A Love Letter to Free Boxes

by Katy on June 30, 2023 · 20 comments

My dearest darling,

I see you from afar, drawing me in with your 90°angles. Your open flaps undulating in the breeze — whispering my name.

Katy . . .

I cannot resist your siren song. I look furtively around, who will bear witness to my digression? I act casual, as if it’s a normal thing to rummage through your unknown depths. Will your contents be clean? Will my mercenary nature be revealed as I fill my arms with your bounty? Will there be unexpected moisture?

You’re not discreet, so why should I be? I spy others who unabashedly reach into your depths and yet I hesitate. Those who’ve abandoned ownership of your soul should not stand in judgement of my need.

Oh, my need . . .

A flowerpot, filthy enough to bring a blush to my cheek, a tea cup containing the dried  leaves prognosticating our future, a scratched up frame to display a fleeting moment in time; and the books — so many books! They tell tales as intimate as the love we continue to share.

My home is a testament to our love. What to others may not draw the eye, I know to be evidence of our deep and abiding passion. The belongings to flesh out my world however much my accounts bulge with riches. For it matters not when your love is given as untethered and free as the birds who look down upon us from the azure skies.

You are forever and always my love, the receptacle to my heart. My free box.

Like Non-Consumer Advocate love letters? Then CLICK HERE to read through the archive of every single one I’ve written since 2008. My favorite is the very first one that I wrote.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 20 comments }

A Fun Little Non-Consumer Upcycle

by Katy on June 29, 2023 · 28 comments

You might be getting sick and tired of reading about the free things I’ve been sourcing to turn my daughter’s childhood bedroom back into an attractive and usable space. (Like how I got this dresser and this rug. for free!) If so, too bad . . .  because I figured out a freebie solution to there being no wastebasket in the room.

It all started with a listing in my Buy Nothing group for this goofy metal kombucha bucket. I doubt you remember, but I blogged in 2013 about covering my daughter’s Miss Spider Tea Party wastebasket with vintage maps for a less preschool-y vibe. It’s actually the wastebasket that she took with her to her new apartment, and the reason why I need a replacement. I still had the supplies on hand.

Those supplies? Mod-Podge craft glue and a couple of vintage maps. Likely the same bottle of Mod-Podge, which I thought would be dried out but was actually just fine. I created a simple pattern piece from a sheet of paper and didn’t overthink it. After all, it’s a wastebasket for a spare bedroom — the stakes were low.

Here it is, halfway completed:

I made sure to highlight important geographic locales.

The entire project took less than a half hour from start to finish and I’m 100% pleased with the result. I posted photos on my Instagram stories and had one follower write that she was inspired to do the same thing with a Trader Joe’s popcorn tin, which I love!

I’m amazed at how quickly this room is finally coming together. I’ve spent months methodically but unsuccessfully looking for the anchor pieces to bring the room together, and have somehow found everything almost all at once! For free.

Love me some free stuff.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 28 comments }

Dutch Tulip Fever at Goodwill

by Katy on June 28, 2023 · 36 comments

This post is part of a week where’s I’m publishing a brand new blog post every single day. I invite you to stop by tomorrow as well!

I’ve written about what my family calls “Dutch Tulip Fever” before, but it’s been awhile so it’s time for a revisit. (You can read about it HERE and HERE.)

Dutch Tulip Fever is:

“The tendency to buy useless crap that seems exciting at point of purchase, but is instantly regrettable once brought home.”

My example here might be clunky wooden clogs from The Netherlands, but the definition is much more fluid and includes more than travel souvenirs, Really, anything that you’re impulsively excited to buy, (or accept as a freebie) because it’s the “it” thing. A thing that inevitably gets set aside once you’re back at home. In a word — clutter.

There’s no better example of Dutch Tulip Fever than a thrift store shelf, it’s the perfect illustration of what is collectively unwanted. Travel souvenirs, trendy cooking gadgets, conference swag, volunteer event T-shirts –the list goes on and on.

