a tuna sandwich with homegrown lettuce for my younger son. Both kids got half of a peach and a wedge of rice crispy treat, which I made last night using a bag of puffed rice given to me by my Japanese host family. I had planned on making oatmeal cookies without nuts or raisins, but discovered that we were out of eggs. Water is always the beverage, whether at home or at school.

Are you participating in the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge Week? Please add your name to the comments section below. And if you’re blogging about it, please include a link. (I will try and get a widget up and going by tomorrow.)

Let’s together get the conversation going about food security and how we can serve healthy delicious meals despite a small budget.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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No Food Judgement Here — SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge

by Katy on September 14, 2012 · 70 comments

I wrote yesterday about an upcoming weeklong Food Stamp Challenge, which garnered a large number of reader comments. And as always happens, a few readers wrote about how food stamp recipients aren’t cooking from scratch and are buying junk and convenience food.

I want to stop that train of conversation right here and now. None of us has the right to judge other people’s food choices, whether that person is receiving government assistance or not. Period. You don’t know what is going on in that person’s life, and whether they have a fruit tree in their backyard or if they’re buying for a kid’s birthday party or frankly, anything at all.

The Non-Consumer Advocate is not a forum for ranting against how low income people are taking advantage of government assistance. This blog is a space for sharing ideas, giving support and finding inspiration.

I apologize if this post seems a bit harsh, but I want to be clear about expectations ahead of time so this project can move forward  in  a positive manner.

The SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge will run from Monday, September 17 to Sunday, September 23.

Here are the details:

  • Allow $4 per person per day.
  • Because we all have ingredients in our kitchens, I am not asking that you pretend it’s not there. Instead I ask that you replace anything that you use up. This is not a perfect solution, but if we try to be exact, it would be impossible to participate. If you would normally stock up on loss leader butter that week, please go ahead and do so. My style of shopping is to stock up on pantry staples when it’s on sale so I can avoid high prices, and it saves me a lot of money.
  • However, please do not buy a large amount of groceries right before starting the challenge.
  • If you are already receiving SNAP benefits or spend less than the suggested $4 per person, I encourage you to participate. We need your ideas and feedback.
  • I am suggesting that participants donate any money saved from the week to their local food bank. This is not a requirement.

I will include a link-up widget on the blog for the week, and I invite all blogging participants to share their posts.

Click HERE to read posts from the 2010 Food Stamp Challenge.

Click HERE to read posts from the 2011 Food Stamp Challenge.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Time For Another Food Stamp Challenge?

by Katy on September 13, 2012 · 79 comments

The Oregonian newspaper recently ran a profile on Christian and Amy Piatt, whose family of four who just completed a week-long food stamp or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) challenge. The family participated in this project to bring attention to issues of poverty and hunger, and blogged about it on Patheos.com.

They allowed themselves $112 to feed themselves and their two children, ages three and eight. Or, $4 per person per day.

They ran out money before they ran out of days.

I poured through The Oregonian article trying to find their fatal flaw, and easily identified where the family was spending too much. (Pre-made hummus vs. can of 50¢ garbanzo beans, pre-made spaghetti sauce, pre-made salad dressing, Kraft Easy Mac macaroni and cheese, soda, frozen pizza, etc., etc.)

My initial reaction was to be critical of the family’s mistakes.

“Did they put zero research into how to do frugal cooking?! Were they unwilling to cook from scratch?!”

I admit that I may have ruined my co-workers’ lunch breaks, as I was at work when I first read the article.

But then I got home and read the Patheos blog posts, and gave the issue more thought. Christian and Amy Piatt are both Pastors, and were experiencing what many actual SNAP recipients experience, which is that it’s very difficult to balance busy family life with frugal cooking. People run out to work without remembering to eat breakfast, and life will often get in the way of our very best of intentions. Yes, they could have been cooking legume based meals in the crock pot, serving oatmeal for breakfast and cooking more from scratch, but they didn’t. The important thing is that they attempted the experiment in the name of bringing awareness to hunger issues.

And since 22% of Oregonians are receiving some degree of SNAP/food stamp benefits, this is a conversation that needs to happen.

I have twice spent an entire month doing my own version of the SNAP Challenge, (June 2010 and July 2011) and even asked participants to donate money saved to their local food banks.

