Looking Forward — Taking Control of Your Happiness

by Katy on November 30, 2011 · 52 comments

Although my life is fine and dandy at the moment, such is not the case for a surprisingly large number of my loved ones. Cars are crashing, jobs are causing undue stress and relationships are coming to an end.

I recently had a conversation with a friend, who was a victim of a hit and run accident about how she needs to plan things in her life to look forward to. I’m not sure if my message got through to her, as my words were more of an aside than a thesis statement. But I truly believe in this happiness method, as not only is it recommended by Happiness Guru Gretchen Rubin, but has definitely rung true in my own life.

On her blog, The Happiness Project, Rubin explains how having something to look forward to is a key component to a happy life:

“Anticipation is a key stage; by having something to look forward to, no matter what your circumstances, you bring happiness into your life well before the event actually takes place. In fact, sometimes the happiness in anticipation is greater than the happiness actually experienced in the moment – that’s known as “rosy prospection.”

Everyone should be able to pull out a calendar and see at least a few fun things scheduled in the future weeks.

If your life is a parade of obligations, dreaded tasks, horrible encounters, and mandatory appearances, take a minute to figure out something that YOU would find fun, and make time for it. And don’t forget — just because something is fun for someone else doesn’t make it fun for you.”

In a world where our days are filled with obligatory tasks, and making sure everyone else is okay, it can difficult to prioritize our own happiness. And I am certainly just as guilty of having nothing fun on my calendar as anyone else.

Finding something to look forwards to does not have to be an expensive endeavor. Sure, a trip to Fiji in the dead of winter definitely goes under the category of I-can-look-forward-to-that, but it can be something as simple as a planned walk with a friend or a trip across town to a special library. (Can you tell that I’m using myself as an example?)

So in this time of holiday (and regular daily) stress, I give to you this chore:

Today, plan something to look forward to.

And when you do, please share it in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 52 comments }

A Little Humor For Your Day

by Katy on November 29, 2011 · 5 comments

This video never fails to make me laugh. A non-consumer gift from me to you:

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

{ 5 comments }

Up Sh*t Creek Without a Paddle — A Trashy Tale

by Katy on November 28, 2011 · 31 comments

Portland, Oregon just switched over to every-other-week garbage service in order to accommodate the extra expense of a new curbside composting program. Because my family shares garbage service with our next door neighbors, we were a little concerned with whether the seven of us could make it work. But so far, we’ve had no problems. (Although that can does get mightily full!)

However, my sister’s neighbors are having a having a problem with the every-other-week service, as they are diapering newborn twins. (And yes, they are using disposable diapers — this is not a post about the evils of disposables.) However, this particular couple has always put out a ton of garbage, which always baffled my sister.

“There’s just two of them, how are they making so much garbage?!”

And because they never made the efforts to decrease the packaging-laden stuff that entered their home or composted, (this I know because they gave their composter away as they didn’t like the look of it) they are now up sh*t creek without a paddle. Literally.

Of course, I would never broach the subject with them, as no one welcomes unsolicited advice from people they hardly know. Especially people with newborn twins!

This situation got me thinking about how when people make non-consumer changes in their lives during good times, the inevitable bad times aren’t such a big deal. This lesson applies to:

  • Keeping your house un-crammed with Stuff means it’s possible to take advantage of a sudden opportunity to host a foreign exchange student or welcome a house guest.
  • Living below your means allows you to weather decreases in income without defaulting on your mortgage.
  • Allowing yourself to be less than perfect, (hair, makeup, clothing, housekeeping, cooking, etc.) means you can enjoy social occasions without feeling you have to meet an impossibly high standard.
  • And yes, producing less garbage means that the addition of two little poop machines should not overflow your bin.
I’m just happy I could learn these lessons without having twins. One kid at a time worked just fine for me.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

{ 31 comments }

Want to Be Possessed by Your Possessions? Jaguar Thinks You Do

by Katy on November 26, 2011 · 22 comments

I am as likely to want to be possessed by a 2011 Jaguar as I am by my 1997 Subaru.

So there I was, cooking up a storm on Thanksgiving. I had no adult company, so I set up a Pandora computer radio station based on the musical stylings of the 80’s band Squeeze. I was Pulling Mussels from a Shell like nobody’s business while assembling all the last minute dishes for our delicious feast.

And then I heard it, an advertisement for the new Jaguar, which begged the question:

“When was the last time a possession possessed you?”

Seriously, this is their ad campaign? Who in their right mind wants to be possessed by their possessions?! Even the kind of conspicuous consumer this ad is targeted towards would surely be turned off by this campaign. Right? Please?

If nothing, this ad should prove to solidify people’s beliefs that do not want to be beholden to their stuff.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is:

“Thanks, Jaguar — it’s always good to have a reminder that possessions are nothing more than things. And that no, I would prefer to not be possessed by them.”

