The Non-Consumer Advocate

I sold a few things here and there, although nothing individually impressive as my thrifting has greatly diminished lately due to the convergence of Coronavirus and the hazardous breathing conditions here in Oregon. (Fresh inventory generally sells better than stale listings.) Unless stated otherwise, everything was sourced from one of Portland’s amazing Goodwill stores.

Here’s what sold:

• A large aerial map of Alaska’s Bristol Bay that I picked up at a Goodwill Outlet pay-by-the-pound store at least six months ago. It was part of a large tangle of maps that another customer had grabbed, but discarded this one for some reason. It weighed next to nothing, so I’d estimate that I spent 15¢ on it. It sold locally to someone who travels up to Alaska each year to work on a fishing vessel. $20

• Another pair of my husband’s old prescription glasses that he no longer wears due to vision changes. (They were Oakley brand, which I makes them more desirable.) This is one of those oddball eBay categories that’s consistently sold well for me. Opticians can fit used frames with new prescription lenses, so this detail doesn’t matter. If you have a jumble of outdated prescription glasses in your junk drawer, you might as well give this one a try. $45

• A set of darling vintage acorn carved wooden bookends. $20

• A length of wool fabric that I’d sold once before and had accepted as a return. $45

• A lot of my daughter’s old Shonen Jump magazines. I give her the money whenever I sell her stuff. $35 

• A book of Patrick Nagel art that I also picked up at a Goodwill Outlet store. $25

• A pair of vintage Canoe Muffin ice tea spoons that I plucked from a bin of Goodwill silverware. $20

• A small golden Homer Simpson figure that’s leftover from a huge bag of collectible figures that I picked up for maybe $7.99 last year. (One sold for $75 and there were probably 40 others in the bag.) The valuable ones sold almost immediately, and these last few ones sell for not much. $5

• More of my son’s textbooks. I still have six unsold books, but these have been selling at a good clip. I give him the money whenever I sell his stuff. $12, $30, $23, $15

• A designer purse that my college best friend received from her step mother. She didn’t want it and gave it to me as “Do you want this, maybe you can sell it?” gift. $110

• A pair of Starbucks mugs that took way too long to sell. I won’t be picking these up again. $17.99

• A vintage chrome foil/paper towel/wax paper dispenser that took up way too much space in my eBay inventory corner. $30

• A set of professional level dominos that I somehow both underpriced and also accidentally listed with “free shipping!” ^&%$‰›fl‡fl‡! I didn’t lose money, but I could have made some good money with this sale. Oh well, live and learn . . . $35

• A Polaroid camera that I grabbed from a free pile. $20

• A pair of brand new of Solmate socks that were sadly not my size. $17.99

We’ve been continuing to designate Tuesdays as “Taco Tuesday” by grabbing pickup from a local Mexican food cart that sells their tacos for a buck apiece once a week. Although in true non-consumer fashion, I always balance out the cheap cost with a generous 33% tip.

My husband taped a furnace filter over the back of a box fan to create an indoor air filter that quickly picked up a disgustingly satisfying amount of smoke particulate. We already had these supplies on hand.

For those who may be unaware, Oregon, Washington and California are in the midst of an unprecedented wildfire season, hammering home the fact that climate change is a global crisis which demands which our attention.

I listened to the fantastic audiobook of Fiona Davis’ The Lions of Fifth Avenue for free, as I’d done a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial account which included a single audiobook download, (I cancelled the Prime subscription before any fees kicked in) neighbors have been sharing their garden bounty with us, I borrowed my father’s power washer to clean up our dirty/mossy back patio, and then used it for everything else I could think of, (wicker hamper, adirondack chairs, outdoor rug, front steps) I stocked up on a year’s worth of Bonne Maman marmalade as they were 50%-off at a local store, and I’ve been otherwise been cooking inexpensive meals from scratch that are mostly bean based or soups.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a traitorous, pathologically dishonest or vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

1. My husband and I moved our son down to the college town where he’ll finish up the two quarters he needs to complete his bachelor’s degree. True, his classes are likely to be online this term, but they absolutely weren’t when it was time to arrange housing. This apartment came unfurnished, but we were able to score the previously mentioned free couch and end table from different neighbors. Luckily, everything (including his bedroom stuff) miraculously slotted into our minivan and Prius, so there was no need to rent a pricey moving truck.

