My Island Dreams Don’t Involve Balmy Breezes

by Katy on November 21, 2010 · 29 comments

I wrote last week about how I’ve been hunting down the perfect kitchen island. I had looked at an island from Craigslist, rejected it and then stopped at an estate sale on the way home. My friend Sara was also at the estate sale, and she told me about the kitchen island she had constructed from chrome metro shelving and a piece of butcher block. Sara is super creative and a fantastic seamstress, so I knew I needed to see this for myself. A few days later I finagled an invite to her house, and camera in hand, invaded her kitchen.

Sara’s kitchen island for her “One butt kitchen.”

Sara calls her kitchen a “one butt kitchen,” referring to the small space and apparent frequency of bumping butts when more than one person attempts to work in the kitchen. Luckily my kitchen is more like a “four butt kitchen,” so I envisioned a larger island. Sara had bought used metro shelving at a restaurant supply store, adding a few new components such as the wheels. The butcher block top was bought elsewhere, with holes drilled to accommodate the posts.

I drove that afternoon to Rose’s Restaurant supply to scope out the prices and availability of used shelving, and was less than impressed. There was only one shelf piece without rust, and didn’t relish the task of buying one piece at one store and another across town. I wanted the kitchen island complete before Thanksgiving’s mega cooking spree.

My husband pointed out that we already had a large metro shelving unit in the closet of our downstairs bedroom, but I didn’t really want to cannibalize it, as it was in use by the Japanese teaching intern who’s living with us. Sure, he’s in Japan at the moment, but I didn’t think it would be very nice to remove his storage. But then I took a second look at at and realized that there was actually enough shelving for my kitchen island and his stuff.

The butcher block top I knew would be cheapest from Ikea, although I did put the question out there on my Facebook page for other ideas. My friend Bryony responded, saying she had a large butcher block table top in her basement which had been used for their kitchen island, but had since been replaced by granite. It did have a big chunk cut out from where the cooktop was, but I was welcome to come take a look at it. Sadly, the available footage was too small for what I needed, but we had a lovely couple of hours bonding over our shared love of frugality, (her house was 58°, there was laundry on an indoor rack and her cup of tea was reheated, although mine was fresh.)

Okay. I had explored the non-Ikea options, it was now time to admit defeat and drive over to the mega mall/mecca of Scandinavian design. I had been over earlier in the week on a fact finding mission and knew exactly what I wanted, which was a the Numerär birch 49-5/8″ X 25-5/8″/ 1-1/2″ thick butcher block. I brought some muscle, (my husband) and the kiddos and even fed them from the cafeteria. (Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes for the adults and breaded chicken and fries for the kids.) We scoured the scratch and dent department to see if they had any butcher block, and then finally shelled out the $89.

Once home, it was a matter of maybe an hour to assemble the shelving and drill the holes. And now I have exactly the kitchen island I want. And my vintage dinette table? It’s on Craigslist for $100.

My new kitchen island! I had my husband orient the butcher block so there’s seating at one end. The stool was sitting unused in the basement!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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The Story of Electronics

by Katy on November 18, 2010 · 3 comments

Please keep this in mind when you’re doing your holiday shopping, or when telling friends and family what you want.

Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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99¢ Breakfast and a 10¢ iPad

by Katy on November 18, 2010 · 16 comments

My iPad

I drove my Japanese host son to the airport yesterday morning for an early morning flight, and decided to stop into Ikea to scope out their butcher block for the kitchen island I am designing. (Both Ikea and the airport are a bit of a schlep from the house, so it’s good to batch these errands.)

Unfortunately, Ikea doesn’t open until 10:00 A.M., (although they do open the cafeteria and showrooms earlier.) I sat in the car, watching the wind whip the flags around and started to wish that I’d had the foresight to bring my laptop along for the ride. I then realized that I had a spiral notebook in the car, so I started to write a to-do list, notes for blog ideas, and a first draft for a column. Time passed quickly, and I realized that the parking lot was filling up, so I brought my notebook into the store and ordered one of their 99¢ breakfasts and enjoyed some delicious free coffee.

