Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on October 10, 2009 · 10 comments

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

I discovered a new magazine while scrounging for reading material at work the other day. (I hate having the TV on during my lunch break, while I am supposedly decompressing.) This new (to me) magazine is called ShopSmart, which touts itself as “No Hype +No Ads+Great Buys.”

Actually, the magazine is published by the Consumer Union non-profit that also publishes Consumer Reports, a magazine I truly respect. Featured in the September 2009 issue were deals to be found in dollar stores as well as reviews of tooth whiteners. Both of which I found to be interesting. (Parenting rather blunt children has meant I get regular reminders on my pearly yellows.)

The subscription rate is $18 for six issues, which is a bit pricier than other magazines, but you’re paying extra to escape advertising. I haven’t checked around to see if there are lesser prices, but there may be.

Either way, I did bring the magazine home. You know, for research.

My neighbors drive a smart 2005 Volvo station wagon that they keep in tip-top shape. It’s always clean and they bring it in for scheduled maintenance. Then suddenly this car, which they hardly drive needed a brand new transmission to the tune of $4000(ish).

To say they were spitting mad would be an understatement.

So they wrote a letter of complaint to Volvo Northwest explaining their situation and ended up getting around $2000 off the repair.

Which is not a bad, not bad at all. And reminds me that crafting a well worded letter of complaint can be a highly profitable skill.

I’m still going strong with the No Heat Challenge. The nights and mornings are nippy cold lately, but we have held strong. All of us are sleeping on flannel sheets under flannel duvets, and are fine once we garner the bravery to get up in the morning. A mug of hot sweet tea warms our insides and I have yet to hear one word of complaint. This, despite the thermostat’s morning readings of 61°.

My goal of getting to November 1st may or may not last, as my family is more important than a silly blog challenge.

What? You’re leaving me for a woman who heats her house?!

But the suitcases appear empty so far, so I think I’m safe for now.

I spent an entire day cleaning and reorganizing my 11-year-old son’s bedroom the other day. Yes — an entire day!

I brought down the fish tank that covered his entire desk and put a table that appeared to serve no other function than clutter catcher out on the sidewalk. It was gone within 15 minutes.

Together we went through pile after pile of drawings and filled two grocery bags with paper recycling.

The end result is that his space has elbow room again, and we’ve made room for a reading corner. And a casual call to my friend Sasha revealed that she was about to get rid of a big cozy velvet armchair that would fit the bill perfectly.

We may never be featured on HGTV, but his room is organized and functional again. And a big cozy reading chair is hands down the best addition to any room.

I’ll just have to remember to add a comfy throw blanket to get him through to November 1st.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Mend it Like Beckham

by Katy on October 10, 2009 · 21 comments

Because the WordPress site was down this evening, the following is a reprint from an previously published Non-Consumer Advocate blog. Enjoy!

Needle and Thread

Who among us has not heard that unmistakable riiiiip as a favorite garment turns into a favorite rag?

Crap!

For want of a needle and thread, pajama pants were lost.

Our grandmothers knew how to mend. Period. Even boys knew how to sew a button back on.

Socks got darned. Pants got hemmed. Clothes got mended. Just about anything that could be salvaged, was.

What does this generation do? We don’t repair. We replace.

Mending is helpful for your own clothes, but is very helpful when you’re a parent. I probably mend something for my sons a couple times a month, even more when they were preschoolers.  And my somewhat-clumsy 41-year-old self? I’m certainly not immune to the occasional need of a needle and thread.

Don’t know how to mend?

Fret not, fellow Non-Consumers, it’s not rocket science. Websites such as stitchstatchstutch.com have great instructions that can get you started.

Don’t have the supplies?

Keep an eye out for secondhand spools of thread at garage sales and thrift stores, you’ll be surprised what you can find.  Your mother or grandmother might even let you raid her sewing box.

Don’t have the time?

Mending is the perfect activity while vegging out in front of the TV. A typical half-hour show can easily see you through a couple of repairs.

I feel such warm satisfaction when a few minutes of mending can bring something back to life.

I think my grandmother would be proud.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

What have you mended? Please share your mending stories in the comments section below.

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Is The Value of Money All About Perspective?

by Katy on October 8, 2009 · 15 comments

Three Dollars

My 11-year-old son is not a big fan of frugality. He lives in an imaginary world where my Compact membership stands in the way of untold riches. A land where every child’s whim is met with an open wallet and willing mini-van.

“Oh honey, you want the newest and biggest lego set? Let’s go to Target and buy three of them right. This. Instant!”

This son mentioned to me the other day that his best friend Will didn’t think that three dollars was a lot of money. I found it very interesting that he would feel the need to share this observation with me. After all . . . this is the kid who I thought shared that very same opinion.

