Portland Oregon has been snowed under for the past week, and my holiday shopping went kaput. I was mostly done with my shopping, but I desperately needed to get more things for my 13-year-old. And because I do The Compact, (buy nothing new) shopping is a self-imposed complication. So after dinner tonight, I got into...
Starting to get anxious about the holidays? Worried about how you'll be able to buy thoughtful gifts without going into debt? Take a deep breath fellow Non-Consumers. Help is on its way. I had posted a $100 holiday gift challenge on the blog last month. To see if I could put together thoughtful and...
When I was a kid, Christmas displays and merchandise didn't go up until the day after Thanksgiving. Somehow, it's crept backwards to Halloween, and I swear I saw a bit of red tinsel in a shop the other day. In years past, I didn't want to see that stuff up so early. It...
I stopped at Safeway on the way home from running errands and bought nothing more than the two tubs of Greek yogurt that were on my grocery list. I checked their app before going in the store to load an ecoupon, which saved me a whopping $1.76. I also found two dimes in the coin...
Our monthly internet bill jumped from $68 to $86 per month, so I called customer service and was able to get our bill down to $45. It helps that we're no longer four people at the house, which makes our internet usage is waaay less than it used to be. Make the call, get the...
I'm fully aware that the current advertisement configuration on the blog is the absolute worst at the moment, and I promise that I'm trying to fix it. I do want a couple of ads to cover expenses, but this is ridiculous! I've unclicked for popup ads, but it seems to make no difference whatsover. Please...
I curb picked a couple of high quality metal organizing cubes, which prompted me to attempt a semblance of order in our coat closet. You know, like the women on the Home Edit TV show. But without good lighting, bright colors or the company of friends. I've repeatedly tried to organize this coat closet through...
The "check engine light" blinked back on in my Prius, so I drove the dratted thing back to our trusty mechanic. I'm not clear on the specifics, but the issue was once again related to the catalytic converter, but it was still under warranty from last summer's theft debacle so were able to get it...
The following is a reprint of a previously published (pre-Covid) post. Enjoy! The word "cheap" gets a bad rap. It's grouped in with "miserly" and is rarely used as a compliment. "Wow, that awesome lady sure is cheap!" Nope. I used to try and distance myself from the word, saying that I preferred "frugal," but...
Hoo boy, it's getting harder and harder to write these posts. Although I'm certainly practicing the extremist of extreme non-consumerism, it's super boring stuff like "prepared all meals from scratch, most of which were bean based" and "used almost no gasoline." Far from gripping material. SO BORING! Boring to write and boring to read. I...
I sold just a few things over the past week, but since it was mostly higher dollar items, I'm stoked with the results. This included a Green Day concert T-shirt that I pulled out of a Goodwill Outlet bin, a Playmobile set, a new pair of Solmate socks and the antique doll chair that I...
Although I did earn some money since publishing my last blog post, it's still been a financially lopsided month for us. My son's college tuition was due January 1st, which coincided with the renewal of my nursing license, an unexpected car repair, leftover physical therapy bills from my husband's foot surgery, our semi-annual garbage bill...
I've sold nothing, although I did pick up a cool midcentury kitchen clock and quickly listed it on eBay. I have a big blue Ikea bag of miscellaneous thrifted items to list, and may start on that task this afternoon. I'm scheduled to help my mother clean out her rental cottage between tenants, so I'll...
My eBay and Facebook Marketplace listings found their groove this week and I sold a bunch of things! My favorite of which was the sale of my thrifted Patagonia roller suitcase, which as much as I loved it was designed for someone shorter than I. I also sold a 90-year-old cast iron skillet and a...
My Facebook Marketplace and eBay sales picked up this week, and I sold a number of items including an Arcteryx backpack, some Yakima bike rack pieces, a pair of Doc Martins, a Jonathan Adler wine stopper, a Portland Timbers scarf, one soccer ticket and the $4.99 vintage dresser that I picked up a few weeks...
My eBay woke up over the past few days, and I sold a number of things including an antique bronze griffin for $150, a $60 electric typewriter, a $21.50 mug, a $30 barkcloth curtain panel and a $15 diploma case. I also listed a few more items to keep my inventory fresh. I'll be hitting...
I sold the vintage train case that I'd picked up at Goodwill awhile back, as well as a cute butter dish on eBay and a groovy lighting globe through a local shop. I also booked a consumer opinion panel that pays $100 for two evening hours that likely would have been spent on the couch...
My mother and I celebrated her 76th mother's birthday by indulging in a Birthday Day of Adventures. (We'd gone to dinner last week, but I hadn't given her a physical gift.) We ended up at the Linn County Historical Museum located in Brownsville, Oregon. Sure, it's an hour and a half from Portland, but I'd...
My youngest son came home for the weekend so we could celebrate his twentieth birthday as a family. (Can I get some kind of medal for ushering both my kids through their teen years?!) As always, we structured a Birthday Day of Adventures to put the emphasis on experiences instead of stuff. Our main activity...
My husband and I went out after dinner for coffees and a shared dessert. The restaurant was almost empty, so we scored the best table in the house, plus were able to shift ourselves onto couches next to a roaring fireplace once our sticky dessert was devoured. (Kind of reminded me of years gone by...
I had a voucher for a "free turkey or ham," which is the annual Christmas bonus from my hospital. I do not resemble the ham obsessed Ponyo, but it's easier than having to bake a turkey. (Plus I'm still sick of turkey from Thanksgiving.) It was about to expire, so I stopped by Safeway to...