So how do we avoid the “fever?” Think about replacing traditional travel souvenirs with consumables and then say no to all those branded freebies. Then ask yourself whether you truly need whatever new whizbang kitchen appliance your friends suddenly own. My guess is that you don’t

Just say “no” to the needless consumerism of Dutch Tulip Fever.™

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 36 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 27, 2023 · 42 comments

  1. My husband and 25-year-old son play on a recreational soccer team every Sunday, which doesn’t end until 6:30 P.M. Add in that my husband also plays baseball on Sundays as well and we have a hungry bunch by the end of the day. I’d never attended a game but decided to watch one yesterday, which meant I wasn’t home to pull together a meal. Sure, I could’ve planned something ahead of time, but such was not the case.

    I suggested we get takeout and chose Buster’s Texas Style Barbecue, which was nearby and a family favorite. However, I knew we had extensive dribs and drabs of random food in the fridge and so I placed orders for everyone except myself. My husband felt bad and tried to convince me to treat myself, but I was totally fine with scavenging for myself.

    I still had a small amount of free ground beef that my daughter had gifted me earlier in the week and wanted to make sure it didn’t go to waste. I’d seen a couple Instagram reels where people made Big Mac-style smash burgers with corn tortillas and knew I had all the primary ingredients. Mine turned out a bit of a mess, but it was tasty and I was 100% fine with forgoing the pricier takeout option.

    This may come as a bit of a surprise, but I’m kind of cheap.

  2. After months of scanning thrift stores for a rug, I ended up finding a free one that had been put out after a garage sale. It had a stain, but that didn’t deter me as I’d been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try out Folex carpet spot remover. The rug was otherwise in excellent condition, perfectly fluffy and without any malodor.

    You’ve seen the BEFORE, so here’s the AFTER! You might be impressed, but all I did was spray on the cleaner and then rub it down with a scrappy old towel. Magic!

  3. I spent an afternoon both Saturday and Sunday driving around two different wealthy neighborhood that had just finished their community garage sale weekends. (It’s where I got the rug.) I’ll write up a full blog post about it in a few days, but suffice it to say that my Little Free Library will be fully stocked for at least a month!

  4. • I started rooting some oregano, which grows as a volunteer in my front yard. (It hopped over from the neighbor’s garden) I’m hoping to plant it in a backyard flowerpot.
    • My friend Lise and I turned our grocery shopping into an “errand hang,”  which transformed an otherwise dull task into a perfectly enjoyable afternoon.
    • I started listening to One Summer in Paris, by Sarah Morgan through the free Libby app.
    • I picked up a quart of free paint from Miller Paint, which gives out free paint on Saturdays. It’s a color I already have and now possess enough to repaint my son’s old room.

  5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 42 comments }

Your Unique Money Saving Ideas!

by Katy on June 26, 2023 · 19 comments

Last week I asked for your unique money saving ideas, and boy-oh-boy did you deliver! So many amazing ideas, some of which I employ on a daily basis, others new even to me. Here’s a small percentage of your ideas:

Kim:

I use a 5-cup coffee maker in the morning. (It makes two mugfuls.) When I’m ready for more, I refresh the used grounds by stirring them up a bit and adding half the amount of grounds for a second pot.

Lindsey:

A trick I learned years ago was to list our house on the HomeExchange.com site. That way, our lodging is virtually free when we use the site to arrange reciprocal exchanges (we swap house for house at the same time) or Guest Point exchanges (which work more like Airbnb). We have also rented our house via Airbnb for 2 months while going on a longer road trip.

Findley:

I give cash as gifts and refuse to buy gift cards because I think cash is far superior — it cannot expire and it doesn’t limit the receiver to a certain store or mall. They can pay a bill, put it into savings or buy things second hand.

Jill:

We change our clothing more than we change the thermostat of we aren’t comfortable with the house temp. We have saved a lot of money on electric this way. I might wear 3 or 4 different clothes changes, but I’m not making my house hotter or colder.

