Second Run Leads the Pack

by Katy on July 22, 2009 · 9 comments

Bagdad

I am lucky to live in city with a myriad of second run movie theaters, most of which are restored vintage gems. Because of this, I’m able to abstain from  seeing the $9 movies, waiting instead until they’re just a couple of bucks. This has become especially prudent since movie theaters start charging adult prices at age 13! (This is in-freaking-sane, as there is nothing about a 13-year-old that is anywhere close to adulthood. Last time I checked, adults live independently, hold jobs and don’t have to be nagged to wear a coat when it’s 18 degrees outside.)

Most of the time, my decision to hold off from first run movies is a cinch, but the Summer blockbusters test my resolve — big time. I am sorely tempted to see Julia and Julie, and the new Harry Potter movie beckons to me at every turn.

Must. Check. Out. What’s. Playing. At. The. Bagdad.

Whew . . . it’s the new Night at the Museum movie. Which we waited to see, thank you very much!

See? If we hold off from seeing the first run movies, then there’s always a fresh second run movie to see.

And for $9 I can see the movie, enjoy a pint of McMenamin’s finest ale and even have some change leftover.

Ahh . . . living the frugal life is nothing but sacrifice.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

P.S. I may actually go to see the new Harry Potter movie with my mother and kids later this week. What can I say? She insisted!


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The Complexities of My Oh-So-Simple Life

by Katy on July 21, 2009 · 6 comments

Nancy Reagan

I love the idea of the simple life. Sitting quietly in my backyard enjoying a soft breeze, cooking beautiful healthy meals, and then maybe playing leisurely board games with my 11 and 13-year-old sons.

Reality is a hard hearted mistress.

Our Summer has somehow filled up with activities and commitments that leave me exhausted and unable to write until 11:00 P.M. most nights.

Today just about put me over the edge. My younger son had swim class from 11:10 – 11:40, my older son had life guarding class from 11:00 – 2:00 P.M., our library volunteer shift was from 12:00 – 2:00, I had agreed (happily) to do an interview in the afternoon, plus I had offered to help my mother clean out one of her guest cottages between tenants. Don’t forget, I still have to make dinner, do laundry and write something intelligible.

As much as I tried to puzzle this through, there was simply no way to balance everything. I contacted the journalist to postpone the interview, and felt like I was partially on top of my life again.

And then, while driving to swim classes I remembered that we were taking care of a neighbor’s dog and cat while she’s out of town.

Crap!

I quick interrogation with my 11-year-old confirmed that the dog has a doggie-door to the backyard, and that it had been suggested to him to check on the pets around noonish each day. I knew we wouldn’t return home until around 5:00 P.M., but there was simply no way around it.

Swim classes, lifeguard training, soccer camps, family comittments and library volunteering transform what should be a carefree Summer into an exhausting jam packed mosh-pit of activities. Add one perfectly innocent dog, and I can be found scribbling out meticulous To-do lists.

How did I let this happen? Should I have taken a page from Nancy Reagan to Just Say No?

The problem is that everything we’ve filled our Summer with has its own merits. High level swimming skills are extremely important to me as a safety measure; volunteering gives the boys a chance to give back to the community; the soccer camps are beloved my 13-year-old who is a soccer fiend; and the neighbor must have been in a real jam to ask us to watch her dog.

Helping to clean my mother’s rental houses? That’s just the price I pay for occasional staycationing in her lovely air conditioned cottages.

Luckily, the volunteering is just once a week, the swim classes end on Friday, the neighbor returns in four days and the interview was easily pushed forward a day. Dinner was grilled chicken atop a green salad and I’ll most likely even get this blog finished before midnight. (The dog was fine, and we’ll take him to the park tomorrow to make things right.)

Next week will be class-free and that’s when I can jump back on that simple living bandwagon again. I simply must learn how to Just Say No!

That Nancy Reagan, she may have been onto something.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Spending Less Now? How About Later?

by Katy on July 21, 2009 · 25 comments

Frugality Poll Results

I was setting the table for dinner tonight when I overheard a story my husband was watching on the local news.

“A new Gallup Poll finds that about a third of Americans, 32%, say they have been spending less in recent months, and that they intend to solidify this behavior as their “new, normal” pattern in the years ahead.”

I walked, plates in hand into the living room to hear the rest of the story which understandably caught my attention. I was unable to find a link to the news story, although here is a link to the Gallup poll results.

One of the few criticisms that I have received about The Non-Consumer Advocate is that the current mindset of frugality with honor, (okay, I just made that phrase up) will be history as soon as the economic downturn shifts direction.

