It’s Zero Waste Week!

by Katy on September 6, 2010 · 6 comments

National Zero Waste Week
Today, September 6th marked day one of Zero Waste Week, which is put on by Mrs Green over at My Zero Waste.

The changes recommended are:

  • As long as you end up reducing your food waste in some way, you can choose anything you like. Here are some ideas:
  • Identify a particular food that gets thrown away every week and plan a great recipe to use it up
  • View your leftovers as ingredients
  • Say no to prepacked food and buy only the amount you need
  • Get your scales out for measuring rice and pasta rather than guessing and ending up with waste
  • Start a compost heap, wormery or bokashi bin.

My day has been dominated by getting things ready for tomorrow’s school year start, but so far my zero waste-ness has included:

  • Having my 7th grader glue new labels on last year’s folders instead of buying new ones.
  • Sauteed and then ate some arugula that got frozen while we were on vacation. (I think it was due to the refrigerator door not being opened for four days.) Keep in mind that the arugula came to my home via being left behind by one of my mother’s guest cottage tenants. So really . . . I should get double kudos for this act.
  • Pulled apart the different layers of a spent cat food bag to separate the paper from the plastic in order to recycle it.
  • Baked a double batch of chocolate chip bran muffins. I will freeze these to have for school lunches. (Zero packaging.)
  • Made a batch of egg salad for sandwiches. I included some refrigerator pickles, which are just cucumber spears that I threw into a jar of pickles to avoid them going bad.

I will be addressing issues related to Zero Waste throughout the week.

Oh, happy day!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on September 6, 2010 · 5 comments

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

Geek Out at The Library

If the library were a person I might leave my husband for him or her. That’s how much I love the library. Not only do I get books, music, DVD’s, volunteer opportunities for my kids and live entertainment, but I have now checked out a Kill-A-Watt device.

What is a Kill-A-Watt?

A Kill-A-Watt precisely tells you how much electricity your electronic devices are drawing. Unsure whether it’s worth it to unplug all your phantom electronics? Curious if your constant running of a fan uses less electricity than an air conditioner? All you have to do is plug your electric devices into the handy-dandy Kill-A-Watt, and voilá, your questions are answered!

And for frugality geeks like me, it’s an awesome good time.

Thank you Multnomah County Library!

When Debt Reduction Takes a Backseat

Sierra Black wrote a column for Get Rich Slowly recently about how her extreme focus on debt reduction has well, become unfocused since her credit card debt has been eradicated. This column struck a nerve with me because summer is always an expensive time here at casa Wolk-Stanley. I tend to work less, so there’s less money coming in, and add to that the multiple soccer camps and this year’s Japanese tutoring and debt reduction took its own summer break.

But I’m not too worried. I’ll soon go back to my regular work schedule and the kids will be back in school. I’ll suddenly have scads of free time again and can get my debt reduction back on track.

After all, money matters do not rule my life. My family does.

Cable TV, a Non-Cautionary Tale

After 23 blissful cable-free years together, my husband arranged for cable TV this summer “for World Cup.” And of course, it lingered on through the post-soccer months of July and August. I could lay the blame elsewhere, but I was just as guilty with cable TV addiction as everyone else.

But August 31st came along, and I gathered up all the cable paraphernalia and drove over to the Comcast office to purge myself of the all day entertainment  that is cable TV.

At first, the woman wouldn’t let me cancel the cable since it was in my husband’s name and we have different last names. After I politely explained that actually was my husband’s wife, and even showed my checkbook to a manager, we moved forward. The clerk was busy clicking through many, many pages when she asked:

“Oops, you didn’t want to cancel your cable internet did you?”

I confirmed that the cable was all I was cancelling. To which she explained:

“As an apology for canceling your internet, I’m going to give you a six month special rate on your internet.”

Which will save us $72, and brings the price of a summer’s worth of cable TV (with HBO) for $28! All for the inconvenience of losing internet for two minutes. While I wasn’t even home.

