Ridiculous Baby Items

by Katy on May 12, 2010 · 52 comments

There are countless ridiculous things that new parents are encouraged to buy for their precious new babies. I’ve already written about the insanity of expensive strollers, so this opinion should take no one by surprise.

I even took to my Twitter account and asked my followers for their two cents. Wipes warmer were hands down, (or butt down, in this case) the most popular unnecessary baby item. And here I need to confess that I actually asked for and then was given a wipes warmer for my second son. I quickly realized how useless this item was, not to mention how my wipes were constantly getting dried out. I quickly stopped using it.

Other unnecessary baby items were:

  • Changing table. (I always just used a dresser with a pad on top)
  • Diaper Genie.
  • Individual plastic bags for each individual disposable diaper.
  • Home fetal heart rate moniter.

The ridiculousness is never ending, as manufacturers continue to invent new and crazy must have items for parents to be. And it’s not just the cheap and plastic stuff that’s over the top, because the Waldorfy manufacturers are just as happy to sell you stuff, stuff, and more stuff. (As long as it’s wooden.)

Are there ridiculous baby items that arrived at your home from well meaning baby shower-ers? Please share your favorite least favorite items in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. Sorry if today’s blog post is cranky, but that’s how I’m feeling today.

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on May 12, 2010 · 9 comments

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

Monkey business for iPods

Key Banks here in Portland, Oregon have a current promotion where you get a free iPod touch if you open a checking account with them. Of course, there are requirements like two direct deposits, keep the account for six months, plus a few other bits of small print.

My husband was reading through the ad in yesterday’s newspaper and was briefly considering jumping through the hoops for the iPod. This is very unlike him, as he normally doesn’t like this kind of something for nothing scheme. He was not, of course, considering switching our entire banking over to Key Bank. (We are very happy with our credit union, plus INGDirect for savings, thank you very much!) He just wanted the iPod.

In the end, he talked talked himself out of it, stating “I don’t like to monkey around with things that could affect our credit or money.”

So my husband will continue on with the iPod I gave him five years ago, and our money will stay right where it is. No monkey business required.

Nine year old tip from The Non-Consumer Advocate

I was going though a stack of magazines last night when I came across a May 2001 issue of Mary Hunt’s The Cheapskate Monthly. Why would I hold onto a nine-year-old newsletter? Because I had submitted a tip that was not only published, but was also picked as tip of the month! (The prize being an extension of my subscription, which was kind of funny since I didn’t actually have a subscription!)

Here’s my winning tip:

“The best for your entertainment dollar is not dollars at all. It’s canned goods. Rather than looking into the newspaper for fun stuff to do, call your local Food Bank. They’ll be able clue you into upcoming events that require only the donation of a few nonperishable food items. Not only are you saving money, you are helping those most in need. My family has been able to use this strategy to see first-run movies, visit local amusement parks and enjoy music festivals. Fun never felt so good.”

Even though this money saving tip is now nine years old, it’s completely timely. I’m still looking to save money and the food banks still need our help.

And the best part is that I can now recycle this old newsletter, because my tip will be forever accessible through The Non-Consumer Advocate!

Live in Maryland? You now have the “Right to Dry!”

So many Americans live in communities or rental properties where they are forbidden to use a clothesline. This just kills me, as clothesline usage is one of the simplest and least expensive changes a person can put into action. Except for your fridge, your clothes dryer uses more energy than any other home appliance. And let’s not forget those Americans who have to use a laundromat or a coin operated machine, bringing the cost up even higher.

A few states have stepped up and enacted legislation that overrides clothesline bans, (Florida, Hawaii, Vermont, Colorado and Maine) and we can now add the lovely state of Maryland to that list!

I actually met with a county commissioner about the clothesline issue a few years back, although I haven’t really followed up on it. (Bad Katy, bad Katy!) I know there was some Oregon state legislation pending last year, but I’m embarrassed to say that I think only a watered down version was passed.

Every article I’ve ever read about clotheslines, (and I’ve read a lot of them!) quotes from people who people who say they don’t want to look at their neighbor’s laundry. Yet my closest neighbors expressed regret that they didn’t have room for their own clothesline, and my other neighbors were inspired enough to hang their own line!

Savings from green living is not just for those who can afford solar panels and a Prius. Well . . . in more more state that is. Way to go Maryland!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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The Return of the Boo-Hiss Awards

by Katy on May 11, 2010 · 25 comments

It’s time again to roll out the garbage picked red carpet for the fabulous, glamorous and downright fantabulous Boo-Hiss Awards. So book your stylist and draw up a vial of botulism, because the day you’ve been waiting for is finally here.

The first Boo-Hiss Award goes to Kleenex, who recently unrolled disposable hand towels designed to replace the germy hand towel in your bathroom. Didn’t know that your hand towel, which can be used and reused hundreds of times was dangerous to your family? Well, Kleenex did:

“The CDC guidelines for hand washing recommends hand drying with a single-use towel. Families have not had a practical alternative to traditional cloth hand towels in their home bathrooms… until now.”

I was unable to find the fiber content of the Kleenex hand towels, although all their other paper products boast of their 100% virgin fiber content. Yup, no sluttiness in the Kleenex family of paper products!

So Boo-Hiss to you, Kleenex. For replacing a reusable product with a disposable one, and for trying to scare us into buying your product.

The second Boo-Hiss Award goes to the Eco Plant-It Grow Kit, which is a teeny tiny spruce tree inside of a plastic ball. Yes, it is a ball made from 100% recycled plastic, but it is plastic nonetheless. Plastic, which has a depressingly low recycling rate. Plastic, which essentially lasts forever. Plastic, which is made from petrochemicals that are harmful in ways we haven’t even found out about yet. Plastic.

I spied this primo example of greenwashing at the Fred Meyer next to house the other day and it caught my eye because “eco” and “plastic” aren’t exactly match made in heaven. Peanut butter and Jelly, yes. Has-been celebrities and reality TV, yes. Even eco-geeks and backyard chickens, you betcha’!  But “Eco” and “Plastic?” Puh-leez!

Eco Plant-It Grow Kit, you are greenwashing at its worst. Boo-Hiss!


The last Boo-Hiss Award goes to BP, a.k.a. British Petroleum, for spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

As a mother, what else can I say besides you need to clean up your spills, but it’s better to have not spilled in the first place. Boo-Hiss on you, BP!

Do you have any products to nominate for a Boo-Hiss Award? Please do share 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 Pantry Principle vs. Menu Planning

by Katy on May 10, 2010 · 42 comments

Unlike many bloggers, I am not a meal planner. I usually plan dinner at some point during the day based on what’s in my “pantry,” (loose term here, as I have no actual pantry) what we’ve eaten recently, who’s going to be home for dinner and frankly, what I feel like eating. Sometimes I feel like I should be more organized, but this non-method actually works really well for my me.

I was rereading Amy Dacycyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette last night and came across her article on “The Pantry Principle,” which is pretty similar to my non-method.

“Typical is the admonition to plan meal menus 30 days in advance and shop accordingly, never daring to veer from this carved-in-stone schedule. At the very least, we’ve been told, you should plan meals seven days in advance, working with what’s on sale that week.

The basic premise (of “The Pantry Principal”) is that you stockpile your pantry (and/or kitchen, freezer, basement, closet and/or the space under your bed) with food purchased at the lowest possible price. The sole purpose of grocery shopping becomes replenishing your pantry, not buying ingredients to prepare specific meals.”

The downside to my, (okay, okay . . . Amy’s) method of meal planning is that it works great for me, but not for my husband. I look at a cupboard full of ingredients and see meals, complete with side dishes and the like. My husband, on the other hand looks at a cupboard full of ingredients and sees cans, jars and dry goods. However, I do most of the cooking for the family, (I work part-time, and he works full time) so this is mostly a non-issue.

I do see the appeal of menu planning, and really, the idea of knowing what’s for dinner ahead of time is completely logical. But my personality somehow balks at this method, even though I have actually tried in the past to force this particular square peg into the round hole of meal planning.

I believe there is no absolute of right or wrong with meal planning, as long as what you do works for you. Kristen, over at The Frugal Girl takes her meal planning very seriously, and that’s great. But she and I live very different lives and are hard wired in different universes, and we’ve both figured out methods that fit each of our unique lives. I kind of liken it to the principal that it’s better to do something rather than wait for the perfect method to present itself.

Are you a meal planner, or have you figured out your own method to get a daily dinner on the table without taking out a second mortgage? 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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Happy Mother’s Day!

by Katy on May 9, 2010 · 4 comments

Happy mother’s day to all mothers, far and wide. And an especially special happy mother’s day to my mother, Susan Stanley!

I could write a blog post about what fantastic mother and grandmother she is, but I don’t think that my readers have time to read a 10,000 word article.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Looking Forward to Happiness

by Katy on May 8, 2010 · 17 comments

I was walking to my car after work the other day, and suddenly realized that I was actually looking forward to my rush hour commute. Not because I’m a connoisseur of car exhaust and stop and go traffic, but because I was in the middle of a really good audio book. This got me thinking about the power of having something to look forward to in one’s life.

I recently read Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, and have been more analytic about what it is that makes me happy. Rubin does write about how having something to look forward to is an integral part of the whole happiness equation. (I would quote something here, but I actually lent my copy of the book to my step-mother, so I guess I’ll just have to look forward to its return.)

I look back to the only time in my life when I would characterize myself as having an issue with depression, and that would be when my kids were around three and five years old. I was working full time, the kids were a never ending handful, the house was always grimy, there was never enough money, (my husband was in school) and the only thing I had to look forward to was more of this unsatisfying grind.

It was not a good year.

But I pulled through, and I think the key was that I added activities that gave me pleasures and something to look forward to. I began buying Hanna Andersson girl’s clothing, which I then sold on eBay. (The company is based here in Portland, so it’s really easy to find the dresses at area thrift stores.) I became closer with my friend Sasha, and we would get together for walks in the morning, and I began to get more exercise.

These activities got my out of my funk, and gave me something to look forward to besides the never ending cycle of mothering small boys, cooking and cleaning and feeling like I was never doing any of it very well. (Give the boys my full attention and the house would be a wreck plus there would be nothing for dinner. Or conversely, park the boys in front of the TV so that I could cook and clean only to feel like I was being a crappy mom!)

Happily, these days are far behind me. I am far from perfect, (my house is always a bit grimy and the challenges of mothering young teenage boys are a mystery to me) but I have much in my life to look forward to. I have a fresh new lawn growing in my backyard, a summer’s worth of hosting English soccer/football coaches and an unlimited number of walks with my friend Sasha to look forward to.

Plus, I still have a disc and a half of my Marian Keyes audio book left to listen to.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Money Saving Ideas, They Just Keep a’ Coming!

by Katy on May 7, 2010 · 31 comments

I am totally grooving on my current decluttering kick, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t get a kick-and-a-half out of continuing to figure out different money savings tricks, (or “hacks” for my hipsters readers.) My favorite part is that I never seem to run out of new ways to save money!

Regular readers already know that I buy the pepperoni for my homemade pizzas from the Papa Murphy’s up the street. This little trick not only saves me a couple of bucks, but I also don’t end of buying three times the amount I actually need. Plus, I usually remember to bring my own container, which makes it packaging free!  Win, win, win!

But today I learned that the Japanese restaurant a few blocks away would sell me a fairly sizable amount of wasabi and pickled ginger for a mere two dollars! We were making sushi for dinner, and the pickled ginger at the grocery store was not only six dollars for a jar, but looked kind of gross and soggy. I am super stoked to have figured this out, as the sushi making session was a huge hit with the whole family, and will most definitely be repeated.

I want to know what money saving tricks you’ve been employing lately? The Non-Consumer Advocate community always blows me away with its ideas, and I want to hear from you! Please share your wisdom in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Do You Have The Right?

by Katy on May 6, 2010 · 9 comments

I know I just posted a video the other day, but this was is too funny (and relevant) to not share with you!

Enjoy, and make sure to check out Alexander Lee’s ProjectLaundryList.org!

Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Enemy Within – Backyard Clothesline
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

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20 Great Reasons to Get Rid of Clutter — A Guest Post From Naomi Seldin of “Simpler Living”

by Katy on May 6, 2010 · 11 comments

The following is a guest post from the insightful and inspiring Naomi Seldin, who writes the blog Simpler Living for Albany’s Times-Union website. A big thank you to Naomi, for sharing her list, which I thought was perfect for Non-Consumer Advocate readers.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

20 Great reason to Get Rid of Clutter

Every so often, I realize how much downsizing improved my perspective. So I took a break from editing last night, picked up my journal and started listing reasons I’m glad I did it:

1. You’ll lose hundreds of pounds without having to take a single trip to the gym.

2. If you ever need to move somewhere smaller, you’ll be able to do it with confidence.

3. Your next move will also be less stressful and less expensive.

4. You’ll gain living space without having to move to a bigger house or apartment.

5. You’ll never have to run out and buy something because you can’t find the original.

6. You won’t be fooled into thinking something’s a bargain just because it’s on a sale rack.

7. When you’re bored, you won’t automatically go shopping. Instead, you’ll go hiking, or meet a friend for coffee, or start gardening or volunteering.

8. You’ll learn to say no to people who want you to buy something from them.

9. You’ll think twice about paying someone else to store stuff you don’t use.

10. Taking inventory of your stuff can be a really good wake-up call. When you discover you own 10 pairs of jeans and three hammers, you’ll realize you don’t need more of either.

11. Instead of buying stuff you don’t need, you’ll be able to pay off debt, go on a trip or invest in something more important.

12. Getting rid of clutter is like exercising a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets. You’ll also get less attached to stuff in general, and become a stronger and smarter consumer.

13. “Enough,” “want” and “need” will take on new meanings.

14. Dusting is easier when you have fewer knick-knacks.

15. People will give you wine and chocolate-covered bacon as gifts instead of knick-knacks.

16. Coming home will be relaxing instead of stressful.

17. You’ll spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your space.

18. Your children (or other loved ones) will have less to worry about when the time comes.

19. When you open your closet door, nothing there will make you feel guilty. That pair of jeans taunting you since you lost your college waistline? Those heels that hurt your feet too much to wear but cost too much to donate? Gone. Instead, you’ll have a wardrobe that fits you.

20. You’ll appreciate what you do have that much more.

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You Only Buy Used?! Eeuw, Gross!

by Katy on May 5, 2010 · 36 comments

Yeah, I only buy used. Isn’t it disgusting?!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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