I continued writing until the store officially opened and then tucked my notebook under my arm and made my way over to the butcher block area. I spoke with the salesperson, made notes on sizes and prices and then performed a look-see though the seconds department.

No fuss, no muss, 99¢ breakfast. And my iPad was bought for 10¢ during the summer’s school supply sales.

Who else needs a ride to the airport?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Bank Robberies, Kitchen Islands and Porn. Oh My!

by Katy on November 16, 2010 · 36 comments

It’s been a week since I started taking a break from writing The Non-Consumer Advocate, and I have to say that it’s kind of weird. I keep coming across things I want to write about and then realizing that I don’t need to do it. I mean seriously, a Portland green living/backyard chickens/frugality blogger was arrested for a series of bank robberies. How could I not write about that?!

I went to look at a kitchen island from Craigslist, (which I didn’t buy) and ended up stopping at an estate sale and running into a friend  on the way home. She told me about how she fashioned a kitchen island from a used restaurant steel shelving unit, to which she attached a butcher block top and wheels. I will be going to her house and taking pictures, as I love this idea. (I did pick up an extra pie spatula for 50¢, which will come in handy on Thanksgiving.)

I drove all the way into work yesterday, (a 20 mile round trip!) only to find that I wasn’t actually on the schedule. I made up for it by lying on the couch all day intermittently napping and watching The Tudors on the streaming Netflix. I had listened to a library audio book of  The Other Boleyn Sister earlier this year, so this is piquing my interest. However, I have to keep the remote control right next to me, as anyone walking through the living room might assume I’m watching porn, as this Showtime series is not shy with the sex scenes. Not shy at all.

I hope you are all doing well and surviving without your daily dose of Non-Consumer Advocate.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Missing The Non-Consumer Advocate?

by Katy on November 13, 2010

If you are missing the discussion and community of The Non-Consumer Advocate, I want to point out that there’s a Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook Group that includes an underutilized discussion area. I will continue to post links and information on the group’s pages to keep things going.

All are welcome to post on the wall and I encourage involvement from any and all non-consumers.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Some Explanation

by Katy on November 10, 2010

I wanted to take a chance to thank (most) everyone for their kind and thoughtful comments on my decision to take a break from writing The Non-Consumer Advocate.

The response to my blog post about shopping at Safeway vs. New Seasons really put a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, the majority of comments were benign, but a few were mean spirited, condescending, elitist and downright bizarre. (Seriously, you assume because I bought two cans of refried beans, that I’m feeding “lard” to my family?) I am a 42-year-old registered nurse and do not welcome online letters written to me about how important it is to eat fruit and vegetables. Seriously. No, I do not want your guidance.

My first response was to write a post about all the healthy and impressively green choices I make for my family, but then kind of decided that I didn’t want to be writing The Non-Consumer Advocate from a position of defense or one-man-upmanship.

The result of all these ruminations, was that it made me question why I write The Non-Consumer Advocate, and I couldn’t come up with a definitive answer. I have enjoyed creating what I thought was a positive and non-competive environment for frugality and sustainable, but everything has its end.

I think I might move towards writing an e-book, although I might not. I’m not really sure what’s next and if I’ll even be able to stay away from the blog.

Please do know that I am not doing this because there’s anything wrong in my life, nor am I burning the candle at both ends. My life is fine.

If you’re missing The Non-Consumer Advocate, please feel free to browse through the archives. Surely there’s something you haven’t read before. There are 917 of them.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

A Break for The Non-Consumer Advocate

by Katy on November 8, 2010 · 182 comments

I am going to take an extended leave from writing The Non-Consumer Advocate. I have enjoyed writing about frugality and sustainable living over the past two-and-a-half years, but today’s mean spirited and elitist comments kind of burst my balloon.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Why I Love New Seasons, but Why I’ll Keep Shopping at Safeway

by Katy on November 8, 2010 · 107 comments

There is a locally owned grocery store chain in the Portland area called New Seasons Markets. They are bright, beautiful and full of the kind of customers whose locavore/green living street cred make both Al Gore and Michael Pollan fall to their knees and weep. They provide full health care for their employees, as well as a living wage. (Someone once left a New Seasons pay stub at one of my mother’s guest cottages, and the hourly wage was an amount I never made until I started work as a BSN nurse.) Their produce is organic and locally produced whenever possible and their cheese counter rivals that of Zabars.

