I know I’ve posted this in the past, but Amy Dacyczn of The Tightwad Gazette is timeless. I love being able to see her house, which I had previously only seen in her wonderful line illustrations.
I ♥ her from the core of my being.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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My husband worked a 5 A.M. to 5 P.M. shift yesterday, and it wasn’t until he was almost home that it occurred to me that it would be nice of me to start thinking about preparing dinner. (Housewife of the year, I ain’t!) Luckily I attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Leftovers Wizardry, with a focus on last minute meals, so all was not lost.
A quick rummage through the fridge turned up a significant, yet dwindling amount of Yakisoba stir fry from Friday, an already chopped container of cabbage from last week’s burritos and a big bag of sale purchased organic broccoli. (The “organic” part of the “organic broccoli” is irrelevant, but I wanted to appease all you food-o-phile bullies out there in cyber-ville.) Wok in hand, I was able to quickly swirl enough broccoli and cabbage into the leftovers to prepare a delicious, yet healthy meal for my ravenous wizards.
Everyone got fed, the last bit of cabbage got incorporated into its third meal, (hooray for a focus on avoiding food waste) and I didn’t even have to resort to pulling out one of my Trader Joe’s emergency meals from the freezer. (A.K.A. “Meals that must not be named.”)
Now, if I could only do something about getting the house elf to finish up the dirty dishes. . . .
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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As a member of The Compact, I have been choosing to buy used since 2007. Except that I have gradually been adding a few okay to buy new exceptions as the years have passed. My main exceptions? Buying new items from locally owned stores and buying books authored by friends. I am a strong believer that communities are made stronger by shops that have owners, not stockholders.
This is why when the holiday gift shopping season came around, I bought my nephew a hardback copy of the the new Rick Riordan book at The Looking Glass Bookstore, and then when it turned out he already owned it, (grumble, grumble, grumble) I bought him a game at Cloud Cap Games down the road. It would have been sooo much easier (and frankly, cheaper) to click onto Amazon.com, but I feel a responsibility to think about how my purchases are affecting my community.
My father, Tony Wolk teaches in the English department at Portland State University, and is in a unique position to influence how students are buying their required books. He’s fully aware that students are on a tight budget and don’t really have the lofty choice to spend more than absolutely necessary. After spending 45 years in a tenured teaching position, my father is financially comfortable and has been known to tell students that he will hand them a crisp five dollar bill if they show him the receipt from a locally owned bookstore, rather than a national chain or Amazon. This covers the extra amount students would have saved by ordering from Amazon.com, and helps support the struggling small bookstores that Portland is famous for. Do the students take him up on his offer? Some do and some don’t, but my father is always happy to sacrifice a few bucks in the name of local booksellers.
You may have noticed that whenever I mention a book on The Non-Consumer Advocate, I always link to Powells.com instead of Amazon.com. It’s not an affiliate link, but my own little subversive thrill. I’m sure there is a way to get kickbacks from the links, but I’m pretty much technically challenged, and have given up on making significant income from a blog that tells people to stop buying stuff. (Yes, I am aware of the irony of a non-consumer blog with advertising.) I’m not perfect, as I greedily partake of the Amazon.com gift cards that I earn from doing online Swagbucks.com searches, (yup, that was an affiliate link) but my warped and quick-to-rationalize mind has no problem with this as there’s no money from my wallet with these transactions.
Call me human.
Are you willing to spend a bit more when supporting a locally owned business? Feel that I’m a monstrously demented hypocrite? 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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I feel like my non-consumer-y focus has been on decluttering lately, which is historically how I tend to feel after the stuff gluttony of the holiday season. But this doesn’t mean that frugality doesn’t continue to be an ever present part of my daily life.
Just yesterday I:
But here’s the crux, the big picture of why I’m frugal has very little to do with money. I am frugal to keep my life simple. Being frugal has allowed me to work part-time in the job that I love as a labor and delivery nurse without getting burned out. Being frugal allows me to spend very little time driving to and from work, (a huge plus, as I hate commuting) Being frugal gives me the free time I want in order to build community, write this blog, pal around with the kids, read for pleasure, maintain friendships and daydream. Frugality frees up money from the ridiculous so that it’s available for the important, and makes money less important.
