The Non-Consumer Advocate

I celebrated my birthday and as is my family’s custom, we marked the occasion with experiences instead of things. I’ve coined these our “Birthday Days of Adventures,” and they’re greatly anticipated by my husband and kids. (At least I think so, if you know otherwise please don’t burst my bubble.) I kid, I kid — they’re always fun! My birthday is the hardest to plan as it falls at the beginning of January and inevitably confirms the stereotype of “it’s always raining in Oregon,” which is based on both fact and also . . . truth.

There’s a reason why this T-shirt* was popular in the 1970s.

Where was I? Oh yeah . . . my birthday!

Here’s how we celebrated:

1. Our first stop was The Heist Food Carts, which is a newly opened food cart pod with actual brick and mortar indoor seating. With twenty food carts, I knew there’d be something for everyone’s individual tastes. The indoor area is built in an old bank, hence the “heist” pun. They lean into the banking theme with safety deposit box wall sculptures, a walk-in bank vault play area and the above penny floor. It’s super cute!

2. Our second stop was the Goodwill around the corner, where I told everyone to pick something for themselves. I picked this brass $9.99 banker’s lamp, which matches a vintage floor lamp we already own.

3. 
   

   My son chose this $14.99 enormous “mango wood” coffee table, which sells for over $400 and should be easy enough for him to resell at a profit. It looked brand new and even had the original paperwork, which is how he was able to look it up.

   

   My husband didn’t find anything to buy.

4. Our next stop was all the way to Oregon City to visit the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, which is a quirky historic destination. Originally built in 1915, it features a circular upper observation deck, which gives it a UFO aesthetic. I imagine the views are better when it’s not pouring rain, but it was still a fun excursion.

   It’s free to ride, which is a plus.

5. Next on our itinerary was a stop at Starbucks for a free birthday drink, which I had them split into two cups. One for my son and one to share with my husband. Yes, I am cheap, my money has better things to do.

   

6. We then hit one more Goodwill on our way home and although my husband and I didn’t find anything worth buying, our son grabbed a 99¢ OXO Good Grips can opener. Not as exciting as the coffee table, but a quality item at a bargain price, since they normally sell for $16.99.

These may not seem like “adventures” to most people, but I cannot overstate how rainy it was and how easy to please my family is.

The evening consisted of a homemade meal that my husband had prepped that morning, (salmon, rice and asparagus) and an amazing homemade gluten-free carrot cake for dessert. Our daughter was able to join us for dinner and I was very happy to have the gang all together. Lastly we all cozied up and watched Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Netflix, which was perfect as there’s nothing better than a day spent with people (and animated characters) you love.

Experiences, not things.**

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I’ve been researching inexpensive restaurants away from the schwanky lodge where my husband and I will be vacationing next week. There’s a nearby Mexican food cart that’s sure to be a hit, plus we’ll bring snacks and microwavable food from home. No reason to spend hundred of dollars on overpriced food in conjunction with a bargain (used credit card points) mini-vacation.

2. I got a promo code for a free month of Paramount+ in my inbox and forwarded it to my sister, as we don’t need it. (Currently getting two $1.99/month until March.) I hate for things to go to waste!

3. I set up the robo-vacuum in my living room, which I usually clean with a standard upright vacuum. It pushed a mysterious ten-dollar bill out from under the couch, which I claimed as a housekeeping tip. Do the work, claim the bounty! To the victor go the spoils?

   Either way, it’s my ten dollars now!

4. I got a $10-off-$50 Winco Foods coupon for “New Resident” in the mail, but will make sure to read the small print to not repeat my spend $125-get-a-free-turkey debacle from a few months ago.

    I just looked and it’s effective until January 31st, so I have a nice wide window to use the coupon!

5. I didn’t buy a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. My neighbor’s family is off on vacation, but first texted to ask if I wanted her produce. You know my answer was in the affirmative, so she walked them right on over. I’ve already used some of the leek and tomatoes in a breakfast scramble and will assemble a vegetable heavy curry stir fry for tonight’s dinner.

   Can you imagine if everyone shared their food so it wouldn’t go to waste?