Even I can’t complain about those numbers.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Vacation Memories

by Katy on September 4, 2010 · 11 comments

My family just got home from a three night/four day vacation that taught me a few lessons that I thought I would share:

  • The huge bowl of clam chowder at Mo’s is a great deal at $12.50. It will easily feed a family of four. The free soda refills are a treat for kids who hardly ever get soda.
  • Having to stop at a Dairy Queen and buy four Dilly Bars on the drive home in order to use the bathroom is not a good deal. Free soda refills should come with their own bathroom.
  • When your expensive hotel rooms smells weird, talk to the management. You might get $20 knocked off your bill.
  • I really enjoy looking at old farmland from the inside of the car. I especially like looking for old farm houses. They’re usually surrounded by enormous old trees, planted long ago as wind breaks.
  • The Subway restaurant in Roseburg, Oregon is right next to a Goodwill. My husband can be tricked into stopping there.
  • The Goodwill in Roseburg, Oregon is just as overpriced as the Portland locations.
  • There is nothing to lose by letting a 12-year-old be the “navigator” in a paddle boat. You just have to accept that you will go in circles and meander a bit.
  • Kids quickly get bored with Forest Ranger talks at Crater Lake.
  • Adults like Forest Ranger talks at Crater Lake.
  • It’s important to pay attention to a car battery that dies after just a few minutes of having the lights on while the car is off.
  • The Les Schwab Tire Center in Sandy, Oregon has wifi.
  • All the cookies brought on vacation will get eaten within two days of vacation.
  • Watermelon can go from Portland to Crater Lake to the beach and back home again without complaint.
  • The Sea Lion Caves consider children 13 and up to be adults.
  • The Sea Lion Caves had only three sea lions today. That’s $14.67 per sea lion.
  • It’s fun to replace all the lyrics in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band with the word “bing.”
  • Your older brother will eventually lose his cool if you replace all the lyrics in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band with the word “bing.”
  • When staying in a steeply sloped “A” frame cabin, it’s important to sit up slowly while in bed.
  • Chipmunks will beg to be fed, and will eat granola.
  • Chipmunks are so cute that you will gladly sacrifice a couple handfuls of granola.
  • 51¢ squished pennies are the perfect souvenir.
  • It’s good to be home, but it’s actually better to be in a cute “A” frame cabin without internet, phones or worries.
  • It’s still good to be home.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Vacation Tidbits

by Katy on September 3, 2010 · 6 comments

I am still on vacation, but am staying at a hotel with internet access, so I thought I’d check back in with y’all.

We stayed our first two nights in a rustic old “A” frame cabin on a lake that I kind of wish that I could move into. Sure, the shower was completely inaccessible when the bathroom door was open and there was no oven, but it was perfect nonetheless. The upper floor had two queen size beds, so the kids were able to chill out in their own space. And there was a downstairs bedroom for the grownups, so we could have our own space to chillax.

There were pedal boats to rent, (I negotiated a deal) and the location was beyond pristine.

I think we’ll go back next year.

We are now in an overpriced chain motel at the beach that I thought would be a end of vacation treat. (Of course, we’re all absolutely pining for the rustic cabin.) However, I was able to negotiate $20 off the price due to a funky smell that apparently only I am able to smell. Luckily, there’s a swimming pool and we’re only here until the morning. (After we fill up on their “hot breakfast.”)

Our plan is to slowly meander through the sites on our way home. At which point I’ll start blogging again.

See ya’ later!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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The Best Day Ever

by Katy on September 1, 2010 · 14 comments

I spent the day getting ready for a short vacation that my family is squeezing in before the school year ramps back up again. I reserved hotel rooms, put the newspaper on hold, cancelled the cable, washed clothing, cleaned house and then ran out to The Grocery Outlet to stock up on vacation style food.

Which included a six pack of Widmer Hefeweizen beer.

And then it happened.

I got carded.

And since I am precisely twice the legal drinking age, this is a random occurrence.

Thus making today the best. Day. Ever.

Did Gretchen Rubin get carded during her year of The Happiness Project? Because I think she definitely should have included this component. Definitely better than a clean and organized closet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. I will be on vacation until this weekend, and will be taking a break from blogging. See ya’ later!

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Story of the $25 Garage Sale Bed Skirt

by Katy on August 31, 2010 · 17 comments

I went to a garage sale the other day and came across a cream colored bed skirt that was still pristine in the package. My husband and I switched over to a queen size bed last year, and frankly, the Hollywood frame is as dull as dirt. So I picked up the package, saw that it was unmarked and asked the owner the price.

“Oh, the bed skirt? I paid over $100 for that, so I’m looking to get $25 for it.”

Riiight . . . .

And indeed there was a $170 price tag on the packaging.

She then asked me how much I wanted to pay. I explained that I was thinking more along the lines of $5, so I would have to pass on the bed skirt.

At this point the woman’s friends started ribbing her for paying so much money for a bed skirt:

“How could you pay that much for a bed skirt? It’s not like it even touches your skin!”

But the woman defended her purchase:

“But it matched all my bedding!”

This woman paid waay too much for her purchase, so she thinks it should continue to be worth a lot.

Guess again, lady.

