The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I pulled out my master packing list that I created after our June trip to Nebraska. My goal is to cut down on reinvention of the wheel, so I can put in the work once and keep a template on hand for future travel. The idea  is to have everything I need and nothing extra, and for the love of Pete, to not buy things I already have at home!

   Many of you have shared that you’ve created similar lists, either as spreadsheets or through your notes apps. I’m old school, so I printed out a half dozen sheets and slipped them into a plastic sleeve to keep inside my suitcase. My week was much more relaxed as I wasn’t madly assembling a packing list, just adding a thing or two that were specific to this trip.

2. An old friend invited me over for brunch, which was absolute perfection. The food was delicious, (sausages, eggs, olive toast and fruit bowls) and the pace was unhurried, which rarely happens in a restaurant setting. We were able to spend three full hours catching up on each other’s lives and it was priceless.

3. I stopped by Goodwill in search of an extra decent T-shirt or two. I didn’t find one, but I did score a Land’s End chenille sweater that’s an exact match of the one I wear all day every day in winter. (Although in a different color.) Not actually a welcome garment for August in NYC, but the rich get their sweaters in the winter and apparently I get mine in the summer.

   I’d set up an eBay alert for any time someone listed this specific sweater a couple years ago, but didn’t get any notifications. Everything that’s ever been manufactured will eventually show up in a thrift store.

4. • I brought a bouquet of backyard hydrangeas to my friend’s house.
   • I stocked up on semi-healthy Trader Joe’s food for our long travel day.
   • I picked up a $7.50 pair of replacement rear taillight bulbs for my son’s car. He only needed one, but now he’s set for the future. My husband then showed him how to replace the bulb on his own.

5. I didn’t forage a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. We moved our yard debris can from the side of the house to the back yard, which caused an increase of nasty flies around our back porch. (My husband is working on the foundation for this side of the house, so it’s a temporary issue.) Excessive flies are nothing new, as the neighbors have a magnolia tree right on the property line, and magnolias predate bees so they’re pollinated instead by flies. Yuck, yuck and more yuck!

   I’ve seen a hack where people hang Ziploc bags filled with water and a few pennies outside to deter flies and although I’m skeptical about the efficacy of this goofy method, it’s a low stakes starter effort. So I hung a couple bags out this morning to see if I can solve this problem with what I already had on hand.

   I’ll let you know if it seems to work.

2. My son and his girlfriend went raspberry and blueberry picking last weekend and we still had a half cup of squishy berries hiding at the back of the fridge. I didn’t want them to go to waste, so I dropped them into a Dutch baby and holy hell was it delicious! The baked pancake didn’t puff up in the way it normally would, but it was still absolute ambrosia!

3. Portland houses have very pretty tile address numbers, back from when the whole city was standardized in 1931. Portlanders tend to be a bit sentimental about their address numbers, including my sister who just bought a house in The Bronx. Luckily there’s a local artisan who makes reproductions, so I drove across town to Hippo Hardware and snagged her numbers. I even brought in a thrifted lighting fixture piece to sell to them, which got me $10 off the purchase price.

   I now have a hostess/housewarming gift for when we visit next month, and I know It’ll be a big hit for my sentimental sister.

4. • I returned some library books a few days after they were due, but my system no longer charge late fees. Not purposely late, but it’s nice to not worry about fees anymore.
   • I drove around with Goodwill donations in the back of the car for a few days until I was in the neighborhood of a donation spot. This saved me from driving for a single errand.
   • I emptied out, cleaned and organized our “art cart” which is a rolling six-drawer cart and was in a frustratingly jumbled state. I tested every pen and hand sharpened every pencil. I then sorted the 200+ colored pencils and then put a hundred or so in our little free library. They were gone by morning, which made me very happy!
   • I hand painted some standard sticky labels for last week’s blackberry jam. I then gave a jar to my son’s girlfriend and one to my mother. I plan on berry picking one more time this week.

5. I didn’t forage a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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I try to have my “frugal things” be somewhat significant, (which is hopefully informative) but there’s always the smaller things that fall under the radar, so I thought I’d share a blog post where no thing is too small.

1. I drove past a tasty looking free pile a few blocks from the house, but was on my way home from Winco Foods so I didn’t pull the car over. I returned that evening and helped myself to eight black plastic hangers to stock my daughter’s childhood bedroom that I’m slooooowly reassembling. This is one more than the set they sell at Dollar Tree, but I consider it a win if I can bypass standard consumerism and avoid triggering the manufacture of a brand new item.

2. We’ve been running the fan on our portable air conditioner instead of the air conditioning at night as the outside temps have been in the mid-sixties. Our bedroom faces west and really heats up on summer afternoons, so we normally crank the AC for an hour before we go to bed and then while sleeping. This should save us some money on our next electric bill.

3. I donated a bag of kitchen doo dads to Goodwill and wasn’t even slightly tempted to go inside to shop.

4. I’ve been slowly working my way through a box of Matzoh crackers that I picked up for a dollar at my dented vegetable store. I rarely buy crackers, so it’s a nifty afternoon snack when paired with sliced cheese. I even made sure to put the crackers into a ziploc bag within the box so they won’t go stale. Nothing frugal about food waste.

5. I didn’t buy a tiny Lear Jet.

Now your turn, what tiny frugal things have you been up to?

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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1. I read a library copy of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, by Lisa See, which was as close to perfection as a book can be. I usually bury my library reads at the end of a blog post, but this book deserves its own spotlight.

   Click HERE for an excerpt.

   

2. My mother handed down an antique barrister bookcase that my parents bought in 1963 or so. I grew up with this piece of furniture and always liked it, so I knew I had to say “yes” now and figure out where to put it later. Luckily it tucked perfectly into a corner of the dining room where we’d always kept an antique tall boy dresser. The dresser got demoted our downstairs spare bedroom.

   Putting this piece together was a challenge as my husband was out of town and it disassembles into twenty pieces and normally would require a second set of hands. I somehow figured it out without smashing any of the glass panels and feel like I should’ve been handed an acceptance letter to Mensa by the end.

   The tallest top shelf is perfect for my husband’s cocktail supplies and I’ll figure out what to display on the lower shelves at a later date. You know, after I complete this Mensa admission exam.

3. I’ve been enjoying oatmeal for breakfast a couple times per week lately. Of course it’s bulk purchased from Winco Foods, which makes it super über frugal. Having all my bulk food in such organized pretty jars makes this choice much more appealing.

4. • I watered a neighbor’s garden for her while her family was out of town and she gifted me a jar of her fantastic homemade pesto as a thank you.
   • I listed a couple items on eBay, which I haven’t done in a long time.
   • I sold a single item on eBay, which was a groovy Tate Museum T Shirt.
   • I put “FREE” signs on a plant stand and a weird thrifted painting and then set them out on the curb. Fly free, stupid purchases!
   • I cajoled my friend Lise into coming with me to Trader Joe’s, which ticked off both “grocery shopping” and “socializing” from my to-do list.
   • I stopped into Safeway and bought nothing more than the 97¢ sale-priced eggs.
   

5. I didn’t buy tickets to go see Taylor Swift in Seattle.

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.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

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