The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I stopped at Fred Meyer for milk after downloading an e-coupon to get the sale price. ($1.39/half-gallon.) I then browsed the produce clearance shelf and grabbed a $1 corn on the cob bag from the lowest shelf. I spent $3.78 on milk and five ears of corn and avoided any of the tempting aisles. Blinders on!

   

2. My neighbor had a few extra annuals she didn’t have room for in her garden, so she brought them over for me. I have a couple extra curb picked flowerpots, so I’ll plant them up tomorrow.

   

3. My small patch of raspberries are currently providing a couple handfuls of ripe berries per day, which is just about my favorite time of year. I always make the same stupid joke about them being “locally grown” when handing them to my family.

   

   Of course my actual favorite time of year for berries is later in the summer when Oregon’s wild blackberries ripen and I’m able to pick pounds and pounds of free berries!

4. I visited with a friend today and brewed us tea from the Tetley tea bags that I always carry in my purse. This might sound odd, but I’m able to make sure I’m never more than a few minutes away from a good (and frugal) cup of tea.

5. I didn’t buy anything from Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Chick Fil-A or Hobby Lobby.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. My next-door neighbors are going out of town for a week, so I’ll water their garden while they’re away. Today it’s raining both the cats and the dogs, but that’s an aberration for this time of year.

   I’ll also put out and take in their bin, so I’ll take a loop through our house to see if we have large garbage that can go out with their service. We share garbage pick up with our other next-door neighbors, which can be an issue when there’s rare Big Stuff to get rid of. I did replace our furnace filter last week, so I can at least put the dirty filter in their bin.

2. My step-father gifted me a $20 restaurant gift card that he wasn’t able to use. It isn’t enough for two meals, so I’ll just get takeout at some point. Thanks, Sam!

3. The out of town neighbors also gave me a mostly full package of mozzarella “pearls,” which I’ll be sure to put to good use.

4. My plan had been to hit a neighborhood garage sale day with a friend this afternoon, but the rain was just too heavy and we figured very few households would’ve actually participated. We were looking forward to perusing the end-of-day “free” piles, but sometimes Mother Nature has different plans.

   I’m making a concerted effort to spend time with friends lately, but do so in a non-consumer manner; such as serving homemade food, last week’s low key backyard party and this. Being on a lower budget than your friends can be isolating, but that can be switched around when you’re the one planning the get togethers.

5. I made a big batch of red lentil soup, which paired well with our Junuary weather.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I added more thinly sliced onion to the leftover brine from my last batch of pickled red onions. So delicious when added as a topping to savory dishes.

   

2. My husband and I stopped at Winco after our dim sum date and pretty much stuck to the list I’d been building since last week. I will never stop loving their bulk spice bins. Such a bargain, especially as their spices are always super fresh and flavorful!

3. My daughter and I spent an hour or so reorganizing her bedroom, which was a fun group project. I let her choose the music and her room is now all cute and refreshed without the addition of a single new purchase. Clean and organized beats “look at all this stuff I bought” any day of the week.

   She did need more hangers, which I was able to glean from her childhood bedroom. But if I didn’t have those on hand, I’d have asked for hangers thorough my Buy Nothing group.

   

4. I got a free Pride Month library sticker, which I stuck onto my recently thrifted reusable water bottle.

5. Portland is on day two of steady rain, which is a boon for all of our gardens.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My husband glued and clamped a pair of dress shoes as the soles had completely separated. Not sure if his repair will stand the test of time, but it can’t hurt to try.

   

2. I had some time to kill, so I stopped into a nearby Goodwill and picked up this $1.99 Ikea storage bin. Maybe not the most outwardly exciting find, but I thrift this specific bin style whenever I find them. (I use them in the fridge to organize miscellaneous small food containers.) Ikea products are mass produced to the extent that I can consistently find them on the secondhand market.

   Overmanufacture of consumer goods means that you can choose to buy used and still be particular about your belongings. Even Apartment Therapy agrees that these bins are the best!

   Sadly, I forgot to ask for my 10% senior discount.

3. My husband and I took a evening walk around the neighborhood, perfect weather with just a slight chill. Nothing more frugal than a walk with your honey.

4. I started reading a library copy of Geraldine Brooks’ People of The Book.

5. I didn’t buy any Labubu figures.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I popped into Fred Meyer (Kroger) to grab milk, but made sure to pass by the clearance produce shelf. My expectations were low, as it was late afternoon, but I did grab this $1 bag of bruised apples. I know, I know . . . it’s hardly a brag worthy score, but the price of apples has been steadily increasing and I consider 25¢/apple make it worth the effort to cut off a bruise or two.

   

   Perfect for an afternoon snack!

