The Slimy Fish Conundrum

by Katy on June 1, 2012 · 54 comments

I am at once a very lucky and to-be-pitied food shopper. I am within easy walking distance from both a New Season’s Market, (Think Whole Foods, but locally owned) and an enormous traditional grocery store. This means that I can buy both cheap grocery items and also splurge on higher end organic/local foods in a single trip. It’s not uncommon that I first scope out New Season’s, compare it to the grocery store and then go back to New Season’s again to fill in the gaps.

This method may sound like a pain in the tuchus, but the two stores are just a block-and-a-half apart.

Let me put it bluntly:

New Season’s is expensive and the traditional grocery store is cheap. As in fill a grocery bag for $50 vs. $20.

Just yesterday I wanted to prepare a nice fish dinner. I first went to the traditional grocery store, where a look into the fish case found the specimens to be decidedly on the slimy side. The smell was more low tide during a heat wave than I prefer. And a quick spelunk through the frozen fish aisle only unearthed battered fillets and fish sticks.

No thanks.

So back to New Seasons I walked, where the price tags are high, but the fish is fresh. (I did buy the rest of my grocery list at the traditional store, such as yogurts, brussel sprouts, apples, avocados and strawberries.) I finally chose to buy some Vietnamese “Swai” fish, which was at $4.79/pounds was about half the price of the next cheapest fish. (The Swai was actually quite good. A mild white fish, but somehow not bland.)

My grocery errands would have been easier and cheaper if I’d just bought everything from the traditional grocery store, but I like to mix up the cheap and the splurge.

I guess you could call it the slimy fish conundrum. 

Do you buy all of your groceries from a single source or do you also buy here, there and everywhere? Please share your food shopping methods in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Reader Question — Off The Wall Ways to Save Money

by Katy on May 31, 2012 · 45 comments

One of the things that I like best about blogging is the dialogue between myself and the readers. And thanks to the Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook Group, that dialogue can even happen without me. (Although I make sure to pop in a couple times per day!) Readers ask questions, post links or simply share a great frugal idea or curbside find.

Just yesterday, Samanatha shared this great idea and question:

So my husband and I have decided to make the first week of every month “No Spend Week” (with the exception of standard bills like rent & utilities). That includes no gas, no groceries, nothing. We’re hoping that this will really help us separate the wants from the needs.

Do you have any off-the-wall ways to save money?

I think Samantha’s no spend weeks sound like a great way to make each month a fresh start, and I love her phrasing of “off-the-wall ways” to save money.

Please share your ideas for Samantha in the comments section below.

 

Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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Let The Sun Shine In!

by Katy on May 30, 2012 · 3 comments

Today, my husband is thinning out the biggest maple tree known to man.

Please let some sun shine into my backyard.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Take a Stand and Jam

by Katy on May 29, 2012 · 22 comments

The Memorial Day weekend just came and went. And although I should have tales to share of all the wonderful frugal activities we participated in, the truth is that I worked on Sunday and lazed around for the most part. I could blame it on the iffy weather, but the truth is that I really wasn’t in an adventurous mood.

However, I did rouse my lazy-tuchus self  and browse a couple of thrift stores yesterday. There wasn’t anything in particular that I was keeping an eye out for, so my haul was minimal. I did bond with a vintage magazine stand whose sculptural qualities tickled my fancy.  You could say I took a stand. (Nyuk, nyuk.) It was priced at $3.99, but everything was half-off, so the sticker shock was under control. I also snapped up a sturdy cooling rack to replace one of my flimsy ones, which at 75¢ was decidedly pain free. It’ll need a bit of a scrub, but I’m willing to put in the sweat equity.

On a sad note, I dropped and broke an enormous jar of homemade organic freezer jam. It was the last of last summer’s jam session, and because it could have been full of glass shards, none could be saved. I am super bummed to have to resort to store bought jam, as there is simply no comparison.

Please observe a moment of silence to honor the jeweled beauty that was my sweet, sweet jam.

Sniff.

How was your weekend? Was it it chock full of frugal adventures? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Giveaway — SouleMama’s “The Rhythm of Family”

by Katy on May 28, 2012 · 92 comments

Today I am hosting a giveaway of The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder Through the Seasons by Amanda and Stephen Soule.

You know, the people behind SouleMama.com!

This lovely book is filled with sweet family projects and essays and is beautiful from start to finish. Although the projects are geared more towards parenting smaller children that I have, it’s still a worthy and inspiring book.

This copy of The Rhythm of Family is a used library book, but still in great condition.

To enter to win this book, write your name in the comments section, a well as your favorite simple pleasure. I will randomly choose a winner Wednesday, May 30th at 9 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. Please enter just one time, U.S. residents only.

Good luck!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Austerity is not an Excuse to Stop the Fun

by Katy on May 26, 2012 · 20 comments

I was driving to work in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, bleary eyed, and frankly, bleary eared. National Public Radio was playing on the radio, and as usual the subject was the financial woes of Greece. Specifically, how Greek nationals are huge supporters of the Eurovision song contest.

Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . whatever.

But then I heard this quote:

“Austerity is not an excuse to stop the fun.”

