The Non-Consumer Advocate

Bride of Frankenbox!

1. My husband somehow nicked his car key with a landscaping tool, which resulted in the key being close to impossible to remove from the ignition. It still worked, but it was definitely hinky. He then got the idea to fill in the small nick with resin and then sand it smooth. I was skeptical and worried that this “fix” would actually make things worse, but he proved me wrong!

   New car keys are expensive, so I have to give credit to my husband for fixing the key using what we already had on hand. Good job!

2. My son needed to hit the grocery store for meal prep supplies, so I tagged along, but I first made sure to scour the Fred Meyer (Kroger) app for loss leaders. (I’m currently in full-on detective mode for flour, butter and sugar sales!) Those items weren’t cheap enough yet, but they did have 99¢ peanut butters and canned tomatoes priced at 50¢ apiece. So yeah . . . I bought the limit for both.

   I’ll do a proper full grocery shop at Winco later in the week, but I’ll never say “no” to a tasty loss leader.

3. I fell down a rabbit hole of binging How To Renovate a Chateau videos on YouTube. You might think that watching content centering on remodeling an historic French chateau wouldn’t appeal to my cheap-ass self, but you would be wrong. The owners, Anna and Philipp don’t actually have the budget to throw money around and have become DIY masters as a result. From learning to reupholster furniture to creating her own linoleum printed wallpaper, there’s almost endless inspiring content.

   I may not live in an 18th century French chateau, but I’ll never tire of inspiration and fresh new ideas. Even if that idea is “I should sweep the basement stairs.”

   Here’s their website.

4. • I processed another free Halloween pumpkin for purée and baked a loaf of artisan bread.
   • I sold a framed print that I’ve had up on eBay for at least three years. I’m deliriously happy to see it go, so much so that I wasn’t even annoyed when I accidentally undercharged the buyer on shipping. Buy-bye!
   • I made a “Frankenbox” to mail out the framed print, which used three cardboard boxes plus a satisfying hodge-podge of styrofoam and bubble wrap. It was very cathartic.
   • I donated my leftover Halloween candy to a middle school counselor in my Buy Nothing group. Many readers pointed out that returned candy gets discarded, so I bit the bullet and donated it.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I picked up a gallon of Safeway whole milk on sale for $2.50 and I’m working up my nerve up to try this recipe for two ingredient homemade cheese. I suppose this is a continuation of where I attempt to make things from scratch like an ole timey Alaskan homesteader.

   These items wouldn’t actually get me through a harsh winter, (not even a harsh weekend!) but lately I have made my own:

   • Blackberry jam made from foraged berries.
   • Sauerkraut, which by the way turned out great!
   • Apple pies and crisps made from the neighbor’s fallen apples.
   • Pumpkin purée made from the neighbors’ leftover uncut Halloween pumpkins.
   • Homemade bread, although I’m holding off from baking any more loaves until the Thanksgiving grocery sales kick into high gear. I’m going through flour too fast!

   Next up — moose jerky! Probably not though, as the only big wild animals in my neighborhood are raccoons and nobody wants that.

2. I sold a thrifted new with tags Gund teddy bear for $30 on eBay.

3. I put up my Chanukah decorations early this year. Like Chanukah-doesn’t-even-start-until-December-7th early. Many Christians put up their Christmas decor a month in advance, so why shouldn’t I? There’s zero overlap of the two holidays this year, so we can properly enjoy them one at a time. Every single Chanukah item I own is from Goodwill, which makes it all extra special.

4. • One of my neighbors texted asking if I wanted some homemade ginger cookies. Umm . . . yes!
   • My brand new LL Bean replacement sheet finally came in the mail. I did have to go through mailing back the ripped one, but selling on eBay means that I have packaging supplies on hand at all times.
   • I checked out a “Lucky Day” book at the library, but didn’t end up liking it. (It was confusing from the get go.) The great thing with library books is I don’t feel obligated to complete a book if it’s not my cup of tea. Perfection.

5. I didn’t buy any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. I washed our towels after everyone was done showering and then hung them back up a couple hours later. The standard advice about linens and towels is to own three full sets so you can have one in use, one in the wash and one folded and ready to go. Instead we have one decent set, plus a variety of scrappy backup towels. So what if this requires me to run a full cycle of laundry on a single day? I don’t mind, and it means that I don’t have to buy and store multiple towel sets.

   I share this “frugal thing” to let you know that you’re not required to follow traditional advice, you and you alone get to choose the household routines that make sense to you. Just say “no” to big towel!

