The Power of Minutiae

by Katy on May 19, 2011 · 36 comments

This garbage picked broomstick transformed my backyard broom back into a functional tool.

I’ve been thinking lately about how any major life change, either good and bad is constructed from a thousand tiny actions. Sure, writers like to list catchy top ten ways to spend less money, save the environment, or even how to irritate Alex Trebek, but nothing is ever that simple. Life is about the minutiae, the teeny-tiny choices we make each and every day.

The life is about the tiny changes mentality started swirling around in my head when I was buying eggs the other day. I had walked to the New Seasons store, (no sacrifice, as it’s two blocks from my house) and as always I made sure to tell the checker that I did not want a rubber band around the carton. That’s right, I made extra special care not to bring a rubber band into my house. I neither wanted an accumulated nest of rubber bands, nor did I want an extra rubber band to be manufactured because of me.

At first, this sounds insane, but really, it’s just part of the thousand tiny actions, (or inactions) that I make on a daily basis. I walk to the library to return a book before accruing a 25¢ fine, and I stock up on loss leader Tillamook cheese, ($3.99 for a two pound loaf!) bringing my own bag to save the nickel. I take advantage of every possible sunny day to dry my laundry and I delight in curb finds as simple as a new broom stick to replace a broken one at home.

Ashley English over at Small Measure writes about, well . . . small measures. That is, the small changes we can all make on a daily basis that accumulate into large changes. For the most part, you only have a couple of lifetime opportunities to make huge and sweeping reforms. However, there are endless opportunities for the little changes.

So when you hear well meaning friends or even yourself utter the words, ‘That’s hardly worth doing,” know that your tiny life choices are adding up to a lifetime of positive life changes.

Do you find yourself willing to make small measure changes in your life, or do you only save your efforts for the big guns? 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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A Chain of Inspiration

by Katy on May 18, 2011 · 10 comments

Today I want to share with you what I am calling a “Chain of Inspiration.” I constructed my kitchen island based on my friend Sara’s version, and now my next-door-neighbors have built one based on ours. The part that I love is how no two are the same. They all have different dimensions and serve slightly different purposes. Yet all are based on one another.

None of us come up with fresh ideas without input from the world around us. We find inspiration in our environment, yet we put our own spin on what we do based on our particular needs, supplies and tastes.

I just love how the three of us all have different versions of the same theme. Perhaps someday we’ll get them all together for a playdate.

😉

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Sara's kitchen island, which also seats two.

 

My kitchen island. Big, utilitarian and used practically all day, every day.

 

My neighbor's kitchen island. Friends of theirs were removing a Rosewood kitchen counter, which they snapped up and sawed to the length needed for their purposes. Isn't it gorgeous?

 

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Non-Consumer Gift Giving

by Katy on May 17, 2011 · 23 comments

It may sound somewhat ungenerous, but my goals for gift giving are threefold:

  1. Give a truly useful or perfect-for-the-recipient gift.
  2. Minimize packaging/non-sustainable crappiness whenever possible.
  3. Spend as little as possible.

Today was my husband’s birthday and I was able to hit all three of my requirements without much effort. Here’s what I bought:

  • A hardback Shutterfly book of family photos.
  • A shaving kit with ceramic mug, bar of shaving soap and an ole timey shaving brush.

I used a Groupon for the photo book, (I had Groupon credit from referring people, so it was free) and my Swagbucks Amazon credit covered the cost of the shaving kit. I paid a few dollars for the Shutterfly shipping, but otherwise everything was free.

My husband loved both the gifts, and gave the shaving kit a big thumbs up. (I have to admit that this gift was somewhat selfish, as I’m the one excited to stop buying aerosol cans of shaving cream, as we have two, soon to be three shaving men in our household!)

People often assume that I am a terrible gift giver, as my Non-Consumerism radiates from me like spray tan from the cast of Jersey Shore, but I think I actually rock the gift giving department. I buy Goodwill and garage sale gifts year round, and occasionally splash out with expensive gifts. (My younger son turns 13 in a few days, and we’re going to let him choose a concert to attend, most likely Bruno Mars.) I prefer experiential gifts, edible gifts, used gifts or something I am 100% sure that the recipient will love. I do not want to be cluttering up other people’s lives!

I guess what I’m saying is that just because I’m cheap doesn’t mean that I’m not generous.

Do you struggle with giving gifts without going over budget or outside your green values? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which help support The Non-Consumer Advocate.