   Our son has three roommates, so they can pick up any slack, especially since he provided the majority of the kitchen and bathroom supplies.

2. My husband and I decided to buy a new mattress and boxspring set, which is a suuuuper annoying purchasing process. We looked on the internet, but didn’t trust a word we read from online review sites, as they’re notorious for overtly false reviews. Instead we looked at Costco, and then finally at a locally owned store that has a trustworthy reputation for quality products and low pressure sales. We ended up buying a queen set that’s scheduled to be delivered at the end of the month, which gives us time to consider repainting our bedroom, which I’ve decided isn’t so much “terra cotta” as it is “hot dog.”

   This was a far from frugal purchase, but it felt good to support a local business, and I look forward to many peaceful nights of sleep. We pinch pennies on the stuff that doesn’t matter which makes the money available for the things that do.

   For those wondering why we’re not considering a used mattress, this is one of my Compact exceptions, especially since I’ve learned about recent bedbug cases in the Portland area.

3. I found a crumpled piece of paper at the grocery store which turned out to be a voucher for a free drive-through car wash, which may be one of my favorite finds ever as A) Its value was $8, and B) I hate washing the minivan by hand as it requires a ladder to reach the roof. My husband was skeptical, but it was accepted without a hitch and we now possess a clean and shiny car!

   This may be unrelated, but I think that drive-through car washes are super duper fun, and I always joke about how the attendants are “mermen” and the internal bits are “kracken” and “giant squid.” I’ve never been to Disneyland, but I’m guessing it’s pretty much the same experience. Why yes, I may be the world’s cheapest date.

4. I made broth from a leftover Costco roasted chicken, (which I then transmogrified into a tasty and satisfying Mexican chicken soup) I borrowed my step mother’s pressure washer to spruce up our backyard patio/retaining wall, as well as anything else I could think of, (outdoor rug, wicker laundry basket, concrete steps, etc.) I gave away a set of silkscreens and a squeegee through my local Buy Nothing Group, I made an appointment and picked up a physical library book from my personally curated “Quality Distraction” reading list, I listened to a couple of audiobooks through the library’s free Libby app and I curb picked a lovely brass desk lamp for my son, whose old lamp had broken.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a traitorous, dishonest and vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

I sold a number of things including:

• A Thule bike rack that I bought at Goodwill for $4.99 and quickly sold for $75.
• A stack of free pile law school books that sold for between $15 and $100.
• A free pile Title Nine exercise skirt that sold in precisely 18 minutes for $25.
• Six or seven of my son’s old textbooks, which continue to sell every other day-ish.
• My husband’s old prescription Oakley brand eyeglasses, which are currently on their way to England. Fifty bucks!
• A $7.99 new-with-tags Queen Bee Creations shoulder bag that sold overnight for $75.

I was somehow able to get my insurance company to pay the $300 to install an anti-theft catalytic converter shield after some jackass stole the catalytic converter from under my Prius. A crime that I’ve since learned has become increasingly common across this great so-so nation of ours.

Mind you, we still had to pay the $500 deductible.

We discovered that a semi-local Mexican food cart sells their tacos for a buck apiece on Tuesdays, which has gifted us a sorely needed break from the monotony of cooking. Plus, it gives us something to look forward, which is otherwise lacking in our lives right now. We’ve since hit week three of Taco Tuesdays and I’d like to send a ginormous wave of gratitude out to Su Casa Tacqueria!

My son has rented an unfinished apartment for his last year of college, which differs from his previous apartments which only required he provide furnishings and supplies for the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. He’ll have three roommates, but only one of them is from Oregon. I was able to score a free nice couch from a neighbor who is transitioning her den into an in-home classroom for her sons and I found a great end table that another neighbor had put out for free.

