Welcome to day four of the June Food Stamp Challenge. Today’s focus is on food waste.

With food prices so high, there’s simply no excuse for food waste in the home. Regular readers of The Non-Consumer Advocate already know that the food waste issue is near and dear to my heart. Two years ago, I issued a Waste No Food Challenge and have been working ever since to get my family down to a zero food waste existence. I have learned much in my quest to eradicate food waste, and here’s what’s working for my family so far:

Be realistic: It’s all fine and admirable to fill your grocery cart with tofu and bok choy, but if that’s not how your family actually eats, then it’s just a recipe for wastage.

Serve smaller portions: This is especially important with children, but can be a issue with adults as well. It’s perfectly okay to have seconds, so make those servings appropriate to each individual.

Stop cooking such huge amounts: Face facts, you’re not an army cook. When cooking meals, estimate the amount of leftovers that’ll be produced and use your head. Leftover chicken soup is good once or twice, but after that it’s not always so tempting.

Buy smaller amounts: Many foods are less per pound if you buy a larger amount. However, unless you have a family of eight, this can be a certain road to food waste. It’s okay to buy the actual amount of food you need. I make pizza from scratch and buy the toppings from the pizza joint up the street. Not only is it cheaper, but I’m able to buy exactly the amount needed.

Only freeze the food you’ll want to eat again: Many people stash uneaten food in the freezer, only to be forgotten until that revolting smell of freezer burn has taken over. Which brings me to:

Eat the food in your freezer: When your freezer gets overly full of food, it becomes difficult to know the contents until it’s too late. Go on a spelunking tour of your freezer and start eating what you can. (The thriftiest meal comes from food you’ve already bought and prepared.)

Think about leftovers: When making a meal, think ahead to what the leftovers will be and how they’ll get eaten up. This may as simple as putting meal size portions into containers for work lunches, or even simply incorporating ingredients into another meal. For example, I roasted a chicken two nights ago. I used the extra chicken in some enchiladas last night, and then ate those leftovers for lunch today. If there’s more than you can eat, freeze the leftovers or share with friends and neighbors. (This is a delicious tradition to start, as you potentially end up on the receiving end of the deal!)

Plan Your Meals: For many people, this means scheduling the week’s menu ahead of time. I don’t do this personally, as I loosely follow the pantry principle, (I keep a stocked pantry that can be tranformed into multiple meals.) I usually plan my family’s meals a day ahead, which fits my personality better.

Store your food properly: If your flour gets buggy or your tortillas get crusty, then you have a problem. Stash dry goods in the freezer for 24 hours when first purchased to avoid moths and such, and use tight fitting lids for foods in the refrigerator. I’m a rabid fan of Pyrex dishes with snap-on lids. The glass means I can actually see the contents, and the lid keeps the food fresh. For me, monkey see food, monkey eat food. (Seriously, “out of sight out of mind” is my middle name.)

Institute a leftovers night: Often, there’s not enough of certain leftovers to create an entire meal, but they can be certainly be warmed up and set out buffet style.

Teach yourself to create new meals from leftovers: I’ve written about tucking bits and pieces into a pasta salad, but soups and burritos also lend themselves to leftover magic.

Educate yourself: Jonathan Bloom is thisclose to finishing his book on food waste, but you don’t have to wait until publication to learn about the monetary, social, environmental, agricultural and global issues that surround food waste. Bloom’s WastedFood.com blog is filled with witty information that’s sure to inform.

Kristen, over at TheFrugalGirl.com blogs every Friday about her family’s battle against food waste, and has even dubbed it “Food Waste Friday.” Her many readers also link to their food waste blog posts, creating an entire community devoted to the art of avoiding food waste.

What are your methods to avoid food waste? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Angela from Frugal Living Northwest with her trusty box o' coupon.