I worked yesterday and brought food from home, even though all I had for a heat-and-eat meal was half of a roasted acorn squash, hard boiled eggs and a banana. I worked my tuchus off and needed every single drop of the free crappy coffee and the free delicious tea. I came home and remembered...
I made sure to buy my Halloween candy over the weekend when Fred Meyer (Kroger) ran a special e-coupon where all candy was 50%-off with a $10 purchase. I stacked this deal with coupons and ended up spending just $13.48 on a mountain of candy. (There's enough that I'll likely return a couple of unopened...
My husband and I stopped into a Goodwill the other evening, where he scored a new looking push mower priced at just $9.99. I listed it on Craigslist that night for $60 and sold it in under 24 hours. It normally sells for $160, so it was a great deal for the buyer and nice income boost...
My son independently went though his room and decided to get rid of a large number of clothing and books. (Seriously, so much stuff!) Together we donated at Goodwill and then wandered the store without buying a single thing. Wednesday is my birthday, so I've been planning my own Birthday Day of Adventures which will be fun for...
My mother and I squeezed a couple of Goodwill trips into yesterday's Birthday Day of Adventures, and although the thrift stores had some great pieces, the good stuff had already been sold! Like this groovy midcentury Bassett dresser. I could have flipped this piece on Craigslist in a heartbeat! Although I was driving my Prius, which wouldn't have exactly accommodated the approximate...
I used up some beef broth leftover from a roast to make French onion soup. I already had a large number of onions on hand, so it was just a matter of carmelizing them overnight in the crockpot. My house smells heavenly, and since I'll substitute Tillamook white cheddar cheese for the gruyere, (bought on...
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! The word "cheap" gets a bad rap. It's grouped in with "miserly" and is rarely used as a compliment. "Wow, that awesome lady sure is cheap!" Nope. I used to try and distance myself from the word, saying that I preferred "frugal," but the...
My younger son realized that his learner's permit had expired last month, so he stopped driving. However, he passed his driver's test last May through his driver's education class, and was given the paperwork to bring to the DMV to activate the license. This paperwork is good for one calendar year, and we held off from...
I was sent $85 in Outback Steakhouse gift cards as a Christmas gift from the fine folks at Clark Howard. My birthday is next week, so I'll use them as part of my Birthday Day of Adventures. Nice to be part of their family. Thank you, Clark! I loaned a nice card table to a neighbor...
My son is required to attend a Japanese language event every term, and I wanted to make sure he'd located one before I went to New York. We found a Japanese language showing of the newest Studio Ghibli movie at the Portland Art Museum, (When Marnie Was There) so I booked tickets for this afternoon. We were able to...
I worked yesterday and brought my own lunch and drank the free crappy coffee. I know this frugal thing comes up repeatedly, but it's these dull but daily frugal opportunities that make a big difference in the long run. I took my bought-it-on-Craigslist rug shampooer over to one of my mother's guest cottages and gave the...
My neighbor posted on Facebook about having two large volunteer cherry tomato plants in her yard for the taking. I responded that I would take one, which was perfect timing as I have an empty flower pot that I'd just been thinking would be the perfect size for a tomato plant. I always regret the years when...
Last night's dinner was a black bean chili using beans cooked in the crock pot. It included a small amount of nice Grocery Outlet ground beef, as well as some leftover tomato sauce and bulk purchased spices. I served it with the last crumbles of some corn chips and leftover grated cheese from the other...
Happy: Building a fire in the fireplace. Not only is it relaxing and cozy, but it draws my teenage boys out to snuggle up with me on the couch. A rare and appreciated pleasure. And since my couch is on casters, I push it up comically close to take full advantage of the warmth, which yes, makes...
I deliberately planned all the activities for my son's birthday day of adventures to be in the same neighborhood. Previous years have found us driving back and forth across town to get to everywhere we needed to be. No reasons to waste money on gasoline. Plus, we got to walk around the neighborhoods with no time...
The word "cheap" gets a bad rap. It's grouped in with "miserly" and is rarely used as a compliment. "Wow, that awesome lady sure is cheap!" Nope. I used to try and distance myself from the word, saying that I preferred "frugal," but the plain and honest truth is that I am cheap. Cheap, cheap,...
Five Things That Make Me Happy: The past two days here in Portland have been drizzly and grey, which somehow just feels right. I'm sitting on the couch drinking tea in my fuzzy flannel pajamas and thinking maybe I should add a pair of warm socks. My older son turns nineteen next week, which absolutely...
1) I picked up the Buy Nothing bedside table for my daughter's old bedroom and it was just as good in person as the photo. I switched out the big spherical knob for a clear glass one I thrifted from the Goodwill bins a couple months ago. Much cuter! 2) Then I listed the table...
1. My husband and I attended his friend's surprise birthday party at a local schwanky restaurant. (The one where we'd planned on on asking for a separate check.) It turned out to be a fully hosted party, which hadn't been clear in the invitation. Of course we couldn't clarify ahead of time, due to the...
1. I went onto the Multnomah County Library's website to see if they had any new "cultural passes" and lucked out. Normally passes are only available at the beginning of the month, but they actually had a few to choose from. I was able to score a pair of free passes to a screening of...
My husband and I took the opportunity to get out of town to celebrate my birthday. Of course, we kept it as frugal as possible. 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.