Which I do believe is the best quote in the history of mankind. No, wait, it’s the best quote since dinosaurs roamed the earth. No, wait, it’s the best quote since aliens seeded the earth with DNA spores as part of an intergalactic game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.

“Austerity is not an excuse to stop the fun.”

You may be in dire financial straights, but that’s no reason to stop having fun. Find free entertainment, host a potluck, go for a walk in your neighborhood instead of on a treadmill and never let financial limitations be an excuse for stopping the fun.

I think I might be Greek.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Sad and Droopy — No One Wants to Take This Gal Out For a Night on The Town

by Katy on May 24, 2012 · 15 comments

Cilantro, parsley, lettuce and spinach. When they wilt, they become supremely unappealing. But a couple hours in water is often all it takes to transform a leafy gal from droopy to fabulous.

Need an example? Well then, you’re in luck! My husband bought some parsley the other day, and then just put the naked unused portion back into the fridge without benefit of a bag to contain the moisture. Luckily, I am the possessor of many tricks up my sleeve, so I snipped the bottoms of the stems and plopped the whole bunch into a water filled jar.

Before:

Sad and droopy, no one wants to take this parsley out for a night on the town.

After:

See how perky the parsley is? She's now ready for a night of disco dancing!

But there’s one key component that makes this process complete, which is to actually use the parsley. So I think I’ll whip up a batch of kale pesto with a secret parsley kick, which is not only a great backup meal to have in the fridge, but is also healthy and delicious. And if you add some cream to it, it transforms into utterly sublime.

Keeping an sharp eye on food waste not only saves you money, but is also the ethically right thing to do.

Food Waste = Bad

🙂

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Link-O-Rama Mama — Bike Rides, Batali Food Stamp Challenge & Repair Cafes

by Katy on May 23, 2012 · 5 comments

It’s time again for Link-O-Rama Mama, where I lazily link other people’s well written and thoroughly researched articles.

Bike to School? For Shame!

File this under “Some people be crazy,” because a group of Michigan high school seniors planned a bike to school day as their senior prank and ended up suspended from school as a result. This “prank” replaced previous shenanigans such as graffiti, painting the lockers and putting glue in the school locks. So yeah, it was awful.

This group bike ride was not only endorsed by the mayor, (who handed out donuts) but also included a police escort for safety.

However, the school’s principal saw fit to suspend the participants from the last day of school, (which will mean some of the kids won’t be able to take their finals) and initially even wanted to bar them from walking across the stage at their graduation ceremony.

Click HERE for all the bizarre details.

 

A One Week Food Stamp Challenge for Mario Batali

Long time readers know that I’ve held a Food Stamp Challenge on The Non-Consumer Advocate for the past two years. Now celebrity chef Mario Batali is on the bandwagon, as he and his family have spent a week conducting their own food stamp challenge, and spending under a food budget of only $31 per person per week.

Batali serves on the board of his local food bank, and was motivated to participate in the challenge “In protest of potential cuts pending in Congress to the benefit program used by more than 46 million Americans.”

Batali’s two teenage sons ate school lunches for the week, (a benefit given to those who qualify for food stamps) and it sounds like lentils figured heavily in the family’s menu that week.

Click HERE to read about Mario Batali’s food stamp challenge experiences.

 

Amsterdam “Repair Cafés” Fight Against Planned Obsolesence

If you’re a fan of repairing instead of replacing, that’s great. But what do you do when your idealism outweighs your actual repair skills? Here in the U.S., you might be able to locate a repair shop, but chances are, the cost of repair is close to the cost of buying new, (if not actually more expensive.) Amsterdam has come up with a solution, as they’ve put together a couple of “Repair Café” events where volunteers take apart and repair your broken items.

Funded by a grant from the Dutch government, these events help those who would rather avoid tossing repairable items such as clothing, irons and vacuum cleaners.

I love this idea, and hope some idealistic Americans co-opt this idea and run with it. I am lucky to be married to Mr-Fix-It type, but such is not the case for many. I absolutely hate throwing away should-be-fixable items, and see this as a great solution to a never ending issue.

Click HERE to read the entire NY Times Repair Café article.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Wants vs. Needs

by Katy on May 21, 2012 · 8 comments

Sometimes, deciphering "Wants vs. Needs" is easier than you think.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Have Any Frugal Wins to Share?

by Katy on May 20, 2012 · 27 comments

I love finding new and exciting ways to save money. I stock up on loss leader Tillamook cheese, ($3.99 for a 2-lb loaf last week, which I bought three of!) I clip my coupons and I scour the city of Portland for great inexpensive stuff to do with my family.

Just this week, I:

  • Used gifted movie passes to take the kids to go see The Avengers. If I used these vouchers when they were first given to us, then we would have missed out on this rather fantastic movie.
  • Jumped on the chance to take everyone to go see a Comedy Sportz show. These tickets are usually $15 apiece, but there was a special $5 deal that was too good to pass up.
  • Served hot dogs at my son’s birthday party that were leftover from a soccer camp my husband ran last fall. They’d been in our chest freezer ever since and were a great free meal to serve to the kids.

How about you? Do you have frugal wins to share with The Non-Consumer Advocate community?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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