Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em, Coupons Can Save You a Buttload of Money

by Katy on April 6, 2011 · 65 comments

What do restaurant meals, bowling and, ahem, personal waxing all have in common? Easy. They’re all items/services you’d be foolhardy to approach without a coupon in hand. No longer are coupons relegated to the grocery and drug store aisles. Coupons today are for anything and everything. And yes, I use them.

I do not consider myself to be a big couponer. More than most people I suppose, but certainly nothing when compared to the likes of those profiled on TLC’s Extreme Couponing. Unlike those shoppers, I do not buy coupons on eBay, nor do I look beyond my Sunday paper, grocery circulars and occasional Facebook coupons. (“Like” Tillamook cheese for $1 off coupon type of deal.) I’m not sure how much I save with coupons, but I try not to buy anything I would not otherwise have wanted. I also buy a $20 Chinook Book every year, which are sold as school fundraisers and are filled with eco-friendly coupons for local businesses. I spend maybe ten minutes every other week clipping and organizing.

I carry a small coupon organizer in my purse, which pretty much screams sexless middle-aged mom to anyone who might be on the prowl. But that’s okay.

But just because there are horrifyingly extreme couponers being profiled on TV, doesn’t mean you have to mirror their methods to benefit from couponing. You can benefit from coupons without being an insane stockpiler of paper towels, over the counter medicine and frozen pot pies.

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “I would never be caught dead couponing. I only buy organic quinoa in 50 pound hemp sacks, which I then upcycle into scratchy baby blankets.”

So yeah, maybe food couponing will never be your cup of tea, (although The Chinook Book has Bob’s Red Mill coupons) but if you leave the house and pay for services, there’s still money to be saved. Here’s how:

Groupon: (Or, Living Social and Mobba, etc.) These group buying sites offer at least 50% discounts on at least one thing per day for your specific area. (I have bought coupons for local coffee shops, Blazers tickets, bowling, baked goods, movie tickets, Redbox rentals and even a Shutterfly photo book.) The hitch is that the deal is not official until a certain number of people buy in, but it’s so popular that this rarely, (if ever) happens. Most of the coupons are for weird things like waxing, tooth whitening, and the like. But if you get on their e-mail list, you’re almost certain to find something you want.

Internet Coupons: Whenever I’m going to buy something from a national company, (think rental cars or hotels!) I run a quick internet search to see if there’s a coupon or coupon code available. It only takes a few minutes and is almost always worth the effort. Just do a search for “coupon code” plus wherever you’re shopping. Also, sites like Coupons.com and Restaurants.com can be a surprisingly good sources for printable coupons.

Recently, I was researching a medication that one of my family members take, and I came across a 50% off your co-pay for a year coupon. This will save us hundreds of dollars, and I would never would have thought to look for a prescription medication coupon. But there it was, and the fine folks over at Walgreen’s didn’t even bat an eye!

This got me wondering about other bizarre coupons, so I asked the Facebook readers over at Frugal Living NW “What are some of the oddest things you’ve been able to use coupons for?”

Here are a few of the responses:

  • Erika: Condoms
  • Tomina: A Christmas tree (not artificial)
  • Stephanie: I couponed my wedding dress!!
  • Emilie: Our friends found a coupon towards their new home purchase…that is the craziest one I’ve heard of!
  • Brandi: KY Intense lubricant and I’m glad I tried it. So is hubby.
  • Kathi: Wine and vodka.

Are you seeing a pattern here? No? Good, because there is none. Because coupons today are for everything!

I am dying to watch an episode or two of Extreme Couponing, as I feel that amidst the insanity there is something to be learned. But barring that, (I am cable TV free) I will just watch the online snippets and enjoy my middle-aged life. Coupon organizer and all.

Are you a coupon-phile or coupon-o-phobe? 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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The Dukes Of Hazzard Will Not Decrease The Value of Your Home

by Katy on April 5, 2011 · 19 comments

The following is a reprint of a previously published column. Enjoy!

If you’re a homeowner, you’re constantly being told which improvements most increase the value of your home. I believe your home should reflect your own style and taste, and to not worry about whether it is bland enough for Mr. and Mrs. Average-Joe.

