Just a quick note to let you know that a guest post I wrote about “Taking Minimalism Too Far” is running today over at Get Rich Slowly.
Click HERE to read the article, which is garnering some terrific comments.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook Group.
Click HERE to follow me on Twitter.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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I try my darndest to exemplify the frugal and environmental ideals that I write about here on The Non-Consumer Advocate. I hardly ever buy anything new, I try to drive as little as possible and I work through dozens of finicky little money saving hacks on a daily basis. So yeah, I’m using it up, wearing it out, making it do and doing without.
Take yesterday for example.
I spent longer than I care to admit scrubbing down my jelly roll pans with steel wool in order to restore them to brand shiny newness. (Okay, it took at least an hour and a half.) I listened to a library audio book on my decidedly uncool CD Walkman during this task.
I had agreed to pick my son up after school, so I planned a number of errands along the way and in the area of his high school to justify the drive across town. This meant that I:
This may all sound ridiculously more complicated than necessary, but this day was actually a fairly typical day off for me. I puttered around the house, wrote my blog, had to make a ethics vs. wallet decision, batched errands, figured out dinner and hung out with my rapidly aging kids. I did not install solar panels on my roof, tend my backyard goats or roll pennies. Just doing my thing, not pressuring myself to be perfect and crossing off the ol’ to-do list.
Non-Consumer style.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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I have a very special treat for you today, which is a chance to win a copy of Susan Freinkel’s Plastic: A Toxic Love Story. I just received this in the mail yesterday, and am excited to start reading it. I will share my extra copy with one lucky Non-Consumer Advocate reader.
“[Freinkel] tells her story through eight familiar plastic objects: the comb, chair, Frisbee, IV bag, disposable lighter, grocery bag, soda bottle, and credit card. Each one illuminates a different facet of our synthetic world, and together they give us a new way of thinking about a substance that has become the defining medium—and metaphor—of our age.”
To enter to win this book, write something in the comments section about a change you’re willing to make to decrease the use of plastic in your home. I will randomly choose one winner on Sunday, May 1st at 9:00 P.M. Pacific time. 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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It ain't pretty, but it's the only way that I can grow a small amount of lettuce for our summer salads.
I have dreams of a beautiful garden lush overflowing with fruit trees and vegetables. Unfortunately, my reality is a shade-tastic back yard, and a very small amount of front yard. However, I’m able to indulge in a bit of container gardening, with pots on my porch steps, lettuce in a wheelbarrow, a row of raspberries, and a small 4′ X 4′ plot, in which I plant beans and tomatoes.
Sadly, I’ll never have enough room in my yard for much more than a tiny bit of home grown goodies.
However, I know your garden is different, which brings me to the question, what does your garden grow? Are you the envy of your neighborhood or are you the type to just plant a few flowers? Do you have helpful advice for a pitiful city slicker such as myself? Please share your experiences, resources and thoughts in the comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it o or do without”
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It’s time again for Link-O-Rama Mama, where I lazily link to other people’s well written and thoroughly researched articles.
“Breaking Free From Consumerist Chains” from Zen Habits
This morning’s Zen Habits post reads as if I’d written it myself. Blogger Leo Babauta writes about life choices that we all have beyond the reaches of Madison Avenue.
“We are not consumers. We are people.
We are not living lives meant to earn money in order to support a shopping habit, or a large home and two cars, or lives of luxury eating and entertainment.”
Although I do live in a large house with two cars, it’s not what I live for. Like Leo, I live to spend time with my kids, create instead of consume, give all to my jobs, (both blogging and working as a labor and delivery nurse) and enjoy the community that I’ve created for myself. I enjoy my things, but if they were to all go away, I would not mourn. I am not a slave to my stuff.
Click HERE to read the the Zen Habits article in its entirety.
One Dress Protest Hits a Snag
Kristie Powell is spending 2011 wearing the same dress everyday. It is her protest against a world where women spend far too much thought and energy obsessing about the external and ultimately meaningless task of clothing our bodies. (Can you tell I’m no fashionista?) She is blogging about her endeavor over at One Dress Protest.
Today’s post details Powell’s dilemma about whether to purchase a new pair of shoes. She had bought a pair of vegan Etsy shoes in anticipation of her year, but they turned out to have cloth soles and be ultimately worthless for wearing outdoors.
“I received my shoes just days prior to my protest beginning. They were so cool! Only one problem: they were cloth bottomed. That means no rubber, no bottom to keep out the wet, no bottom to handle the outside, no bottom to last through a week’s worth of walking, no bottom to keep me from slipping in the hospital in which I work. Needless to say, my super cute, ethically-fantastic shoes that I intended to wear throughout this venture were nothing more than bedroom slippers I could wear out to dinner on the occasion when we take the car (which is becoming rarer these days). And that’s not to mention that for me to wear said vegan shoes the ground has to be dry, I can’t walk very far from the car to the restaurant, and if we have to wait for a table, we can’t take a walk around outside.”
If clothing is about shielding our bodies against the elements, (or to keep us from slipping around) then these shoes are not exactly doing the trick. Uggs and sneakers are taking up the slack, but Powell needs to dress up her outfit now and again.
Click HERE to read the shoe dilemma post over at One Dress Protest.
What Makes Us Happy is Sooo Individual
One of Gretchen Rubin’s main Happiness Project tenets was to non-apologetically “Be Gretchen.” For her, this meant embracing the oddities of what she enjoyed, such as reading children’s literature. For her, delving into a Narnia book was an indulgence and a deep pleasure. However, for someone else, this endeavor would inspire a glassing over of the eyes and tearing out of hair. Today, Rubin writes about how what one person finds fascinating, another is sure to hate.