   

2. I was inspired by the quote “Sometimes it’s easier to make last-minute plans than to plan in advance.” from Gretchen Rubin’s Secrets of Adulthood.

   So I sent out a text to the neighbors saying “The weather is too nice to be indoors, so I’m going to be in my backyard at 8 PM tonight with a cool beverage. You are all invited to stop by with your own beverage for a bit of neighborly conversation.”

   I ended up with a small backyard party that required no preparation beyond making sure we had no underwear on the laundry line. Socializing doesn’t have to be expensive or stressful.

   

3. My neighbor is getting ready to move and set a few things out on her curb. I wasn’t tempted by the lawn chairs or coffee maker, but I did bring home a down throw pillow that turned out to be Pottery Barn. The pattern is perfectly fine and I can use it on my thrifted front porch loveseat. I even washed the cover and plucked the insert.

   

4. I’m halfway through listening to Katie Naymon’s delightful You Between The Lines through the library’s free Libby app.

5. I didn’t buy anything at Fred Meyer except for the milk and apples. I have an proper ongoing grocery list, but I’ll hold off until I can get myself to Winco. The price difference between the two stores is dramatic!

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. Someone in my Buy Nothing group was asking for a “spool rack” yesterday and I noticed one in my mother’s basement. I brought it up and asked if I could have it to give away. She was quick to agree and it’s since been picked up! I’m so pleased to have taken an unused basement item and placed it into the hands of someone seeking that specific thing.

   It’s like I’m a Buy Nothing middle (wo)man, so maybe I should take a percentage of the profit.

   

2. My husband’s T-shirt drawer had become so overly full that it was difficult to close, which prompted him to pull everything out and make some hard choices. Mind you, many of these shirts were passively acquired as they were from charity or workplace events. Please, for the love of Amy Dacyczyn Pete — event coordinators, stop giving out shirts that no one wears beyond a single day!

   I know old cotton T-shirts can be torn apart to make rags, but there are only so many rags a household can incorporate before becoming a dumping ground.

3. I donated the T-shirts to Goodwill while running errands and made sure to take a receipt for next year’s taxes. I then wrote down the exact specifics of the donation while it was fresh in my mind, so I can get the full deduction. Lastly I walked around Goodwill, but found nothing worth owning or selling.

4. My daughter stopped by the house and I was able to pull together a satisfying meal for her, even though we’re kind of low on fresh food at the moment. (I’ve plenty of ingredients to create full meals, but that takes time and forethought.) I made a quick batch of Deviled eggs, which got served with gluten-free peanut butter toast and raspberries for dessert. The berries were from the garden, the gf toast was from my frozen stash of $1 Franz bread and the eggs were on hand.

   I need to make a Winco run, maybe I should add that to tomorrow’s to-do list.

5. I stopped into H Mart for furikake and coconut milk and bought . . . furikake and coconut milk. That store has so many tempting fun treats, it’s an accomplishment to stick to a list!

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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Remember this free wool rug that I curb picked a couple weeks ago from the neighborhood garage sale day? It was stained pretty badly, but I could tell it was decent quality. My instincts were correct:

Still actually available on the Pottery Barn website, if you’re looking to spend $499!

I wasn’t exaggerating about the grubbiness, but I possess a rug shampooer and delusional confidence when it comes to my stain fighting skills.

May I introduce my bottle of Folex “Carpet Spot Remover?”

The rug still has a few stubborn stains, but I’m not done working on it yet.

I also brought home this wool rug from a different garage sale pile.

Not as bad, but definitely needing some love. I hit the stains with Folex and went back and forth (and back and forth) with an Oxyclean solution in the machine until it brightened up. The binding needs some reinforcing stitches here and there, but that’s okay as I think I’m going to hold onto this rug for my daughter’s old bedroom. Maybe.

Here she is after her beauty treatment, sunning herself on the front porch.

These high quality rugs were free, but they required work to bring them back to life. These physical items were manufactured from raw materials and crafted by human beings and they deserve to be maintained for as long as they’re still functional. Something being dirty is not a reason to give up on it. Sure, I love sourcing stuff for free, but it’s just as important, (if not more so) that our landfills aren’t filled with still usable items.

Buy used, buy less, repair and mend. Don’t replace something just because it’s dirty.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I motored through my library copy of Fiona Davis’ The Stolen Queen and am now lending it to a friend.

2. My neighbor had another extra bag of mixed greens and gave them to me.

   

3. I removed the back off a broken Cesca free pile chair and listed it on eBay.

4. I made a small frittata, which used up myriad bits and bobs of veggies from the fridge.

5. I didn’t spend $45 million on a sparsely attended parade.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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