2. I ordered a free “Emergency Pizza” from Domino’s, which I earned from buying my daughter one of their gluten-free pizzas last week. Then when I went to pick it up, it took too long so they automatically sent me an email for another free pizza. A chain of free pizzas for the win!

3. I only went through one of my bags of Costco Hi-Chew Halloween candy, so I’ll return the other (unopened) one back to the store for a refund.

4. Just a ton of boring frugal things like cooking from scratch, batching all errands, raking my own yard, planting some grocery store garlic cloves in an unattractive backyard flowerpot, wearing sweaters on cold days, baking my own bread and eating leftovers.

5. I didn’t buy any Lear Jets.

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 finally sold my last set of University of Oregon football eye stickers. I thrifted a 13-pack of them at Goodwill a couple years ago for just $3.99. They were super easy to list, easy to store and certainly easy to mail out. Each set of 200 stickers sold for $15, which added up to $195 minus the eBay fees. Not as exciting as selling a single item for $195, but I’m happy to take it.

   I also sold a pair of Sorel ankle boots on eBay for $40.

2. I used a Fred Meyer coupon for a free pint of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream and then scanned the receipt into the Ibotta app for an extra 50¢ back.

3. I processed the free apples from earlier in the week to make three pies, two of which went uncooked into the freezer. I’ll bake them the day before Thanksgiving, so I consider this to be a favor to my future self. The third pie is for the here and now, as my present self also needs favors. Needless to say, the pie will be served with ice cream.

4. • I baked my enormous free pumpkin, which’ll keep me in frozen purée until next year’s free pumpkins come my way.
   • I made a big pot of chicken soup using just two leg quarters from the 57¢/lb chicken I bought a couple weeks ago. (Don’t worry, I froze them.) the last of some carrots, celery and an onion filled it out and just like every time I make soup, this one is best soup I’ve ever eaten!
   • My son and I spent an evening playing gin rummy, and it was super fun even though he beat me soundly. I took the opportunity to point out that a simple deck of cards is the key to almost endless entertainment. I love playing cards and get really happy on those rare occasions when I can convince people to play with me. If not, I’m also satisfied to play solitaire.
   • I saved the pumpkin seeds and will roast them for a frugal snack.

5. I didn’t buy any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. I made my own sauerkraut on Saturday, which is still in the fermentation phase so I can’t report on its success yet. However, I’m feel very optimistic as the process is so simple I can’t imagine how anything could’ve been done incorrectly. I wrote a blog post about it on Sunday, but am including it here in case readers didn’t catch it.

2. I cut multiple armloads of flowers from my backyard hydrangeas as I didn’t want their blooms to be destroyed by an overnight frost. Instead of clogging my home with floral arrangements, I put together eight bouquets of five flowers apiece for various neighbors. Some of whom I know well, others less so. However all appeared happy to receive a surprise flower arrangement.

   I even brought flowers to my backyard neighbors who I barely know as they’re renting the house from a family member. They weren’t home when I deposited the hydrangeas on their porch, so I texted their cousin so he could let them know who the flowers were from. (I didn’t want them to be weirded out.) They in turn surprised me with a thank you note and a heavy bag of apples from their tree!

   This was so much fun, I know I’ll repeat the practice in 2024.

3. I spent the week that my husband was playing baseball in Las Vegas visiting with friends and family, puttering around the house and garden; and indulging in the most delightfully low brow TV shows.

   I’d initially planned to accomplish mighty tasks, but somehow somehow it felt better to chill out and not force myself to be performatively productive. It was cheap, relaxing and not too shabby!

   P.S. My husband didn’t gamble a single penny.

4. • I set out the very same Halloween porch decorations that I’ve put out every year since 2006 or so, when an old neighbor handed them down to us.
   •  I pulled a pound of sale price butter from the freezer as I’ve decided to make my Thanksgiving apple pies ahead of time. (Seriously — so many apples!) Stocking up on sale price food saves me a ton of money in the long run, even when it costs extra at the time of purchase.
   • I raked my sidewalk and brick patio by myself instead of paying someone to run a leaf blower as many of my neighbors do.
   • I made a huge pot of chicken soup with carrots, onion, celery and peas using the last scraps of a Costco rotisserie chicken. Cooking it down in the Instant Pot also supplied extra broth for the freezer, which is a favor to my future self. A perfect meal for this cold weather.
   • I walked with my friend to drop her paper grocery bags at a consignment shop that’ll put them back into use.
   • I haven’t touched the Halloween candy that I bought at the beginning of September at Costco. This, my friends is a true frugal accomplishment!

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

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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