It's time for another Non-Consumer Photo Essay, as sometimes a photo is simply easier better than words. Please enjoy this photo of the money I found below the coin counting machine at my credit union. That's $2.25 in free money, people! Free money! You just have to the person willing to bend down to scoop it...
As the Non-Consumer Advocate, I've had many years to hone my superior skills. I shop the thrifts, minimize my garbage output and take full advantage of frugal shopping opportunities. But you're not me, so you might be doing things all wrong. How do you know if you're nailing this whole non-consumer thing? 1) You're smart about using coupons,...
April 22nd is Earth Day, each and every year. But unlike traditional holidays, (Christmas, Passover, etc.) Earth Day seems to have a different vibe each year. One year will be about everyone needs to replace their incandescent lightbulbs with fluorescent bulbs and plant a tree, and the next year will focus on drinking from reusable water bottles...
It's time for another Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. The Luxury of Time Allows For Creative Problem Solving It may seem as if I'm able to come up with frugal hacks without batting an eye, but that's simply not the case. Each wheel that...
As a frugality writer and longtime cheap-o lady frugalista, you'd think I would eventually reach a saturation point where there'd be nothing new to learn. Luckily, such is not the case. Yes, it comes in fits and spurts, but there are always new frugal hacks to incorporate into my daily life. Just recently I figured these...
You may think that every day in the life of Katy Wolk-Stanley is a frugal day, and for the most part, you'd be correct. But in the words of George Orwell: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." And yesterday was a perfect example of how some frugal days are...
Five Things That Make Me Happy: 1) Reading and hearing about the soccer game between Mt Tabor Soccer Club's Green Machine and Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers. This was a Make-a-Wish Foundation event between an eight-year-old boy's team and Portland's popular soccer team. It was attended by more than 3000 fans and treated like a real...
Enjoying this outtake from last week's Zero Waste blog post: Waiting to see if the nest on our house that showed up overnight will start to see some action: Cringing at some of the bulk options at Winco. Yes, they have organic cane sugar, oats, quinoa and pasta, but they also have powdered nacho cheese! Click...
Darning illustration from The Zero Waste Home. It's time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. Talking Smack About Libraries British children's author, Terry Deary recently stirred up some controversy with some rather odd views about the current role of libraries. "We've got...
When asked which posts you like best, Katy's Goodwill Finds was a popular answer. Which, in my mind gave me an excuse to spend much, much more time trolling through Portland's many fantastic thrift stores. Unfortunately, I've got a sick boy at home, which means you'll have to enjoy a few recent Goodwill finds from the...
The following is a reprint of an article by Béa Johnson from The Zero Waste Home. Thank you very much for sharing! Katy Wolk-Stanley "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" "For you, [Bea] you are on a different level, 'Zero waste' means you have to eliminate even mementos...
My coat closet, which is one of those "Harry Potter" under the stairs endeavors. I pulled everything out the other day and filled an entire Rubbermaid bin with excess hats, gloves and scarves. The wooden hangers and fabric organizer are both from Goodwill. You don't have to shell out the big bucks at The Container...
Goodbye, Canada! 1) My husband and I drove from Vancouver B.C back down to Portland, which took almost eight hours due to an hour at the Canada/United States border and inevitable Seattle traffic. (Even though it was a Saturday!) Seattle will never disappoint when it comes to inevitable frustrating traffic. We had a pair of...
I've noticed that my blog posts have been a bit grumpy lately, so I'm taking a moment to show off the sunnier side of frugal life. 1) Like this loaf of homemade bread, which I used for last night's Family Dinner grilled cheese sandwiches. Sure, I look deranged in this photo, but it a happy...
Today's blog post is a little less wordy and a lot more photographic. Nothing news worthy, but still very nonconsumer-y. My backyard hydrangeas are going gangbusters this year, thanks to a combination of regular precipitation and minimal heat waves. I planted them with my father 28 years ago when I was on maternity leave with...
1) I added a significantly more strawberries to my oatmeal than normal, as the they were starting look a bit peaked and there will be no wasted strawberries on my watch! Even though I only spent $1.28/pound on them. Am I on trend? Am I "fibermaxxing?" 2) We had the kids and their partners over...
1) I quickly flipped my curb picked Ikea chair through Facebook Marketplace for twenty bucks. It's great to make da' big money, but these $20-$30 sales are a quick thrill. I'll never turn that down! Keep in mind that the garage sale vendor had it priced at just $2 before they slapped a "FREE" sticker...
Kristen from The Frugal Girl and I stopped for a container of Tillamook ice cream at Fred Meyer, which gave me the opportunity to grab these clearance items: • A bag of six nectarines from the $1.50 clearance shelf. • Two cans of baked beans for 67¢ each. • Four boxes of Betty Crocker gluten-free...
We've been really good about using up random food this week. • This morning I used up spinach and cabbage for an okonomiyaki-ish breakfast. • Last night we ate the last clearance shelf heirloom tomatoes on tostadas. • Yesterday we used up the last of our Tillamook cheese and half a red onion in a...
We hosted another family dinner, which culminated in a rousing game of Scrabble. (Thrifted of course!) The frozen enchiladas from last week anchored the meal and we assembled a big green salad to round things out. I'm really trying to spend as little money as possible this month, which makes me a slightly unfun hostess,...