Today marked day three of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and was a lot of fun. Why? Because Angela from Frugal Living NW and I got together for a meeting of the minds. Okay, okay, we ate scones, chatted and hit up the nearby Walgreen’s so that Angela could demonstrate her couponing prowess.

For those not in the know, Angela runs a blog that rules the couponing culture here in the Pacific Northwest, and if there’s a deal to be had, it’s in her website! She also teaches couponing classes at area libraries and churches.

I really wanted Angela to show me her couponing system, which is a plastic file folder with sections for different categories for foods as well as the different stores. It’s big, but not so large that it wouldn’t easily fit in the front part of a grocery cart. (Even with a baby in place!)

I live just a few blocks from a Fred Meyer, so Angela called up a fellow couponista to inquire about any screaming deals, but sadly there were none to be had. However, I’m also walking distance from a Walgreen’s, so we loaded her adorable son into the stroller and hoofed it on over. Angela had me sign up for a Walgreen’s Register Rewards card. She then walked me over to the tooth care aisle, where she pressed a couple of coupons in my hand which turned the Reach brand dental floss into freebies and the toothbrushes to 50¢ apiece. (We use Sonicare brushes at home, but it’s good to have regular toothbrushes for guests and traveling.)

Cool. Can’t criticize free dental floss!

Sadly, our playdate ended while we still still in the midst of interesting conversation. However, we have vague plans to get together again, maybe even hit up a couple of my favorite thrift shops. I look forward to it, as I kept thinking afterwards of more questions I should have asked her.

So thank you Angela for enlightening me to the next level of couponing, it was super fun and interesting! And your baby was the cutest guy ever! Sorry about the baby noggin vs. coffee table incident.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. I did buy a few more Granny Smith apples in the afternoon, otherwise I didn’t buy any more food. Note that there is a link above that chronicles the amount I’m spending on food this month. Hover your mouse over the “June Food Stamp Challenge” link above and it will magically appear.

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Today was day two of the June Food Stamp Challenge, where my family of four will only spend the average amount that a food stamp recipient receives, (which is $101 per person, per month.) Any money saved, or leftover from the $404 will be donated to The Oregon Food Bank.

Many readers have commented that this amount is much, much more than their family spends in a normal month. I am hearing that many readers rely heavily on coupons, which many people swear by. However, coupons are often criticized as many items, especially staples such as fruit, vegetables, flour, grains, etc. rarely if ever hit the Sunday coupon circulars.

So can couponing and eating a diet based on whole foods intermingle?

I say yes and no.

Most coupons are for pre-packaged foods like frozen meals, canned soup, cookies, chips and the like. However, it’s not a rarity to find store specific coupons for milk, flour, eggs or bread; or even manufacturer’s coupons for items such as Muir Glen organic tomatoes (there’s a current $1 off coupon on coupons.com!)

You don’t have to clip every coupon, just the ones for food you would be buying anyway!

The Safeway’s in the Portland area double up to four coupons, and print a monthly $10 off $50 coupon in the newspaper that runs for a full eight days. I almost always snag an extra one from from a neighbor, and am able to use the coupon both at the beginning and end of the week. I buy the majority of my family’s groceries during this one week, and just fill in the rest of the month with perishables and necessities such as vegetables, loss leaders and ice cream.

I have written before about my love/hate relationship with coupons, and although I carry my trusty coupon organizer with me at all times, I do not consider myself a “Couponista.” I don’t let my food choices get swayed by the slips of paper in my purse, yet I know better than to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Coupons can save you money on your grocery bills. Whether that amount is significant depends on your level of committment, your area of the country and the type of food that you buy.

Tomorrow I’m meeting up with Angela from Frugal Living NW, which is a popular frugal living/ couponing blog and we’re going bar hopping grocery shopping together. I am excited to pick her brain and let her show off her couponing system, which often yields free and “money maker” items for her pantry.

Until then, I share with you the infamous Coupon Queen from youtube:

Do you rely on coupons to bring your family’s food bill within reach? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Yesterday was day one of The June Food Stamp Challenge, which meant it was time to do a little food shopping, Non-Consumer style.