In other words, it’s everything a grocery store should be.

And guess what? A New Seasons Market just opened a block and a half from my house!

And guess what else? New Seasons Market’s prices would at least triple my grocery expenditures.

Which is why I still do the majority of my grocery shopping at Safeway, where their $10 off $50 coupons, (once a month, but frequent enough to keep me in pantry staples) make it possible to achieve my financial goals without having to go from working part-time to full-time.

Here’s what I bought at Safeway yesterday:

  • Four 5-pound bags of unbleached Gold Medal flour
  • One box of Red Rose tea bags
  • One bag of pretzels
  • One jug of pancake syrup
  • Six boxes of pasta
  • One gallon of vinegar (To make spray cleaner)
  • Two cans of refried beans
  • One can of El Pato brand salsa
  • One half gallon of whole milk (for coffee)
  • One quart of egg nog
  • Three cans of concentrated orange juice
  • One large bag of string cheese
  • One large packet of chicken breasts
  • A quarter pound of rock shrimp
  • Two pomegranates
  • Four pounds of pears
  • One head of lettuce
  • Ten pounds of potatoes
  • A pound-and-a-half of deli ham

The grand total was $54.96, and I filled six grocery bags, (reusable of course!)

I later walked over to the New Seasons Market to pick up a loaf of ciabatta bread and noticed that the woman in front of me paid approximately the same amount for a single bag of groceries! Granted, I didn’t actually see what she had bought, but the dramatic difference widened my eyes and confirmed my suspicions.

I will do some shopping at New Seasons, as their hormone-free locally raised milk is $2.29 a gallon and their cage-free eggs are $1.99 per dozen. I just bought sale organic fuji apples for 99¢ a pound and will surely buy a number of last minute dinner ingredients.

But the six vs. one bag of groceries dilemma is dramatic enough to keep me from choosing ethics over my wallet. I am probably a month away from paying off all our consumer debt, (stupid money-pit of a house!) and it is only because I make these frugal choices that favor financial stability over shopping with the beautiful people.

Do you struggle with the ethics vs. wallet dilemma in your own life? 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: This week’s Monday Giveaway will be on Tuesday, as I actually have nothing at the moment to “give away.”

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100 Things on The Coffee Table Challenge!

by Katy on November 7, 2010 · 17 comments

100 Thing Challenge? I think I'll promote a 100 things on the coffee table challenge. Are you in?

I am having wonderful Sunday morning filled with unexpected sunshine, warm bagels and a lie down on the couch. The smell of coffee is wafting through the house, although I’m too couch bound to actually go get myself a cup.

On my to-do list today is to hit up the grocery store, oversee homework, return the RedBox video at Fred Meyer, (stocking up again on the it’s free-if-you-use-the-instore-coupon Colgate) but mostly just puttering around the house and neighborhood.

And guess what? I can live my simple life all the while owning decidedly more than 100 possessions!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Great Pacific Garbage Patch — TedX

by Katy on November 6, 2010 · 2 comments

Today illustrates yet again how I am sooo very far from being tech savvy. I agreed to stream the the TedX Conference where my blog-pal Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish is speaking about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch today. Sadly, I’ve been having a hard time embedding video into my WordPress blog as of late. I think that I’m doing the same thing as always, yet it just doesn’t work. I’ve studied YouTube videos and looked at previous blog posts that worked, yet I hit a brick wall over and over again.

So click here to watch the live streaming video from TedX.

Addendum: Kristen over at The Frugal Girl snuck into my code and fixed the embed. Another example of her excellence. Thank you, Kristen!

Watch live streaming video from tedxgp2 at livestream.com

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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