We’ll pull out his last apartment’s stuff from the attic next week to clarify what still needs to be sourced. We moved him out of his last apartment in a rush last March, and I have a strong recollection that we packed up some dirty dishes.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

I sold just a couple of things, including:

• An extra Oakley accessory kit that went with an old pair of my husband’s work sunglasses.

• One of my son’s accounting textbooks.

• A set of my son’s Mega Man electronic game chips.

Actually, that’s all that sold. Lucky son.

I went for a masked walk around the neighborhood with my friend Dezsea. In the before times we might have gone out for coffee or lunch, so I suppose this falls under the umbrella of “frugal activities,” even though there’s a deeply sad back story.

However, she did call me up the next day asking if I wanted “a gallon of milk and a bag of potatoes.”

Umm . . . let me think that over for a bit. Just kidding, of course I jumped at the offer and gladly accepted her generosity. Milk is super friendly to being frozen for a future date, you just have to pour off a bit extra to make room for expansion.

I drove to my secret spot for wild blackberries, making sure to wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants and closed toe shoes. (Those thorns are no joke!) Unfortunately, Oregon’s dry hot summer resulted in mostly shriveled up berries, although I did find some plump ones growing the shade. I’ll probably go back in a couple days as we’ve had some rain and cooler temperatures, which should result in sweeter juicier berries.

However, even lesser berries are still delicious berries. Plus, free is my very favorite price!

For those who might enjoy this detail, the “Oregon Ducks” hat in the above photo was purchased at a pay-by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet store. (So . . . maybe 15¢?) That school has enough of my hard earned money, thank you very much!

I used Fred Meyer (Kroger) coupons for broccoli and eggs, my single pair of Birkenstock sandals are wearing out, so I found a replacement pair on eBay for $34.99, (I then clicked through from Swagbucks, I used my own eBay referral code and messaged the seller to see if they’d use a $8.40 flat rate envelope instead of the $15.05 flat rate box) I fed my neighbors’ cat while they were out of town, I gave away two tubes of toothpaste on my Buy Nothing Group as I’d accidentally bought the spicy “Cinnamint” flavor, my husband signed up for a free YouTube TV trial, which is allowing us to finally watch the final season of Schitt’s Creek, I finished the last of a loaf of my father’s sourdough bread, (which I slice and store in the freezer) and I sat on the couch screaming into a second hand pillow.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

I sold a few things on eBay. Not regularly paced, but in annoying fits and spurts. (Three sales in one day, then no sales for five days!) No single impressive sale, although I did sell a couple of items that had otherwise been part of the excessive miscellaneous stuff that crowds my home.

Here’s what sold:

• A $20 lot of 9 vintage kitchen drawer pulls leftover from when we revamped our kitchen in 1996. These had been sitting in an aptly titled junk drawer.

• A $25 pair of brand new Ikea handles that I picked up at Goodwill awhile back.

• A schwanky $75 motorbike toy that I’d just bought at Goodwill for a mere $4.99.

• A $15 stack of new-in-package brew pub coasters that I’d picked up at a pay-by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet bins store in the before times.

• A $15 Fiestaware plate from my personal overflowing stack.

• A $35 miniature marble bust of some unidentified composer dude.

• A $25 pair of women’s Keen water sandals.

• A $20 hatbox that had been sitting in my death pile for more time than I’m willing to admit. (A “deathpile” is the name for items a reseller has yet to list for whatever reason.) It sold really quickly once listed, which is great since it took up more than its fair share of physical space.

I got my first ever flat tire, which luckily happened while I was driving at a safe low speed. Our tires were semi-recently replaced at Costco, so they still had some warranty left on them. The replacement cost was around $36, and even though my son and l Iooped through Costco we didn’t succumb to any impulse purchases. However, we got the heck out of that indoor space pretty quickly as there were multiple people whose masks were positioned under their noses.

NOPE!

The cause of the flat? An entire pair of scissors!

I read a library copy of Ayelet Waldman’s Love and Treasure, which was from the hilariously titled Quality Distraction reading list personally curated for me through the county’s My Librarian program.

I’ve decided to work my way through all ten of the recommended books, and have already made a dent in Camille Perri’s The Assistants. And since the list includes two books I’ve already read, I think this is a doable goal.

