Giveaway — J.D. Roth’s “Your Money: The Missing Manual”

by Katy on May 18, 2012 · 76 comments

Although I consider myself to be extremely responsible and savvy with the money in my wallet, that doesn’t mean I know diddly-squat about stocks, bonds, mutual funds or Roth IRA’s. But that’s okay. You don’t have to be an expert before dipping your toe into the icy cold water of money management. (Don’t worry, I have a 4013B through my employer, and I’ve been adding to it for years. Although somewhat passively.)

Luckily, there are saviors, like J.D. Roth who have taken the time to educate themselves about personal finance and high end money management. For those who may not know, Roth is a local boy done good who writes the highly successful blog Get Rich Slowly, which addresses just about any monetary issue you can think of. And like many boys done good, he wrote and published a fantastic book, titled Your Money: The Missing Manual. This deceptively small book deftly boils complicated financial concepts into clear and understandable writing. Not an easy task.

This really is the book I wish I’d read, (and kept for reference) when I was twenty years old and in my first adult job. (Administrative Assistant at a marketing firm in New York City.) Luckily, it’s still a valuable resource when a gal is working her way through her early forties.

This copy is a well-thumbed through used library book. Dog eared, but still readable.

To enter to win this copy of  J.D. Roth’s Your Money: The Missing Manual, just write your best financial tip in the comments section below. I will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday, May 23rd at midnight. One entry per person, 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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My Husband’s Frugal Birthday

by Katy on May 17, 2012 · 20 comments

Wahclella Falls, Oregon.

First of all, thank you to everyone who chimed in with frugal ideas to help celebrate my husband’s birthday. In years past what we’ve done is either put together a fancy dinner at the house, or taken everyone out to dinner. However, we are in throw-all-extra-money-at-older-son’s-summer-trip-to-Japan mode, so keeping the expenditures under control is high on our priority list.

Luckily, one of my super powers is the ability to throw together a kick-ass day of birthday goodness without breaking the bank.

I put a fair amount of thought into planning the day, and I’m pretty proud of it all. The initial plan had been to get going with our day as soon as the kids left for school, but it turned out that the district had a two-hour late start, which put our day in hyperdrive.

Here’s what we did:

I drove my husband to the Title Wave Used Bookstore, which was having a Buy-One-Get-Five-Free sale. (Yes, you read that right!) I told my husband to pick out some books for himself. He chose a coffee table book on historic bungalow-style homes, a cookbook about propane barbecuing and a book about bathroom remodeling. I chose two books to use as blog giveaways, as well as a novel that had been highly recommended. Total cost — $4.

I then told my husband I was going to take him to his favorite place in all of Portland. He was extremely confused, as we appeared to be headed towards the airport, but then the lightbulb went off and he realized we were going to Ikea. Because yes, he takes any excuse to stop in for their meatballs. Because I have an Ikea Family card, my meal was discounted, plus our after-lunch coffees were free. Total cost — $10. 

At this point I gave him the choice of three different “gross motor activities.”

  1. Ice skating at Lloyd Mall. (My husband played hockey in high school and is a shockingly good skater.)
  2. Doing an urban hike in Forrest Park, which is within the Portland city limits, and would bring back good memories, as we used to do this often before we had kids.
  3. Hiking the Columbia Gorge Wahclella Falls trail, which I went on two years ago and have been meaning to repeat.

My husband was tempted to choose ice skating, but ultimately decided on the Gorge hike, as it would lend itself better to conversation, plus it got us out of Portland, which is just that much more fun. Unfortunately, parking was $5, but it was well worth it, as the hike is gorgeous and the weather could not have been better. (Warm, but not hot.)

Total Cost  — $5

Our evening was busy with mandatory school events and kid soccer practice, so I planned a fancy, yet simple dinner. (Fettucine with clams in white wine sauce.) Unfortunately, the ingredients were a last minute New Season’s purchase, which greatly increased the price.

Total cost — $34.

After dinner, we drove downtown to pick up our older son from his school event. We stopped into Starbucks, where my husband redeemed his free birthday drink. (Green tea Frappuccino.) He got the largest size and mooch that I am, I had them give me an extra cup so we could share. I’d received a $7 Starbucks gift card from the nurses’ union, so used that to buy our older son his own Frappuccino.

Total cost — $0.

It turned out to be a great day. My husband loved just taking the entire day to hang out and do fun stuff, and he insisted that he liked his birthday books, despite their origin as used library books. The dinner could have been cheaper, but everyone scarfed it down, and it was way cheaper than a restaurant meal would have been.

Total cost for the gifts, lunch, activity, dinner and dessert was $53. Which in my book is not bad at all.