First on my list was to figure out what to cook for dinner. I knew I had some shredded mozzarella cheese that needed to get used up, so pizza seemed like a natural fit. My family, are big salad fans, (well . . . three out of the four of us. One of us gags on the injustice of lettuce, but I digress) so I chose that as our side dish.

I needed to stop at the credit union in order to withdraw the $404 for our monthly food budget, so I planned a little loop that would include Papa Murphy’s for the pizza toppings and some extra cheese. (I always make two pizzas at a time, as I use the leftovers for school lunches and my teenage son’s second dinner.) I also decided to stop into Fred Meyer (Kroger) for lettuce and apples. Fred Meyer is significantly cheaper than Safeway for produce, not to mention within walking distance from my house.

After my walking errands, (which of course involved a stop into the library) I revved up the ol’ mini-van and hit up my Safeway. With my $10 coupon clutched tightly in hand, I zig-zagged my way through the familiar isles. I normally add the food up to $50 in my head, but this time I jotted the amounts on an envelope, knowing my normal financial cushion was not in place. I took special care to match up coupons and sale items.

I bought:

  • Ten pound bag of sugar
  • One box of Raisin Bran
  • Two boxes of strawberry Special K*
  • One bag of chocolate chips
  • One box of crackers*
  • One jar of salad dressing* (free with coupon, I’ll donate it to the food bank)
  • Two jars of mayonnaise*
  • One 5 pound bag of rice
  • One bag of pretzels*
  • Six cans of tuna
  • One carton of 18 eggs*
  • One box of ice cream bars*
  • One carton of yogurt
  • Two loaves of bread
  • Two packages of sausage*
  • Two whole chickens
  • One avocado
  • Two onions

* Used a store or manufacturer’s coupon.

The total cost was $40.82, which rang up as a 52% savings. Of course, I would not have bought these same items if they were not on sale, so that amount does not ring true.

I wrote that I would continue to stock up on sale items, and today was no exception. I didn’t need that much tuna, sugar or mayo, but I would rather buy these items when they’re super cheap than wait until I’m all out.

I just now looked at my Fred Meyer coupon to add up my totals and see that I was charged for “Vidalia onions” instead of apples. This was $1.29/pound instead of 98¢/pound. I will take this receipt to customer service next time I’m there and have them correct this.

I also got an extra $10 off Safeway coupon from my neighbors, which I’ll use next week.

Until then, total spent for the month of June:

$40.82 Safeway

$3 Papa Murphy’s

+ $3.91 Fred Meyer

$47.73

This is $3 worth of shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and sausage. I bring my own container, which leaves me with zero packaging, my favorite amount.

My Safeway purchases.

Here is the $1.29 head of romaine lettuce and some "schoolboy" Granny Smith apples which are 98 cents/pound. Because the lettuce is sold per unit, rather than by the pound, I always pick the biggest bunch I can find. It will usually yield three to four nice big salads. The awesome reusable produce bags were bought at a dollar store that was selling them four for a dollar. Sadly, they no longer stock this item.

I had stuck this package of "Toffee Brittle Bars" into the freezer and forgot to bring them back out for the group photo. They were on sale for $1.49. Note that the package is already open. 2 boys + ice cream bars = long gone.

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 June 1, 2010 · 2 comments

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

June Food Stamp Challenge — Day One

Today is day one of the June Food Stamp Challenge, and I’m excited for the month to come. I cut up the last orange for school lunches, (they were on sale last week at Fred Meyer) and am out of lettuce, rice and almost out of bread. A co-worker told me about a really cheap Asian market, and told me that the one I frequent is “expensive.” I’m always uber-excited happy to find new and cheap sources for the food that I feed my family.

I have some shredded mozarella cheese from The Grocery Outlet that needs to get used up, so I’ll make pizzas for tonight’s dinner. I will buy the pepperoni and sausage (as always) from The Papa Murphy’s down the street. This costs me $1.50, and I can bring my own packaging. This is half a regular portion of both, which is plenty. I’ve noticed that Papa Murphy’s does take food stamps, as their “take and bake” pizzas are not a “hot food,” and therefore meet food stamp criteria.

First though, I need to walk over to my credit union and withdraw the $404 that will be my food budget for the month of June. Anything leftover will go to The Oregon Food bank. We normally spend about $450 per month on food, (including eating out) so I will also donate the $49 difference.

Simple Prosperity — A Winner!

Congratulations to Keri, whose comment was randomly chosen to win her a copy of Dave Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle.

“I’m trying to be more brave at trying new recipes for even the simple things that I could easily go and buy for cheap. The other day I made homemade hamburger buns. I had the ingredients and the time so I figured, why not! They ended up being a little too heavy for the burgers, but we ate them anyways and the leftovers made a GREAT breakfast with butter and cinnamon sugar on them! My kids loved them!”

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy of the book. Click here to read all the great Simple Prosperity entries. They are truly inspiring.

Automation Nation

If there’s one bit of advice that’s consistent throughout the personal finance experts, it’s to automate your finances as much as possible. This struck me anew a few weeks back when I realized that I hadn’t thought about an automated charitable donation that my family does each and every month. We sponsor a Zambian girl through Child Fund, which we’ve been doing for three years or so. Every month $29 is charged to our American Express card, and it’s so routine that it had kind of slipped my mind.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter whether I was thinking about this donation, as the girl’s family gets the money whether I’m thinking about it or not. They could care less whether I’m thinking about them, as it makes no difference to them whatsoever. None.

We also pay as many of our bills automatically, and I love, love, love not having to think about whether they’re getting paid on time. It has released me from a certain amount of “did that bill get sent out on time?” anxiety, which is so very freeing.

I am a proud citizen of the Automation Nation!

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 May 29, 2010 · 1 comment

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

My New Job Description

This week’s Oregonian newspaper brought the news that The Queen of England just announced the formation of a Office of Budget Responsibility. A quick Google Swagbucks check found that President Obama is headed in the same direction, as was found on the White House Office of Management and Budget website.

“Today, the President sent to Congress the Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 to establish a new, expedited tool to reduce unnecessary or wasteful spending.”

If I had to choose between the two jobs, (because of course, I’m being considered for the jobs!) I think I would go with the English one. We could sit around and reuse our teabags and ride around in double decker buses.

And by the way, I totally need to add “CFO of the Office of Budget Responsibility” to my bio. Totally. Might even get some business cards printed up.

A Chair of One’s Own to Share

My never ending quest to organize and delutter my house has taken a twist over the last year. Rather than dumping everything on the fine folks at Goodwill, I’ve moved a large number of possessions through garage sales, consignment shops, Craigslist, giving to friends and family, and yes, even Goodwill.

Today, my father and I stopped into The Looking Glass bookstore to pick up a book he had ordered. I noticed that the children’s section, (which is housed in an old train car) had a toddler size folding chair, which I had the exact version of at home. I received this darling vintage chair as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with my now 14-year-old son. However, it now sits alone and unused in my storage room.

So I asked the owner if she would want another chair, and she graciously accepted.

I am so my happier to think that my son’s chair will now live in an awesome independent bookstore rather than languishing in my back room or taking the tax deduction for donating it at Goodwill.

Plus, I can go visit the chair whenever I miss the good old days of parenting little boys. And I can remember that however the cute the chair, small boys never sit in chairs for longer than I can hold my breath.

Time to Accept Some Generosity

When I asked The Non-Consumer Advocate community whether I should accept my father’s offer to help pay for the addition of a second bathroom and an extra bedroom, the answer was a resounding “take the money already!”

My hesitation to accept the money from my father stems from feeling like I want to earn the money myself, but you guys convinced me that my pride was getting in the way of increasing the value, energy efficiency and workability of my home.

I am accepting the money from my father and step-mother, and will start the planning stages of the remodel. Because I have learned the hard way is that any rushed home improvements are regretted home improvements.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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I was running errands over in Northeast Portland yesterday. Dropping off kid stuff at the consignment shop, hanging out with my friend Sasha, loading up on gourmet goodies at The Grocery Outlet, (I had a coupon!) and meeting up with my step-mother for a cup of tea. I had a few minutes to kill, so I decided to pop into The Title Wave bookstore, which sells old library books. (I had a $5 voucher, which was burning a white hot hole in my pocket.)

I decided to buy a couple of books to use as giveaways for the blog. I quickly found copies of Dave Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a a Sustainable Lifestyle as well as Vicky Robin and Joe Dominguez’s Your Money or Your Life.

Long time readers will recall that Simple Prosperity was used for The Non-Consumer Advocate book club last year. A great idea that proved beyond my time/energy constraints. (Seriously, I cringe with shame whenever I think about how I dropped the ball on this one.) However, I’m still a great fan of this book and now have a genuine preowned library copy of this book to use as a giveaway!

To enter to win your own personal copy of Simple Prosperity, enter your name and one change you’ve made in your quest for simple prosperity in the comments section below. The winner will be randomly chosen Monday, May 31st at midnight PST. U.S. residents only, please enter only one time.

Good luck!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Waste — Is it Inevitable?

by Katy on May 26, 2010 · 9 comments

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy!

Waste.

We all do it. Food, fuel, money, time, and personal energy.

It’s close to impossible to live a completely waste-free life. I know, because I’m trying. Really hard.

I issued a “Waste No Food Challenge” for Non-Consumer Advocate readers in May because I was mortified with the amount of food I was buying, storing and then tossing. My home’s vegetable crisper had become nothing more than an air conditioned Slime-O-Tron 2000. (Patent pending at this time.)

The money spent, the resources wasted. Argh!!!

Even with my efforts at full-steam, I’m still wasting some food. Garlic that’s sprouted, food other people have brought to the house, cereal pushed to the back of the cupboard with little wiggling residents.

I compost, and madly tuck leftovers into new meals and freeze all I can. And yes, I’m even eating the frozen food. (I try hard to not delay waste by freezing food I have no intention of ever getting back to.)

So is it worth all my valiant efforts? If I’m trying my very best to not waste food, yet still doing it, should I give up?

Absolutely not!

I have gone from from thrice weekly grocery store trips to maybe once a week. Each trip that doesn’t happen translates to money saved, as the impulse food purchases are cut from the cycle.

We are wasting maybe 10% of what we were before the challenge, and eating healthier to boot.

I used to feel like I needed to buy more groceries when the fridge looked empty, but I realize that the cluttered fridge of the past was mostly leftovers that went to waste. I can now see what I have, so it’s easy to keep on top of eating up our food.

I have learned a lot about how to avoid food waste:

  • Put out smaller servings, especially for kids. It’s okay to have seconds.
  • It’s better to buy the specific amount of ingredients required for a meal. Even if that means paying a higher price per pound. There’s no savings if food gets thrown out.
  • Choose smaller fruit. The huge apples and pears are more than we need.
  • Post-ripe fruit can be frozen for yummy smoothies.
  • Clear leftover containers help me to remember what I have available. This has been key, as I apparently am a see-it-to-believe-it kind of gal.

The Waste-No-Food challenge was officially a 30 day project, but I have no intentions to revert back to my wasteful ways.

Come join the challenge. You’ll save money, time shopping and most likely eat better. C’mon, it’ll be fun!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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A Day in the Life of a Scavenger

by Katy on May 25, 2010 · 10 comments

Yesterday was a pretty typical day off from work for me. I did a little writing, hung a lot of laundry and ran a number of errands. However, by late afternoon it occurred to me that I was embracing the art of scavenging. I have written before about my opportunistic tendencies, and how I seem to be constantly scanning the landscape for free stuff. Not in the active, dumpster diving sense, but rather passively, as the opportunities present themselves to me.

My scavenged goods from yesterday?

  • I cleaned one of my mother’s guest cottages, and brought home a quarter gallon of chocolate chip mint ice cream, which I served as a very exciting after school snack for my sons. I also brought home a quarter bag of dried macaroni noodles.
  • I noticed that a neighbor was having one of their trees pruned, so I went and talked to the men, asking if they would be able to dump a couple yards of mulch in front of my house. (I did this last year, and was able to transform my side yard from a dangerous mud slick into a respectable pathway.) Sadly, I was informed that the mulch was “all or nothing,” and that the “all” was going to add up to 12 cubic yards. I declined the offer, as a two story tall pile of mulch would be sure to be more of a burden than a gift. However, I will continue to keep an eye out for arborists, as I want to place mulch under our enormous tree house. I know I can get it for free.
  • I walked to the credit union to deposit my cleaning fee, as well as all my found change. I poured my coins into the change counting machine, and took a quick glance under the machine. A dime sat there waiting for me, which quickly got added to my savings account. There was also a New Zealand dollar coin in the machine, which I brought home for my collection of found foreign coins.
  • My credit union is next to the library, so I stopped in and picked up a fresh audio book. This may not fall squarely into the scavenging category, but it’s still a situation of taking advantage of the free opportunities in my midst.
  • On my walk home I picked up a small hen and chicken plant, which had flown the coop onto the sidewalk. I will plant it in my garden.

There was nothing I did that took me out of my routine, yet my scavenging radar was, (as always) on full alert. I was not bringing home crap from people’s free piles, which is a different mindset. (I actually fit in a Goodwill donation, as there’s a drop site near my mother’s guest cottages.) Rather, I took stock of the world around me, and the opportunities presented themselves to me.

I scavenge, therefore I am.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Photo Credit: Leah Nash, NY Times

I am an independent person. I like to do things for myself, and can become quite bristly when others try and take over on my tasks. I do believe that this tendency has stood me well through the years, and has been a key aspect of my successes in life.

My husband and I have been working hard to eradicate our consumer debt, and have been putting off doing any more home renovation until that debt is a faint memory. The specific project that’s next on our to-do list is to add a second bathroom to our enormous house. This will involve finishing off an unfinished space in the back of our second story that currently functions as extra storage, as well as my indoor clothesline. (See photo above.)

I was out with my father a few weeks back, when he brought up the subject of his estate planning. Although my father, (a still working college professor) is a fit and vital 74 years old, he and my step-mother have been discussing the specifics of how their assets will be distributed. (I have a half-sister and a step brother on that side.) At the end of the conversation, my father offered to pay for the cost of adding another bathroom and bedroom to my house. (We already have 4+ bedrooms, but the unfinished space freezes us out in winter and heats us up in the summertime.) My father offered $5000, which should cover the job, as my husband would do the work, and we already bought most of the bathroom fixtures a few years back when we had a false start.

My first instinct was to say no to my father’s offer.

I like that my husband and I are able to take on our projects independently and to not depend on our parents to pay our bills. However, some of my other siblings have been on the receiving end of significant financial assistance, so there is already precedence.

I have talked this through and through with my husband, (who is on the side of accepting my father’s generosity) as well as with my friends and co-workers. So far, everyone has agreed with my husband.

I told my father that I was going to hold off on accepting any money for now, even joking that I felt “demasculinized.” How would I brag about my new bathroom and bedroom if my daddy paid for it?

As you can see, I’m a bit conflicted.

Should I accept my father’s generous offer, or put off that second bathroom for a couple more years? Luckily, this offer does not come with a deadline, so I can take all the time I want to mull things over.

Do you think that diehard frugality come with an “accept no money” clause? 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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