Is it all about the cash value of your home? Or about having a home that fits your needs both functionally and emotionally?

If home improvements were solely based of the resale value of your home, then you could never have your home reflect your own personal style.

One of my best friends from high school was not allowed to put anything on the walls of her bedroom. Her father was worried it would mar the wallpaper, thus negatively affecting the resale value of the house. Her bedroom had all the pizzazz of a room at The Marriott. She had to hang all her Dukes of Hazzard posters and paraphernalia in the closet. Which was just wrong. (In a number of ways, but that will be left unexplored.)

Her father put the needs of any future buyers ahead of his own daughter.

We are now back on track with our backyard project. The surprise of a leaky oil tank has now been officially dealt with, and the footing for a necessary rock wall has been poured. When finished, we’ll have a large brick patio from free bricks hoarded for years, surrounded by a mortared rock wall — made mostly from free craigslist rocks, (of course.)

Despite all the free materials, the backyard project will still be a pricey endeavor. (The landscaper is my sister Sara, and she’s no cheap girl.)

The money spent on this project could easily install a second bathroom in our 1914 bungalow. Any real estate agent worth his or her salt would recommend that second bathroom over a patio. But I’m not worried about the future dwellers of our house. I’m thinking about what would make our home more livable for us, in the here and now. I want to eat home-grown veggies, I want to dine with my family under the shade of our maple tree. But most importantly, I want a peaceful haven in my own backyard.

So when you’re considering home improvement, I suggest you put your own wants and needs ahead of prospective buyers. You are who is important now.

And now is where we all live.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Snippets From a Rainy Day

by Katy on April 5, 2011 · 17 comments

Sometimes I come across interesting snippets in my day that don’t quite warrant their own column, but are still interesting in their own right. For example:

I passed by a neighbor while walking through the rain to the grocery store this afternoon. He was coming out of the wrong house, which I joked about. I saw this same neighbor later in the evening while picking the kids up from martial arts. He told me about how he and another family have a weekly meal exchange, and that he’d been dropping off dinner. Each family makes a double meal once a week, and in return receives a weekly meal. I think this is fan-freaking-tastic! Building community and getting somebody’s else’s cooking on a weekly basis? I have got to get in on the action.

I stopped into the main Goodwill today, although I found nothing to buy. I did manage to sneak into the book section, where I pulled out two different celebrity autobiographies and looked at the pictures. (Russell Brand and Greg Louganis.) I don’t know what it is, but I just love looking at famous people’s personal pictures and reading the captions. I love this activity so much that I was somewhat surprised when I looked up, as I had forgotten where I was. I shook the cobwebs off and drove myself over to the library, where my book induced trance was a little more appropriate.

I’ve really been enjoying widening my social circle lately, and as a result my latté budget is shooting through the roof. (Okay, it went from $0 per week to maybe $6 per week.) Today I took out the first host mom of the Japanese exchange teacher that we hosted from October to January. He had not been a good fit with our family, and I had her take him back. I’ve felt very bad about this, but after today’s get together I am no longer carrying the guilt. I feel better. Definitely worth the budget-blasting latté!

Another reason to include the library in my day was that I had some rather wonderful books to pick up:

  • Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Traditions, by Amanda Blake Soule.
  • WordPress for Dummies, by Lisa Sabin-Wilson.
  • Enough Already: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You, by Peter Walsh.
  • Love the One You’re With, by Emily Giffin.
  • Plenty: Good, Uncomplicated Food for the Sustainable Kitchen, by Diana Henry.

A rainy day, not a particularly accomplished day, but still, a good day.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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How Small is Too Small? How About 90 Square Feet?

by Katy on April 4, 2011 · 32 comments

Watch this video about a Manhattanite willing to living in 90 square feet in order to live the life she wants. Because her rent is only $700, she’s able to travel, write and all that she loves. (It helps that she’s a professional organizer!)

I was totally sold until she shows off her loft bed, which is so close to the ceiling that she can’t even sit up to read.

Either way, fascinating stuff. Let me know what you think. (As an aside, her entire living space seems to be about the same size of the new construction walk-in closets from all the HGTV I watched last summer.)