2. I cooked up a big pot of black eyed pea soup for New Year’s Eve, which was tremendously frugal as the peas were free from my friend Lise and the only other ingredients were plain ol’ chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, spinach and various herbs and spices. So cheap!

   The celery and carrots were on their last legs, so I chopped, sautéed and froze the extra for later use. I now have pre-prepped mirepoix (ooh . . .fancy!) for future use, which is a favor to my future self.

   

3. I use a Mossery brand planner for my date book/journal and figured out a couple years ago that it’s cheaper to buy a blank notebook and write the calendar pages into it instead of buying a preprinted date book. This way I get almost a year and a half from each book instead of a single year. Yes, it’s a bit of effort, but it’s the kind of thing I can do while watching TV and the time is going to pass either way, so I might as well be productive with it. Apparently I stopped at 2025, so I spent a bit of time adding more calendar graphics to my book.

   I like the Mossery brand as you keep the hardback outer cover and replace the inner pages, instead of buying an entirely new book each year. Plus, there’s an adorable local store near me that sells paper goods, so I’m able to support a small business instead of that Schmeff Schmezos guy.

4. I’m still sick, so I haven’t actually left the house since Friday. Except for taking out the garbage and my research had indicated that this doesn’t fall under the legal definition of “leaving the house.”

   Here’s my new slogan:

   “Go nowhere and do nothing — it’s the most frugal lifestyle!”

5. I didn’t buy a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I signed up for two months of Paramount Plus for just $1.99 per month. My husband and I are suckers for anything Star Trek, which makes this channel one of our favorites. The plan will renew at $12.99/month, so I added “Cancel Paramount Plus” into our calendar, complete with a reminder alert.

   This ain’t my first rodeo.

2. I’m still in the midst of a nasty head cold, but am treating it with nothing more than fluids and an extra strength dosage of taking it easy. I’ve never been one to take cold medicine, as I learned in nursing school that at best you’re just managing symptoms and at worst you’re wasting your money.

   The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that they’re beginning the process of pulling all medications containing oral Phenylephrine, as it’s been found it to be completely ineffective in treating the common cold and its symptoms. Phenylephrine is the active ingredient of common over the counter medications such as Nyquil, Robitussin and Theraflu. Save your money and instead drink a cup of tea and maybe go lay down.

3. I sold a pair of 1994 Lillehammer Olympics mugs* on eBay for $23.50. I’d had them up for sale for over two years, so I was happy to accept the offer down from the $30 asking price. Sometimes I thrift with the goal to earn an impressive amount of money, but other times it’s just because I want to put an unusual item into the right set of hands. It was unlikely that someone in this random Tacoma, Washington thrift store had a 1988 Winter Olympics connection, but me putting the mugs up on eBay meant a specific person was able to find these precise mugs.

   Consumer goods are grotesquely over manufactured, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily easy for the average consumer to source quality used items. That’s where eBay sellers and thrift stores enter the picture. Helping consumers avoid Amazon, one to two mugs at a time.

4. • My son sent me a picture of his meal prepping for the work week and I spied that he was wearing the apron that I got him from my Buy Nothing group. I also noticed that he’s using the huge mortar and pestle as a fruit bowl. Happy mom!
   • I started researching inexpensive places to eat that are near where my husband and I will be enjoying next week’s mini-vacation. I’ve found a couple of well reviewed Mexican food carts, which is promising. Their on-site restaurants feature $19 taco plates, $22 omelets and $18 burgers, so I’ll continue to figure out tasty options that won’t break the bank. No point in scoring this very-cheap-with-airline-miles schmancy vacation if we spend hundreds of dollars on restaurant meals. Luckily they have in-room refrigerators.

5. I didn’t buy a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I sold a pair of reproduction prints* that I forgot I even had up for sale. Definitely not going to make me rich, but I’ll take the $28! (minus eBay fees.) I joke that my hobbies of thrifting, blogging and perusing the neighborhood’s “free piles” are all money makers; and frankly it’s true!

2. I’m taking the day to recombobulate, both myself and my home. The elusive Portland sun is peeking out from behind the clouds and I’m taking it as sign to open up a few windows and refresh the stale air in the house. Staying at home is an extremely frugal activity, especially when the heat is off.