I garbage picked a Kettler tricycle from a neighbor’s bin, I put together a number of eBay listings from stuff just laying around the house, my husband received a $94.47 check from a random class action lawsuit, I watched a library DVD of the Downton Abbey movie, (super mediocre, I definitely got what I paid for!) I’ve been going for masked evening walks with my friend Lise; and my husband and I enjoyed a socially distant “happy hour” with some neighbors which included an enthusiastically received black bean/corn dip that took advantage of ingredients I already had on hand. Plus I drank seltzer since I really don’t like to drink alcohol.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

I sold a few things here and there, 100% through eBay as few people seem to comfortable buying through in-person platforms such as Facebook marketplace and Craigslist. I get it. Here’s some of what sold:

• A groovy vintage TV remote that’s now on its way to Germany to be used as a movie prop.

• An avocado green rotary phone that spent the past year or so sitting on my mantle.

• A pair of plastic Dansko clogs that I picked up at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago.

• A pair of vintage Italian glasses frames that I plucked from a Goodwill Outlet bin in the “before times.”

I also have someone supposedly coming by today to buy a vintage cast iron skillet, although I know better than to count my chickens before they hatch.

Edit: It sold!

My next door neighbors ended up having to put their ancient kitty to sleep and gave me all of Colette’s leftover unused cat litter, cat food, plus their cat carrier, as I’ve borrowed it in the past. I was actually driving to Costco to buy cat litter when her text came through with the offer, although I continued on with the errand as I already had my palate set for one of their $4.99 roasted chickens.

I brought her flowers last week when I heard about her cat’s passing.

My friend Lise needed to have a tree removed that was growing too close to her house’s foundation and roof. And savvy woman that she is, she shaved a few bucks off the bid by having the arborist dump all the shredded wood chips on her property rather than driving them to a waste station. (Luckily the two previous chipped trees from that day were a cedar tree and a Douglas fir.) She and I then drove five (maybe six?) trips between our two houses hauling bins of wood chips to re-landscape the path along the side of my house. The job took an hour or so as we live just two blocks apart, and my side yard now smells amazing and more importantly will absorb more of Portland’s never ending and bountiful rainfall. My cost? The price of one tall frosty matcha boba tea!

Click HERE for some satisfying before-and-after pictures!

I utilized my public library system’s My Librarian service to request some book recommendations. I explained what I was looking for, to which she asked a few follow up questions to hone in on my reading preferences. She then recommended ten different books, which amazingly included three that I’d already read, most of which were from authors I’d enjoyed in the past or at least had heard of. I like to read, but don’t consider myself a prolific reader, so this is damned clairvoyant!

Hilariously, she titled my personalized list as Quality Distraction, which I think is genius, pure and simple! This list is public so you can actually check it out for your own “quality distraction.” My plan at this point is to continue to pepper her with questions until I’m able to transform her into my own personal life coach. This woman gets me!

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

I sold just a few things on eBay and absolutely nothing through Facebook Marketplace. However, the eBay sales were enjoyable as you can see:

• A plastic Fiestaware cheese knife set that had been relegated to the back of a cupboard for at least twenty years. $80? Yes, please!

• A collectible Vueve Clicquot champagne tin that I just thrifted for $2.99. $60? You betcha!

• The very last from a pile of brand new curtains that I thrifted at least a year ago. $25? Get it out of my sight!

I continue to think about estate planning and did pull the trigger on buying the Life in Motion end-of-life planning notebook. (Worry not, we’re all in good health.) I ended up purchasing it directly from the author’s website using a $10-off promo code I’d received for signing up for the newsletter. I haven’t started filling it out yet, but I’m looking forward to the peace of mind knowing that all of our information will be in a single place.

There’s usually a way to bypass Jeff Bezos’ behemoth consumer machine, (such as clicking over to the manufacturer’s website) and I’m always happy when I’m able to make this happen.

Note: This is neither a sponsored post, nor is it an affiliate link.