I took some time to come up with my response, which was this:

Whether or not three dollars is a lot of money depends on your perspective. If you are someone who knows how to buy a whole outfit for that amount, then three dollars is a lot of money. However, if you buy everything new, then three dollars won’t even buy you half of a T-shirt, and then no, it’s not a lot of money.

I don’t recall what his specific response was, (and for all I know he wasn’t even listening to my reply) but the idea that the worth of money is dependent on a person’s perspective intrigued me.

For a regular person, (Yes — in this example I am an irregular person) dropping three dollars here or there is no big deal. But for me, I think about what else that money could have bought. (a pair of  nice jeans, a coat, a stack of books.) My perspective is skewed, but in a good way.

Of course, I still spend the same amount of money on my set expenses such as my mortgage, utilities and grocery bills.

I’d like to think that the perspective that small amounts of money can buy something significant will get through to my kids. Because we all know how easy it is to go broke three dollars at a time.

Do you feel that the value of money varies depending on your perspective? 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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The Non-Consumer Advocate in The Oregonian

by Katy on October 8, 2009 · 7 comments

katywolkstanleyjpg-e85af566ecb3f702_large

Click here to read an article about The Non-Consumer Advocate that’s running in today’s Oregonian newspaper.

A special thanks to the delectable Anne Laufe, who has now interviewed me three times. I like to think of her as my own personal journalist, everyone should get one!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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A Compact Chat

by Katy on October 8, 2009 · 19 comments

Katy Wolk-Stanley

My name is Katy Wolk-Stanley and I’m a diehard member of The Compact, (a worldwide buy nothing new movement) and have been since I joined up in January of 2007. I buy used gifts, I buy used school supplies, Heck, I even buy used sheets.

It may sound like a source of frustration to not be able to walk into a store and quickly grab life’s necessities, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It turns out that much of what I had been grabbing were not necessities, but stuff that were simply wants.

Not buying new has actually freed my life up. Saving not only untold thousands of dollars, but forcing me to make conscious and deliberate decisions about my purchases and how I live my life.

I already considered myself a thrift store aficionado and my house bulged with clutter to prove it. Sure, it was cool clutter, but clutter nonetheless. Cool dishes, cool vintage linens, cool toys, I had it all. Unfortunately I was also buying all the new stuff as well. Combine the two, and something had to give.

A short wire service piece in the local paper in December of 2006 then caught my eye. A small group of San Francisco hipsters had spent the last year buying nothing new and calling themselves “The Compact.” They were shopping thrift stores, bartering and horror of all horrors — simply not buying at all!

“We’re just a rarefied middle-class San Francisco greenies having a conversation about consumption and sustainability.”

I went into The Compact telling myself I would give it a month. What if I needed something? What about family birthdays? A month seemed about right, not too intimidating. I could handle a month.

The first year flew by with very few Compact exceptions. We bought a new glass carafe for our coffee maker as well as gifts for home-stay families that my son and husband would be staying with during a class trip to Japan. Besides that, I really can’t think of much else that needed purchasing.

Not only was I saving money, but I was experiencing a increased awareness of how the buy, buy, buy mindset of society was affecting our lives, our wallets and the environment.

I started to make other changes in my life.

I looked around my house and decided to put a full effort into de-cluttering. I donated to Goodwill a whopping 19 times in 2007, sometimes completely filling the mini-van with the excessive belonging that had been invited into my home.

I slowly began making other changes in my life as well. I began hanging my family’s laundry on a clothesline, I turned my thermostat to 63 in the winter, (which nobody seemed to notice) mixed up my own laundry detergent and make a concerted effort to minimize my driving.

All these changes save my family money, but most importantly we’re decreasing our energy consumption. Because The Compact is not about saving money, it’s about sustainability.

Luckily, frugality and sustainability are often one and the same.

Will I ever stop doing The Compact?

Well . . . I’ve actually started buying some new stuff when the big picture outweighs searching out the used. For example, I no longer want to be storing my food in plastic containers. This has meant that in addition to the couple scores of Goodwill Pyrex leftover containers, I splurged on a brand-spanking-new set. But in concordance with my conscious spending mindset, I noted that Pyrex is manufactured in the U.S. using union labor, plus the packaging is 100% recyclable!

I don’t think I will ever stop being part of The Compact, as my life has greatly bettered and my bank account has mysteriously plumped.

What more could a girl ask for?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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MWF Seeks Dumpster Discards – Must Be Clean

by Katy on October 6, 2009 · 17 comments

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

Have you ever been embarrassed by an outfit your mother wore? Picture that outfit, but now imagine your mother climbing ass-over-teakettle into a dumpster outside the coolest department store in your town. That outfit suddenly doesn’t seem as embarrassing as before, does it?

My mother was a dumpster diver before it was cool, before it was called being a “Freegan.” There was no Oprah show lending its legitimacy, just mom climbing into dumpsters looking for carpet scraps and whatever else. Oh, sweet mortification! It didn’t matter to my teenage self that that she would pull out rolls of used carpet to take home, shampoo and re-sell for $250. To me it was agony, pure and simple.

Okay, 25 years have passed since the “carpet outside the downtown Meier & Frank” episode, and I’ve now got a bit of that mother in me. Perhaps I’m more of a genteel dumpster diver though. Ambling slowly through the neighborhood in my hoop skirt, parasol in hand. Bowing into a deep curtsy to pick up whatever it is that strikes my fancy.

A stack of terra cotta flower pots? Yes please.

I’ve even turned my 14-year-old son onto the family career. A couple of months ago I noticed a neighbor had put out a tubular metal “Papasan” style chair with satin asian-style fabric. The seams had split in a few places, but otherwise it looked to be in perfect condition. Hmm. . .  I’d been looking out for a reading chair for my son’s room.

I ran home and brought him back with me, so he could make the decision of whether or not he liked the chair. “Cool mom!” was his immediate response, and he and I together schlepped it back to the house. I took out a needle and thread and it was soon as good as new. He now sprawls across it nightly, library manga books scattered at his feet.

Other items I’ve brought home have been:

  • Great ventilated pizza pan.
  • Darling wooden bench that looks very cute with a plant on it.
  • Many different plants people have divided.
  • Large paver stone.
  • Perfect Swiffer.
  • Bricks for a soon-to-be-built backyard patio.
Am I embarrassed to be bringing home other people’s garbage? Absolutely not! I just wish I could go back in time to make a quick $250 myself. Barring that, I’m going to continue eyeing strangers’ trash piles. You never know what you’re going to find.
Are you a dumpster diver or free pile spelunker? 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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$100 Holiday Gift Challenge — Round II

by Katy on October 4, 2009 · 32 comments

wrapped-presents

Last year I posted a $100 Holiday Gift Challenge which was easier than it sounds, because we had already discussed with some family the year before to not exchange gifts. I say some because some family members thought this was a great idea, while others responded as if I’d suggested throwing the kids into the bear pit.

Either way, we winnowed down our gift list.

I was able to get through the holiday spending less than $100 for everyone, although the task was harder than anticipated due to a freak two week snowstorm which essentially shut down the city and kept the kids at home during what should have been primo gift shopping time.

Non-members of The Compact (buy nothing new) dealt with the storm by finishing up their holiday shopping online, but that’s not exactly an easy task when trying to glean the local Goodwill for one’s gift giving needs.

I plan on repeating the $100 holiday gift challenge, and have hopefully learned my lesson on early preparedness.

You may ask why I’m bringing this up on October 4th, not exactly prime holiday shopping season?

Because if you are planning on scaling down your holiday gift giving, it’s important to talk to your friends and family before they start their shopping. Nobody who has just purchased an expensive just-perfect-for-you-doohicky wants to be asked:

“By the way, we’re scaling back our giving this season and we were wondering if you’d be interested in doing the same.”

Nope.

We do still give gifts to all children, my in-laws, my mother and step-father and a few others. And we’re still exchanging birthday gifts, which works for me as I happen to be blessed with a January 4th birthday. (Crappiest birthday date ever, as everyone is sick to death with holidays by then!)

Scaling back on gift giving is not only an act of frugality, but is also a way to bring meaning and enjoyment back into the holiday season. I know I can easily get caught up in trying to find the perfect gift for everyone, which can become quite stressful.

So, are you in? Is scaling back holiday gift giving something appeals to you? Are you willing to start that conversation with friends and family?

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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Sustainable Living — Now in Handy Dandy Booklet Form!

by Katy on October 3, 2009 · 7 comments

logo

One of things I love about writing this blog, is that there’s always something new to discover. Like today, I discovered that Oregon State University has a Sustainability Living Project, complete with wonderful downloadable booklet that reads like a textbook to Non-Consumer Living.

The home page describes sustainable living as:

A thoughtful approach to leading fulfilling, productive and environmentally responsible lives, by balancing our economic, cultural and environmental needs, to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.

Can’t argue with that!

The section on consumerism states that:

Everyday we are barraged by hundreds of advertisements telling us we’ll be sexy, desirable, be more efficient, have a healthy family, or just have a special moment of quiet if we just purchase their product. While we’ve been taught from an early age by society that the more consume the happier we will be, many if not most of us are still not satisfied. While we work more to buy more, at the end of the day we’re often left wondering if it’s all worth it. This cycle leaves less time for things that we choose to do, activities we find fulfilling like spending time with our family, recreating, or just leisure. It’s like were on a treadmill of consumerism that keeps us running, unable to step off.

I have only just now started exploring the website, but wanted to share this fabulous resource with all my readers.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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As Luck Would Have it . . . .

by Katy on October 3, 2009 · 11 comments

Comedy Sportz

Like just about everyone else on earth, I like to win stuff. Although I’m not someone who enters a great many number of contests, I actually won tickets to two different events this week.

First I won tickets to the Perez Hilton Presents concert on Tuesday, and then I went on to win tickets to a Comedy Sportz improv show tonight.

Sadly, I was not able to go to the Perez Hilton concert because my husband had cleaned out the garage’s sump pump, and discovered that the previous owners of our house had been using it as a used motor oil dump. Keep in mind, we’ve owned this house since 1996, so this was not a happy discovery. As my husband pulled massive amounts of horrible thick tarry goop from the pit, the house filled with horrible fumes that sent those of us without breathing protection to a neighbor’s house.

Gag, cough, cough, gag.

Needless to say, my husband was not up for an evening of helping with homework and dealing with dinner dishes, which meant the tickets went unused. (I would have given them away, except that they had to be picked up at the box office waaay across town.)

However . . .  today my Twitter feed showed that Comedy Sportz was giving away tickets to the first five people who replied. I quickly sent back a twitter message (I have no idea what it’s supposed to be called) and learned that lightning does indeed strike twice.

I felt like Sally Field at the Oscar podium:

“You like me, you really really like me!”

Luckily, there were no toxic fumes circulating through the house, and it was as easy as pie to bring the kids along. I had even won three tickets, which was perfect as my husband works night shifts.

The evening was fantastic, and I got a kick out of seeing my kids laugh so hard. The owners of the Portland, Oregon Comedy Sportz franchise are friends from the never ending days of preschool, so I have been to their shows a number of times. At $12 a pop they’re a good deal, but I gotta tell you that free tickets were even better.

Thank you very much Comedy Sportz! I laughed so hard I had to use my inhaler.

Have you ever won anything worth bragging about? 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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School Fundraising

by Katy on October 1, 2009 · 37 comments

Chinook Book

The 2009-2010 school year is in full swing, which unfortunately means it’s also full throttle time for school fundraising.

As any parent of a school-age child knows, school fundraising is a huge part of modern day funding of our school systems. There’s auctions, magazines, scrip, cookie dough, wrapping paper, Scholastic book sales and just about anything else you can think of. Sometimes it’s simply out-and-out begging for cash in order to save teacher positions.

As my friend Martha Stewart would say, it’s not a good thing.

I spent one horrible year of my life as a PTA President. And let me tell you, that PTA inbox was fit to burst on a daily basis with fabulous fundraising opportunities. 99% of it was based on selling ridiculously overpriced plasticky junk to our families in the name of supporting our schools. I was appalled that anyone would choose to sell this stuff, but somebody was, otherwise the companies would not be doing such a booming business.

I came to the conclusion that somebody was making a lot of money off the underfunding of our schools and it was not the schools.

We made some changes in how we fundraised that year, selling apples from a local orchard instead of cookie dough, and approaching local businesses for special projects like building a new playground instead of hitting up the already burnt out parents.

My eighth grader will be going on a class trip to Japan this coming spring, (he’s in a Japanese language immersion program) which has been fundraised for since kindergarten. There was a fifth grade trip as well, and there is supposedly a fair amount of money leftover.

However . . . the fundraising has started up anew.

My son brought home two $20 Chinook Books last week, which are:

A one-of-a-kind resource — a coupon book, a directory, a source of ideas and inspiration. It’s your guide to living well and having fun in the Portland metro region. Save hundreds of dollars while exploring the community and supporting local, sustainable businesses. Over 300 valuable coupons make this our largest book yet. Businesses with coupons include grocery, dining, entertainment, travel, garden and home adding up to savings of over $5,000.

I have sold Chinook books before as a preschooler fundraiser, (which coincidently is the brainchild of a childhood friend’s husband) and I feel pretty good about them. People can actually save money after shelling out the initial $20, half of which goes back to the school.

The schools also rely heavily on scrip, which are face value gift cards, (usually national chains) bought at a discount. The idea is that parents are only buying what they normally would. This in theory is a great idea, but until they offer Goodwill scrip, I won’t be buying any.

As a complete aside, our son’s preschool sold scrip as a fundraiser, and the parent in charge took her job very seriously. She would stand up at meetings and wail in a thick Irish accent about “The onus of the scrip!” I still can’t talk to my husband about scrip without one of us breaking into a thick Irish accent. Tee-hee.

I have gotten to the point where I refuse to sell most of the stuff that that is asked of me. Although, my son is actually the one hawking his wares this time, which is a nice respite.

What does your school do for fundraising? Are you happy being asked to sell stuff to your friends, family and co-workers? 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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