The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I took my kitchen knife to a free Repair PDX event and got it professionally sharpened by a volunteer, which felt like magic. (Normally costs around $10 per knife.) They also had volunteers fixing small appliances, bicycles and even mending clothing. The event was like a big jolly party and I’ll definitely be returning.

   I’ve been aware of Repair PDX for awhile, but this was my first time to attend one of their events. I love how there are always new frugal hacks to slip into my bag of tricks!

   Click HERE to see all their events and resources.

   

2. My daughter’s old roommate abandoned a bag of dry cat food, which I brought home and mixed into our regular cat food. I did feed a small amount to 16-year-old Zelda to make sure she liked the brand, but she gobbled it up, so I called it good.

3. I walked my plastics recycling to New Season’s Market instead of paying $14+ per month to Ridwell for bespoke recycling. It may be convenient to have porch pickup, but Ikea takes lightbulbs, city curbside now takes batteries and there’s an annual neighborhood event that’ll take styrofoam.

4. My daughter’s old roommate stole her vacuum cleaner when she moved out, which is a annoyance. However, I have a thrifted Black and Decker rechargeable vacuum that’s just missing the charging cord. (Leftover from when my youngest was in college.) I looked on Amazon to investigate buying a new cord, but instead put in a request in my Buy Nothing group to see if anyone has one laying around. One group member thought he did and is going to get back to me. Crossing fingers!

5. I didn’t accept a $400 million jet from Qatar to use as my own personal Air Force One.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My minivan has been making a horrendous rattling noise over the past few months and neither my husband nor I had been able to figure out the cause. I finally took it to Les Schwab this morning, thinking it was a suspension or shocks issue and had already decided that I wouldn’t get upset as long as the repair was under a thousand dollars. It was . . . a pair of loose bolts which they didn’t charge us for. People, I’ve been actively angry with this noise since at least January! Whew . . .

   

2. Les Schwab has free popcorn and espresso drinks, so I brought along a ziptop bag and travel mug. I grabbed my free bag of popcorn when I dropped the car off and another one when I picked it up. I also made myself a half mochaccino/half regular coffee drink, which I drank while walking home from the mechanic. I was willing to spend $1000, but I’ll also accept the free treats!

   

3. I accompanied my friend Lise to an historic nursery open house last night, which was interesting and educational. I’d never heard of this business before, even though it’s been around forever. They had refreshments, which meant cookies and a beer for me. The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden no longer has free or even pay what you will hours, so this garden tour scratched my itch to walk through a beautiful garden.

4. My husband casually asked this morning if we’d paid our Arts Tax, which prompted an immediate uh oh feeling, as I’d completely spaced out this completely not optional Portland tax! It’s only $35 per person, but I’m always the person to take care of it. What’s worse is that I’d offered to pay it for the kids and there was a $15 late fee per person! Oh well . . . $60 has now been paid in late fees, but at least it’s taken care of and I’ll be sure to pay it in 2026. Crap!

5. I found three 10¢ returnable bottles and cans while walking to and from Les Schwab.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My husband and I spent more time than expected to work on reinstalling a pot rack that fell off our daughter’s kitchen wall. I was starving by the end, which activated my cranky mode. I even started researching places to grab a bite, which turned out to be more mentally draining than simply making dinner. Instead I had my husband drop me at home to start the meal while he ran to Home Depot to grab extra supplies.

   Luckily I still had a Costco rotisserie chicken and most of a bag of potatoes, which made for an easy and satisfying dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. I even had a jar of turkey gravy from the Winco clearance section. Perfect comfort meal for a uncomforted Katy.

2. I gave a WWII historical fiction book a second chance after initially putting it down due to a glaring historical inaccuracy. The main character is described in the beginning as such:

   “Juliet had found solace in books. Her friends had been Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland, her adventures in Narnia and The Secret garden.”

   Umm . . . The Narnia books are set during WWII, so Juliet certainly wouldn’t have read them as a child. (The Pevensie siblings are sent out of London due to The Blitz!) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was published in 1950, decidedly post-war. However, a good friend highly recommended the book, so I’m giving it a go.

3. I sat down with my ballot and the voter’s pamphlet and made my choices for the May 20th State election. Oregon has been 100% vote by mail since 1998 and I believe that it every citizen’s responsibility to vote in each and every election, even the less dramatic ones. I know we’re nowhere near the deadline to turn in our ballots, but I’d rather get it done now and not worry that I could possibly forget this important task.

