The Non-Consumer Advocate

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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1. My friend Lisa is a fount of knowledge on all things gluten free, so it was no surprise when she showed up with two bags of Italian “senza glutine” pasta as a hostess gift. It started burning a hole in my pantry last night after I watched this Instagram reel for sesame peanut pasta, as I realized I had every single ingredient on hand. However, I’ll have to save the fancy pasta for another meal, as I located an already open box of gluten-free fettuccini, and practical me was unwilling to open a new product when I had an open one on hand. Being a responsible adult is sometimes a bummer.

   

2. I took the glass plate and roller-thingy support ring from my recently curb picked microwave and slapped them up on eBay after discovering that the microwave itself was rusty on the inside. This is my way of rationalizing the effort it took to bring home the microwave to only have to take it to Goodwill for e-waste recycling.

   Click HERE to see the listing.

   

3. My husband and I went for an after dinner walk around the neighborhood and passed by this box of enjoyably free apples. Unfortunately I didn’t have a bag on me, so this is a reminder to start carrying one on walks as we’re in prime free fruit season.

   

4. My husband and I had a lovely lunch date at an area Vietnamese restaurant today. I wasn’t actually all that hungry, so I ordered an $8 pair of spring rolls, which I made extra frugal by helping myself to an abandoned returnable kombucha can outside the restaurant. I’ll never get too fancy to not take advantage of a free ten cents!

   

5. My husband and I came across this neighborhood mug exchange at the end of our walk. I neither need more mugs, nor do I have an excess, but I’ll keep it in mind for when I do my next round of decluttering. So cute!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I started reading a library copy of Peony in Love, by Lisa See. She’s one of my favorite authors, as The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane and The Island of Sea Women are two of the best books I’ve read over the past few years. I’m just a couple chapters in, but this one’s also a keeper!

   

2. I loaded a Fred Meyer e-coupon for 99¢/lb peaches and nectarines and brought home a couple bags of fruit. They won’t be ripe for a few days, but I’m excited for this sweet treat. I’ll likely share with my kids. Still paying with my Red Cross gift card!

3. I paid my next door neighbor our biannual share of the garbage service. This is one of my favorite frugal hacks, as we’ve both saved thousands of dollars in the 16 or so years since we started doing this.

4. I bought a couple packets of Betty Crocker Reese’s Piece’s cookie mixes for $1.25 apiece from Fred Meyer’s clearance shelf. They’ll be handy to have on hand.

   

5. I’m listening to Jane Green’s thoroughly enjoyable The Friends We Keep through the library’s free Libby app.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I had a couple hours of feeling proud of myself for curb picking this microwave for my youngest’s new apartment. That is, until I took a closer look and realized that the inside was super rusty and unsafe for use! And before you come at me for not thoroughly inspecting it, I swear that opened it up for an inspection, but apparently I looked into the microwave, not at the surrounding frame. So not only did I haul this behemoth home, but I now have to carry it back to the car and drive it to Goodwill, as they accept e-waste for recycling.

   I refuse to take it as a total loss though, as I can list the glass plate and revolving support ring on eBay.

   

2. I’ve shared a number of times about all the amazing cheap produce I’ve scored from Fred Meyer’s produce clearance shelf, but it’s often either empty or stocked with truly terrible choices. Today was one of those days. Do you spy all the anemic limes? How about the bruised pears?

   

   Can I interest you in some bruised up mealy apples?

   

3. I got a red light ticket from an intersection that I’m 100% sure was a legal right-on-red situation. I thought the court date was August 28th, but it turned out to be August 25th. I figured this out on 26th. I wrote a check for $270 and at this point can only hope I won’t be charged a late fee. Fuuuu  . . . .
   

Okay, I think that’s it. At least I didn’t have “Five unFrugal Things” to write about!

Please tell me I’m not alone in my tomfoolery.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. My husband just repainted our front porch, which means that everything that normally sits out front is currently residing in our back yard. Including this welcome mat, looking entirely worse for wear. Mind you, this was a curb find to begin with, although any wear is our own. You can see that it’s molting a fair amount of coconut “coir.”

   

   My first thought was to find a used replacement mat, but then I began to wonder if it’s repairable. If I can darn a sock, then I can surely darn a welcome mat!

   Do you have any ideas on how to keep this still functional item in use?

2. I had my friend Sue over for a visit and assembled a small apple crisp for us to munch on with our tea. (She also brought bakery items, so we were fully set for sweet treats.) She mentioned how she never gets to go to other people’s houses, which reminded me that most people meet up in coffee shops, not one another’s homes. I prefer visiting at someone’s house as you get to linger without worrying that you’re loitering in a business. Just another benefit of extreme frugality.

3. My friend who visited last week accidentally brought our spare key back to North Carolina. I might’ve told him to not worry about it, but it was on a special keychain. Today I received it back in the mail, although in an mysteriously lumpy envelope. It turned out to contain an additional three tea bags from hotels he stayed in after visiting with us, plus a handmade card from his wife. Perfect frugal gifts!

   For those keeping track, this was one of the three keys that my sister just mailed back to us from NYC, as she repeatedly absconds with our spare keys! This key is having more exciting adventures then we are!

   

4. I tried out a newly opened Popeye’s Chicken location to redeem a code I’ve been holding in my wallet for at least a year. For those who may not know, Popeye’s has a survey link at the bottom of every receipt, which then earns you two free pieces of chicken plus a biscuit with the purchase of a large drink. The drink alone is $3.79, (weirdly expensive, but I never order drinks so how would I know?) which balances out to a decently priced meal. I chose a lemonade/water mix, which was perfect for yet another hot Portland day. Cheap quickie food hack to keep in mind.

5. My youngest’s partner keeps getting their deliveries stolen, so I told them to start ordering items to our house instead. Not only does this accomplish a safer landing spot for their packages, but it means I get to see both of them more often, so win-win!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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