Feeding Teenagers — The Non-Consumer Advocate Way

by Katy on May 30, 2011 · 44 comments

If asked, my fifteen-year-old son would swear that I am starving him. That he is “always hungry,” and there is nothing to eat in the house except for “canned tomatoes.” Of course, this is not the case, but he has a tendency to wait to eat until he is starving, at which point even the 60 seconds it takes to reheat leftovers is an abomination. I decided last night to prepare some store-bought style food that he could just grab and go from the freezer. As in, without any adult help. (I know he should be able to assemble meals on his own, but that is simply not the case.)

Thinking I would make some chili, I had cooked up a large amount of black beans in the slow cooker but then changed my mind at the last minute. Add to this a bag of super cheap rice that I had grabbed from the grocery store, and I decided to prepare a mess of burritos. I already had a couple packs of tortillas in the freezer, as well as an embarrassingly hoarder-like stash of Tillamook cheese, ($3.99 for 2-pound loaves!) so I was ready to go into assembly line mode. The total hands-on time to make 13 burritos was around 45 minutes, including assembling all the ingredients and clean up.

I am not publishing this post as a recipe, as all I did was mix together black beans, cooked rice, cumin, salt and jarred salsa. If I were preparing these for an adult palate, I would have included caramelized onions and other fun ingredients, but such was not the case. A sprinkling of shredded cheese and a quick searing in a skillet and I was ready to freeze these little burros overnight before popping them into Ziploc bags.

So far, they are a hit, with both sons each preparing themselves a burrito, as well my husband bringing one to work. Sure they’ll still have to wait the two minutes it takes to cook these in the microwave, but there’s only so much I can do.

Do you have tricks to share about feeding teenagers without giving up home and hearth? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

 

Assembled burritos, ready to go into the freezer.
Individually frozen burritos, in their “grab-and-go” form.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Giveaway — Simple Prosperity

by Katy on May 29, 2011 · 92 comments

I spent my day driving a friend around to area thrift stores, and although I try very hard to be discerning about what I bring into my house, I did buy a copy of Dave Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle. Which means it’s time for another book giveaway!

Long time readers will recall that Simple Prosperity was used for The Non-Consumer Advocate book club in 2009. A great idea that proved beyond my time/energy constraints. (Seriously, I cringe with shame whenever I think about how I dropped the ball on this one.) However, I’m still a great fan of this book and now have a genuine preowned Goodwill copy of this book to use as a giveaway!

To enter to win your own personal copy of Simple Prosperity, enter your name and one change you’ve made in your quest for simple prosperity in the comments section below. The winner will be randomly chosen Wednesday, June 1st at 9:00 P.M. PST. U.S. residents only, please enter only one time.

Good luck!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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My Son’s Roller Blinds Are Famous!

by Katy on May 28, 2011 · 19 comments

 

Today I woke up to this in The Oregonian’s Home & Gardens section of the newspaper:
CREATIVE READER: Katy Wolk-Stanley Uses Old Maps in a New Way
“Old schoolroom maps and bargain roller blinds came together to make one-of-a-kind window treatments in Katy Wolk-Stanley’s Southeast Portland home several years ago. In 2004, she found heavy vintage maps on special at City Liquidators in Southeast Portland; she “cut and attached them to the bones of some cheap roller blinds” she’d purchased from Home Depot, creating colorful room decor for her kids’ bedrooms. She thinks the maps are from the 1950s, “as there is an Israel and yet a single Korea.” She blogs about ways to “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” at thenonconsumeradvocate.com.”
I do have a big ol’ soft spot for print media, and however broke I’ve been in my life, I’ve always had a newspaper subscription. However, you can always click here to view it online.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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Letting Go of Embarrassment

by Katy on May 27, 2011 · 30 comments

It may seem like an odd topic from a blog about frugality, sustainability and simple living, but a huge component to achieving the aforementioned goals is to let go of being easily embarrassed. Because if you’re worried about what other people think of you, then you are highly unlikely to stick with a lifestyle that involves thrift shops, bringing your own leftover containers to restaurants and choosing a unique and self-defined lifestyle.