Juhli:

My addition is to get really clear on your priorities and spend very little on the low priority areas. As a young person my total priority was getting an education. As a young mother it was providing good care and experiences for my sons rather than lots of things. As a working person it was collecting assets for when health issues or retirement called for a nest egg but having inexpensive fun and experiences along the way. Now as a retiree it is stretching our money for everyday expensive where possible, paying for good healthcare and having fun and experiences with our family. Hence the 13 year old car lol.

Selena:

Personally I think living below ones means is the key. I’m not talking about being so cheap you never see the dentist, optometrist, doctor, maintain/adequately insure what you own OR steal sugar/condiment packages from restaurants. Wants versus needs is key

Marilyn:

At least once a year, I review all “repeated expenses”. This means things I pay for month after month with automatic deductions from my bank account. I’m talking about subscriptions, monthly cell phone bill, etc. I don’t want to mindlessly pay for any services I am no longer using.

Cindy:

I will get pumpkins on sale the day after Halloween and put them in colder bedroom and eat on them and their seeds during the winter. They usually last until January or February.

JC:

I think for me it was convincing my family that I do not want “stuff”. I don’t need anything more to care for and eventually have to dispose of. I remind them that at some point “stuff” given to me could become their problem to get rid of…..

Iris:

I save orange netting (plastic kind) from orange bags or other produce that uses that type of netting and use those as scrubbers for my pots and pans. Works great.

Lindsey:

one of the best things I did starting right after I finished grad school was to act like I was making $10,000 a year less than I was after taxes and banking that. Every time I took a new job or got a raise, I raised the amount I was acting like I didn’t make, so a few years later I acted like I was making $12,000 less than I was, and so on. After I had a large emergency fund, I stopped putting the excess in the bank and began investing it.

Mary Ann:

Focus on big money moves rather than the small. I treat the small money savers, (like upscaling my 45 year old bath towels with borders and embroidery; cooking in batches; or consigning clothes on Poshmark) as a hobby. I treat the BIG financial stuff as a job. This doesn’t come naturally to me. I have to study and read financial advice. I have to ask real financial advisors pro bono but in the end, I need to make decisions and be bold.

And counterpoint:

Christine:

I maintain my habit of saving money in most everything by remembering what Amy D. from the Tightwad Gazette preached: It’s the thousands of small things that add up to a large amount of money saved.

I keep my speed at under 64 mph locked into cruise control on the highway to save 7% on gas, we bring our car in for regular oil changes as it extends the life of the vehicle, I use the library for almost all my reading (I buy one book a month from my good friend who owns an Indy bookstore for the Book Club I attend there) and much of my entertainment through their free programs, I wash clothes in cold water and hang them to dry, I cook almost exclusively at home except for attending a few dinners a year to help support local fundraisers, I buy most of our clothing at thrift shops (bras, underwear, bathing suits, socks and shoes excluded…I’m too skeeved out by these) but find these last for a long time anyway, buy almost everything I can secondhand, make our own coffee, tea and iced tea at home, walk for exercise, cash in deposit cans and bottles

Julie:

Preplan and more importantly prepay for your final arrangements. I did that for my mom and it saved money as the costs were locked in at the time of payment. On the other hand, be prepared for additional expenses that were not thought of at the time of the initial payment. I chose to have my mom buried on a Sunday so more people could attend and it cost extra to have the grave diggers there.

Ann:

USE THE LIBRARY – all the time. DVDs, books, audio, Libraries are the best bargain. Ours just added Flipster for magazines. I save an amazing amount of money as I tally up the price of what I would buy at the checkout and then download them for free.

Karen:

One of our best moves was literally a move. We downsized into a new home that has just the right amount of space for our empty-nester lives. Had a big garage sale and sold a few things online before moving. Our utility bills and home insurance have reduced a great deal. With a few exceptions, we used existing furniture so no big redecorating costs. There’s no room for things we don’t really need so the temptation to buy more/new stuff is pretty much gone!

Ava:

We never replace anything that is still working well to get a newer model. That includes computers, phones, cars, shoes, clothing. If it wears out or begins to have too many problems we don’t mind replacing. We never replace because an item is out of date or unfashionable.