“It can be easy to overlook our likes and dislikes, or take them for granted, because we assume, “Well, sure, everyone likes video games,” “Everyone likes computer programming,” “Everyone likes reading and writing,” “Everyone likes getting the chance to speak in front of a large group,” “Everyone loves music.” But that’s not true! The phenomenon of homophily describes our tendency to spend time with people who are similar to us, which reinforces the notion that our likes and dislikes are widely held.
That’s why, if you’re trying to figure out what to do as a job or as a hobby, it helps to ask yourself, “What do I actually do, when I have some free time?” Really examine it. Be honest. Not what you think you should be doing, but what you actually do with yourself, and enjoy, and captures you interest. What’s true for you is not true for everyone — and that’s significant.”
When I ask myself what I should embrace to be Katy, I come up with a long list of non-related categories.
This is just a short list of what makes me be Katy. You may love camping, and hate science fiction. We’re all different, and what floats our individual boats will never be the same. Thank G-d!
Click HERE to read the entire Happiness Project post.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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Happy Easter to one and all. Although I am Jewish, my family has always enjoyed a visit from the Easter bunny, and this year is no exception.
May your day be filled with family, love and the hope of new beginnings.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
Good thing I have so many vintage Pyrex bowls. So pretty from start to finish!
Oy vey, I am up too late!
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I was sitting at the computer feeling bad because I hadn’t posted anything for a couple days. But then I remembered that I am my own boss, and as nice as it is to write on a daily basis, writing a blog is about self definition. I worked my day job as a labor and delivery nurse yesterday and the day before and was too pooped to write when I came home. It’s okay to just let loose and watch a movie with the family. Today we have two soccer games, and then my son wants to bake an elaborate cake afterwards. I may find time or inspiration to write later in the day, but if I don’t, that’s okay too.
The sun is shining, and the day holds all kind of promise.
Have a great day, fellow non-consumers! I know I will.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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Like speciality items? You know, like bowls with the word “Salsa” painted on them. Bowls that could not possibly hold cereal or even some tortilla chips.
Nah, I didn’t think so. I’m kind of fond of household items that serve a number of purposes, and I’ve observed that thrift store donators seem to feel the same way. Because there sure are a lot of odd single use or Unitaskers items that clutter up the Goodwill shelves. For example:
This bowl is for popcorn. Popcorn only. Nothing else!
Chicken soup? Lentil soup? No, TOMATO SOUP ONLY!
Finally, I no longer have to be stumped as to where to keep my melted butter and corn on the cob. (My doctor recommended that I ingest a daily cup of melted butter. At least he said he was a doctor.)
Not one, but two pans dedicated exclusively to the incredibly difficult art of boiling up some pasta. Finally! Now. . . what will I use to cook soup?
You know what I hate about my multi-purpose vegetable peeler? It doesn't take up enough space, has too few finicky parts and is too easy to keep clean. However can I solve this dilemma?!
Please people, stop buying this crap! Take the pledge — No more unitaskers! Please.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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I took a piece of sandpaper and lightly sanded the wooden frame.
Don’t you love the detail at the top of the mirror?
I took newspaper and covered all the glass up. This took awhile, and I kept thinking that there must be a better and easier way to do this.
I lay down a drop cloth in the back yard to spray the wooden frame. I made sure to start and end the spray before hitting the wood. This, I learned watching HGTV’s “Design Star.” (See? All the cable TV I watched last summer finally came in handy!) Needless to say, I waited until the weather was warm and dry, which perhaps explains why this Oregonian waited so long to complete her project.
The final product. It’s awfully shiny, but I’ve decided that I like it this way. Perhaps a little more “Disney Princess” than my normal decor style, but I love it!
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I work hard to try and minimize the plastic that enters my home. I always bring my own bags to the grocery store, (even for produce) I follow The Compact and buy only used, (which usually means no packaging) and I store food in glass Pyrex containers. However, there are a few plastic items in my house that serve their purpose well.
Example number one is my under-sink compost container, which is an ancient Rubbermaid brand container we received as a hand-me-down when a friend’s family switched over to keeping kosher. It’s chipped at the edges, the lid is cracked, and yes, it’s perfectly functional. I can bang it along the sides of the compost bin to get all the sticky stuff out, and normally don’t give it a second thought. I am aware that there are all kinds of attractive non-plastic options to my compost container, (this stainless steel one on Amazon costs $45.99 and requires endless purchases of charcoal filters.) but I think my own version (which we’ve been using since 1996) is perfectly functional, thank you very much.
My compost container ain't pretty, but it sure is functional!
The second example of plastic in my non-consumer home is a nesting set of Ikea bowls that I received as a gift from my sister. I hardly ever use them, but they have served an important function in my home as barf buckets. (or “emesis basins” for all my RN pals. 😉 )Feel nauseous? Well then, you’re going to bed with a bucket. And if you fall asleep without actually vomiting, chances are you might put it on your head as a hat. However, your mother loves you enough to refrain from snapping a photo, but kind of wishes that she had. (Seriously, the middle bowl fits perfectly as a hat, which is somehow irresistible to my children.)
I do not want to send my kids to bed with a breakable bowl, so keeping these plastic bowls on hand comes in real handy a couple times a year.
Barf bucket or hat? You make the call!
I am not suggesting that you run out and and buy a bunch of plastic stuff for your house, (Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life might call me out for that!) but life is not so black and white that there isn’t valid usage for the plastic that is already owned. Plastics recycling is far from perfect, and is considered by most to be downcycling, which has its own negative environmental consequences.
To find a use for what we already own is almost always preferable to buying a brand new eco-friendly alternative.
With or without that hat.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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