Perceived value and actual garage sale value are not the same thing. Just because she paid $100+ for the bedskirt doesn’t mean it’s worth any more than a $30 bedskirt once it hits the garage sale market.

I did pick up a pair of pillowcases for a cool buck from her garage sale mate. And they look perfect with our green sheets.

Do you have a hard time getting rid of items that you overpaid for? 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 Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment” — A Giveaway

by Katy on August 29, 2010 · 29 comments

It’s Monday, which means that it’s time for another Non-Consumer Advocate giveaway. This week’s prize is a hardback copy of A.J. Jacob’s hilarious book “The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment.” (And yes, it is from Goodwill!)

To enter to win this book, write something in the comments section about your favorite non-fiction books and authors. Because Jacobs is hands down my go-to guy when it comes to funny, smart and entertaining non-fiction. I want to be him when I grow up, (even though I may actually be older than him.)

I will pick a winner on Tuesday, August 31st at midnight. Please enter only once, U.S. residents only.

I am reprinting my review of this book from last year. Enjoy and good luck!

The end of the calendar year invariably brings out that side of us that wants to look back and make sense of life. How was this year different from others? Was there anything I should have done differently? And most importantly, (at least to the marketing gurus at Weight Watchers and Soloflex) how can I be better in the coming year?

How can I be a better person?

I just finished reading A.J. Jacobs’ newest book “The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment” which took over an entire evening and most of this morning. In this book, Jacobs throws himself into a number of experiences that run the gamut from outsourcing all the details of life to a company in India, to practicing “Radical Honesty.” (Which saw him explain in all honesty to a female business colleague that he was trying for a sneak peek of her cleavage.)

I had read both of Jacob’s other books, and become giddy with excitement when I found this new book at the bookstore. I immediately put it on hold at the library and had been waiting with bated breath ever since.

Although Jacobs writes with self-depreciating humor, he’s not above making real and meaningful change as a result of his stunts, (And yes, they are stunts.) In the chapter when Jacobs, a father of three small boys writes about putting an end to multitasking, (he actually wears a sleep mask while on phone calls in order to cut down on possible distractions) he writes about how his focus on unitaskingaffected his interactions with his children:

His mission is to pour out all the coins and then put them back. Then repeat. His brothers are working on an equally important task: taking DVD’s out of a drawer and putting them back.

Zane invites me to collaborate with him on this project.

“Help. Daddy!”

I clink a nickel into the slot.

“I’m here with my sons, putting nickels into a watermelon bank.”

I say this sentence out loud, per the Bill Murry Method. I have three sons. They are healthy. They get pleasure from putting coins in a slot. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Maybe it’s the lingering effects of cold medication, but I start to choke up. A real “Cat’s in the Cradle” moment.

Just outside my brain, three thousand things bark for my attention. My book deadline. Worries about the death of journalism. The invoice to the German magazine I forgot to send. But I’ve put up a soundproof wall. I’m going to put nickels in this watermelon with my son — and that’s all I’m going to do.

It is the perfect undistracted ten minutes.

Yes, he’s taking on these tasks for a book contract, but they leave their stamp on him nonetheless.

This genre of participatory journalism seems to be gaining steam. And I can’t be the only one who snaps them up like fat free donuts at a dietetic police convention. Not Buying It, No Impact Man and Helping Me Help Myself quickly come to mind, and I’m sure I’m just skimming the surface.

So did I take any of Jacobs’ lessons to heart?

It’s hard to say, as I dedicated today to napping and laziness, (nonstop house guests from Christmas Eve until yesterday threw me for a loop!) but I do have to say that when my kids crawled into my nap-tastic bed this afternoon, I gave them my full and focused attention. No multitasking whatsoever. Which I believe does make me a better person.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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You Asked For it, Before and After

by Katy on August 29, 2010 · 8 comments

I wrote the other day about the never ending remodeling on my 1914 house, and you, the readers asked for some before and after pictures. So here goes . . .

Before -- My house in 1918. Notice how the stairs come from the front of the porch.

Before -- My house in 1933. Notice how the stairs now come from the side of the porch, which will eventually not support the front of the house very well.

Before -- The house in 2002. The asbestos siding has been removed, but the front porch is a danger zone. The cheap lathe railing sways to the touch.


After -- My house in 2006. Notice how the porch steps now come from the front of the porch again, thus supporting the front of the house.

After -- My porch in 2008. (?) It's been painted, but there's still a few spots which need to be touched up.

