Striking Gold at Goodwill

by Katy on March 19, 2011 · 17 comments

My sister and her family are in town right now, which of course necessitated a trip to Goodwill. I did my usual sweep through the store, and then just followed my sister around, chatting and glancing down at the shelves. And then suddenly, there it was. Shining its golden surface up at me like a forgotten bottle of whiskey floating in Charlie Sheen’s toilet tank.

The bottom half of a Swiss Gold reusable coffee filter.

Let me start from the beginning. My husband Dale is a coffee drinker, and has been using the same Swiss Gold coffee filter over the past ten years or so. These 23 Karat gold individual filters normally cost $19, and it was a big decision to buy one at the time. We’ve been hesitant to buy another one, and subsequently baby the one we have. Unfortunately, daily use has taken its toll, and the coffee is not as beautifully filtered as it once was. And ironically, I was just waxing poetic about how I once found one a garage sale for 50¢, which I then gave to my father.

And here’s the best part. I only needed the bottom piece to the filter, and that’s exactly what was sitting on the Goodwill shelf.

I love Goodwill, and I will try to remember this purchase, as I try to hold back from going too often in an attempt to avoid recluttering my house. Such a perfect purchase! Not clutter at all!

Ahh . . . .

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

Hello, lover.

Can you tell which filter is the new one?

 

 

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Cheap Eats — Red Lentil Soup

by Katy on March 19, 2011 · 29 comments

I’ve always liked lentil soup, but I’ve recently discovered that when the regular brown lentils are replaced with red lentils, the result is silky smooth and rather delicious. This discovery was prompted by one of my mother’s guest cottage tenants who left behind a huge unopened bag of red lentils from an Indian grocery store. I was hesitant to bring it home, as such a big bag was just inviting a burden of “What am I supposed to do with all these lentils?” into my kitchen. But then I remembered that my step-mother Lindy had written a red lentil soup recipe into the blog comments awhile back. This soup has been such a hit at my house, that I finally used up the last of the lentils last night. (I think there had been five pounds!) and I now need to search out where there’s an Indian grocery store in town.

Lindy and Katy’s Red Lentil Soup:

Ingredients:

  1. 3 Tbsp oilve oil
  2. 1 onion
  3. 2 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
  4. 1 tsp salt
  5. 1 heaping teaspoon curry powder
  6. 1-1/2 cup red lentils
  7. 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Cooking:

  • Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven style pan on the stovetop and add the chopped onion. Saute until translucent.
  • Add the salt, curry powder, ginger and the red lentils and stir for 30 seconds or so.
  • Add the stock and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
  • Blend the soup when the lentils have softened, either using an immersion blender or your blender.

This soup smells wonderful while cooking and heats up nicely as leftovers. Like any recipe, it can be tinkered with by adding extra veggies, or whatever appeals to you.

I think the soup cost less than 50¢ as the lentils were free, but even with store bought ingredients, this recipe can be a frugal ace in the hole without appearing like a cheap-o meal. Enjoy!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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It’s Back — Five Things That Make Me Happy, and One Thing That Pisses Me Off

by Katy on March 18, 2011 · 29 comments

I have written past columns about five things that make me happy. I like these mini-posts because they’re very to the point and keep the long winded side of me in check. It’s good to remind myself of the happy things, as life can get a bit zooey around here at casa Wolk-Stanley.

But today’s five things that make me happy list doesn’t seem complete without a chaser of one thing that pisses me off. It somehow balances the too good to be true quality of the study of happiness. So, here goes . . .

Five Things That Make Me Happy, and One Thing That Pisses Me Off

  1. Making new friends outside of my normal circle. (My circle normally includes nurses, neighbors and soccer moms.)
  2. Discovering that my odd collection of mismatched foodstuffs can actually add up to a delicious meal. (Baked macaroni and cheese, made with bacon, peas, aged white cheddar, whole wheat rotini and bread crumbs from frozen crusts.)
  3. That Joanne one of my blog readers mailed me a “Mend and Make Do to Save Buying New” coaster all the way from England. So cute, and so utterly perfect on my $15 antique desk.
  4. Randomly pulling an audio book from the library shelves that ends up entertaining me through hours of dishwashing, laundry folding and gardening. (Thank you, The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte!)
  5. Opening my kitchen junk drawer to find it meticulously organized, thanks to the somehow lid-free Japanese lunch containers. (Thanks kids!)

 

  1. The brand new ring on the finish of my lovely antique desk.

Okay now, your turn. What makes you happy, and conversely, what pisses you off?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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The Non-Consumer Advocate is Getting a Little Tipsy

by Katy on March 17, 2011 · 12 comments

I like household tips. I don’t know precisely what it is that appeals to me, but there’s just something so satisfying about figuring out solutions to everyday problems. I just feel so gol durned smart. There are always going to be products marketed to solve life’s little challenges, (and you’ll find a hilarious number of them in Unclutterer’s Unitaskers Wednesdays) but figuring out solutions without buying a new product will always put a spring in my step.

