A Day Off for The Non-Consumer Advocate and Sand Between my Toes

by Katy on March 23, 2010 · 8 comments

The most awesome driftwood fort from last Summer

This week is Spring break for my kids, and although we’re mostly sticking close to home, we did get invited to spend the night at the beach with friends tonight. This means that today’s blog post will be short and I won’t have internet access until Wednesday evening.

Because my life is about enjoying life on a dime and making the most of the world around me.

Have a great day, I know we will!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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World Water Day — A No Bottled Water Challenge

by Katy on March 22, 2010 · 28 comments

Today, March 22nd is recognized as World Water Day, whose goal is “Clean Water for a Healthy World.” Sound simple? Well it’s not. If you live in a community where you have access to clean water at the turn of the tap, then you are lucky.

And if you do have access to clean potable water, then why are you buying bottled water?

Bottled water is not only packaged in single use plastic, but comes from far locales that then require transportation and is less safe than municipal water which have required safety checks.

Not to mention that bottled water transforms the perfect beverage from pennies per gallon to dollars per gallon, which is simply poor financial planning in my book. (Coin Girl does not approve!)

The University of Portland just became the first West coast college to publicly ban sales of bottled water on its campus, sating that they

“Feel strongly that access to water is a basic human right and shouldn’t be privatized or sold in single-use plastic bottles with present and looming water shortages.”

I just now came back from seeing Annie Leonard talk about her The Story of Stuff book, (which was fantastic) and she just today premiered her new video, which is called:

The Story of Bottled Water

Not convinced yet? Well perhaps a little something called A Love Letter to Tap Water might seal the deal.

If you are committed to bringing your own tap water when you’re out and about or even *shocker* using drinking fountains when you’re thirsty, then add your name to comments section below.

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 March 21, 2010 · 11 comments

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

A Fir Tree Among the Ivy

I took my sons and a one of their friends to a reading fair at The University of Portland today. This annual event is put on by the students and is great fun. Not only are there dozens of fun activities and snacks, but the kids get to pick out a brand new book at the end. I don’t know who chooses the books, but they tend to run on the Caldecott/Newbery award winner style, and are fantastic!

Unfortunately, most the the participating kids were part of the five-and-under crowd, which made my posse rather conspicuous. But it did say it was for students through middle school, so we were slipping in right under the wire. (Seriously, my son’s friend is probably at least 5’10”, so he was a Douglas fir tree among the ivy.)

Luckily, there really was something for everyone to do, and the boys quickly earned enough stickers to go choose a book. My sons picked Twilight and The Titan’s Curse, and my son’s friend nabbed The Hobbit.

But my favorite part was an activity where kids wrote out what they think they can do to help the environment. My 11-year-old wrote “Buy less, use what you have until it’s worn out.” I just kind of wish the slips hadn’t been made of that flat styrofoam craft material. Kind of defeats the purpose.

Spring Break — Non-Consumer Style

This week is Spring break for all of Portland public schools. Because we don’t have the money to fly off to Hawaii or Mexico, (and I didn’t swing any fun freebie trips) we’re sticking around town. But that doesn’t have to mean business as usual or that we’re going to break the budget.

There’s lots to do in Portland that’s both fun and inexpensive. And this is true in any city.

First of all, I started to think about all the coupons and gift certificates I already have. We have gift certificates to the library second hand store, an asian restaurant, Taco Bell and a movie theater. This may pretty hodge-podge, but we can mix this into the week to make the week memorable, but frugal.

Yesterday, for example my older son had spent the night at a friend’s house, which turned into the second night at our house. I then took the kids to see a second-run theater to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox, for which I used a 2-for-1 coupon, which ended up being $12 for the five of us. I later made a nice dinner from scratch and then rented them a $1 DVD of Astro Boy for night two of the sleepover.

Today we went to the reading fair and then chilled out at home.

Later in the week we’ll spend one night at the beach with friends, and weather dependent, probably do some bike riding.

My goal is to do something fun and out of our routine every day. This doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive, just something to make the day seem special.

Do you have any Spring break tips to share? Please share your ideas and experiences in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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I’d Rather Dress Like An Elf Than Wear Shoulder Pads

by Katy on March 20, 2010 · 24 comments

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

david_sedaris_santaland_diaries

I’m lucky. As a nurse I don’t have to maintain a work wardrobe. The hospital provides scrubs, and even launders them. That means that in the past 15 years of my job, all I’ve bought for work have been a few pairs of unattractive squishy shoes.

This was not always the case.

I worked many different jobs before landing as an RN, and having to maintain a respectable work wardrobe was always an expensive stressor. I would get to Thursday, and suddenly Monday’s outfit would make a re-appearance. I hoped nobody noticed, but probably they did.

I was once so overdressed for an interview, that I was dubbed, “The Lord & Taylor girl.” Boy were they surprised when I was hired and got to know the real me. It had been my only nice outfit.

One of my favorite jobs was working as an elf at the New York’s Macy’s Santaland. You might think the highlight was working with the hilarious David Sedaris.

No. (That part was second best.)

It was because wearing a costume to work saved me from having to buy and pick out work clothes. (Keep in mind, it was 1988, the heyday of shoulder pads.)

Shudder.

I was talking to a fellow RN last week about how great it is to wear free clothes at work, and she surprised me by saying she wishes this were not the case. She feels she isn’t able to show off her sense of style in baggy blue scrubs. She wouldn’t budge from this opinion even when I pointed out the thousands of dollars she’s saved through the years.

I feel like any possible downside from wearing scrubs, is more than outweighed by the benefit of free work clothes. Perhaps she’d like a nice elf costume. Maybe even one with shoulder pads.

Do you enjoy dressing up for work, or would you rather wear a style-free/cost-free wardrobe?

Please share your workplace wardrobe experiences and tips in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Musings on Stuff and a Winner of “The Story of Stuff”

by Katy on March 19, 2010 · 2 comments

Congratulations to Jessica, whose comment on her relationship with stuff won her a copy of Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff: How our Obsession With Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and our Health — And a Vision for Change.

Thank you to everyone who entered to win. Here’s a small sample of some of the entries. Click here to read all the comments.

Jessica:

I live in a small house that I love so I am usually very reluctant to bring home anything. (We lived for three years with only a couch, TV and coffee table in our living room and absolutely nothing else.) I tend to like empty spaces. Of course since the arrival of my daughters, things have become much more cluttered with toys.

I love Annie’s video – so excited to read the book!

Rhonda S:

How appropriate and also the story of us! We thought the American dream meant always trading up to the bigger house, which needs more stuff, to the bigger car.. to the latest and greatest and new and improved. Last year we joined the Compact, we’ve been shedding ourselves of all of our crap. We hope to be able to sell our house next year and downsize to something small,no formal diningroom, that suits our new mentality. We want time with kids, slow time, fun time and we discovered that the American dream, as it was, is not going to give us what we want.

Laurie:

I used to have lots of stuff as a teenager – mostly knick knacks and gifts from friends, cutesy stuff, things that defined me as me. When I got married and got my own house, I needed stuff to make things a home. But my stuff has always been organized. The last few years, I’m realizing how little stuff I actually need to make me happy. Lately, I’m choosing to spend my money on experiences, not things. I’ve paired down our stuff to the point that my husband suggested I become a professional organizer – so I did! My philosophy – the world outside is so chaotic. When I come home and close the door to that world, I want to see and feel peaceful. And most of the time I do.

Missie:

I have to say that over the last couple of years I have scaled WAY back, way down and out! Lots going to Amvets or Goodwill. Years back my mom and I would frequent the flea markets……all sorts of goodies would come home! Now, a husband, two kids and a home later I’m getting rid of instead of bringing in. I don’t buy anything unless I have to – from anywhere. I could be better in a lot of ways, but I’m way better now than I used to be!! The book sounds just wonderful!

Kelly:

I’ve started to see “stuff” in a whole new way these last few years. I’m trying to find the balance between useful/meaningful stuff vs. all that other stuff. I love reading blogs like yours that help me keep focused.

Nancy:

I’d love to win this book…then give it away. I was downsized from a job and a house 6 years ago so I was forced to sell a lot of things I thought I had to have to be happy. I don’t miss any of it. I read books from the library and check out movies too. I also make bags out of bicycle inner tubes. I love keeping a few things out of the landfill. I buy very little now out of lack of funds but I’m fine with that. I’m still working on the clutter though. I still have boxes unopened from 2 moves ago.

Lorie:

“Stuff”. Even saying the word makes me start to feel sort of bogged down. It represents all of the things that we collect but hesitate to list because, I believe for a lot of us, it would just take too long! A few months ago, a good friend of mine and I decided that we would work on using and buying less “stuff” so that we could save for a cross-country road trip. It has been interesting just taking account of all that we had accumulated over the years in our last apartment: books, blankets, bags, pots, pans, CDs, DVDs, unused cooking “gadgets”…the list could go on forever. Fortunately, we were able to give away or sell most of the stuff that we weren’t using–which was actually most of our stuff! Now, people who want to actually use it can enjoy what was once collecting dust, and we are a lot less bogged down. Ah, the sweet feeling of realizing that you don’t need much to live well and be happy!

Gena:

We hate ’stuff’ so much we included the video on our wedding website in the Registry section! We had a lovely piece about asking for our guests’ presence, but understood some people enjoy giving as much as we do [we had stuff about the charities we support above this]. Then we wrote a bit about our support of worker’s rights and being anti-consumer and pro-local…then the video. We got SO much positive feedback from our friends and families…and so little ’stuff’! :)

Aly R.

Ah, “stuff.” Over the past year or so I have increasingly recognized my dysfunctional relationship to “stuff.” I dream of living with a lot less stuff and am working towards that but I still have only made a small dent of progress in my overall large backlog of stuff. Seeing Annie’s video was one of the catalysts for the change that has happened so far in my way of thinking. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for extra motivation to simplify their life. I wanted to simplify before I saw it, but the video just gave me that many more reasons to do so. I no longer want to be a prisoner to the endless cycle of buying!

Kayla K:

My relationship with “stuff” has weakened, as I am doing the Compact this year! Although now I’ve found that I really, really like the “stuff” that I already have, and take better care of it, because I can’t run out and buy new.
After watching “the Story of Stuff” as well as Planet Green’s new show “Blood, Sweat, and T-shirts,” it’s hard to imagine my shopping habits to ever return to “normal.”

Alia Young:

My 9 year old son LOVES the Story of Stuff movie. Watching this movie over and over together makes it easier for him to wear thrift shop clothes and receive secondhand Christmas and birthday gifts. Because he has internalized some of Annie Leonard’s values, he doesn’t ask for many things from the stores. He understands my aversion to cheap, plasticky toys and why I get stressed out when there is too much STUFF in our house.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Last Chance to Enter to Win a Copy of “The Story of Stuff”

by Katy on March 19, 2010 · 1 comment

The Story of Stuff giveaway ends at midnight tonight, (PST) so click here to put your entry in the comments section. You can’t win if you don’t enter!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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It’s Field Trip Time!

by Katy on March 18, 2010 · 11 comments

My father is a great teacher, a lovely father and one heck of a tennis player. However, his photography skills are somewhat lacking.

As much as I like to hang out at home, sometimes the four walls start to close in, which means it’s field trip time!

My father had suggested we hit the Bob’s Red Mill store, which is far enough away to be a bit of an event destination, yet close enough to make it a feasible trip. Not to mention that it’s across the street from the Dave’s Killer Bread factory and not too far from Costco. I’m a fan of batching my errands, so finding other reasons to be driving so far from home is key to avoiding gasoline guilt.

I spent the morning puttering about the house, hanging laundry, answering e-mails and getting some stuff organized to sell on craigslist. I knew I’d be going out for lunch and only ate lightly.

By the time my father cycled over at 1:20 P.M. I was ravenous. We jumped into my mini-van and drove the 8.3 miles to this wonderful mecca of whole grain goodness. (Seriously, this is not an advertisement. I just really like Bob’s Red Mill!) Unlike the previous trip when I had enjoyed a wonderful bowl of vegetable soup, I needed something a little more filling. The daily special of a turkey reuben caught my eye and was everything the Bob the doctor ordered.

Although Bob’s Red Mill is heaven-on-a-stick for scoop your own enthusiasts, my pantry was actually pretty well stocked and I only needed oatmeal. In my quest to avoid unnecessary plastic, I brought along my glass oatmeal storage jar to skip taking a bag. Unfortunately, the computer scales/cash registers there were unable to weigh the jar and then subtract that amount once full. So I took a plastic bag and filled it up with 99¢/pound organic oatmeal, which was 20¢ per pound more than the non-organic. I did have my handy-dandy mesh grocery bag, for which they gave me the reward of an entry to win, um . . . something.

Having completed our lunch/ dry goods shopping, my father and I drove across the street to the aromatic Dave’s Killer Bread store. My husband has recently become completely and utterly addicted to this bread, which is so chock full of grains and seeds that it’s in a category all its own. Unfortunately, it runs $4.50 per loaf at the grocery store and $3.50 at Costco. I found a shelf of “irregular” loaves, which were mildly misshapen and at $3.40 apiece were a a bit cheaper than Costco. I bought four loaves and then started to nibble away at the free samples. It was then that I noticed the freezer full of day old breads priced at $2.00 apiece. Hello?! Luckily, the clerk was very nice about doing the exchange, which netted $3.40 back to my debit card.

Okay. Now my father and I were really full, so we drove the short distance over to Costco. My father and step-mother just took in a rescue dog and are feeding him the Costco dry food despite not having a membership. And despite my aversion to Costco, I agreed to take him.

When compared to the vast hugeness of Cost, we are tiny.

Because neither of us are impulse shoppers we were able to get out of there in no time flat. (This was despite a brief mix-up about whether to buy the chicken or lamb dog food.) I bought the chicken stock concentrate that I depend on, (hey — it’s organic and I’d never even noticed) a bin of cat litter for which I had a coupon and a two-pound packet of smoked pulled pork that got a huge rave of a write-up in the FoodDay section of The Oregonian.

I convinced an employee to snap a quick photo of the two of us on our way out to the car, and our father-daughter field trip thus came to a close.

I certainly enjoy spending time with my father, but I think we’ll plan something a little less far reaching for our next field trip.

After all, isn’t my neighborhood walkable?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Who Gets to be Called the Most Green?

by Katy on March 17, 2010 · 23 comments

The following is from an e-mail I sent to Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish in relation to an article she’s writing. It’s in response to a Marketplace radio piece about how green products are now being marketed as money savers and good for you, rather than the traditional “good for the planet.” It’s a bit rambly and stream of consciousness, but I thought I would share it anyway.

I get annoyed with the sustainability snobs who feel that’s there’s only one right way to live in a sustainable manner, and that decisions made with the wallet in mind are somehow lesser.

I have always felt that frugality and green living dovetail really well in most areas of daily life. For example, my family of four has a monthly garbage pickup for our 20 gallon can. This saves us $5 per month, which is not a huge savings. However, because we compost, we don’t need to buy store bought compost like our neighbors, and the annoying task of “garbage night” is cut from weekly to monthly. (A simple living bonus!)

Another example of the lovely merging of frugality and green living is how I am a member of The Compact, which is a buy-nothing-new movement. This has saved my family countless thousands of dollars, but has also saved tremendous amounts of unnecessary manufacturing, shipping and the packaging that comes along for the ride.

Not everything follows this model though, as eating organically is certainly the greener choice, yet is a huge financial commitment. The way I work around this dilemma is that my family eats real, minimally processed food and never eats fast food. We do buy some organic food, but are not in a place where we could afford to go the whole sustainably-raised hog.

Tonight’s dinner was burritos made from pinto beans that I bought in bulk from Costco and then cooked myself, local (not organic, but hormone-free) cheddar cheese, tortillas from a mix, (which is packaged in paper) romaine lettuce bought using my own reusable produce bag and “El Pato” brand salsa that comes in a recyclable can. We drank tap water and used cloth napkins that I’ll wash in my second hand washing machine and then hang to dry.

People can get very hung up on the “organic” and “green” labels, but there are almost endless options for green living that are kind to the planet without draining the bank/locally owned credit union account. I saw a plastic container of “organic” baby crackers at a friend’s house recently, which pretty much sum up how the big picture of treading lightly on the planet can get lost in the marketing of organics.

My #1 priority is to find products that support my green ethics while also saving me money, which often means not buying anything. Organic bamboo sheets? Pass, I’ll just sleep on what I already own. Instead of a “green” laundry detergent, I make my own by grating soap and combining it with washing soda and borax. Not only is just a small amount needed, but the resulting product is green, only packaged in paper and as cheap as all-get-out.

I got interested in green living from a place of frugality. Amy Dacyczyn’s “The Tightwad Gazette” was hugely influential to me, and her methods of doing without and figuring out how to do with what you already have got me where I am today.

I doubt there are two people who would agree about how a green life should be lived. My family owns two cars, yet only drive small amounts and we never fly. Someone else might cycle everywhere, yet fly 4-5 times per year. Who is more green?

Really though, how we live our lives is not a competition. If this were true, then face it, we’d all be losers.

Here’s a short piece I wrote awhile back about the “Venn Diagram” of frugal living and green living. I’m not going to get drawn into an argument about how my family eats or what transportation we use to get where we need and want to be. I’m doing my best and you’re doing your best. Let’s respect each other’s choices.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Story of Stuff Book Giveaway!!!

by Katy on March 16, 2010 · 91 comments

Annie Leonard, creator of the “internet film sensation” The Story of Stuff has just come out with a accompanying book, which is titled, The Story of Stuff: How our Obsession With Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and our Health — And a Vision for Change.

Usually I won’t do a book giveaway unless it’s a book I’ve actually read. However, the generous folks over at Free Press have sent me two copies of this book (one for review, one for giveaway) and I’m going to break my own rule and offer it up before I even crack the spine of my personal copy. I love, love, love Leonard’s video, and I have trust in this book.

To enter to win your own hardback copy of The Story of Stuff, just write a little something about your own relationship with “stuff “in the comments section below. I will randomly pick a winner on Friday, March 19th at midnight PST. Only one entry per person, U.S. residents only.

Leonard is coming to Portland next week to do a reading at locally owned Powell’s City of Books on March 22nd at 7:30 P.M., which I will be attending.

Click here to read Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish’s recent interview with Annie Leonard.

Good luck! Remember — you can’t win if you don’t enter.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Dollar Stores — Friend or Foe?

by Katy on March 15, 2010 · 31 comments

When I first started going to “The Dollar Tree” store in 1998, I was in heaven. I was so used to saying “No” to my preschool age son, it was nice to actually tell him he could pick out anything he wanted. Heck, pick out three while you’re at it!

An awareness of plastics, manufacturing practices and an unwillingness to clutter my house up has ended this open door policy, but there’s still value to be found at these ubiquitous dollar stores. No, I’m not buying loads of plasticy crap, but I do hit the dollar store every few months to stock up on a few essentials. For me, this means:

  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Bar soap
  • Tortillas
  • And whatever else they happen to have that is both a good deal and an actual need.

I am going to hit The Dollar Tree today, because I read on the blog Frugal Living NW, that the author bought Glen Muir organic marinara sauce there a few days back, and I’m trying to move away from BPA lined canned foods. I will also look for the delicious frozen blueberries that I bought last time that were the piece de resistance of some rather tasty homemade parfaits. (Seriously, my younger son had been nagging for school lunches, and we realized the only thing he wanted was parfaits. We bought the ingredients for parfaits, and he’s been a happy camper ever since.)

I’m pretty good about putting on my blinders for impulse items, and will keep it short and sweet.

Have you heard of The 99 Cent Chef, the blogger who makes all his meals from ingredients found at dollar stores?

Do you shop at dollar stores? Do you have any scores to share in the comments section?

Gotta go!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Update: My Dollar Tree did not have any frozen blueberries or Muir Glen pasta sauce, although they did have Muir Glen tomato soup. I’m not a tomato soup fan, so I didn’t buy any. However, I did buy:

  • A two pack of name brand Scotch tape.
  • 3 packets of tortillas
  • 2 bags of frozen strawberries
  • 2 containers of nice feta cheese
  • 2 bags of jelly beans
  • 2 packets of seeds that were 25¢ apiece (spinach and “spinach mustard”)
  • 2 three-packs of soap
  • 2 bottles of shampoo and conditioner
  • 2 boxes of nice looking crackers

They had darling Beatrix Potter milk chocolate bunnies that tempted me sorely. However, they were on the small size, plus were extensively overpackaged. I may still go back for them though.

Wallet or soapbox? Ever the dilemma!


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