And don’t worry, there’s more to come.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. Here’s a gratuitous before and after photo essay of my lovely, lovely living room chair:

Before -- Goodwill as-is chair sitting on my mother's front porch. I had declined the gift, as it was moist and stanky.

That is, until I saw a reproduction of the same style of chair at Rejuvenation, which looked awesome and cost $1800. It was not as detailed and lower quality.

After -- Hello, reupholstered chair!

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Thank You, Ms. Andersson

by Katy on August 28, 2010 · 9 comments

My boys in their Hanna jammies

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the lovely folks over at Hanna Andersson for producing such high quality children’s pajamas. But at $38 a pop, buying them new was never part of my family’s life. However, Hanna Andersson is a local company, so it’s super easy to find them at thrift stores.

Like yesterday, when I bought seven pairs of new looking Hanna jammies for 50¢ apiece. And now Portland Craigslist followers will be able to pick them up for $15 apiece. And I will have a chunk of change for a short vacation before school starts back up.

Thank you, Hanna Andersson.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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My Remodeling Project

by Katy on August 27, 2010 · 13 comments

You think your house was a fixer-upper?!

My husband and I are embarking on a new remodeling project on our 1914 house to add a second bathroom (yay!) and a fifth bedroom (cue blogger looking sheepishly to the side.) We bought our home in 1996, and it was such a fixer-upper that it was a year before we could even move in. Because yes, it was that run down. We have been working on it in fits and spurts ever since. Mostly because 99% of the work has been done by my non-contractor husband.

And in case you think I’m exaggerating, here’s what we’ve done so far:

  • Repaired the coved plaster ceilings in the living room and dining rooms.
  • Tore down the crumbling plaster walls in the living room, dining room and downstairs bedroom.
  • Removed the false ceiling in the downstairs bedroom.
  • Reconfigured the downstairs bedroom to what it used to be.
  • Put in a new bathroom.
  • Redid all the electric and plumbing.
  • Refinished the hardwood floors.
  • Rebuilt the fireplace surround.
  • Replaced all the lighting fixtures, (first with hideous $3 clearance lighting and then slowly with nicer lighting.)
  • Stripped all the downstairs woodwork, and replaced what the previous owners had ripped out.
  • Jacked up the front of the house and had a completely new front porch built.
  • Replaced the nasty kitchen counters with formica.
  • Repainted the kitchen cabinets, although we were able to reuse the hardware, which was inoffensive.
  • Put in new windows in the kitchen and downstairs bedroom where only small ones/none existed.
  • Replaced all the rest of the windows with new wooden double glass, low-E versions.
  • New appliances.
  • Had new brick layed in the fireplace.
  • Addressed all the lead paint issues with an official lead abatement team. This was paid for by a grant from The Portland Development Commission due to elevated lead levels in my younger son.
  • Completely reconfigured one of the upstairs bedrooms to create a hallway to the back bedroom. (It had been that you had to go through this bedroom in order to enter the large unfinished space that is soon to become our new bedroom/bathroom.)
  • Had a cement floor poured for the dirt basement.
  • Replaced the old garage door and front door.
  • Cleaned out the old sump pump that the previous owners had been pouring used motor oil into. Cemented this in.
  • Decommissioned the old oil furnace.
  • Ran a new sewer line under the neighbor’s property to the city sewer line a half block away.
  • Drywalled the only finished room in the basement to create a band practice space for our sons.
  • Put in a new furnace and heat ducts.
  • Built a retaining wall and brick patio in the backyard.
  • Built new cement steps and pathway leading to the front porch.

Is it any wonder that we’re still standing? I am in no way recommending that anyone ever buy a house that needs this much work. We were naive and had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. This house has sucked up our time, energy and money.

The bedroom and bathroom will be our last hurrah, and I feel like we’re going in with eyes wide open which is a new experience. We’re working with an architect, who is very generously donating his design as a thank you for my husband’s years of coaching his son in soccer. (Yay for volunteering!)

Yes, we have a lovely home in a great neighborhood, but at what cost? If I had to do it all over again I would not have bought my house, but that’s kind of a waste of energy to even think about. So we just move forward.

I need to start shopping for supplies, but am waiting until the kids are back in school. I’ll be looking at The Rebuilding Center, the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, Rejuvenation, Craigslist and traditional sources. I’m being aware to not rush the process, as this has been a sure recipe for disaster in the past.

Looking through the list, I’m sure there are a number of things that I forgot. I don’t understand why we’re not in ruinous financial shape. Although I do understand why we’re not on track to retire at 50.

I will be chronicling our remodel project as it progresses, so check back often to follow our hopefully angst free remodel.

Wish us luck!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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