Bee:

I live frugally so I can live richly.

I have also forged long-term relationships with the people that take care of me, my family and my home. This one is sometimes controversial among frugal people. I do not always shop for the cheapest deal. I have used the same plumber, electrician, contractor, accountant, mechanic, veterinarian, and investment advisor for years. I know that they will treat me fairly and that they do their jobs well. Because I have come to know them, they are always there to help me or answer questions. I believe this saves money in the long run and gives me peace of mind.

I have made an effort to take advantage of all benefits offered by employers over the years – matching 401k contributions, FSAs, HSAs, discount programs, health rebate programs and much more. Now that I’m self-employed, I carefully track my expenditures. Many of my expenses can be written off.

Dicey:

Credit for this tip goes to my husband. He knows how to fix things, so he scours CL for things he needs. He’s redoing our backyard, using mostly secondhand or cheaply sourced materials. He needed a rototiller, so he found a free non-working one on CL. He fixed it rather easily, with minimal cost. He will use it to complete the project and then sell it. It won’t take up space forever and he’ll get at least $250 for it when he sells it in good working condition on Craigslist.

Now it’s your turn, what are your unique money saving ideas? 

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 19 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 23, 2023 · 35 comments

  1. My daughter’s roommate moved back to the East Coast and abandoned almost all of her furniture and larger belongings. My daughter moved into this apartment last fall and only furnished her own bedroom, as the rest came fully outfitted. This means she just inherited a kitchen table, chairs, rug, shelves, a couch, coffee table, lamps, artwork, coat rack, end tables and probably a bunch of other stuff I’m unaware of. Mind you, this is all nice stuff.

    I was worried she’d be suddenly left with an empty apartment, so I’m really happy for her. Also a bit relieved, as I would’ve taken on the task to help her source all new (used) furnishings.

  2. My husband and I stopped by Costco yesterday and walked past the exact air conditioner we’d just bought last month, except it’s now priced $20 less than before. I took a photo of the price and stopped by customer service on the way out. The clerk looked up our previous purchases and then handed me a twenty dollar bill as a “price adjustment.” It felt like I’d conjured $20 out of thin air!

  3. My father and step mother have birthdays just a week apart and we celebrated them in very different ways.

    For my step mom, (and former first grade teacher) I got her to accept me taking her out to lunch, which was at a food cart pod near the house. It was a great option as we could both choose the kind of food we were in the mood for that day. It incorporated a nice walk, which was a bonus.

    My dad didn’t want to be taken to lunch, so I had him over to the house and we hung out in the shady backyard. I tried to get him to at least accept the sheet of Ursula Leguin stamps that he asked me to order for him, but he fervently insisted on paying. He did accept a handful of freezer Ziploc bags for his homemade bread, which I jokingly called his “birthday gift.”

  4. • I bought four ears of corn for 10¢ apiece at Safeway, which was the loss leader limit.
    • I was able to score a vacuum cleaner for my daughter through my Buy Nothing Group. Yes it was super grubby, but I disassembled it and gave it a thorough cleaning and it’s now in perfect condition and ready for action.
    • My daughter brought me free bacon, ground beef and four organic eggs from her schwanky grocery store.
    • My husband is skim coating our 109-year-old house foundation with I can only imagine is saving us thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves.
    • My next door neighbor and I scheduled a get together, which is almost always just carrying a cup of tea from one house to the other. No more expensive than drinking tea at home, yet it scratches that itch of socializing over a hot cup of caffeine.
    • I brought home a bag of books and two sealed Lego kits from a neighborhood free pile. I slotted the books in our Little Free Library and I gifted the Legos to the seven-year-old boy across the street.
    • I’m finishing up listening to Jenny Colgan’s 500 Miles From You, through the library’s free Libby app.