In addition to this blog, I also run a companion Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group, which is currently hovering around 79,000 members. New prospective members have to answer a simple question, which helps to weed out the ever present spammers. The answers are always interesting, so I've started saving them to share in blog posts. I've followed...
My sister just finished a weeklong visit from New York and gifted me a pair of hand-knit sock as an early birthday present. I have a couple other pairs from her, but the colors on these ones are extra perfect for me. Here's a photo of my father and I wearing pairs of her socks:...
I'm still in the midst of swirling chaos, so I'm going to scrape the bottom of the barrel for this Monday's Five Frugal Things blog post. Okay, let's see what I can come up with. Last Tuesday found me stashing my perishable groceries in my mother's refrigerator across town, as well as abandoning a pot...
I sold my $7.99 thrifted kitchen cart for $75 through Facebook Marketplace. I'm still waiting on a buyer for my framed Nagel print, but patience is key. I curb picked a drafting table near my daughter's apartment. I'll hold onto it for a bit as my son likely needs a smaller desk, but will definitely...
In addition to this blog, I also run a companion Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group, which is currently hovering around 79,000 members. Prospective members have to answer a simple question, which helps to weed out the ever present spammers. The answers are always interesting, so I've started saving them to share in blog posts. Enjoy! I read...
My neighbors will be out of town next week, so I'll water their plants and bring in their mail. I'm actually happy to have this opportunity to help them out, as they help care for our elderly cat whenever we travel. Not that we're keeping track as some kind of quid pro quo situation, but...
I took my mom to the Goodwill bins, where I scored a small LLBean duffel bag, a new looking Land's End lined rain coat, (in my size!) a lazy Susan and a miniature wooden Pinocchio. All of which I'm keeping. The Adventure duffel was unfortunately embroidered with the name "Eleanor," which I'm 93% sure is...
My Facebook Marketplace and eBay sales have been slow lately, but I know that it's directly related to me being a homebody. However, sales have been trickling in: • A vintage Cathrineholm enamel bowl that I bought for $2 and sold for $65. • A wool sweater that I bought for $8 and sold...
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...
My mother and I are in New York to help my sister with a project, and it's basically the cheapest trip that anyone's ever taken to New York City since travel and money was invented. Why? Because we're staying at her place for free, all meals are provided and the only money I've spent so...
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...
The following blog post first appeared over at ClarkHoward.com. If you're a fan of Clark Howard, you probably make a habit of scanning the internet for fresh money saving tips. Sadly, most articles offer the same tired advice such as "lose that latté habit" and "pack a work lunch from home." As a personal finance...
I popped over to the Goodwill Outlet this morning to look for more kitchen supplies for off-campus apartments. I paid just $14 for all of the above stuff, which is not too shabby. The pan in the background is Revere Ware and there's also a spatula and slotted spoon hiding behind the bowls. I made a...
This blog post originally appeared over at ClarkHoward.com. What is it about the word "hack" that elevates a mundane chore into something more fun? Is it because a hack implies a clever solution to an otherwise frustrating household dilemma? Whatever it is, I love a good hack and I know that I'm not alone. Especially when those...
I'm utterly exhausted from a grueling day at the hospital yesterday, so I'm mostly just sacked out on the couch and goofing around on Swagbucks. Of course I brought leftovers for my work lunch, drank the free crappy coffee and then drank the free wonderful tea. My cat thinks I should be petting her, but that would...
Day one of being sick was all adorable, with nicely organized (and zero waste) supplies, but this plague has now hit day six, and honey, it ain't pretty. I've run through all my washable hankies/rags/napkins for the endless blowing of my nose and coughing, and have moved onto rolls of toilet paper. (Trader Joe's, which...
We took a day trip to Hood River, Oregon to watch the amazing kiteboarders and enjoy the town. Although the lunch was pricey, the rest of the day was quite frugal and featured my husband gleaning a wall bike rack from a literal pile of garbage. We stopped after lunch for some "walking around coffee." I...
Five Frugal Things I stopped into the counseling office at my son's high school to arrange borrowing a graduation cap and gown. The secretary was very accomodating, and mentioned that she wishes more families would donate these single-use garments back to the school, so they'd have more to lend out. I told her that I'd spread the...
I assembled my older son's new bed for him. This includes the frame, (which we already owned) a full-size mattress and box spring that a friend was getting rid of and a brand new set of sheets that I was gifted through my local buy nothing group. (His duvet was already a full-queen size.) So...
The screws on my garbage picked toilet seat kept coming out, and although we tried refilling the holes with wood putty, they continued to loosen themselves. So yesterday my husband drilled out the area and refilled it with wood plugs. The screws now fit nice and tight again and our toilet seat will continue to live another day....
We dropped our son off at university, and only bought two new things for his dorm. (A scanner/printer and a shaving kit.) Everything else we were able to get from our home or source from the second hand market. In all we spent $109, which is not too shabby considering that the average college bound student...
I had a $6.99 Goodwill store credit expiring today, so I swung by one of my favorite locations after dropping my son at work. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, although I always keep an eye out for things I can resell. I'm also needing to pick up a few particular items for my son...