Happy birthday, hubby! May your 47th year be your best yet!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Thoroughly Frugal Katy

by Katy on May 16, 2012 · 7 comments

Yesterday was my favorite kind of day. I checked off an impressive number of tasks from my to-do list, spent next to nothing and enjoyed it all.

Here’s what I did:

  • I washed a load of laundry in my free-from-my-mother washing machine and hung it to dry on my backyard clothesline.
  • I spent an hour or so tidying up the garden. (Hire a landscaper? Fuggedaboutit!)
  • Both kids left in time for school in order to take advantage of free transportation. (Sadly, a rarity these days.)
  • My older son and I walked my ballot over to the library, (thus saving the cost of a stamp) which also included the errand of returning a late library book and picking up two “Lucky Day” book. (The new Pioneer Woman cookbook and the new Jennifer Weiner novel.)
  • I saw that Grand Central Bakery had a mention-this-tweet-for-a-free-coffee deal going on, so I swung by on my way to pick up my older son from school. I found a dime on the ground outside and enjoyed a lovely fifteen minutes or so filling out paperwork for my son’s passport renewal. I rarely, if ever treat myself to fancy coffee treats, so as a result they are very special. (Do you notice how I also batched these errands?) Of course, I left a tip.
  • I used a free trial of the computer app iFototessere to take my son’s passport photo. This was an immediate $10 savings. BTW, it worked perfectly!
  • My husband, son and I met up at the county building to turn in the passport paperwork. This errand is finicky, (all three of us have to be present at once on a weekday) but doing it on time saves the cost of an expedited passport.
  • I went through someone’s free pile and gleaned a pair of brand-new-with-tags girl’s Levi’s, which I will take to Buffalo Exchange to swap for clothing my sons can wear.
  • Dinner was pasta, made using ingredients we had on hand, plus a well priced half-pound of chopped clams from New Season’s.
  • The evening included an hour or two watching How I Met Your Mother with my older son through Netflix. (Although we do have cable-TV, I would dump it in a heartbeat, but am outvoted on the issue due to certain perceived international soccer game needs.)

It was my idea of the perfect day. Frugal and fantastic!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Today I Am . . .

by Katy on May 15, 2012 · 21 comments

Today I am . . .

  • Raking up and sweeping the teeny tiny oak seeds in our backyard. They are choking our new lawn, which is simply unacceptable.
  • Tracking down Soul Eater: Volume One, which is two days overdue at the library.
  • Voting. (Hooray for living in a country that gives me this incredible right!)
  • Working up the courage to deal with my compost, which appears to be housing a rat. *Gag*
  • Meeting my husband at the county office to put in the application for our younger son’s renewed passport.  This is an annoying task, as it requires both parents plus the child on a weekday.
  • Doing laundry to take advantage of the terrific clothesline-friendly weather.
  • Crossing my fingers that someone besides scammers respond to my Craigslist ads for my TV armoire and Goodwill rug.
  • Still laughing about how I spontaneously invented the swear word “Bluggery” yesterday.
  • Enjoying that my mother finally moved back to Portland from Nebraska. (Master’s degree, schmaster’s degree.)
  • Anticipating that I will accomplish a lot of stuff in the name of procrastinating the rat-in-the-compost task. Again, *gag*!
Update: I disassembled the two compost bins and didn’t see the rat(s). However, there were lots of rat-sized channels. I was ready to freak out at a moment’s notice.

How about you, what are you doing today?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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What Are Your Frugal Birthday Traditions?

by Katy on May 14, 2012 · 51 comments

I don’t how it happens, but family birthdays always seem to clump up together. (Okay, as a labor and delivery nurse I actually do know what, ahem . . . leads to birthdays. But that’s neither here nor there.) And my family is no exception. Our birthday-clumpage occurs in October, December, January and May.

This week brings birthdays for both my younger son, who’s turns 14 and my husband who inches along middle-agedom to the grand ol’ age of 47.  Sadly, my husband’s celebrations have become obscured by our son’s birthday ever since 1998. It mysteriously only falls on weekdays, (I swear it’s true!) and lives under the shadow that is Kid Birthday.

I haven’t started planning yet, but I would like to do something special for my husband. The evening already involves a mandatory parent meeting at the high school, but that doesn’t mean the whole day is shot. So I ask you:

What are your special family birthday traditions, frugal or otherwise?

C’mon, I need some fresh ideas and inspiration!

Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Happy Mother’s Day!

by Katy on May 13, 2012 · 7 comments

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at The Non-Consumer Advocate. May your day be joyous!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Drop Dead Tired

by Katy on May 11, 2012 · 7 comments

Flying from Oregon to Japan, I was surprised to experience next to no jet lag. We spent a full 24 hours getting from point A (Portland) to point B (Hiroshima) and hit the ground running the next morning.