In search of the cleverest tips, I even polled my Twitter followers and Facebook group.

Some of my favorite tips, as well as a few reader suggestions:

  • When using cooking spray, I always place the pan on the opened dishwasher door. That way any overspray can wash off with the next cycle. Obviously, don’t do this if your dishwasher is full of clean dishes.
  • I use my Cuisinart food processor at least twice a week, but washing it is always kind of a pain in the tuchus. Soaking the bowl can be a challenge because the water leaks from the center hole. However, an empty film canister fits precisely over the center stem piece, making it possible to soak the bowl before washing it out. I store the film canister inside of the white plastic pusher piece. (Any film developing place can give you a canister if you’ve completely switched over to digital.)
  • If two glass bowls get stuck together in the cabinet, (like your Pyrex storage) place the bottom bowl in warm water, and fill the top bowl with ice. This expands one while contracting the other, and the two bowls will easily separate. Plus, you get to feel like Dr Science!
  • If you have a light bulb that broke while still screwed in place, it can extremely difficult to remove. A super ball, (like the kind from a gum-ball machine) placed into the socket can give you enough traction to unscrew the broken bulb. Obviously, use common sense and unplug the lamp first. (I store a super ball in the same place as my lightbulbs.)
  • From @FeathrdFriendsy “Plain white paste style tooth paste is the best silver polish EVER.” (This I already knew, as I bought a super nasty tube of Trader Joe’s toothpaste and have been using as polish silver to save my taste buds!)
  • From Kari DeLong Dahler: “Before you light a candle in a glass holder put a few drops of water in the holder under the candle. When you want to remove the candle it will pop right out.”
  • From Julia Park Tracey: “I save butter wrappers in a ziplock in the freezer so that any time I need to grease a pan (I don’t like cooking spray), I have a greased paper ready. No paper towels, no waste, and then I compost the wrapper after its final use.”

What are your tips to share with The Non-Consumer Advocate community? Please tip us off in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Non-Consumer Photo Essay

by Katy on March 16, 2011 · 19 comments

I look around my house and it seems that almost everything reflects my Non-Consumer lifestyle. From a bottle of olive oil that perches upside down, gleaning that very last teaspoon of oily goodness, to the pile of clipped coupons for yes, real food. (Down foodies, down!) I could write on and on about it, but instead I’ll let you take a peek.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

It wasn't until the next morning that I noticed that my 12-year-old son only ate half of his school lunch sandwich. The turkey had been sitting out all night and the entire thing had to be scrapped. Must remind myself to have him eat his lunch leftovers as an after school snack.

A pile of clipped coupons shows that couponing isn't just for packaged crap. Note that there are coupons for cooking oil, eggs, bread, cheese, bagels and orange juice. I'll probably only use a few of them, but it will be when these items are also on sale.

When the bottle of olive seems empty, I'll flip it upside down for another drizzle or two.

Two different bottles of upside down shampoo. The Pantene one had been placed in the wastebasket by our Japanese host son when he moved out. There was at least another week or two of shampoo left in it.

When our favorite hand lotion seems empty, we cut off the top and are always rewarded with plenty more product. Insane? Nope, just thrifty. (Sorry about the poor photo, but my camera is not big on the close-up.)

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The Lesson of the $300 Sunglasses

by Katy on March 16, 2011 · 19 comments

I may live my life avoiding the mall as if my life depended on it, but my kids are teenagers and make their own choices. Just yesterday, my 15-year-old son and a friend spent a couple hours after school shopping for a birthday gift and enjoying all that our nearby mall has to offer. I picked them up afterwards, (I’m not a fan of nighttime mass transit for my kids) and enjoyed listening to their chatter in the backseat of the car.

“Did you see that $300 pair of sunglasses?”

“No. Were they made from gold?”

“They actually looked really normal.”

At this point I had to interject.

“I like to find sunglasses at Goodwill, that way I don’t freak out if they get lost or scratched up.”

I started to think about how because my thrifted sunglasses are so cheap, that I end up treating them, well . . . less than respectfully. They slosh around in my purse, jostling up against my keys, wallet and assorted detritus, garnering about as much respect as Rodney Dangerfield at a 1970’s feminist convention. And really, why should I care? They’re cheap, cheap, cheap!

But this is not good. Essentially, I am treating my belongings poorly because I know they are easily replaceable and cost less than a drive-thru burger. If I bought the $300 sunglasses, you know I would store them in a sunglasses case, making sure to clean them only with a microfiber cloth with much admiring of myself in the rear view mirror. In  others words, not the Rodney Dangerfield treatment.

The lesson here? I should continue to buy my sunglasses at Goodwill, but treat them as if I didn’t. And really, I should treat all my Stuff in this manner. $15 antique desk? Still need to use a coaster. Bargain of a fixer-upper house? Should still occasionally clean it.