The Happiness Project’s Gretchen Rubin writes frequently about how she is learning to “Be Gretchen.” Which essentially is a twist on not keeping up with the Joneses. Embracing and then accepting who you are; as well as your specific interests and strengths. Also, letting go of who you think you’re supposed to be. (I live in a city full of hipster cyclists, yet I rarely unearth my own two wheeler.) When I think of what “Be Katy” means, I think about certain things, such as:

  • I love to watch makeover TV shows, even though I’m part of a community likely to brag about their TV-free status. For example, last night I stayed up packaging my eBay sales while watching back-to-back episodes of Clean House on Netflix. So yeah, I was in heaven! And yes, I can now do a mean impression of Niecy Nash.
  • I can spend hours goofing around with the Photo Booth function on the computer, making silly videos and taking goofball pictures with (and without) the kids.
  • I can talk endlessly about how little I spent on almost everything I own, even though I see that it makes peoples’ eyes glass over with boredom.
  • I cry when I watch “So You Think You Can Dance.”
  • I care so little about how I dress, that I often look like I’m about to start a painting project.
  • I’ve been known to become so overcome with the narcotic aroma of air dried clothes, that I’ve twice put my face into a garment to inhale, only to realize that I’m sniffing underwear.

It’s easy for me to tout an embarrassment-free lifestyle, when it took 43 years to get to where I am. Like all teenagers, I lived my high school years in dread of what hideous embarrassments would come next. This was easy, as I went to a performing arts high school and had to spend half my school day in a leotard standing next to girls who’d been dancing since their toddler years and as a result had never developed hips or a bust. I, on the other hand went from a B to a D cup during the summer of my sophomore year. My father was (and still is) a sock-with-Birkenstocks bearded guy, and my mother worked as a cocktail waitress in a drag queen nightclub.

Embarrassment was my middle name.

Luckily, the teen years are fleeting, and we hopefully grow into our skins, and can laugh at ourselves and really not give a damn about what others think of us.

So say it loud and proud:

“I am a Non-Consumer, (or whatever) and I don’t give rip what you think about me!”

Take pride and ownership in your life choices. They’re different than mine, but who cares, it’s your life, not mine. You do not have the power to embarrass me!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on May 25, 2011 · 21 comments

I leave plants out, you give me money. What could be simpler?

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

The Non-Consumer Advocate Turns Three!

It occurred to me today that my blog just passed a milestone — Three years of blogging! (Sure, it was last week, but why dither about details?) Over the past three years, I’ve written 1,061 columns, approved 16,940 comments and am coming up on a million-and-a-half hits. Occasionally I feel like I’m running out of ideas, but that soon passes and I somehow find something to share on an almost daily basis.

The friends I have made through blogging have enriched my life, and the daily feedback I get from The Non-Consumer Advocate community keeps me inspired and vitalized.

Thank you one and all for your support and ideas, you make it all worthwhile!

 

My “Trust” Fund

In scouring my home to find enough Stuff to sell at my garage sale, I realized that the volunteer plants in my garden were a money making opportunity just waiting to happen. Luckily I still had a decent sized stash of tiny faux terra cotta flower pots leftover from my son’s dirt theme 4th birthday party. (He just turned 13, which tells you that perhaps I am abusing the large amount of storage space in my basement.) An hour or so of potting up lady’s mantle, euphorbia and valerian, and I had enough inventory to showcase my wares. Unfortunately, the garage sale was put off for a week due to rain. However, I am not one to give up so easily, so I placed all the plants on my front steps with a pricing guide and told potential buyers to “Leave money in the mailbox.” (Which is locked.)

I considered this to be an experiment in trust.

And guess what? Not only did I not lose one plant to theft, but I think some people actually payed more than the asking price!

So now I have a nice cash reserve, (which I’ve already raided once for my son’s haircut) as well as additional faith in humanity.

 

My Key to Happiness? Happy Hour!

As much as I am a proponent of cooking from scratch, I’m not immune to the draw of a restaurant meal. Somebody else cooks it, cleans up from it, and if you’re like me, you’re sick to death of your frequently rotated home meals. (What, burritos again?!) However, the enjoyment I get from eating in restaurants is pretty much obliterated by the cost of said meals.

My favorite solution has been to take advantage of happy hour menus. Meals for under five bucks, and if they’re in a family friendly pub, we can all enjoy a meal out without having to abandon our financial goals. The Hawthorne Hophouse is within walking distance from our house and offers their happy hour menu all freakin’ day on Sundays! This means I can enjoy a delicious meal for $4, and if I’m, ahem . . . forced into buying a nice local beer, then it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. My husband and I are so fond of happy hour meals, that we even spent the evening after our wedding enjoying $2 burgers at the now defunct McCormick & Schmick’s in Old Town Portland.

I know that Portland is not unique to this opportunity, as I have fond memories of happy hour Mexican buffets in Albuquerque.

So if you’re on a budget and mourning the loss of eating out, this is a super affordable way to get your fix without losing sight of eventual retirement. Just make sure not to drink up all your savings.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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How Oprah Winfrey Changed my Life

by Katy on May 25, 2011 · 2 comments

I recorded a video about how I was almost on the Oprah Winfrey show, but it keeps loading all funky onto YouTube, so I finally gave up and just posted it over at The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

You can watch the video HERE.

