Shh . . . It’s The Secretly Frugal

by Katy on October 21, 2009 · 45 comments

Shh

Frugality is everywhere. It’s on TV, in the papers and certainly on the internet.

It’s inescapable.

But that doesn’t mean that frugal folk stand out any more than your average American. Often, frugality is completely behind closed doors.

I come across a wide cross section of society in the course of my job as a hospital nurse. I was caring for an East African woman a few weeks back and sure enough, the subject of frugality came up. I explained the measures my family takes to live inexpensively, and her response was, “Oh, but there are no other Americans that live that way.”

This got me thinking about how I might appear to someone who would simply be taking me at face value.

Because I live in a large house in a desirable neighborhood, to a stranger it would be a safe assumption that we are the Joneses. The outward appearance of our lives would appear as anything other than your typical mall shopping, credit card swiping average American.

Of course, you know better. You know that we cook inexpensive meals from scratch, shop thrift stores for almost all our needs, shy away from pricey gift giving and do almost all of our home improvement projects ourselves.

Of course, there is the opposite situation where people appear to live in luxury yet are actually swimming in debt. This, we expect. This, is covered quite nicely in the media. This, people expect from Americans.

But the secretly frugal are not on people’s radars as much. We exhibit no stereotypical signs of poverty such as run down cars and grubby clothing. We appear to be living the American dream.

No wonder my patient thought there were no frugal Americans.

Do you feel like your frugality is behind closed doors? Are you private about the financial choices that allow you to appear to be living beyond your means? 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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Seven Ways to Avoid Buying New Stuff — A Guest Post from Leo Babauta of mnmlist.com

by Katy on October 20, 2009 · 4 comments

The following is a guest post from Leo Babauta of both zenhabits.net and mnmlist.com. It came to my attention this morning, as there’s an imbedded link to The Non-Consumer Advocate, as I am the “woman who decided to buy nothing new.” Cool.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

7 Ways to Avoid Buying New Stuff

As we talked about in the True Cost of Stuff, buying something new requires the extraction and destruction of a lot of resources, not to mention the destruction of our environment in extracting, hauling, manufacturing, packaging and shipping the item.

So if we want to avoid buying new things, what should we do if we need something? After all, there are always times when we feel we need something — not just want or desire, but need it for a real purpose. We might need new clothes, or books, or a bike so we can cut back on using a car.

One woman decided to buy nothing new, which is an interesting solution, but probably not for most people. But while you might not want to put such a drastic moratorium on yourself, here are 7 things you can do before even considering buying a new item.

  1. Reconsider your need. Do you really really need it? Or is it a want? Or can you change things so you don’t need it? This should always be the first thing you do.
  2. Borrow. You might only need it temporarily. Borrow books from friends or the library. Borrow a dress for a special occasion. Borrow a tool for a short-term project. Be sure to lend things in return, when you can.
  3. Ask friends and family. Sometimes people you know might have the item you need, but not need it any longer. Instead of loaning it to you, they might be glad to give it to you. You only need to ask. I’ll often send out an email (or tweet) if I need something that others might have.
  4. Freecycle. Same idea, but using a wider network. There are Freecycle networks in many areas — people who want to give something away, or who need something, post to the list and very often exchanges are made — for free.
  5. Buy used. It’s infinitely better than buying new, because when you buy used you’re not having new resources taken from the earth and manufactured, but rather extending the life of resources that have already been used. Try thrift shops, charity stores, yard or garage sales, Craigslist or Ebay.
  6. Make your own. This won’t work in every case (if I had to make my own clothes people would laugh at me more than they already do), but sometimes you can make something that’s just as good as buying, with inexpensive materials or materials you already have. This works if you’re good with crafts or carpentry especially. It can also be fun to get the family involved.
  7. Go without. I know this seems the same as the first item on the list, but actually it’s a bit different: say you decide you really do need something, but can’t find it anywhere or make it. Should you buy new? Well, maybe you can go without it for awhile, until you do find a used version. Maybe you need it but don’t need it right now. Often things will turn up when you keep your eyes open — someone will happen to mention they have the item, or you’ll see it on Freecycle or Craigslist after a week or two. And sometimes, the need for the item will go away, and you’ll be glad you waited.

Sometimes you might have to buy a new item, even after exhausting all these options. But if you can run through this list first, often you’ll find you didn’t need it new.

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What Non-Consumer Activities Have You Been Up To?

by Katy on October 19, 2009 · 15 comments

the_big_burn

My days are all very different, yet bear striking similarity to one another. Some days I work as a labor and delivery nurse, but mostly I’m at home. I make kid lunches and hustle the boys off to the school bus, (minimize driving) answer e-mails and engage in various Non-Consumer-ey activities. This may low key socializing with a friend, (going for a walk) never ending hanging of laundry, running errands or writing.

Today, for example I:

  • Made school lunches and hustled boys off to the school bus.
  • Arranged to do a talk on Choosing a Non-Consumer life for you and your family, which will be on November 18th at a local elementary school, (details to follow.)
  • Nipped over to a thrift store to find a warm coat for my 11-year-old son’s upcoming outdoor school, (found for 99¢!)
  • Picked up books and movies from the library.
  • Grocery shopped.
  • Stopped at the doctor’s office to pay a bill I had questions about. (It’s next to the Grocery Outlet store.)
  • Laundry.
  • Made dinner, which was tilapia fillets, (super cheap from the Grocery Outlet store,) roasted potatoes and a big salad.
  • Cleaned up from dinner.
  • Helped with homework. (Okay, nagged.)
  • Wrote blog.

Nothing was all that off from the ordinary, yet almost everything I did had a Non-Consumer slant. I batched my errands, found a perfectly good coat for less than the cost of a pair of socks and made a tasty, yet inexpensive meal.

Tomorrow I plan on getting some extra writing done and then hope to sneak out to go hear Timothy Egan do a reading from his new book, The Big Burn in the evening.

So . . . what Non-Consumer activities have you been up to? And is this normal for you, or are you changing your habits? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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When Pricey Pairs With Cheap-O

by Katy on October 18, 2009 · 5 comments

roller-skates

Last night, we held my 14-year-old son’s birthday party at a Portland Parks and Recreation roller rink. And yes, we booked the whole rink, which set us back a cool $115.

Although the initial outlay of cash put a bit of a tight feeling in my chest, (it is very against type) I do feel like providing an occasional blow-out party is something that I’m happy to do. I don’t want to get through the last few years of this son’s childhood and feel like I was too tight fisted to splurge here and there.

However, having spent the big bucks did not mean I was going to keep up a spendthrifting pace. I made 75 cupcakes from scratch, filled a big insulated container with watery lemonade from concentrate, (I rightly figured the kids would be thirsty from all the skating) brought my own ceramic mugs from home, invested in a few bags of chips and called that good. I didn’t buy party favors or feel the need to put up decorations.

My son put together a play-list on his iPod which we were able to hook into their sound system. The combination of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix and Michael Jackson was a big hit and helped set a party mood from the get-go.

The man who worked the rink was fabulous. He kept a tight eye on safety issues, (even providing a fan and a popsicle for the one kid who got overheated) kept the action fresh by providing balls and hockey equipment, and even got a game of dodgeball going at the end.

Alas, I didn’t find any coins on the ground, but I did pull a glass leftovers container, (complete with plastic snap-on lid) from the garbage.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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The Great Depression — Everything Old is New Again?

by Katy on October 16, 2009 · 5 comments

95248main_theb1365

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy!
The 1930’s were not the good old days. The Dust Bowl sickened countless Americans with dust pneumonia, as it drove thousands from their beloved family farms. City folk didn’t exactly have it easy either, as unemployment plagued the formerly thriving working-force.

So why are we looking to the depression era as a source of inspiration?

Is it nostalgia for simpler times, before electronics became both a need and a nuisance?

Or are we seeing the diehard frugality of our parents and grandparents through new eyes?

Knitting, quilting, and backyard chickens have reached the pinnacle of hip. Even cobblers are experiencing an unforeseen rise in business.

So I ask, what can we learn by the menders, fixers and savers of those who survived the great depression? Those who learned how not to waste?

The NY Times recently published a moving article titled, Making Ends Meet in The Great Depression that gleaned the memories of those who lived through the great depression:

“Back then there was little money for food, let alone new curtains, but people found ways to cope. Backyard gardens were cultivated not because of a sudden itch to eat locally grown produce, but out of necessity; homeowners did their own repairs and found ingenious ways to make their homes functional and attractive.”

Hmm . . . sounds familiar.

Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. (A 2006 National Book Award Winner) chronicles the background and hidden stories of the people behind the environmental disaster that was the dirty thirties. Egan neither romanticizes nor sensationalizes this era. Instead, the author follows a few families in the hardest hit counties of Texas and Oklahoma to humanize the experience. Egan skillfully outlines the events that led to the dust bowl, making this one of the few book purchases I’ve made since joining The Compact, (buy nothing new) in 2007.

I have written previously about this book on The Non-Consumer Advocate, and had asked readers to share their family’s depression era stories on the blog. The subsequent comments were incredibly moving and inspirational; and brought tears to my eyes.

I think there is much to learn from the lessons learned by those who survived the great depression. An appreciation for food on the table, money put aside and the health of loved ones can get away from us in our go, go, go world.

These lessons are worth saving.

Did your family struggle through the great depression? Did your grandparents continue with the skills learned during lean times? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Blog Action Day — The Non-Consumer Advocate Way

by Katy on October 15, 2009 · 12 comments

Blog Action Day

Today is international Blog Action Day, and this year’s theme is Climate Change.

And here’s my very extremely complicated and high tech advice to minimize your role in climate change:

Stop buying tons of unnecessary brand new stuff.

Thank you.

Please feel free to e-mail me at nonconsumer@comcast.net if you need any clarification.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

{ 12 comments }

Cheap Eats — "Hakuna Frittata"

by Katy on October 14, 2009 · 12 comments

frittata

I’ve had some rather unpalatable experiences with frittatas in the past. Dry and oniony with a texture akin to a tire rubber was not a dish I aspired to recreate. But my Scrabble friend Glenn encouraged me to give frittatas another try.

The arrival of an extra half-dozen eggs in addition to the 18-pack in the fridge identified last night as my entry to the world of baked eggs.

My first stop to look for a recipe, was the ever reliable allrecipes.com website. A quick glance through the recipes (and helpful reviews) gave me a general idea of the general variation.

  • Eggs

  • Cheese

  • Veggies of choice, especially potatoes

  • Maybe meat, (sausage, bacon, etc.)

Okay. I can do that. This the kind of recipe I like making — it uses up small amounts of ingredients and can be varied to fit the needs of picky eaters. Not to mention it incorporates food that is at risk for waste into a meal.

I first peeled and chopped a couple of potatoes into small cubes and browned them in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Meanwhile I finely chopped some onion and carmelized that in another cast iron skillet and then added some frozen Trader Joe’s melange a troís pepper mix until it was all nicely browned.

How I assembled my frittata:

  • Spread the potatoes over the surface of a buttered 9″ X 13″  Pyrex pan.

  • Spread the onion/pepper mixture over one-half of the pan, (picky kid issues.)

  • Sprinkled a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese over the entire pan.

  • Added a jar of chopped artichoke hearts I had on hand.

  • Whisked seven eggs with a small amount of whole milk and poured this over the entire pan. (Why seven? Why not!)

  • Sprinkled another handful of parmesan cheese over the top.

  • Placed in a preheated 350° oven until the center was set. For me, this was around 25-30 minutes.

The frittata was a big hit with three out of four family members, (Mom! Why did you add artichoke hearts? Why?!) and it will most definitely be making a regular appearance in our dinner rotation.

But most important, the frittata was moist and not at all rubbery.

I really liked that this meal can be concocted out of leftover bits of this and that. (A meal never to be repeated!) As long as I have eggs and a bit of cheese, everything else can be scrounged from the fridge. Ours was vegetarian, but very hearty.

Also, I really appreciated that a single meal could be prepared to address the tastes of both adult and child(ish) palates. Because, as much as I want to be raising kids who eat a wide variety of flavors, it’s not realistic to serve them meals I know they won’t like.

I’m already thinking about what else can be added to the next frittata — zucchini, leftover rice, beans, tomatoes, green beans. The list goes on and on.

And the only downside is that I still have that annoying Hakuna Matata song stuck in my head!

Hakuna Frittata, ain’t no passing craze. It means no worries for the rest of your days!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Cheap Eats columns from previous posts:

Black bean burgers

One hour bread

Burritos

Curried lime chicken satay

Pasta salad

Pesto

Tea towel salad dressing

Momeye’s coffee cake

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No Heat Challenge — An Update

by Katy on October 13, 2009 · 38 comments

icetoilet

I am a foolish woman with a tendency to make sweeping proclamations such as, “I am going to wait until November 1st to turn on my furnace.”

It sounded doable at the time. After all, I live in Portland, Oregon, better known for it’s baristas and library culture than any arctic weather conditions.

But each morning has been that much colder. The first chilly morning that required a glance at the thermostat read 61°. Subsequent mornings rang in at even chillier 57° and 58°. Yes it was chilly, but a quick bustling around and hot sweet cups of tea staved off the cold and any complaints.

But this morning was 39.9°, (yes I checked) outside, with a biting wind that brought the house down to a unacceptably nippy 50°. My husband Dale was the first one up this morning and quickly called up to me:

“Katy, it’s 50 degrees down here, can we please turn the furnace on?”

And even I, the proclaimer of all things challenging could muster up no argument.

“Yes, please turn the heat on!”

So have I failed at the No Heat Challenge? Absolutely not. The point was never to keep the house at a level of frigidity that would bring child protective services a knockin’ at my door. The point was to make a conscious and deliberate decision about the heat necessary to heat my leaky barn of a house.

So will I crank the furnace to a toasty 70° now that I have gotten past the official challenge?  No way! I will continue to keep the house somewhat cool, (63° during the day, 57° at night.) But don’t worry, I do turn it up when guests are over.

Not everyone is as foolish or as acclimated to frigid conditions as I am.

Are you still going strong with the No Heat Challenge? Will you be keeping your house cooler than in years past? 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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Extreme Frugality – Are You Willing to Go The Distance?

by Katy on October 12, 2009 · 32 comments

Tightwad Gazette

I like to bring a book or magazine into bed, where I can actually read without worrying that, “I should be doing this” or “I should be doing that.” Sometimes I read way into the night, other times just a page or two’ll do me.

Last night I grabbed my well worn copy of Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette for a little night time inspiration. Although I’ve owned this books for years and feel like I have it memorized, it had been awhile since I’d delved in.

In the introduction, Dacyczyn responds those who criticize her frugal methods as too extreme:

“This seems as good a place as any to respond to the common criticism that my ideas are too extreme. The very purpose of a newsletter is to meet a need that is not met by the mainstream media. Traditional financial advice and consumer writers offer safe, halfway advice: They’ll tell you how to feed a family of four for $84 per week (when it can be done for half that amount). The same writers will tell you it’s becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for families to make ends meet. In fact by adhering to the ‘safe’ advice, many families would not make ends meet. The Tightwad Gazette came about as a reaction to this traditional viewpoint, because I knew that people could achieve the ‘impossible’ with a little discipline, a little creativity, and a willingness to to do things that mainstream thinkers deem extreme.”

Too extreme? Isn’t that like ice cream being too smooth and creamy?

My frugality has been mostly well received, but there are those who complain that I’ve gone over the edge. This bothers me not one whit, as I am quite comfortable and confident with my methods of madness. And I completely agree with her assessment of mainstream media. If I read the tired advice of skip that morning latte one more time, I just might have to drown myself in a double shot soy venti hazelnut vanilla cinnamon white mocha!

An example of the degree to which I’m willing to go in the name of frugality happened just today. I was helping my mother clean out two of her rental cottages between tenants and was able to fill a grocery bag with the stuff that people had left behind.

I brought home:

  • Half a bottle of corn oil
  • A mostly full carton of milk
  • A small bag of almonds
  • A stick-and-a-half of butter
  • A half-dozen eggs
  • A never opened bag of tortilla chips
  • A never opened jar of salsa
  • A half empty bottle of barbeque sauce
  • An almost full bottle of shampoo
  • A box of tooth whitening strips
  • A bag of parmesan cheese
  • An onion
  • Half a box of linguine
  • Half a bulb of garlic
  • A wide mouth canning jar with lid

There are some who would say that scrounging for food is way too extreme for them. But I feel totally comfortable and completely non-paranoid about this activity.

Frugality is about saving money on the things that don’t matter so the money is available for the things that do.

I have a goal to get all my money-pit-of-a-house debt paid off as soon as possible. And this means both making extra money, as well as looking for every opportunity where I can shave a little bit from my spending.

Extreme? Maybe so, but without extremity I would be working full time and probably living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Are you willing to make some extreme decisions to support the life you want to live? 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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Is There Such Thing as a Free Dinner?

by Katy on October 11, 2009 · 6 comments

willamette-southview-lg

After my article ran in The Oregonian the other day, I received an e-mail asking me to publicize an upcoming focus group about consumer behavior and waste prevention for this Wednesday, October 14th here in Portland, Oregon.

And although this does not appear to be a paying gig, “Food will be provided.” So I guess there is such thing as a free dinner, the jury is still out though on that whole free lunch thing.

Let me know if you went and how it was. I won’t be going myself as weeknights are soccer practice/making dinner/homework-tastic at my house.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Here is the info:

The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is conducting focus groups with key audiences to seek input on consumer behavior and waste prevention messaging in hopes of gaining insight into how to most effectively move forward with our efforts. As an environmentally conscious person, we would appreciate your valuable input in this process.

We will be holding a focus group Wednesday, Oct. 14 in downtown Portland and would like to invite you to attend. The focus group will be held from 6:00-7:30 PM. Food will be provided. Space is limited, so if you are interested
please respond as soon as possible to Kirsten Gunst (kgunst@metgroup.com or 503-223-3299) with your name and zip code.

Thanks, we appreciate your time and interest.
—
John Donovan
Senior Director
Metropolitan Group

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