I whipped up a batch of cornmeal pancakes this morning, which sadly resulted in five pancakes. (Three of us at home + five pancakes = the world might end.) No problem though, as it was just the work of a minute to add in a few slices of french toast to even things out. However, there was some extra...
I've been having a very frugal month. From keeping a close eye on our food budget to simply not buying anything unnecessary, October has been very good to me. After investing in a hundred pounds of local apples, the clock started ticking for me to process them before the rot kicked in. I spent an...
I strive to be frugal and aware of packaging waste and deliberate with my daily life choices. However, even I, The Non-Consumer Advocate fail with my efforts every now and then. Sometimes even all day long. Perfection is a fallacy. I've written about how much I love that Petco sells scoop-your-own cat litter, which was a...
My younger son's room is small, and the options for furniture placement are pretty much set in stone. And because my son's bed is right next to the heat register and very close to the closet, he's never been able to have a proper bedside table. I'd been noticing that his iPod sits on the ground while...
Today I am . . . Perfectly happy to be working tomorrow. I'll have everything ready for Christmas by then, and it's always kind of fun to welcome babies into the world on a holiday. Amazed by how simple out Christmas is going to be this year. We'll be going out for Chinese food with...
Although I love the idea of a growing my own food, my deeply shady backyard and lack of sun have kept my garden just that -- an idea. However, my front porch area get lots of afternoon sun, which means that I am able to grow a few pot of edibles to redeem my name...
It's time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. Counter Culture After 16 years in a fixer-upper home, my husband is sick and f*@&ing tired of working on household projects. The easy and cheap projects are behind us, and what's left is dull, expensive...
Today is DAY THREE of the SNAP/Food Stamp Challenge, and all is well. Here's how much I've spent from my $112 budget so far: Day One -- $0 Day Two -- $15.66 Day Three -- $6.77 Total -- $22.43 What did I buy? I was low on a few different spices, so I walked my...
This article is from a guest post that ran on Wasted Food awhile back. However, the information is timeless. Enjoy! With food prices so high, there's simply no excuse for food waste in the home. Regular readers of The Non-Consumer Advocate already know that the food waste issue is near and dear to my heart....
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! I just notched down my 20 gallon garbage service from every week to once a month. The reasoning was both environmental and financial. The change would force us to be super-finicky about how much garbage our family is producing, (always a good thing) plus it...
Because I write about a variety of different subjects I sometimes feeling like I am a Jack of all trades, master of none. Other bloggers write about a single area and are able to delve into their subject matter with laser-sharp intensity, getting into the nitty-gritty details without distraction. The investigative reporters of the blogging...
The following is a reprint of a previously published column. Enjoy! I just notched down my 20 gallon garbage service from every week to once a month. The reasoning was both environmental and financial. The change would force us to be super-finicky about how much garbage our family is producing, (always a good thing) plus...
Mrs. Green, over the pond at myzerowaste.com tagged me with a challenge to write about six things that make me happy. This was a few weeks ago, and I kept putting it off as I actually recently wrote about 50 things that make me happy. The official rule is to tag six other...
I wrote last month about how my family switched from a weekly 32-gallon garbage pick-up to monthly 20-gallon service. I was nervous that this experiment might be a bust, and I would be stuck with a stinky, fly infested can mocking my high-falutin' ideals. Such was not the case. Although, this would probably be...
I just notched down my 20 gallon garbage service from every week to once a month. The reasoning was both environmental and financial. The change would force us to be super-finicky about how much garbage our family is producing, (always a good thing) plus it saves us five dollars per month. I know...
With the U.S. economy front and center in the news, many of us are worried about their own expenses. "How will I get through this current economy?" Control the expenses you can and minimize consumption of that which you can't. Here's a few strategies to employ in your home: Cut electricity usage in the home. Switch to...
When I started doing The Compact (buy nothing new) in January 2007, my family of four was putting out a 32-gallon garbage can every week. Sometimes it was half full, but mostly it was crammed to the brim. By stopping all new purchases, I was able to go down to a weekly...
What does of Autumn make you think of? Halloween? Turning leaves? Back to school? I think of de-cluttering. The mini-van loaded up with the excesses of life to be dropped off at Goodwill. The catharsis of not having to arrange, clean and maintain so very many possessions. Don't get me wrong. I love the...
Disgusted by the sheer volume of food in my refrigerator, I declaired a Buy No Food Challenge for my family on August 17th. I climbed up on my Non-Consumer soapbox (bought used, of course) and proclaimed: "I will buy no food until we eat up the bizarrely massive amounts that already grace my refrigerator!"...
What's loud, full of carnies and smells really bad? A carnival of trash! Actually, there's a much more sanitized version now available. The website My Zero Waste coordinated a Carnival of Trash. Lots of writers, and plenty of great information about waste. And yes, The Non-Consumer Advocate was invited to submit an article. So...
Enjoy reading blogs and exploring websites? Yeah, me too. I have a few favorite go-to sites. Some, I check on every day. Others I only go to when I have some time to kill. Here's a short list of those Non-Consumer Advocate-friendly blogs and websites. No Impact Man : Colin Beavan spent the year 2007 trying to attain...
Illustration by Jessica Wolk-Stanley One thing that I have noticed since starting The...