This poll gives my standpoint that frugality can be a life long joyful choice some validity. Like those who lived through the great depression and created lifelong spending and saving habits, today’s generation (or at least 32%) plan to do the same.

I had considered myself to already be an extremely disciplined frugalite, but the current recession has put the fear in me. I have brought my family’s spending waaaay farther down in the past year. I want our debt vanquished, and as soon as humanly possible!

A good example of this newfound uber-frugality is how often we eat out. Last year we probably ate out once every couple of weeks, sometimes once a week. This especially ramped up in the Summer, when swim classes and other activities kept us out and about. This Summer we haven’t eaten out once that I can recall. (Before you get too impressed, my mother does treat for lunches every so often.) And I’ve been able to build a juicy little savings account that would not have occurred to me as feasible just a scant year ago.

Both big changes.

Will I start to spend money left and right once the recession loosens its grip on us?

No way, fellow Non-Consumers!

But I may start eating out once a month or so. But this would be more related to personal debt elimination rather than any recession abatement. I do so love international food, and that is simply not reproducible in my somewhat white bread kitchen.

Have you brought your spending down because of the recession? If so, do you plan on continuing with this pattern, or will you loosen the purse strings once the recession is over. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Heaven in the Park — Star Trek Style

by Katy on July 20, 2009 · 9 comments

Star Trek in the Park

Okay I’ve done it, I’ve gone over the edge. I’ve already written about how Everything I Need to Learn in Life I Learned from Star Trek, and now I’m actually attending Star Trek events.

I am officially a super-geek.

But I’m not the only one.

Today my family and I packed up a picnic dinner and drove over to watch a live production of an acted out Star Trek episode right here in sunny Portland, Oregon.

Along with around 400 other people!

I thought we had left early enough to park ourselves nice and close to the action, but such was not the case. We were actually to the side and slightly behind the action. Our seats were better than other people’s though, who sat completely downhill and behind the play. Yet sit there they did.

Luckily, the actors were mostly very good about speaking loudly and besides, it was an episode we had seen before — somewhat recently.

We brought a ratty old quilt to sit on, as well as a yummy picnic dinner. Large french bread ham and cheese sandwiches, cut up watermelon, (my sister Jessie brought a whole watermelon to the house last week, and we’ve been trying to work it into every meal!) a bag of ginger snaps and our own bottled tap water made the play that much more special.

It really was heaven.

This kind of entertainment really makes my day. Not only was the play free of charge, but it got us out of the house and out of our routine. The picnic cost no more than eating at home and was 100 times more memorable than seeing yet another movie.

So thank you Star Trek in the Park. May you live long and prosper!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Calling All Spendthrifts — Keep it Up!

by Katy on July 19, 2009 · 17 comments

Gap Jeans

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy!

As most of my readers know, I am a member of The Compact, a worldwide group that elects to only buy used. I do this for a number of reasons, but mostly because I choose to define ourselves by my actions, not my purchases. In doing so, Compact members hope to bring awareness to how the current consumer lifestyle affects our lives, our finances and our planet.

I have two sons, ages 11 and 13. They are used to Mommy’s soapbox antics. It doesn’t faze them to wear secondhand clothes and receive secondhand gifts. The 13-year-old really gets it, and the 11-year-old is okay with it, as long as it he still gets toys. (He’s very stuff–motivated.)

The 13-year-old is growing like a weed, and is constantly needing new clothes. This time it was jeans. So I headed out to my trusty Goodwill thrift store yesterday on said mission. I quickly found a brand-new-looking pair of Gap “carpenter jeans” in just his size. They were $4.99, but had a purple tag, which meant they were an additional 50% off. Score!

When I got home I raced to scope out the Gap website. Had I gone to the mall, I would have had to fork over 35 bucks.

Ah hah! A perfect opportunity for a parental teaching moment.

“So who’s smarter?” I queried. “The person who paid $35 for the jeans, or the person who paid $2.50?”

My son turned his gaze upon me and replied with that look only a teenager can truly master. (He’s precocious this way.)

“Mom, if someone hadn’t paid $35, we wouldn’t have been able to pay the $2.50.”

Oh yeah . . . .

Will there ever be so many people doing The Compact that there won’t be enough secondhand goods to go around? Based on the long line of of cars at Goodwill awaiting their turn to donate. I’d have to say a resounding no. But my son’s response gave me pause. Someone has to start the consumer cycle.

But who do you want to be? The person who spends $35 on a pair of kid’s jeans? Or the person who spends $2.50?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Why I Love my Guest Bedroom

by Katy on July 18, 2009 · 10 comments

horsahouse

I grew up in an enormous house. With four stories, six bedrooms and yes, four bathrooms.