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Multitaskers

by Katy on April 4, 2011 · 17 comments

Multitasking gets a bad rap. Sure, texting while driving is a sure road to splatters-ville, but listening to audiobooks while folding laundry earns a big thumbs up at my house. I am far from a zen master who wishes to be aware and in the moment at all times. In fact, my goal is to get through dull tasks of dishes, laundry and walking errands without even a blip of awareness as to what my body is doing. Some might compare it to an out of body experience.

Like a coma, but better.

But even better than the act of multi-tasking are household items that multitask. The perfect kitchen knife that slices and dices; clothespins that hang laundry, keep chip bags closed and even attach drying ziploc bags to the kitchen cupboards.

My favorite multitaskers are my Working Glass drinking glasses. Not only are they infinitely replaceable from thrift stores, but they have a classic aesthetic that compliments my Fiestaware dishes. (Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m insane.) But the best multitasking goodness of my drinking glasses is that you can buy snap-on lids which magically transform them into perfect little leftovers containers. Sure, you’re not going to fit the leftover turkey carcass into one, but that leftover gravy sure will! And since the glasses are see through, I get an all important visual reminder to eat my leftovers before they qualify for lab experimentation.

I am lucky to have a pretty big kitchen , but that doesn’t mean that I wish to clutter it up with unitasking statuary. With the exception of a covered dish shaped like a potato, (it gets used once a year on Thanksgiving) I pretty much use all of my kitchen paraphernalia on a regular basis.

Because if a kitchen item can’t show me me its worth, it’s likely to receive the ol’ heave-ho.

Multi-taskers, gotta love them! What are your favorite multitaskers? 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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52 Weeks, 52 Letters Project — Week 13

by Katy on April 3, 2011 · 5 comments

Photo courtesy of The Frugal Girl

It’s week 13 of the 52 Weeks 52 Letters Project, and I seem to be getting the hang of it. The key seems to be to figure out who I want to write to and then immediately address and stamp the envelope. That way, when inspiration and free time descend upon me, I’m ready to go!

This week, I wrote to my friend Sarah, who, although she lives in town, deserves her own letter. She and I have grown very close over the past dozen years or so that we’ve worked together, and is one of only a few co-workers who live at my end of town. We have spent countless hours together walking, drinking tea, taking the kids to the pool, vacationing, eating, bitching and moaning. She doesn’t like being mentioned on the blog, so she has a couple of different pseudonyms to hide under. But today, she goes under her actual name.

So Sarah, keep an eye on your mailbox. Week 13 is for you!

Are you keeping up with the letter writing challenge?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Does Frugality Mean You Shouldn’t Accept Generosity From Others?

by Katy on April 2, 2011 · 14 comments

The following is a reprint from a previously published post. Enjoy!

I am an independent person. I like to do things for myself, and can become quite bristly when others try and take over on my tasks. I do believe that this tendency has stood me well through the years, and has been a key aspect of my successes in life.

My husband and I have been working hard to eradicate our consumer debt, and have been putting off doing any more home renovation until that debt is a faint memory. The specific project that’s next on our to-do list is to add a second bathroom to our enormous house. This will involve finishing off an unfinished space in the back of our second story that currently functions as extra storage, as well as my indoor clothesline. (See photo above.)

I was out with my father a few weeks back, when he brought up the subject of his estate planning. Although my father, (a still working college professor) is a fit and vital 74 years old, he and my step-mother have been discussing the specifics of how their assets will be distributed. (I have a half-sister and a step brother on that side.) At the end of the conversation, my father offered to pay for the cost of adding another bathroom and bedroom to my house. (We already have 4+ bedrooms, but the unfinished space freezes us out in winter and heats us up in the summertime.) My father offered $5000, which should cover the job, as my husband would do the work, and we already bought most of the bathroom fixtures a few years back when we had a false start.

My first instinct was to say no to my father’s offer.

I like that my husband and I are able to take on our projects independently and to not depend on our parents to pay our bills. However, some of my other siblings have been on the receiving end of significant financial assistance, so there is already precedence.

I have talked this through and through with my husband, (who is on the side of accepting my father’s generosity) as well as with my friends and co-workers. So far, everyone has agreed with my husband.