I am very much not a tech savvy individual. Sorry.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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The Terra Cotta Freegan

by Katy on May 24, 2011 · 19 comments

I like to garden, but I don’t like to spend money. Luckily, I live in a neighborhood where people are good about putting unwanted items out on the curb. One category that I keep a keen eye out for is flowerpots, specifically terra cotta flowerpots.

I know they dry out faster than the plastic variety, but I think the plastic ones are ugly as sin and leach chemicals into my plants. A double no-no!

I recently drove past a large terra cotta pot, but was on my way somewhere and unable to stop and scoop it up. On a whim, I drove by two days later and was amazed to find that it was still available. Sure, it had some significant chipping on the rim, but I figured I would turn that side away. And further down the block was another pot, rectangular with a cute fleur de lis pattern on the side. And it was perfect!

And then yesterday I came across another flowerpot, as well as some small pots of freebie trailing plants that I don’t know the name of. Screech . . . I brought those puppies home, planted them up together with some volunteer plants in my garden, and voilá, instant cute porch candy without a single penny being spent!

It would easy to drop a bundle on flower pots, as the nice ones cost $15 and up at our local garden center, so I’m always happy when I can score them for free. I may not be pulling my family’s food from dumpsters yet, but when it comes to terra cotta pots, I am proud to call myself a freegan!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

I plan on planting this huge flower pot with a columnar apple tree. And that big ol' chip? It will face the back.

So cute, so perfect, so free. I think I'll plant lettuce in this one.

Within a half hour of finding this freebie pot, I had it planted with lady's mantle, valerian and whatever the free trailing plants are.

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Spend Less and Earn More

by Katy on May 23, 2011 · 29 comments

My son’s Iron Giant toy just sold for $102.50 on eBay.

My son’s Iron Giant toy just sold for $102.50 on eBay.

I have been somewhat cash poor lately. My day job as a labor and delivery nurse has been a bit sporadic of late, (C’mon suburban Portland ladies, surely a night of fun and games without birth control is worth it. Right?!) and as a result my paychecks have been lighter than a piece of space shuttle Wonder Bread. And as much as I hate not having a checking account cushion, I am not stressing. Why?

Because I know how to spend less money and how to earn more money.

Here’s how my family spend less money this weekend:

  • Both my sons had soccer games over the weekend. We choose to have them play recreation soccer over classic soccer. This means a $45 playing fee rather than a $1000 fee.
  • I made pizza from scratch on Saturday night. This was partly due to a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese that I was worried was soon to get funky. I bought pepperoni and sausage from my local pizza joint, which set us back $1.
  • My younger son had a 24+ hour sleepover with an old friend. I rented them a movie from the Redbox near the house. I used a Groupon, which brought the price down to 33.34¢.
  • My older son had his girlfriend to the house all day Sunday. For dinner I made chicken adobo, using drumsticks, which are much cheaper than chicken breasts.
  • We drove nowhere except the soccer games, (for which we provided the carpool) and walked all our errands.
  • I took my younger son and his friend to the nearby nickel arcade. I used a coupon for free admission, which included $5 in nickels. I cautioned them to make the money last.
  • When it turned out that were at the arcade an hour before it opened, we walked over to the park where the boys played on the swings and had a contest about who could jump the farthest from their swing.
  • I made sure to return my marble reference book back to the library before it was due. This saves me 25¢ per day.
  • We did no recreational shopping, even to thrift stores.

Here’s how we made more money:

  • I continued selling extra valuable belongings on eBay. I currently have the last of my Goodwill marbles for sale, which will end tonight. I also sold my son’s Iron Giant stuffed robot for $102.50, (he gets to keep this money) and a stack of old Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazines for $40.99.
  • I found $1.21 on the ground and in the change return slots at the arcade. I used part of this to pay off my 75¢ library fine.
  • I continued selling extra plants from my garden on my front steps. This may sound a bit meshugenah, but I made $1 yesterday, and when my younger son needed $10 cash for a haircut last week, I was able to grab some “plant money” to cover the cost. I estimate this little experiment has garnered $25.
  • My husband was a given a generous Starbucks gift card as a thank you for volunteering to coach the soccer team. He doesn’t volunteer for the freebies, but parents will often give him small token gifts.
  • I blogged. I don’t make a fortune with The Non-Consumer Advocate, but I did receive a Blogher check for $120.05 on Saturday.

None one of these frugal hacks will set you financially free, but the combination of everything together makes a huge difference in our lives.