It’s not a huge stretch for my family to stay within $112 for a week’s worth of food, but then again I am not your average American. I think constantly about how to put amazing meals together while spending very little. (Dinner last night was a huge grilled sub sandwich on homemade french bread made with a thin layer of cold cuts and melted on-sale Tillamook cheese.) Very few people cook like I do. (Tonight’s dinner will be black bean chili, made with bulk-purchased beans I cooked in the crock pot yesterday, to which I will add a 1/4-pound of bulk sausage meat, with homemade cornbread on the side.)

I didn’t do a food stamp challenge this year as my family hates them, sure that I am starving them in the name of a blog stunt. (Although in actuality, I end up cooking awesome meals, as I put a huge amount of thought into how to cook cheaply without losing taste or nutritive value.)

But I’m thinking I might put together another week-long SNAP challenge in the near future. Because Non-Consumer Advocate readers are always amazing about sharing their ideas and tips, and because we all need to be doing something about hunger within our own communities. And I might not even tell my family until after it’s over.

Shh . . . .

Would you be interested in participating in a week-long SNAP Challenge? 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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Today I . . .

by Katy on September 12, 2012 · 24 comments

  • I drove my kids to school and then picked up my free public transportation pass from work. (Value = $744!)
  • Dropped my 1997 Subaru Outback at the mechanic for a serious look-see. It became gutless, and the check engine light came on while I was on the freeway yesterday. It was a harrowing ride, to say the least. My mechanic is somewhat pricey, but they’re the most honest, skilled, sustainable and community minded business possible. When we took our mini-van in last year for what we thought would be a pricey repair, they researched the problem and found that it was a recall issue, and sent us to a dealership, so the repair was free! They also once talked my husband out of a tune-up. I ♥ them.
  • Talked to my older son about working together to clean and reorganize his bedroom. I already have some great ideas that just involve repurposing some of the things to make better use of his storage. He was surprisingly open to the idea.
  • Made school lunches for my sons, which is our regular routine, and saves us thousands of dollars per year.
  • Am looking forward to going to lunch with my father this afternoon.
  • Am recalling my day at work yesterday, where I helped two different families welcome their babies into the world.
  • Am appreciating my husband who is a Take Care of Business kind of guy. It involves rats in the basement, and I won’t burden you with the details.
  • Am anticipating that the becoming-a-one-car-family decision may have been made for us without our permission.

Car problems, rodent issues and messy teenage bedrooms. My life is unbearably glamorous!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Organization Geeks Need Not Go Broke — How to Make a No-Sew Drawer Organizer

by Katy on September 10, 2012 · 39 comments

When I saw this homemade drawer organizer on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try. Why? Because it was made from old cereal boxes, wrapping paper and Mod-Podge.

 And because of this nest of disorganization:

Yeah, not so pretty. Luckily, my daughter had been saving cereal boxes, and didn’t care if I swiped them all.

Although I read the instructions from The Stonybrook House, I mostly just winged it. I glued the boxes back to their 3-D shapes using my hot glue gun, and then just cut the boxes into different sizes. I shuffled the boxes around until I found a configuration that I liked, and then I hot glued the boxes together.

Do you like how they look from the bottom?

I wanted my drawer organizers to have long-term durability, so I decided to use my leftover $1.99 Goodwill Ikea fabric from my table project instead of wrapping paper.

Here’s how it looked about halfway through, using Mod-Podge to glue the fabric onto the boxes:

And here’s how it looks all completed. See how wavery the sides are? If I were repeating the project, I would use something stronger like shoe boxes. However, it doesn’t affect the function of the cubbies. They’re actually quite stiff from all the Mod-Podge.

 And here’s they look all filled up with stuff.

 And here’s the drawer in place, which looks awesome!

 And when the drawer’s shut, then it’s all nice and organized.

Because, as Gretchen Rubin says:

“Outer order contributes to inner calm.”

Ohmmm . . . . 

And as a bonus, I am sharing my new sugar packet container which I pulled from a free pile this week. Perfect for storing Q-tips in the medicine cabinet!

Who needs The Container Store when you have a couple of old boxes, glue and a bunch of time to kill?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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