There was always room for extra people.

Fast forward to my adult life and a long series of apartments in Oregon, New York, London and New Mexico. There was always room for all our stuff, but houseguests had to rough it on a fold-out couch or worse. And we certainly hosted many people, especially when living in such tourist friendly cities as London and New York City.

When house hunting in 1996, I really wanted to find a house with enough room to host the myriad of visiting friends and family. This was important to me. More so than a fancy kitchen or even a second bathroom.

The house we ended up buying had 4 + bedrooms and a single small bathroom. Perfect.

Because we do have this spare bedroom, (which incidentally is the nicest and most completed room in our will-it-ever-end-fixer-upper-of-a-money-pit.) we’ve been able to provide a haven for our friends and family. But even more interestingly, we have had the opportunity to play host family to two different Japanese teachers, two Japanese children and four different British soccer coaches.

Don’t even get me started on the countless kid sleepovers the spare bedroom has born witness to.

Had we bought a house with three bedrooms or fewer, we would not be able to host all these great people. Sure, we would have opened up the couch for close family members, but that’s probably about it.

Is having my house overrun with extra people frugal or even simple living?

Absolutely not.

It’s loud and messy, with lots of extra meals to prepare and then clean up from. But I enjoy getting to spend more than just a few hours with my out of town guests. Having friends come visit me strengthens my social reserves and helps me keep the bonds of friendship that might otherwise weaken through the years.

I’ve had friends come to visit who would probably not have come had I not had a spare bedroom to offer.

I certainly ooh and ahh over the small house movement with its deliciously simply little homes. So cleverly designed, so smart and restrained.

But I always have this question — where do the house guests sleep?

Do you have a spare bedroom that gets more action than . . . um . . .  well, you get my drift? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

This column is dedicated to Ed, Dan, Jessie, Nate, Emma, Neil, Jennifer, Tom, Stuart, Michiko, Kenji, Daiji, Seinosuke, Kathy and everyone else who has partaken of the guest bedroom that could.

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Frugal in Maine? You're in Good Company

by Katy on July 16, 2009 · 4 comments

Maine

Click here to read a wonderful Boston Globe article about how the citizens of Maine are surviving the current recession due to frugal skills handed down through the generations.

Make sure to read through the comments, which run from the gamut from flippant to insightful.

Now . . . how about an article about the frugal folk in Oregon? Our hardscrabble ways might not be generations in the making, but we can still give those New Englanders a run for their money.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without

by Katy on July 16, 2009 · 17 comments

Hulk

I should come as no surprise that I kind of groove on the phrase “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

This phrase, which I believe to be a depression era saying pretty much sums up how I want to be living my life.

Here a a few examples:

Today I wore a pair of Columbia Sportswear brand pants I bought a few years ago at Goodwill.

Use it up: These pants have a small rip on the left knee, yet I feel fine wearing them for such formal occasions as taking my kids to swim classes and hanging out at home.

Wear it out: I will wear these pants until the rip gets bigger, at which point I will tear them up for rags. (This will help to get my Hulk-like aggressions out.)

Make it do: I am perfectly fine with looking less than the pinnacle of perfection. I have no allusions on my status as a fashion plate.

Do without: I don’t have a huge wardrobe full of clothing, which means I have to get optimal mileage from each garment. (This does not mean I will go pants-less.)

My friend Ed is visiting from Seattle for a couple days:

Use it up: I made curried lime chicken for dinner. I found a fairly shriveled hunk of ginger, which worked just fine after I peeled the skin off. I also found a small container of lemon and lime juice that my industrious 11-year-old had reamed the other day — this too went into the marinade. I also used up the last of a head of romaine lettuce even though it was starting to get ever so slightly pinkish.

Wear it out: We ate our dinner on our backyard patio. One of the chairs is one of those cheap-o plastic deals that is currently sporting a broken right arm. (My husband sat in this chair.) I will use this chair as long at it still functions. When I do locate the fabulous patio set of my dreams, I’ll demote these chairs to the kids’ treehouse.

Make it do: I meant to slick my house up to an envy inducing state, but I decided that enough was enough and resigned myself to the fact that having the first floor of my house clean was all that I could accomplish. (My husband works night shifts, so I don’t have access to our bedroom during the day. And the kids rooms? Fuggedaboutit!)

Do without: I would love to spend all day tomorrow doing nothing but hanging and browsing the cool shopping districts, but my kids have swim classes at 11:00 A.M. I have roped my mother into watching them afterwards, (thanks Mom!) so we will get to shop on N.W. 23rd Avenue for a few hours. (Very hip shops for him, two terrific thrift stores for me!)