Today, I will spend the day whipping the house into shape, dealing with a few Monday morning chores and maybe even planning a few more eBay listings. And hopefully, the scheduler at work will let me know that I’ve been granted a regular number of shifts for next month.

What are you doing to spend less and earn more? 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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Link-O-Rama Mama

by Katy on May 21, 2011 · 7 comments

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

Amassing Great Stores of Money. Why?

The story of a Salt Lake City homeowner who happened upon a hidden stash of cash in his new home hit the internet on Thursday. How much cash? $45,000 is how much! And I don’t know about you, but I’ve repeatedly had that dream where I find an extra room in my house that’s chock full of my heart desires. (My most repeated childhood dream featured a door in the attic which led to a whole bunch of Sasha dolls in a sunny meadow.) For Josh Ferrin, this was his doll and meadow moment, although he did the right thing and contacted the deceased former owner’s children to return the money.

Unfortunately, the focus of the article was about the finder of the cash, whereas I wanted to know more about the amasser of the cash. (“Cash amasser?”) Did he die early and suddenly, and was that why the money had not been earmarked? Was he a terrible miser, going without important needs in order to stockpile a secret emergency fund? I need more information! Although for now, I am enjoying filling in the blanks using my own imagination.

Mormon Pirate? Yeah, I’m going with Mormon pirate.

Click HERE to read the article in its entirety.

 

Materialistic and Proud Over at Get Rich Slowly

J.D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly posted a question yesterday from Crystal, an unabashed and unapologetic spender, which last time I checked had garnered 173 reader responses:

“I’ve read your blog for a while now, and it always inspires me, but I stop just short of embracing the frugal lifestyle. Why? Because I’ve tried it and discovered that I am, in fact, very materialistic.

For instance, I have tons of clothes, shoes, and bags — and I use them all. I have over 30 purses, and I change them out every day. I have a separate work and leisure wardrobe, and I very much enjoy getting dressed in the morning. I also love laying out my clothes for the next day, choosing between outfits, and so on.

You get the picture. I love Stuff, and it makes me happy. I’m not in real debt (no student loans, no car payment, only $3,000 total of credit-card debt with a total monthly payment of $110, towards which which I pay $200) but I also don’t save anything. I have a mindset that store-bought is much better than home-made (like laundry detergents and the likes).

Am I a lost cause? How can I re-frame my mind when fashion/celebrity/shopping is my passion?”

It’s hard to read the letter without putting on a 1980’s Valley Girl accent, “Like, oh my God, gag me with a spoon!” But the readers were actually not as hard on Crystal as they could have been, and the comments were all over the board, running from she needs to make more money, to no, she’d only spend more money.

Essentially it brings up the debate of is there anything inherently wrong with loving retail and the high life? After all, somebody needs to be buying news stuff so that it can trickle down to the thrift stores for the likes of us.

Click HERE to read the original post.


What You Do Every Day is More Important Than What You Do Once in a While

It’s not new, but I do like The Gretchen Rubin’s Secrets of Adulthood. From the above Happiness Project aphorism to “What’s fun for other people may not be fun for you–and vice versa.” It’s a funny list of straightforward truths that don’t naturally occur to many of us until we hit our 40’s.

My favorite?  “Outer order contributes to inner calm.”

It is worth a read, so click HERE to read the entire list.

 

Do you have any links to add to this Link-O-Rama Mama? Please share yours in the comments section below. Or better yet, share your links over at The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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A Non-Consumer Photo Essay

by Katy on May 20, 2011 · 5 comments

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 Store to have an organized closet.

My older son's "Zero Waste" school lunch. The bottom half is filled with leftover Yakisoba noodles and the top has a cut up orange. I bought the Tiffin by exchanging an unwanted gift from a family member.

 

This large sketchbook and refillable graphite pencil were a birthday gift that my son received from the local art supply store yesterday. (This is not a normal practice.) The owner of the stores said it was because my son is one of their oldest customers. He had written a happy birthday message on my son's Facebook wall and told him to come in for something special. I am often overwhelmed by the wonderful people and businesses in my neighborhood!

This is a rare early morning photograph of my laundry line. Why? Because I ended up leaving the laundry out all night long, as I knew it wasn't going to rain. This was a first for 2011.

This is my older son's headboard. The wood was starting to split where the siderails attach, so I took it apart and my husband glued and clamped it. Real wood can be fixed, but particle board? Not so much.

I look around my house, and it is always in motion, even when the people are at a stand still. Glue is drying, water is evaporating from our clothes and all is well. None of it is a big deal, yet all of it gives me a quiet pleasure.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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