Yes, frugality has given me an untold amount of financial peace of mind, but it’s also kind of an afterthought.
Is your frugality an effort to amass a great fortune, simplify your life or something altogether different? 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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I switched over to once a month garbage service a couple of years ago, and every now and again it’s five long weeks between pickups. Unfortunately, February is one of those months, and also happens to be a month when we had whole dungeness crabs for dinner.
And let me tell ya’, crab shells, plus all that cat litter is a deadly combination.
So, sorry garbage collectors. And, um . . . next month’s pickup will be in four weeks, not five.
Sorry about the low tide in pooptown.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
P.S. At least my kids are potty trained.
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Peter Walsh
I am always amazed at where I find inspiration in my life. It may come from an overheard conversation, packaging on a bag of random Japanese souvenirs (“Lovely Piglet Carry You Happiness!”) or recently, from a Costco Connection magazine.
The February 2011 issue of Costco Connection has an article titled, “De-Cluttering 2.0,” which includes a quote from decluttering guru, Peter Walsh:
“Complete the cycle. If you use it, put it away. If you dirty it, wash it.”
This is so simple, yet so difficult; and I am just as bad as anyone else about working this into my daily life. I am most definitely memorizing this little nugget of wisdom. Umm . . . thanks Costco Connection, I can now toss you into the recycling. Yup. Cycle completed.
Have you ever found inspiration from an unlikely place? 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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Regular Non-Consumer Advocate readers already know that I’m a big fan of selling unwanted household items on Craigslist, but what you may not know is that my husband is a closet addict as well. And while I was busy birthin’ babies at work yesterday, my husband sold a monstrous $35 P.G.E surplus store desk for the lovely inflated price of $150. Although I respected the classic industrial lines of this midcentury desk, it weighed more than an elephant on a brownie bender, was completely inflexible as to where it could be located, and made furniture arrangement awkward in our spare bedroom.
It had to go.
So bye-bye, behemoth of a desk. You were useful in my husband’s 1997 commercial photo studio, less so in our 2011 spare bedroom. Say hello to your new home in a real estate office.
A little info on the desk:
“The Modernaire was introduced in 1948 from the Invincible Metal Furniture Company. It became the signature product line of the company for the next 50 years and is still produced today as the “M-Line desk”, which retails for $1200. The patent numbers place the desk in the 1950 and 1959 range.”
Do you have any cluttersome and potentially profitable objects in your home? Give someone else the opportunity to find use for them, while plumping up your bank account. Seriously, it’s a no brainer.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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Photo courtesy of The Frugal Girl
I just wrote my latest letter in the 52 Weeks, 52 Letters Project, and let’s just say, well . . . perfect is the enemy of the good. Because yes, this letter was not my finest effort. But if I had waited until I could pen the world’s greatest letter then there would have been no letter. The handwriting was scrappy, (my hand kept cramping up) the flow was choppy and I thought of some other information to include after I had already sealed the envelope.
The letter was to my cousin Lynn who lives in Pittsburgh. This particular cousin was already almost an adult by the time I was born, and I always thought she was so cool and pretty. (Okay, that’s my eight-year-old self sneaking out) She did bring her family out to Portland a few years back, and I really, really enjoyed the time we spent together. Her teenage daughters were also cool and pretty, (no surprise) and despite less than stellar beach accommodations we all seemed to have a great time.
It’s been hard to write letters lately, as my mother has been going through a cancer scare and my mind hasn’t been on the task. Luckily, we just found out yesterday that our fears were not realized, and we can all breathe deeply again. She did have to undergo major surgery in order to rule out the cancer, and will be in the hospital for at least a few more days. January has been an extremely difficult month for my family, and we’re looking forward to a drama-free February.
And maybe, just maybe I’ll be the recipient of a letter or two.
Are you keeping up with the 52 Weeks, 52 Letters Project? 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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“Consumers who lost jobs or had pay cut likely will stick with the money-saving tactics longer, Perner said. Those who simply felt the recession emotionally, are more likely to default on budget-cutting plans and be back at Starbucks sooner.”
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I don’t know why flash mobs make me cry, but they always do. I guess it’s good that I’ve never witnessed one in person, as I would mortify those around me.
I love that this mob is is comprised almost entirely of little girls.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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