  5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 35 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 19, 2023 · 80 comments

  1. You may remember how I’ve been on the hunt for a dresser (and a rug) for my daughter’s old bedroom, which I’ve graaaaaaduallllly been reassembling since she moved out. (With all her furniture.) I’ve even taken to muttering “dresser and rug, dresser and rug” under my mask whenever I enter a thrift store.

    Thus far, my incantations had landed on deaf ears. Until yesterday when I took a circuitous route home from the library and passed by a derelict $300 Nordli IKEA dresser set out on the curb. Visually, it wasn’t too promising, with grubby drawers and a note about how one drawer was “broken.” However, my husband and I are fairly handy and the price was right.

    My husband and I spent an hour or so cleaning every nook and cranny and then a year off our lives humping it up the stairs. (It’s both insanely heavy and lacking any logical grab points for carrying!) And that wonky drawer? Mostly fixed.

    Now, to find a rug.

  2. My daughter brought us more free food from her schwanky grocery store. This week it was:

    • Cherries
    • Marinated shrimp skewers
    • Lactose-free sour cream
    • Four eggs

  3. • I got an almost full bottle of CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion from my Buy Nothing Group.
    • I was able to get a refund at Winco after being double charged for yams. This was despite the clerk denying her mistake and customer service being closed. I had to get back in line and start over with a new cashier, but received $5.27 for my efforts. Don’t worry, I was super polite throughout the process.
    • I went to Trader Joe’s and only bought the toilet paper, butter and bananas from my list. I always think this should earn me some kind of reward as Trader Joe’s is 95% impulse items.
    • I did get a cookie sample at Trader Joe’s.
    • I scored three mesh bags of red, yellow and orange peppers for $1 apiece from the Fred Meyer clearance shelf. I then sliced and froze them for future use.
    • I remembered to use a Fred Meyer coupon for a free print of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before it expired.
    • We loaned our wheelbarrow to the neighbors across the street for their landscaping project.
    • My husband and I shared a single enormous burrito from the neighborhood taco cart, which was plenty of food for both of us.

  4. This last one isn’t necessarily a “frugal thing,” but I’m going to include it anyway because it’s so freaking cool! Remember that free pile from a couple weeks ago that provided my new fireplace screen and the vintage trash bin? It just hit the market and the Zillow listing is the best thing I’ve seen all year!

    Total 1909 time capsule house, as in I don’t think a single thing has been updated or “remuddled” since the day the day it was built!

    Click HERE for the Zillow listing and then come back and tell me what you think of the stove!

  5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 80 comments }

Wanted — Your Unique Money Savings Ideas!

by Katy on June 13, 2023 · 86 comments

One thing that I really like about blogging is that I’m constantly learning new tricks. Whether it’s here or on The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group, new ideas are constantly flowing in.

So today is your turn. Have a tip or trick that saves you a few pennies or better yet, a few dollars?

I’m sure we could all use a new idea or two, so please, share what works for you!

Here, I’ll start. My main money saving idea to to tweak my attitude. Instead of feeling bummed out about not having money for all the fun things I could be doing, (Hawaiian vacations, etc.) I choose to focus on how great it is to not have to work all the zillions of hours it would take to earn the money for these kinds of expenses.

Please share your unique money saving ideas in the comments section below.

Tag, you’re it!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 86 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 12, 2023 · 64 comments

  1. I curb picked a vintage fireplace screen last week, which prompted me to give away the old one, (technically a newer one) to someone in my Buy Nothing Group. The guy said that he’d just moved into a house without a fireplace screen, and it makes me happy to know that my one has been kept in circulation. Imagine if the stale clutter in our homes was consistently given to people who’d put it back to use.

  2. My sister scored three flats of slightly wilted pansies for free from a nursery just north of New York City. (By the way, that’s 96 plants!) She just bought a house in The Bronx and is motivated and excited to spruce up her property without going broke. And yes, she planted every single one of them in her garden!