   I’ll drop my ballot at the county library this afternoon.

4. • I continue to give driving lessons to my daughter and she even drove with an extra passenger yesterday, which was a milestone.
   • My husband and I continue to watch a couple episodes of ER most nights through my parents’ HBO account.
   • I continue to wear my thrifted wardrobe without issue.
   • I continue to cook in my off-trend Formica counter kitchen.
   • I continue to clean my carpets using the vacuum cleaner I bought in 2001.
   • I continue to drive our twenty-year-old minivan, even though it’s thoroughly scratched up.
   • I continue to be content with our lesser belongings.

5. I haven’t scheduled any $45 million ego driven military parades. As A) I have no military history, and B) I’m not a North Korean dictator.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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1. I watched a Oregon Public Broadcasting video titled How to Forage for Food on the Oregon Coast, which was perfect timing as I came home from the beach a couple weeks ago determined to get over my ever present fear of “what if I do it wrong?” There were thousands upon thousands (upon thousands!) of mussels at the beach and Oregonians are permitted to harvest “up to 72 per day” if they buy an annual $10 permit.

   Unlike California, we have “Mussel Beaches” not “Muscle Beaches!”

   

2. I started listening to Molly Gloss’ Falling From Horses through the library’s free Libby app. I’m only two hours in, but I’m fully hooked. Thanks, Molly!

3. I scored an unopened bag of Bob’s Red Mill granola from someone in my Buy Nothing group. Normally $6.99!

   

4. I did a Costco run and only bought the specific items on my list, (see above list, bonus points for being able to read my handwriting!) although I did accept four food samples. I didn’t stop for a hotdog on the way out, which is a dollar-fifty win in my direction. This salmon on a cracker was my favorite.

   

5. I didn’t lose a $67 million fighter jet off my aircraft carrier.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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1. I went to my youngest’s soccer game and came home with two 10¢ returnable water bottles and a discarded soccer mom chair that looked to need nothing more than a handful of stitches to repair.

   Seriously.

   

2. I spent the afternoon prepping meals from the random food in my refrigerator and pantry. I made:
   • Red Thai curry with tofu, broccoli, cabbage and peppers.
   • Rice.
   • Pinto beans, which I smashed up for refried beans.
   • A dozen or so chicken drumsticks, which I marinated in gochuchang, soy sauce, honey and garlic.
   • A batch of sweet chili sauce.

   The tofu was a couple days past the sell-by date and the veggies all needed a mission, so this was a very frugal endeavor.

   

3. My neighbors put another Bonne Maman jar in their recycling, which was good since I’d just used these two jars for the sweet chili sauce.

   

4. My Japanese iris started blooming today, which is the beginning of a very beautiful couple of weeks. I think I planted just a few of these flowers in 1998 or so and they’ve slowly but surely spread throughout the front garden. There are now so many that I’ve been able to share with neighbors for their gardens.

   

5. I’m not using AI to create insane images of myself.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

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We’ve finally hit the time of year that’s warm and sunny enough for evening walks, (aka “walkies”) which is my favorite season. Sometimes my husband accompanies me, sometimes it’s my friend Lise, but it’s often just my lil’ lone self. Yesterday was a Lise day.

Unsurprisingly, walking in the neighborhood often ends with me dragging home a random freebie that’s been set out on the curb. However, I’m no hoarder, so I try to be judicious with what I bring home — only stuff I can use or sell.*

The nearby house that’s undergoing a huge remodel set out this antique footboard and side rails. (They’re the ones who put out our new ceiling light fixture!) Side rails for each bed size are generally interchangeable, so I hope that someone nabs these. Plus the footboard is very pretty.

A different neighbor set out these “DAY LILES FREE For ANYONE,” but I didn’t take any as I already have enough in my garden and my only need is for shade tolerant plants. They must’ve set these out the day before, as it rained during the night and the bags were falling apart.

Not everything I bring home is pretty or “aesthetic,” as evidenced by this pair of 10¢ recyclables. Cha-ching!

I lastly accompanied Lise back to her house and accepted an invitation for a tour of her back garden. She pointed out some “chocolate mint,” and generously dug up a sample for me. I wish this blog had a “scratch-and-sniff” feature, because this plant smells amazing, quite literally like chocolate and mint!

I already have a thriving pot with mint on the back deck, so I’m pretty sure this one can withstand the shady conditions. I’m always excited to add something new to my garden, especially when the price was free-ninety-nine!

Hooray for walkies!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.

* Usually.

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