 

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Cheap Eats — Chicken Adobo

by Katy on May 16, 2011 · 12 comments

People ask me all the time which blogs I follow, and I always mumble a little something about Get Rich Slowly, The Frugal Girl, Modern Thrifter and then kind of lose steam. Sure, there are other blogs I like to look at, but not on a daily basis. But I have actually added a new blog to my circle, which is Lomomacooking: Cooking With Claire. This blog is put together by Laura and Claire, a couple of my co-workers and is full of fantastic family friendly looking recipes. Written by a “Half-Chinese midwestern farmer’s daughter,” the recipes are practical, yet far from dull.

Tonight I printed off a recipe for Chicken Adobo and got to work, or rather got to no work, as the hands-on time for this recipe ran around two minutes!

I really liked that this recipe called for thighs and drumsticks, which regularly go on sale for next to nothing. And since I use a rice cooker, (which I love and fire up at least four times a week) this dinner was easier to construct than an omelet.

CHICKEN ADOBO

You will not believe how tender and flavorful this chicken is.  The meat just falls off the bone. My kids loved pouring spoonfuls of the juice over their rice. I’ve heard this is good with pork, and if you wanted to do a vegetarian version, it would be good with tofu- just don’t marinate it as long.
·     4-5 lbs. chicken thighs or drumsticks
·     1/2 cup white vinegar
·     1/2 cup soy sauce
·      4 cloves garlic, crushed
·      1 tsp. black peppercorns
·      3 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cover and marinate chicken for 1-3 hours. Bring to boil, then lower heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Please try this recipe, then keep an eye on Cooking With Claire for more dinner inspiration.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Favorite Moments From My Garage Sale

by Katy on May 14, 2011 · 13 comments

Hanging out with Chelsea. . . and our garage sale cash.

I finally had my garage sale this last Friday, and it was really fun. Good company, nice communion with neighbors, got rid of a ton of crap and I made $320!

Here are some of my favorite moments from the sale:

  • The young woman and her mother who bought a large amount of my dug-up day lillies and iris, as well as all the leftover stone from my backyard landscaping project. They were super excited to take it all home to plant in the daughter’s garden. I was happy to thin out my garden and take their money.
  • The two young women who each bought a pair of my son’s used Vans sneakers. Their tiny feet are my favorite new discovery.
  • The man who bought my bright red Merrell slip-on shoes. He felt that the color would help motorists see him when he cycled.
  • The dealers who showed up before I had put anything out yet. They stood around waiting for any underpriced treasures, but ended up only buying a cat scratching thing-a-ma-bob.
  • The woman who wanted to know if I would take $10 for all of my old magazines. Uh . . . yeah!
  • The woman who wanted to know if I would take $10 for all my Red Rose tea figurines. Uh . . . yeah!
  • The woman who wanted to know if I would take $10 for all of our Neopets to sew onto a dress. Uh . . . yeah, and please bring us a picture when you’re all done with it! (Can you tell that I really like it when buyers want the entirety of a certain item?)
  • The woman who bought both the big bin of Lincoln Logs and the bin of Tinkertoys. I bought the Tinkertoys from a garage sale when I was pregnant with my 15-year-old son. I think I sold them for $3 more than I paid.
  • When my neighbors brought out a large memory foam camping pad for my free box. It was gone within 60 seconds.

In the end, I packed everything back up into bins and put it into the garage. There was significantly less stuff than I started with. I’m not sure if I’ll take it to Goodwill or maybe do one last sweep through the house and put together another garage sale together in a month or so. (I didn’t get to my older son’s room or the mysterious deep of the coat closet.)

I really enjoyed the time spent chatting with neighbors, many of whom I’d never met before, as well as hanging out with my friend Chelsea. My mother also spent a few hours with us, as well as providing a delicious takeout lunch.

I am dedicating the money to a summer vacation fund, and already have my eye on a cute A-frame cabin at Lemolo Lake. Ahh . . . vacation!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Addendum: I ended up selling my son’s bicycle the next day, (which had been in the garage sale) for $120 via Craigslist, so I am upping the garage sale total to $450!

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An Important Non-Consumer Message

by Katy on May 13, 2011 · 17 comments

I have written over a thousand blog posts through the years, and there comes a time when I need to repeat previous ideas and themes. So here goes:

Stop buying too much stuff and it would be good if you could figure out ways to bring in more money.

Whew . . .

Sorry if this Non-Consumer message was a repeat for long term readers. 😉

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Busy Days, Panicky Days

by Katy on May 12, 2011 · 8 comments

I am trying not to let myself feel overwhelmed by all the stuff that I need to do today, but it’s a losing battle. I am planning a huge garage sale that, weather depending, starts tomorrow. And although I do have almost everything sorted and priced, I’m still starting to get panicky about all the details.

I still need to:

  • Pick up big folding tables from my mother’s house
  • Make signs and post them
  • Put together Craigslist ads
  • Set everything on the tables in the garage
  • Have my older son go through his room
  • Bring leftover landscaping stones from the backyard to the front
  • Dig up and pot the extra day lilies that I want to sell

Not to mention all the regular daily tasks that fill my life such as take my older son to his first job interview, (wish him luck!) figure out dinner, help with the inevitable homework and yes, write a blog post.

It doesn’t sound that overwhelming, but for some reason it’s making me feel like screaming. I think I’ll go take a shower and call this blog post a done deal. At least that’s one thing I can cross off the ol’ to-do list.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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What I’m Looking Forward to

by Katy on May 11, 2011 · 17 comments

A key component to a happy life is having things to look forward to. This might be as eventful as a family vacation or a simple as a highly anticipated book from the library. This is what I’m looking forward to:

 

It’s hard to tell in this photo, but these artichokes are HUGE! I bought them for 99¢ apiece at Trader Joe’s over the weekend. I’ve been busily working the past few days, but will cook them up later this afternoon to have with dinner. I am literally drooling in anticipation.
This is the current state of my living room. I may look like a candidate for “Hoarders,” but please rest assured that it’s simply my garage sale stash for this weekend. I will start categorizing and pricing Stuff later today, and am excitedly looking forward to to strangers taking it away while handing me money. After all, my motto is, “Crap out of the money, money in!”
Although I bemoan the rainy weather here in Oregon, it’s actually been quite nice to have planted a new lawn during the rainy season. (I’ve only had to water it once!) I am greatly looking forward to summers spent eating in the backyard, and doing some sweet and breezy entertaining.

What are you looking forward to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Read a Novel, Non-Fiction, An Audiobook and a Magazine

by Katy on May 9, 2011 · 26 comments

Although I consider myself an avid reader, I go through fits and spurts where I voraciously read and then stray away from the habit. Right now, I am in the midst of a wonderful reading flow. For me, this means one novel, one book of non-fiction and one audio books going all at once. Throw in a magazine and I’m in heaven.

Here’s what I’m reading and just finished reading right now:

The Penny Pincher’s Club, by Sarah Strohmeyer

I pulled this book off the shelf at the library, as I felt that to leave it there would be a disservice to all that is good and holy. It’s chick lit with a frugal theme! It mentions The Compact, (in relation to Oregon no less) and has someone refer to themselves as a “Non-Consumer.” Could have been terribly written and I still would have loved it, luckily this was not the case.

Better Off: Flipping The Switch on Technology, by Eric Brende

I just picked this book up at the library today, so I actually haven’t read any of it yet. However, I really like the I did such-and-such for a year genre and the idea of living a year without any modern technology sounds intriguing.

The Fourth Bear, by Jasper Fforde

I really like this author, and am always happy to find his audiobooks at the library. This series of books involve a world where fiction and non-fiction intersperse, and hard boiled detective Jack Spratt from the N.S.D., (Nursery Crimes Division) is on the hunt to find out who killed Goldilocks. Very fun, plus, with these audiobooks, someone with a real English accent reads them out loud to me!

Sunset Magazines

My next door neighbors subscribe to Sunset magazine, which I love. However, I am perfectly happy to read their copies without forking over the big bucks for my own subscription. I recently brought home a stack of three magazines and spent a few evenings finding gardening inspiration. I know many people are happy to read online versions of magazines, but they always seem somewhat unsatisfying to me. I like to lie down and flip through the pages and feel the glossy paper stock.

But don’t worry, I share my Real Simple magazines to reciprocate. You didn’t think I was a mooch, did you?

What are you reading these days? Please share your suggestions 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 8, 2011 · 6 comments

My mother, sister and I in 1968. I am the baby. Isn't my mother's beautiful?

Happy Mother’s Day to one and all! May your day be filled with beauty, joy and unconditiontal love.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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