I made the stupid decision to hit my Fred Meyer (Kroger) grocery store on the afternoon of July third, not thinking about how it was the day before a major U.S. holiday. (Such a crowded $h*†$h0w!) I was motivated by a handful of about-to-expire personalized coupons items for practical items like eggs, broccoli, cilantro, ice cream, pasta sauce, etc. I ended up bringing home five bags of groceries for just $36.41. Very cheap, but oh so very stressful.

I rubber banded a plastic bag over a lidless glass pitcher in order to make a batch of sun tea, I gathered and then took a hand saw to fallen branches in the back yard for our fire pit, I cooked up a large pot of rosemary white bean soup and even served it for dinner on the fourth, I finished watching all the available episodes of Alone through my mother’s Amazon account, my husband gave our Prius a quicky wash at work as the neighborhood birds had been scatalogically industrious, a neighbor brought by a couple books for me to read, I stopped into the Franz Bakery Outlet for $1 loaves while out running errands and Portland’s weather has been mild enough to use simple fans instead of window air conditioners.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook about how she and her husband had recently drawn up a will. She showed a photo of an notebook with organized estate planning information and my FOMO (“fear of missing out”) kicked into gear.

• My first thought was “I wish I had the money on hand to hire an estate attorney.”
• My second thought was “Wow, cool notebook!”
• My third thought was “I bet you can buy a similar notebook without the expense of an attorney.”

I went into research mode and found a well rated version on Amazon. It was $50, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to actual legal fees. I put it into my cart to let the purchase simmer. It then occurred to me that I might be able to find it on eBay. Although eBay didn’t provide the exact book, I was able to “Save” the search, which means that I’ll get a notification when an eBay seller lists one.

At 51, I’m at an age where many of my friends are dealing with the death of their parents, and never once have I heard that it was an easy task. Clearing out houses, conflict with family members and then tracking down bank, insurance and investment information sounds like an absolute freaking nightmare. Especially while grieving. I absolutely don’t want to hand this nightmare down to my kids.

Hopefully some random eBay seller will list one in the near future. I have deep ethical issues with supporting Jeff Bezos and his Amazonian empire, and do all I can to source from alternate retailers whenever possible.

I’ve been sucked into watching multiple seasons of the TV show Alone from The History Channel. This isn’t a show that I would naturally be drawn towards. Survivalists competing to see who can last the longest out in the wilderness? Not a natural fit for an indoorsy Jewish woman.

Only the sixth season was available on Netflix. Set in the Canadian arctic, this season has a decent mix of contestants, many of whom are women who speak about “permaculture.” This assuaged my fear that the show would be aimed towards those whose survivalism come from a place of racism, antisemitism and a culture of conspiracy theories.

As a child I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins,  My Side of The Mountain, and Julie of The Wolves, rereading all three throughout the years. The idea of having to survive alone in the wild is an intriguing concept, and I can see why this TV show has been renewed for multiple seasons. I’m very much an indoor cat, and the two (three?) times I’ve gone camping have been unpleasant experiences. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t cuddle up on the couch and watch others immerse themselves in what nature has to offer.

For those interested in the show — The sixth season is available on Netflix, the third through fifth seasons are on Hulu and the first and second seasons are available through the History channel app/website. The seventh season is currently airing.

I stopped into Goodwill again, walking out with a $1.99 collectible Veuve Clicquot tin, a $4.99 Michael Graves for Target alarm clock and a $14.99 pair of Dansko clogs. I’m still skittish about unnecessary shopping, but with my N-95 mask and gloves I feel much more secure in my safety.

My father celebrated his 85th birthday the other day. He doesn’t like a fuss, but I was able to convince him to let us come over to mark the occasion. My son and I stopped into the Murray’s Cheese kiosk in Fred Meyer and let the cheese monger recommend a selection of treats. (Needless to say I brought a reusable gift bag from home.) I mostly give consumables to family members, which skirts around my “buy nothing new” self guideline. No one complains about receiving delicious food!

Together the three of us walked over to his favorite locally owned bookstore, (Broadway Books) where the owners wished him a hearty “happy birthday!” (I’d already stopped by to let them know it was his birthday.) We then sat apart in the backyard and chatted until our bladders called an end to the afternoon.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.