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 22 comments }

Black Friday

by Katy on November 25, 2011 · 46 comments

No Thanks.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 46 comments }

Happy Thanksgiving, or as I like to Call it — “Pie Day”

by Katy on November 24, 2011 · 14 comments

Today, like every day I am thankful for  many things. For the health which I take for granted, my family, the ability to earn a living, a roof over my head, sale ingredients for pie and my own ability to turn those ingredients into wedges of perfection. (I stocked up on 5-pound bags of Bob’s Red Mill flour for $2 and one-pound packages of butter for $1.25 this week!)

May your day be filed with good food and delicious company. And pie. Never forget the pie.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

{ 14 comments }

Wisdom from The American Frugal Housewife

by Katy on November 23, 2011 · 14 comments

 

The following is a guest post from The Frugal Girl. Thank you very much, Kristen!

I got this free kindle ebook quite some time ago, and while I was on the plane flying to Chicago recently, I used the time to jot down some of my favorite quotes to share with you.

This book was written in 1828, and is full of advice for women on managing their homes…there are recipes, home remedies, and general household management advice.

What fascinates me is that even though much of Child’s practical advice is outdated (I’m not going to be making soap from my fire ashes, or doing anything with pig’s feet, thankyouverymuch), the principles she shares are just as applicable today as they were in 1828. Sometimes we think that overindulgence and overspending are purely modern problems, but clearly, these vices were alive and well in 1828!

Here are a few of my favorite snippets from the book.

-On saving, even when you have only a little to save:

“Every man and every woman should lay up some portion of their income, whether that income be great or small.”

-Advice for those who have recently moved into a new house:

“If you are about to furnish a house, do not spend all your money, be it much or little.  Do not let the beauty of the thing, and the cheapness of that, tempt you to buy unnecessary articles.”

-On thinking DIY is too much work:

“Make your own bread and cake. Some people think it is just as cheap to buy of the baker and confectioner, but it is not half as cheap. It is convenient, but those who are under the necessity of being economical should make convenience a secondary priority.”

Lots of good stuff in that quote. Homemade IS almost always cheaper even than relatively inexpensive prepared food (reference my comparison of uber-cheap squishy bread and homemade bread).  And while convenience is lovely, it should not be a higher priority than living within your means.*

*I’m not saying you must bake bread.  The principle here is what’s important.  See also, You Don’t Have to Make Yogurt

-On keeping up with the Joneses:

“No false pride of foolish ambition to appear as well as others should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain.  If you have one dollar a day, do not spend but seventy-five cents.  If you have but half a dollar, do not spend more than forty cents.”

-On why we ought to save:

“The man who is economical is laying up for himself the permanent power of being useful and generous.”

(Dave Ramsey says we should live like no one else so that we can give like no one else, but apparently Lydia Child was saying that long before he was!)

-The last one for now…Child anticipates that some will think her frugal advice is over the top.

“If any person think some of the maxims too rigidly economical, let them inquire how the largest fortunes among us have been made.  They will find that thousands and millions have been accumulated by a scrupulous attention to sums infinitely more minute than $0.60.”

If you’ve got a Kindle and some time to kill, download this book…it’s an entertaining read.  And if you don’t have a Kindle, you may be able to find the paper version at your library.

{ 14 comments }

Portland — A Reality Check

by Katy on November 22, 2011 · 24 comments

Portland -- From November through mid-June. All the hipster food carts and ironic entertainment in the world won't save you if you can't handle the non-stop rain.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 24 comments }

Oatmeal — A Non-Sponsored Post

by Katy on November 21, 2011 · 30 comments

As I write this, I am enjoying a large bowl of hot oatmeal. And no, it’s not from a packet, and it certainly doesn’t include dinosaur eggs or wood pulp. It’s just oatmeal. Bought in bulk from Bob’s Red Mill, and then stored in a pretty vintage glass jar on my kitchen counter. (And of course, it’s cooked in a thrifted Descoware pot.)

Oatmeal.

I always sprinkle some brown sugar on top, and then wait for it to melt into ooey-gooey goodness.

Oatmeal.

Healthy, tasty, filling and cheap.

Oatmeal.

I am not perfect. I like prepackaged cereal and would eat daily McMuffins if they were healthy and produced by an ethical company. But when I remember to fix oatmeal, I always end up thinking about how wonderfully pure the experience is, and wonder why I don’t prepare it more often.

Oatmeal.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 30 comments }

Today I am . . .

by Katy on November 20, 2011 · 14 comments

Relieved that I worked all weekend and will get a full paycheck.

Wishing I were the kind of blogger who scheduled her posts, so her blog wouldn’t sit dormant just because she worked all weekend.

Happy that I get to blog spontaneously, instead of sticking with a rigorous schedule.

Cold. It’s crazy nippy outside.

Proud of my son’s soccer team, who won their division in a citywide tournament.

Wondering if it’s too soon in the week to start eating pie.

Looking forward to a week of letting the kids sleep in.

Enjoying the comfort of a free hand-me-down armchair.

Wondering what I’ll write tomorrow, which is par for the course.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.

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

 

{ 14 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →