The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. Kristen from The Frugal Girl and I stopped for a container of  Tillamook ice cream at Fred Meyer, which gave me the opportunity to grab these clearance items:

   • A bag of six nectarines from the $1.50 clearance shelf.
   • Two cans of baked beans for 67¢ each.
   • Four boxes of Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mix for a $1.57 apiece. These normally sell for about seven bucks apiece, so this was a score!
   • I also picked up three littered receipts to scan into the Fetch app.

2. I found a dime, nickel and penny at the Goodwill Outlet and then five individual pennies at Winco. All coins have been added to my Found Change Challenge jar.

   So yes, I recently came into some money!

3. I ate the last bit of some salad from a few days ago, which was somehow both A) not slimy; and B) delicious! I abhor food waste, but am relieved when eating leftovers is tasty and not “taking one for the team.”

   I also put together this Instagram reel to show a couple examples of how I’m working to avoid food waste.

4. I chose not to accept a free FinCon T-shirt, both because they were 50% plastic, but also because I don’t like event specific T-shirts. Any thrifter can tell you that Goodwills are grossly overrun with outdated single event T-shirts.

   T-shirts from volunteer events, sorority fund raisers and work events have zero customer appeal in the secondhand market and are an example of the thoughtless overmanufacture of clothing. Doomed to fill our landfills. If we stop accepting these items, perhaps people will stop offering them.

5. I continue to not spend one thin dime on anything Harry Potter related, as I choose to not enrich people who quote Adolf Hitler to support their arguments. I’d already made this choice when J.K. Rowling became vocal with her hateful anti-transgender rhetoric and haven’t looked back. I read every damned word of her books out loud to my kids, but am done with anything and everything Harry Potter now. Period.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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Kristen from The Frugal Girl is still visiting while we attend FinCon 2025, although we snuck out early today as:

A) The afternoon seminars weren’t up our alley.
B) A certain person wanted to see both Winco Foods and the Goodwill “bins” with her own two eyes.

Perhaps not as exciting as the $1000 bill I found in the parking lot, but here’s what I bought:

• My husband and I have been slowly breaking our velvet hangers and a fresh infusion was definitely in order. Three’s about right.
• A perfect lil’ watering can. I have one, but had been wanting a second one.
• A maraca, which’ll work as a darning egg. ¡Olé!
• A stainless steel utensil holder for my friend Lise, who just asked me to keep an eye out for one.
• But my most exciting find is the tiny remote control, which is for an adjustable bed and sells used on eBay for $75! Here’s my hastily assembled listing!

Total spent: $3.91!

What did Kristen buy?

• An Owala water bottle, which she’s promised to scrub within an inch of its life.
• A small whisk.
• A tiny black pumpkin for her daughter.
• A garage door remote control, which she’ll try and sell on eBay.

Total spent: $4.14!

Didn’t buy? This fancy toilet paper holder, although perhaps I should have, just to sneak it into her suitcase.

Next up was Winco Foods, as Kristen wanted to compare it to her beloved Aldi.

I don’t want to exaggerate, but Winco somehow knew today was her day to shine!

Seriously!

What?!

I paid $22.35 for my entire grocery haul, with neither coupons nor planning.

I think it’s pretty funny that two frugality bloggers would skip out on their finance conference just to hit the Goodwill bins and a no frills grocery store. Then again, we’re both nutty for some creative frugality!

How did we do?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I did a sweep through the house and chose to pass along the Pottery Barn rug that I curb picked in June. You remember, this one:

   

   There were still a few stains that I’d been unable to remove, (even though it photographed beautifully HERE) so I decided it was time to curb it along to someone new. I stapled a sign onto the rug that said “FREE Pottery Barn rug” and it was gone by the time I checked on it a few hours later. Nature is healing.

   

2. My daughter’s boots had a busted zipper, so I dropped them off at a locally owned shoe repair place. It’ll cost $45, but I’d prefer to repair our belongings instead of tossing them into a landfill. The throwaway mentality we practice creates a world I don’t want to live in; and if we don’t support repair shops, they’ll continue to disappear.

3. I stopped by the Portland Convention Center to pick up my FinCon Expo name tag a day early. I declined the low quality branded tote bag. Events like these invariably offer branded freebies that become garbage within a week or two. It’s okay to “just say no” to wasteful swag.

   

4. I ran into Safeway to grab a couple thick plastic bags from their recycling bin, as they’re the perfect size and strength for our kitchen garbage can. (It’s hard to get ahead financially when all your money is tied up in bin liners!) I also took a loop past their clearance section, which rarely provides anything worth buying. I did grab four 50¢ cans of La Croix seltzer to have on hand for guests. I’m nothing if not an elite hostess. And yes, I’ll keep the price tags in place.

5. I use the last 45¢ of my Red Cross Safeway gift card, which means I finally spent every single cent from my blood and platelet donations!

   Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I tucked a $1-off Twinings tea coupon onto the shelf for someone else to use, as I’m a Tetley “British Blend” girl through and through. However, it was a high value coupon and I didn’t want it to go to waste.

   

2. I stopped at the Lloyd Center Dollar Tree store to pick up a few items, (specifically moisture eliminators for my daughter’s mildewy apartment) only to find that they’d shuttered the store since my last visit. The entire building was completely empty, including shelving, which meant you could see glimpses of the amazing terrazzo tile floors from when it was Newberry’s. It always bewildered me that they spent however many thousands of dollars on low quality linoleum flooring in the name of covering something both beautiful and durable. Luckily the Dollar Tree on Powell Blvd. was still open, so I was able to pop in and pick up everything I needed.

3. I stopped by my father’s house and was sent home with a pair of onions. Hey, I’m always happy to accept free food!

4. My youngest is getting ready to move apartments, so I went over to keep them company and lend whatever help was needed. I came home with a pair of travel mugs, some opened food items and a few other random items. I brought over my three Ikea Frakta bags, which are infinitely helpful when moving. I also texted my friend Lise to ask if we could borrow any of her Frakta bags.

5. My biggest “frugal thing” for this week is that I’m attending the FinCon conference, which is conveniently located in not hellacious Portland, Oregon. People come from all over the world for this annual event, but this year is just a couple miles from my house. I also nabbed a $99 pass last November, which is a bargain compared to the current price of $599. Kristen from The Frugal Girl is my date for the week, so her “frugal thing” is the money she’ll save on housing.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My husband got a piece of junk mail from Twinings tea, which contained  two random bags of tea. Okay . . .  we’ll take ’em! Nice to have a variety of different teas to offer when we have guests to the house.

2. I stopped by my daughter’s apartment this evening and noticed that she had a light out in the bathroom. Luckily I have a bag of curb picked light bulbs and a generous heart. Lucky girl.

3. My youngest continues on their side hustle journey and dropped by the house after work to package up four items that sold. They mentioned buying their own shipping supplies for future orders, which prompted a lesson on where to score free shipping supplies.

   • Ask the person in your office who manages the mail and packages.
   • Visit stores and ask if they have shipping supplies, (boxes, bubble wrap, etc) to get rid of.
   • Ask in your Buy Nothing group for packaging supplies.

   Honey, never ever pay for shipping supplies!

4. I pruned back my forsythia, which filled two yard debris bins! Luckily I have an extra bin from sharing garbage service with our next door neighbors. I’ll ask friends across the street if I can set one of them out with their garbage next week, as they rarely put out a yard debris can.

5. I spent yet another day loving the stunning vibrant city of Portland, Oregon, despite the O.F.F. (Orange Felonious Fascist) referring to my home as a “living hell.”

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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