3. I’m definitely not hitting any after-Christmas sales as I’ve put my spending patterns back into sleep mode. It doesn’t matter if an item is 50%-75% off, if it wasn’t something I would’ve bought in the first place!

4. • I’m listening to The Lost Library audiobook through the library’s free Libby app while I putter around the house.
   • I’m also reading my overdue library copy of The Echo of Lost Books, which I’ll hopefully finish up before bedtime. I really like the book, it’s just that my focus has been elsewhere.
   • I arranged for the mail carrier to pick up my husband’s baseball glove, which he’s sending out to be re-laced. It wasn’t our regular carrier, otherwise I would’ve handed him the tin of treats that I picked up at Trader Joe’s for him. Being able to schedule these free USPS pickups saves me a couple of post office trips per week, so I really appreciate this service!

5. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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Today is Christmas as well as the first night of Chanukah. There’s hasn’t been precise overlap of the two holidays since 2005, which makes 2024 seems extra special. My family gives Christmas presents, although we do light the menorah, eat latkes and spin the dreidel.

My goal for gifting is to either buy used or consumable as much as possible, as well as to avoid that Schmeff Schmezos guy like the plague. He has enough money without taking mine, thank you very much!

I’m gifting just two brand new items, one from my local Powell’s Books and the other from an historic hardware store. My husband also bought two brand new gifts. I wrapped almost everything in brand new Chanukah gifts bags, which I thrifted from Goodwill.

Here’s what we “bought” for everyone:

Son

My husband picked up a brand new TV at Costco for our son, even I was on team “We can find a used TV,” but sometimes you get outvoted, even when it’s a tie. I comfort myself knowing that there’ll be a warranty that doesn’t exist for Goodwill items. Also, I remind myself that “perfect is the enemy of the good” and have only bought a dozen or so brand new items since 2007 when I made the decision to only buy used.

I also got him a menorah from my stash. a mortar and pestle and apron from my Buy Nothing group, the aforementioned screwdriver from the non-chain hardware store, some lovely treats and a lottery scratch-it ticket.

Daughter

My husband bought a Roku box for our daughter, (also from Costco) and I bought her a set of Dungeon and Dragon books from Powell’s Books. I also got her a blender off Facebook Marketplace, plus a rice cooker and new pair of Apple airpods from Buy Nothing. Plus lots of yummy gluten-free treats, a thrifted menorah and a lottery ticket.

I also remade her baby book after finding a blank version of the original on eBay; and I did the bureaucracy to register and obtain a replacement college degree to match her legal name and gender.

Husband

My husband and I don’t exchange Christmas gifts, but I did tuck a few things into his stocking. Maple syrup, dried mango, plus various chocolate treats and a lottery ticket.

My sister

My sister and I both have Christmas adjacent birthdays, so we abstain from Christmas/Chanukah gifts. I mailed her birthday box to New York last week, which contained a variety of store bought treats, such as McVitie’s digestive biscuits, chocolate oranges and Jaffa cakes. (We lived in London for a few years throughout our childhood and are sentimental about British treats.) I also included a Revere Ware tea kettle, which I scored at a consignment shop for just $8. Her one broke a few years ago and she frequently complains about how the replacement one is worse in both form and function. Lastly I ordered a specific magazine from eBay that she and I oohed and ahhed over last summer.

It cost more to mail the box than to fill it.

My niece and nephew

Money. Venmo the college kids what they really want. Fifty bucks for Chanukah, fifty bucks for birthday. Boom, done!

My mother

I bought my mother a matching purse and wallet from the defunct company Queen Bee Creations, which sadly closed shop a few years ago. I bought these from a woman on Facebook Marketplace and it was a great score as they’re actually brand new. She’s also getting British treats and a lottery ticket.

My step father

My step father is getting a great big bag of gourmet goodies, plus a lottery ticket.

My daughter’s girlfriend

My daughter’s girlfriend is getting a pair of Goodwill Boutique earrings, a thrifted (brand new) fleece blanket, gluten-free treats and a lottery ticket.

That’s it, as we’ve winnowed down the gift list through the years. Not sending gifts to fertile cousins or their millions of kids, not doing a work gift exchange and always striving to avoid giving clutter or unethically manufactured objects. I feel content with my gifts this year.

How did you do?

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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