How do you use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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


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School Supply Time Already?

by Katy on July 15, 2009 · 29 comments

The following is a reprint of an previsouly published post from last Summer. Enjoy!

I adore the pace of summertime. The sleeping in, not having to nag about homework, leisurely days spent splashing in the pool. Ahh. . . summer.

Did I mention the sleeping in?

Tragically, summer is winding down.

The first sign?

Advertisements for school supplies.

Paper, pens, glue. Somehow never all sold at the same store.

Never.

My ten-year-old came home on the last day of school with a little pink half-sheet of paper, outlining all the supplies I needed to send with him for fifth-grade.

(I have no idea where it is now, but that’s an entirely different issue.)

I’m dreading the drive from store to store, an entire day wasted on this unwelcome and depressing task.

One year, the teacher just asked for a check, so she could buy the what sheneeded. This way, all the supplies would be the same, and she would have precisely what she wanted.

Smart.

And if my memory stands correct, it was less money than if I’d bought everything on my own.

One person running one errand instead of 30.

One car on the road instead of 30.

It is highly wasteful to have 30 sets of parents run these errands individually. Thirty cars driving around town, everyone buying a slightly different variety of supplies.

Gasoline. Time. Effort.

Alas, the other fifth-grade parents have probably already started their school supply shopping, so it may be too late for this year.

Just thinking about all this makes me want to sleep in a little extra tomorrow.

How does your community deal with the school supplies issue? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Non-Consumer Mish-Mash

by Katy on July 14, 2009 · 9 comments

Wyoming

Sometimes I have things I want to share with my readers, but are not enough to stand alone as entire columns. This time has come again.

Which means . . . it’s mish-mash time!

Here’s terrific post from unclutterer that I think I might actually print out to put on my fridge for inspiration. (Although . . . having a bunch of crap magnetted to the fridge isn’t exactly an uncluttered look.)

The British soccer coach we’ve been hosting drove off to his new family today. I do worry that our frugal and simple living ways, (read — there were no restaurant meals or boating trips) were a bit dull for a 21-year-old guy looking for fun.

I did check out the British version of The Office from the library though, which was a massive hit. He and his soccer coaching lads stopped by on most days to watch  a few episodes.

I guess I should feel good that our spare bedroom is really quite nice, and unlike his host family bedroom in Wyoming does not include a cabinet full of machine guns!

I hosted a large family get together the other night for 11 people and went to “The Grocery Outlet” for the first time. Holy crap, was that place cheap! Very nice gourmet items like seven ounce rounds of double cream herb brie for $3.29 and big packs of prosciutto ham for not much more. I baked four loaves of french bread from The Frugal Girl’s recipe using half white whole wheat flour which worked out very well. I then assembled large artisan sandwiches and sliced them up and arranged them on Fiestaware platters. It was a huge hit and super cheap to boot!

Thanks Kristen!

I had somehow gotten down to possessing only two respectable non-stained/ non-ripped T-shirts in my wardrobe and had even visited Goodwill last week to replenish, and was only able to find one $4.99 shirt I could stand to buy.

However, my son and I came across a garage sale on Saturday where I found five perfectly acceptable T-shirts in my size, plus two dressy tops for 50 cents apiece! I am so happy to have this task behind me, and even returned the $4.99 Goodwill top today, as it still had it’s tags on.

It would be very hard to ever go back to shopping in regular stores again!

My savings account is growing by leaps and bounds, which is a delightful surprise to me. I put any found, unexpected or bonus cash straight into my credit union about once every week or two.

Today I put in a $50 check that I received in the mail over the weekend from my friend Julie. I had joined the union recently and put her name down as a referral. This apparently meant she was sent a $50 check, which she in turn sent to me. I also had $25 my mother slipped me in gratitude for not having to host the family get together at her house.

I explained to the teller how I was putting any extra cashola into savings, and he showed me a secret spot in the free coin counting machine where change often gets stuck. There was nothing there today, but I know I’ll never be able to resist a peek on subsequent trips.

J.D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly writes about his Frugal Weekend, which is quite interesting. Make sure to read through the comments, as it’s half the fun!

Walking home from buying Fred Meyer bulk spices with my sister and 13-year-old this evening, I was on a fresh high from finding 11 cents on the ground:

Me: “Coin-Girl strikes again!”

Son: “If you’re Coin-Girl, then I’m Cash-Boy. I find cash in registers, all I need is a gun!”

Me: (To self) “Uh-oh, maybe he’s been to Wyoming!”

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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