Have you found that you treat your cheap purchases worse than if you’d spent a ton of money? 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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Only When I Laugh — The Goodwilll Edition

by Katy on March 15, 2011 · 13 comments

My mother and I had what we call one of our Only When I Laugh afternoons yesterday. This refers to a 1981 Neil Simon movie starring Marsha Mason and Kristy McNichol, (the plot of which I’ve completely forgotten,) but in the movie, the mother takes the daughter on a whirlwind shopping spree. We saw this movie together when it first came out, (probably at a second run theater) and it saddened my mother at the time, as she was financially unable to take my sister and me shopping. Ever. Luckily, my mother’s financial situation has bettered, and she’s able to take me shopping every now and again. Luckily for her, my shopping needs are of the Goodwill variety. Come to think of it, so are hers!

Here’s what we bought yesterday:

 

A $1.99 never opened box of 1974 stationary, a $1.99 early childhood Scrabble game, a 99¢ tempered glass lid for one of my cast iron pans and a $1.99 vintage box of Dominos.

Detail from the stationery box. Isn't it cute? I can't wait to start using it!

I fell in love with the graphics on this box of "Jumbo" brand Dominos. I will give it to my illustrator sister, who collects this kind of thing for reference. It has a tiny scrawled "$50" written in the upper left hand corner. Mysterious.

And didn’t buy:

I didn't buy anything from this like-new stack of Fiesta Ware. I was tempted, but I already have an excessive amount, and the color didn't really float my boat. Instead, I left it for someone else's boat float-age.

My mother and I  may not have been able to afford shopping sprees in the 1980’s, but we’re making up for it now. Take that, Marsha Mason!

Thanks, mom!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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Curtains!

by Katy on March 15, 2011 · 15 comments

 

Before

After

Remember my Curtain Emergency from last week? Well, it took three days of work, but my mother and I finally finished them. (Okay, it was mostly her, but let’s not quibble about details.) The two of us are stumped as to why they took so long to complete, but it had something to with the rather slippery nature of sheer fabric and a rather unfortunate cut on a chalk line that was supposed to be a fold line.

I appreciate everyone’s feedback on the curtains, (I think there were 72 comments!) You guys actually changed my mind on how I was planning on doing them.

I’m happy with how they turned out. It’s nice to see the wood trim, and they let so much more light in than the previous ones did.

Thanks for all your feedback, my $5 curtains look terrific!

There, now my house is perfect! (Placing hands over ears, yelling la-la-la!)

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 10

by Katy on March 14, 2011 · 10 comments

Photo courtesy of The Frugal Girl

2011 is flying by, and somehow week ten of the 52 Weeks, 52 letters Challenge has come and gone. Luckily, I knew exactly to whom I wanted to write this week’s letter, and that was none other than Kristen of The Frugal Girl. And this is due to Kristen being the originator of Food Waste Friday and my week was rather focused on the issues related to yup, you guessed it — food waste.

It was a natural fit.

Also, Kristen actually took the time to write me a return letter, which I carried around in my purse for a week or so rereading it during the dull moments that pepper my life.

So Kristen, keep an eye on your mailbox, because another Katy Wolk-Stanley letter is on its way. I just hope you can read my sloppy handwriting.

Are you participating in the letter writing challenge? It’s never too late to start, and I highly recommend joining. It’s 44¢ per week, and worth every penny.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Too Frugal for my Own Good

by Katy on March 13, 2011 · 19 comments

Some might consider my frugality as too frugal. I choose to not buy (most) anything new, I have no qualms about bringing uneaten food home from my mother’s rental cottages, (even if the packaging has been opened) and I drink the swill masquearading as coffee at work, simply because it’s free. (It truly is awful.) I revel in my cheap-ness.

But there are times when my frugality backfires.

Example #1 is my new TV. My friend Susan was putting a home theater into her spare bedroom, and she offered to give me her ginormous 32″ Sony Trinitron television, if we could just come and pick it up. And pick it up we did, all 178 pounds of it, (my husband Googled the weight) all the way from the far suburbs to our urban oasis. Not that the old TV was so shabby, but the new TV had superior picture, sound and fit into our cabinet like it was custom made. My family was in heaven.

I try and keep a handle on all the vampire energy usage by keeping all my TV related appliances plugged into a single surge protector. This way, I’m not paying to light up a dozen different tiny lights for the 23 hours a day when they’re not in use. I am vigilant about switching the surge protector off, apparently too vigilant. Because I switched off the surge protector when the TV was still on and overloaded the circuit board, which fried the TV.

So now, I no longer have a nice new free TV. I have a 178 pound paperweight. That, and a pissed off husband.

Oops . . . too frugal.

Have you found yourself crossing the line from money smart to foolishly frugal? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

 

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