  3. • I encouraged my mother to give me a gorgeous Italian glazed flowerpot that was collecting dust in the back of her kitchen. It’s now on top of my piano and planted with begonias that I rooted on the kitchen windowsill. Thanks mom, sorry about the moochiness!
    • I curb picked a metal planter box that cleaned up quite nicely. Not a show stopper, but a classic design and fully within my budget. It being at the foot of a porta potty? Didn’t phase me whatsoever. Now to source some free potting soil!
    • I returned a shirt and a pair of shorts to Goodwill that I bought a couple weeks ago. They gave me a store credit which I’ll use before it expires in 30 days.
    • I cut a pair of jeans into summer shorts which is my one of my favorite frugal hacks.
    • I’m rooting dozens of fuzzy bunny plants from my existing house plants. These grow roots almost immediately and do well in the backyard. I might decide to plant something different in my new planter, but these’ll do if all else fails.

  4. I’ve had a cold since coming back from Nebraska last Tuesday, which had the side effect of creating an impressively frugal week. Why? Because I’ve hardly left the house and I’m rarely tempted to internet shop. Thanks, dum-dum virus!

  5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 64 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 9, 2023 · 63 comments

  1. My husband and I bought a used propane barbecue grill in “excellent condition” from a friend for only $50. The problem is that it was not excellent in any way, shape or form. Of course, we didn’t realize this until we schlepped it home in the back of our minivan. It required all new interior replacement parts, plus my husband had to grind off the inside rust and repaint it with high heat spray paint. In all, I think we spent $50, plus hours of work to bring it back to life.

    We’ve decided to believe that my husband’s friend was unaware of the condition issues. Not worth losing a friendship.

    Then . . . my husband went to a baseball picnic a few days later and was gifted a free propane griddle in actual excellent condition. Sure it needed a good scrubbing and the purchase of a $27 cover, but we’ve already used it a couple of times!

    Odd coincidence, but we feel like it all balanced out.

  2. My one wish before I left Nebraska last week was to get my tuchus into an Aldi and see if it lived up to the hype. We do have Trader Joe’s here in Portland, (same owner) but Aldi has yet to expand into the Pacific Northwest. My goal was to grab travel snacks for the day and Aldi did not disappoint. In all I spent $21.56 with tax, which included chocolate bars to gift and a 99¢ reusable grocery bag to keep as a practical souvenir.

    I wandered the aisles to satisfy my curiosity and saw a number of items I would’ve been happy to purchase, had I been actual “grocery shopping.” I was impressed with 59¢ avocados and $1.89 pineapples, but was surprised that very few items (if any?) were branded with the “Aldi” name. I guess I assumed that it would be like Trader Joe’s where almost everything is their own brand.

    Certainly a unique shopping experience, I appreciated the low prices and no frills vibe, but the merchandise seemed pretty random. I’d be curious to get your opinion on how you incorporate Aldi into your shopping.

  3. I noticed that we had a free week of Starz TV through our Comcast streaming box, which comes with our internet service. I looked through to see if there was anything of interest. I came across the reboot of Party Down and motored through the six new episodes. (So good!) I’m also going to try to get my husband to watch The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with me before this free week deal evaporates.

  4. • My daughter brought me a dented can of Annie’s split pea soup, a bag of new potatoes, an avocado and a dented can of fancy cat food from her work.
    • I found two quarters (one from an Aldi cart!) and a penny while traveling to Nebraska.
    • I sold a curb picked Kitchenaid mixer for $120.
    • I sold a thrifted fiber art wall hanging for $225.
    • My fabric suitcase got nasty level filthy in the airplane’s baggage hold and I took the opportunity to scrub it down in the bathtub. I imagine someone else would’ve used it as an opportunity to buy a new suitcase. Mind you, I pulled it from a literal Goodwill dumpster, so I have to see if I can make it last forever.
    • My husband has been excited to use his new outdoor griddle, but doesn’t possess any my frugal grocery skillz. This means that I commandeered and returned a $9.50 bottle of tamari sauce before he got a chance to open it. Especially as we already had two unopened bottles of $4.50 gluten-free soy sauce!
    • I came home from Nebraska with a wicked cold and used a free Covid test to make sure it wasn’t more serious.

  5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

{ 63 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →