The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. 1. My husband and I were driving back from Vancouver, Washington, (which is just across the river) and decided to stop into Ikea as it was on the way home. I wasn’t hungry, but my husband ordered two meatball kid’s meal instead of one adult one, as it’s the same amount of food at $8.58 vs. $9.99. ($1.41 savings!) Instead, they were running a special where it was somehow $3 for his two plates of food using the Ikea family card!

      This prompted me to look up their deals once I got home and here’s what I was able to find. Note that you need the free Ikea Family Card.

      Monday: Meatless Monday — All plant based meatball plates are $3. (Did the cashier think my husband’s meatballs were veggie?)
      Tuesdays: $3.99 adult meals.
      Wednesday: Two free kid meals with the purchase of one adult meal.
      Thursday: $1 off Meatball entrees.
      Friday: 50% off adult entrees.
      Weekends: No deals.

      Not too shabby, especially since there’s no tipping and the coffee is free.

   2. I’m listening to Marge Piercy’s Gone To Soldiers through the library’s free Libby app and reading a Lucky Day library copy of Weyward, by Emilia Hart.

      Gone to Soldiers is one of my favorite books ever, but this is the first time that I’ve listened to it as an audiobook.

      

   3. My husband and I stopped into a Goodwill while in Vancouver, but all we bought were a 99¢ commemorative baseball, (my husband) and a 99¢ spice rack, for our son. I still have the remnants of a Goodwill gift card from Christmas, so our out of pocket cost was just 54¢.

   4. • I picked up seven discarded 10¢ deposit cans while my husband was at hockey practice.
      • I keep two foldable reusable fabric tote bags in purse at all times, which came in handy for the cans. They’re machine washable, which is great as there were a few sticky drips.
      • The Supercuts Training Center had to change my appointment time, which meant my friend could no longer go. I got a $12.99 Great Clips coupon in my Instagram feed, so I signed my friend up for the offer. Not free, but still a good price.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. 1. I scored an adorable antique dresser from my Buy Nothing group, which was sorely needed as my son’s old bedroom had devolved into a literal “bed” “room,” as it contained a bed and no other furniture.

      I’m trying to avoid spending money on extras as we had a deluge of unwelcome expenses in December and January. My goal is to not touch our savings account if at all possible.

   2. I try to balance the giving/receiving when it comes to the Buy Nothing group, so I looked over my eBay inventory for something to part with. I chose four vintage style blow-mold Santas that somehow didn’t sell over the holidays. I list quality items pretty frequently, so I’m not concerned about it being a precise exchange of goods.

   3. I finally scored appointments for a pair of free haircuts for my friend and I through the Supercuts training center. I didn’t get a response to my first email inquiry, but a follow up a few days later was a success. The stylists are all fully licensed and often have years of hair cutting experience, they’re simply new employees.

      If you’re also looking for a free haircut, call around to see if the Supercuts in your region have a training center for their newly hired employees.

   4. • I yelled at a passerby to stop picking my neighbor’s daffodils, which resulted in my neighbor being able to enjoy what was left of her flowers. I rarely absolutely do not approve of theft as a “frugal hack.”
      • Someone left an empty kombucha can in front of our house, so I added it to our stash of returnable cans. I’m never going to turn down an easy 10¢.
      • A different neighbor borrowed our muffin tins and returned them along with two frosted cupcakes.
      • I drove to Safeway to pick up a $1.49 half-gallon of milk and their 99¢/pound chicken quarters. I took a minute beforehand to glance at Ibotta* and loaded a 5¢ coupon for “any brand milk.” Meh.
      • I spent an hour or so pruning my backyard wall of hydrangeas and otherwise tidying up our outdoor space. A yard that’s simple enough to maintain on my own is a frugal choice.
      

   5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

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

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* Referral link

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1. 1. I stopped by my beloved dented vegetable store yesterday afternoon and shelled out $7.78 for an impressive amount of (actually undented) groceries/produce. Here’s what I got:

      • Two yellow heirloom tomatoes.
      • One container of cherry tomatoes.
      • Three heads of broccoli.
      • One container of mixed greens.
      • One big yellow squash.
      • Two boxes of egg & onion matzohs.

      Food prices are predatory right now, so it pays to be creative whenever possible.

   2. I walked my plastics wishcycling recycling to New Seasons Market without shopping downstairs.

      

   3. I came across a damp free pile on my way back from New Seasons, but I still took a minute to look through it. I wasn’t interested in the half used toiletries, but I did grab these two plastic organizers, which cleaned up perfectly after a run through the dishwasher. Organizing supplies are my love language.

   4. • My husband forgot to use coupons at the grocery store, so I stapled them onto the receipt so I can show them to customer service the next time I’m at Fred Meyer.
      • I finished listening to The Immortalists audiobook through the library’s free Libby app.
      • My plant cuttings are all starting to show roots, which means I’ll be able to fill my outdoor flowerpots without spending any money.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. 1. I had a low key day at home yesterday and cooked up a pot of red lentil soup and a pan of fried rice using some leftover brown rice. I’d picked up a bag of frozen mixed vegetables at Winco last week for a buck or so and threw the entirety into the skillet. I need to remember to keep these on hand for exactly this situation.

      So much food for so little money!

   2. I chopped a huge onion for the lentil soup but froze about half of it, (on a tray and then into a ziploc bag) which I consider to be a favor to my future self. It was basically no extra work to chop the whole thing and will save the work of washing the knife and cutting board at a later date. Plus, there’s no chance of the half onion being shoved to the back of the fridge and going to the dark side.

   3. My husband and I completed 12 debit card transaction through our new credit union checking account, which earned us a nice $100 bonus. We can now stop using it as we earn 2% interest on the checking account we’ve had for years at our home credit union.

      We hadn’t planned on opening a new checking account, but I’m not one to say “no” to a hundred bucks. We’ll continue to keep our savings in their high yield savings account as it’s currently at 5.25% interest.

   4. • I continue to turn off the heat throughout at the day as I’m the only person home and I can always throw on an extra layer. Mind you, the daytime temperatures in Portland have been in the high 40s to low 50s.
      • I watched the movie Minari through the library’s free Kanopy app.
      • I spent a number of hours tidying up the landscaping in the front yard. I had a lot of thinned out Japanese iris rhizomes, which I bagged up and gave to a neighbor.
      • I stopped into Goodwill, but didn’t find anything I wanted to buy. However, I did find a shiny penny in the parking lot.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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1. I booked a flight to New York this summer and was able to pay just $205 by shuffling frequent flier miles. I had almost 25,000 miles sitting idle in an account but was separate from the miles that my husband and I accrue through an airline credit card — unfortunately the ticket required 70,000 miles. I called customer service and they walked me through how to transfer miles for the least amount of money. My husband tells me that the ticket was going to cost $800, which seems insane but apparently it’s a popular time to travel.

   I also made sure to purchase a direct flight ticket that has me landing early enough in the day, so I can take public transportation to my sister’s house during daylight. This saves either the cost of a taxi or the bother of someone driving to get me.

2. I was able to thrift six drinking glasses to match the three that my son and I bought a couple weeks ago. I deliberately chose a popular design that I knew would be easy to thrift if broken or misplaced. I thought they were Ikea, although I might be wrong. Either way, I was right that three could be thrifted on one day and the rest on another.

   He now has five tall glasses and four shorter ones and I paid maybe $12 for all.

   My personal Working Glass drinking glasses were also chosen as they’re easily thrifted and can be replaced singularly if broken. People think that buying used means you live with a jumble of hodge-podge belongings, but with a little patience that’s simply not true.

3. I’m currently enjoying a laughable number of library books, as a bunch of my holds came in at once. One that I’m halfway though and thoroughly enjoying is Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die. It’s a tiny book, but doles out the pragmatic advice that you need. Seems like it might be a parody book, but it isn’t.

   The perfect book for people who prefer their advice with a tremendous amount of swearing.

4. • I baked a loaf of no knead artisan bread and continue to use the 99¢/5-lb flour that I scored in November. Total cost of the loaf? Around 15¢ once you account for the yeast, salt, sesame seeds and cornmeal.
   • I sprinkled Winco bulk purchased corn meal in the bottom of the pan instead of using the recommended parchment paper. I’ve never bought parchment paper and consider it to be wasteful.
   • I was craving a treat last night, so I pulled out my thrifted air popper for a big bowl of popcorn. Melted butter and a generous sprinkling of salt scratched this itch. Unsurprisingly, I scoop my popcorn from the Winco bulk bins.
   • I watched the movie Misbehaviour last night through the library’s free Kanopy app. Excellent movie about the 1970 Miss World beauty competition and how it sparked Britain’s women’s liberation movement. Stacked with A-list actors such as Kiera Knightly and Rhys Ifans, I highly recommend.
   • I noticed that Safeway had Challenge butter on sale for $3.99/lb without a limit. I picked up four pounds as butter freezes well. I wish that $4/lb wasn’t a stock up price.

5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

“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.

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