I told my father that I was going to hold off on accepting any money for now, even joking that I felt “demasculinized.” How would I brag about my new bathroom and bedroom if my daddy paid for it?

As you can see, I’m a bit conflicted.

Should I accept my father’s generous offer, or put off that second bathroom for a couple more years? Luckily, this offer does not come with a deadline, so I can take all the time I want to mull things over.

Do you think that diehard frugality come with an “accept no money” clause? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Note: We did accept the money from my father, and have started on the bathroom, but stalled out a bit. An architect friend drew up plans *for free* as a thank you for coaching his son in soccer. (Hooray for community involvement!) My husband will start back up again when it stops being rainy and dark all the time.

 

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Non-Consumer Photo Essay

by Katy on April 1, 2011 · 4 comments

Remember how I was keeping an eye out for a more attractive, yet still functional solution to my dining room recycling needs?

Meet my "new" Goodwill recycling basket. It was too much money at $6.99, but it's the perfect size and essentially inoffensive.

I had set aside two almost completely eaten bags of tortilla chips to use at a later date. I cooked black bean chili last night, and stuck the chips onto a baking sheet to crisp them up. For too long. Bad burnt oil smell. Oh well, at least I tried.

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Worse Than No Clothes, The Emperor Has Crappy Clothes

by Katy on March 31, 2011 · 26 comments

My week has been pleasantly busy, with tasks and outings related to hosting a 15-year-old Japanese speech contest winner. And Monday, after he presented his speech on Bushido: The Samurai Moral Code, we spent a few hours downtown, as the teenagers shopped and did some sightseeing. Now you, as regular readers, know that time spent shopping downtown is about as usual for me as inviting ChemLawn over for a spray-fest. But not wanting to start an international incident, I shepherded the kids around, even ushering them into the downtown mall. (I consider this to be my ticket to heaven, as it was an entirely selfless task!)

The one store they seemed most excited about was a large Swedish department store that sells everything from shoes to slutty underwear. The joint was hopping, with loud rock music, prominent displays featuring supermodels attired head to toe in their merchandise, and store personnel with edgy piercings and Crayola hued dye jobs.

In other words, fashionista heaven.

But a closer look at the merchandise revealed that everything in the store looked like crap. The jewelry appeared about the same as gumball machine stuff, the towering heels were constructed from vinyl-esque material, the clothing was made with really thin fabric and the seams all looked wonky. And yes, everything was made in China, not Switzerland.

So yes, crap.

I looked around at the crowd of weekday shoppers, yet everyone seemed to be enjoying the illusion. And the phrase “Sell the sizzle, not the steak” began to swirl through my head.

Then I started to think about the Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. The story of a King, duped into believing in clothing that is only visible to the worthy. In the story, no one except a small child has the cojones to inform the king of his rather, ahem . . . nude status. I wanted to run an intervention with the people standing in line or at least scream “Does anyone else notice that everything in here is a piece of crap?!”

But then I took a deep breath, waited patiently while the Japanese teenagers made their purchases and then took everyone down to the food court.

And that night, I had a glass of wine.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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


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The People in My Neighborhood

by Katy on March 30, 2011 · 16 comments

My husband and I own two different cars. a 1997 Subaru Outback and a 2005 Honda Odyssey, both extremely reliable. However, even the most reliable cars need maintenance and an occasional tweak. My husband changes the oil himself, but we bring our cars over to Hawthorne Auto Clinic for the big stuff. We are aware that we could find a cheaper mechanic, but this business prides itself on its green practices and is extremely involved with neighborhood issues. They even donated a $500+ value package for my son’s preschool auction. Twice!

So my mini-van is currently gutted in their bay, which meant that when my son’s school bus came six minutes early this morning, we were left without any transportation to get him to school on time. The school is a mile-and-a-half away from our house, but there simply wasn’t time to walk without a tardy. But then I had an idea, which was to ask the mechanic to drive us to school. And guess what? They were more than happy to accommodate our strange request, and I got to learn about their re-jiggered Prius hybrid, which gets 100+ miles to the gallon.

Like Sesame Street, these are the people in my neighborhood!

Love my neighborhood.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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