Flying back from Japan to Oregon has been a different story. I am a walking zombie, despite being home since Monday, and I’m able to fall asleep faster than, well . . . pretty much anything. I’m also able to sleep all night long, so it’s not as if my daytime naps are interfering with my ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Just this morning I got the kids off to school and lay down to read my library edition of Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs, (which I highly recommend. This man could transcribe the phone book and I would be first in line to devour every word!) and I was asleep within moments. So deeply asleep was I, that I ended up being late to meet up with my father and sister for lunch.

Oops.

I work all this weekend, as I did yesterday. I’m hoping that the necessity of clocking in at 7:00 A.M. will kick me back into my proper time zone.

If nothing else, I can live a vicariously healthy and well rested life with A.J. Jacobs. That’s worth something, right?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Lament of the Overpackaged Orange

by Katy on May 10, 2012 · 8 comments

Oh, Japan. . . why must you overpackage everything? And then put it in a plastic bag, which you also tape shut.

Did you not notice that an orange comes with its own thick rind, which works perfectly as built-in packaging?

I’m perfectly fine with less plastic. As is our planet.

Arigato gozaimasu.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Souvenirs from Japan — Useful or Edible

by Katy on May 9, 2012 · 31 comments

Being a Non-Consumer in Japan is not an easy task. Especially when on a regimented trip (chaperoning eight graders) that includes many, many forays into Omiyage shops. For those not in the know, “Omiyage” are souvenirs, and are imbedded into Japanese culture. Each town has their own specific omiyage, and they are bought by both foreign and Japanese tourists.

Although. . .  in my two weeks in Japan, I saw maybe a dozen foreigners, total. It probably would have been different if we were traveling in Tokyo, Sapporo or Kobe, but our travels took us to Hiroshima and the small towns of Asago-City. We took daily trips to different fun destinations, but even the popular touristy spots (like the hot springs onzen town of Kinosaki) were frequented by Japanese nationals only. And let me tell ya’, those shops did not seem to be hurting for business.

It would have been so easy to pick up a knick-knack here and a tchotchke there, because let’s face it, it’s fun to buy souvenirs when abroad. (Hence, the term “Dutch Tulip Fever.”) But I couldn’t picture any of it being all that fantastic once I returned home. Of course, I already own a zillion Japanese souvenirs, as we frequently host Japanese exchange students and teachers, who always come laden down with gifts.

So I made a self-rule of only buying things that were useful or edible. (Although I did break this rule by picking up a super teeny ceramic Daruma for 125¥ for my older son who collects them.)

Here’s what I bought:

"Rilakkuma" stuff, which my older son loves. I sprung for a Japanese-style lunch box, as he's been complaining that his "Tiffin" doesn't fit into his backpack. I also picked up two chopstick sets for the kids, some cookies, a ball-point pen and a school folder.

My kids *love* Pocky, so I bought one of every kind that I could find. My goal had been to track down the elusive green tea Pocky, but was unsuccessful. My host family thought this was hilarious, and kept saying "Pocky, Pocky, Pocky" to me.

Green tea or "Matcha" flavored treats hold a special place in my heart. (Or arteries, if you want to get more specific.) And that "Cream Collon" candy? Who among us could resist the temptation of someone's creamy colon?!

Unphotographed are two more Japanese reusable lunch boxes with matching chopstick/silverwear sets from the 100¥ store. (Thank you Vanessa from Thrift Core for suggesting that I track one down. And by the way 80¥ = $1 when I exchanged my dollars.) I will give these to my niece and nephew as birthday gifts. I also bought a tiny glass leftover container with snap-on plastic lid from the 100¥ store.

You know, as a gift from me to me. 🙂

I can’t think of anything that I regret not buying, and I had enough spare room in my suitcase on the return trip to store other people’s sake, gym clothes and a neck pillow. I also had enough unspent money to lend Yen to three people and slip extra cash into my younger son’s hand.

For which I requested and received his deepest bow.

Now, to start getting ready for my older son’s five-week trip to Sapporo at the end of June. How do you say “Oy Vey” in Japanese?

Have you come back from traveling with a suitcase full of souvenirs that look junky in the light of day? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Back From Japan

by Katy on May 8, 2012 · 25 comments

I am finally home from my two week trip to Japan. I had a fantastic time, and although I’m apparently not quite ready to write at any length, I do have a couple of photos to share.

Here I am with my host family at the end of my stay in Japan.

 

Don't you love the apron that this Japanese potter woman is wearing?

Because it's the mending job that melted my heart.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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