The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. 1. I was somehow able to buy three bags of groceries and stay under $40. I’m dubbing this “The Winco Effect.™” (Your region may call this “The Aldi Effect.”) Either way, I spent $39.19 and here’s what I bought:

      • Spinach
      • Sour cream*
      • Frozen tater tots, (so good crisped up in a waffle iron and then added to burritos!)
      • 2 bags of frozen mixed vegetables, (perfect for fried rice!)
      • 2 bags of shredded cheese*
      • 1 package of Italian sausage*
      • Bulk garlic powder
      • 2 jumbo oranges*
      • 2 boxes of regular fettuccini*, 1 box of gluten-free fettuccini
      • 2 boxes of Tetley tea
      • 18-pack of eggs
      • 2-lb bag of carrots
      • 5-lb bag of potatoes

      * These items were all on sale and I realized looking through the receipt that I was overcharged for the gluten-free pasta. It was supped to be $3-something but I was charged $4.92. I’ll save the receipt and bring it to customer service on my next trip.

      Mind you, not that long ago I consistently spent $10 per bag of groceries at Winco. Thank you, corporate greed! (The food corporations, not Winco, which is employee owned.)

      

   2. A friend from my Buy Nothing Group is moving to England and offered me her Joybird sofa. Initially for my son, but he bought one last month so we’re actually going to use it here at the house. Our couch was purchased as a “place holder” in 2019 after my aging cat urinarily destroyed two couches in a matter of months. (You can read that it HERE, HERE and HERE!)

      I’ll forever mourn my beloved $125 vintage couch. However with sufficient time I think I can heal. On my new (to me) Joybird sofa.

   3. I went to a friend’s retirement/70th birthday party that was essentially a reception without the wedding. I got to hang out with old work mates I hadn’t seen since I retired five years ago. There was a cash bar, but I stuck with water and a single glass of free champagne for toasting.

      Super fun as I got to catch up with friends and updated on the latest juiciest work gossip. Plus there was a DJ and a dance floor, which is my thang.  I may or may not, (definitely did) have invented a new dance move during the BeeGee’s Staying Alive where I mimed giving CPR while simultaneously spinning an invisible lasso. It was a big hit on a dance floor filled with nurses. Your results may vary.

      

   4. • I walked past the expanded free pile from last week, sadly even soggier than ever! A shame considering all the ruined books and furniture, but I was still able to save a couple of hard goods. I grabbed another plastic organizing bin for myself, plus a large fruit/salad bowl and a pizza pan for my son. (Both of which he needed.) My guess is that a tenant moved out and left all this stuff behind and the landlord dumped everything in front of the house. So wasteful.
      • My son gave me his knit beanie cap to sweater shave. Looks as good as new.
      • I took a Lyft to my friend’s party, but my husband was able to come pick me up afterwards. (He had a hockey game in the opposite direction.) We’ve been a one car family over the past few years, which is occasionally a pain in the tuchus. However, it’s cheaper and simpler to occasionally pay a ride service than buy and insure a second car.

   5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

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

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I finally got my free hair cut at the Supercuts training center, which is always an interesting experience. Tucked in the back of a regular Supercuts salon, the room is without ornamentation and the approximate size of my minivan. I think if it as a speakeasy, at it’s a special secret for those in the know. Only without bathtub gin.

Zero ambiance for zero dollars.

Of course, I’m not one to complain about decor. I like to save my dollars for more important things than haircuts. You know, like the cost of groceries or a full tank of gas.

Before:

After:

I mostly get my hair cut once a year or so depending on how much it’s bugging me. So I can now check this off my 2024 to-do-list!

This frugal hack is not just local to Portland, as Supercuts is a national chain. I know that my friend Joel from How To Money in Atlanta has employed this specific money saving practice as well. The way I found the person to contact for a free haircut was to just call different locations until I found the right person. Something you can do as well. I’ve gotten my hair cut at the training center four or fives times at this point and have only had positive experiences. All the stylists are licensed and it actually takes less time than at a salon as it’s just the cut without any frou-frou add ons.

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

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1. 1. My husband and I were driving back from Vancouver, Washington, (which is just across the river) and decided to stop into Ikea as it was on the way home. I wasn’t hungry, but my husband ordered two meatball kid’s meal instead of one adult one, as it’s the same amount of food at $8.58 vs. $9.99. ($1.41 savings!) Instead, they were running a special where it was somehow $3 for his two plates of food using the Ikea family card!

      This prompted me to look up their deals once I got home and here’s what I was able to find. Note that you need the free Ikea Family Card.

      Monday: Meatless Monday — All plant based meatball plates are $3. (Did the cashier think my husband’s meatballs were veggie?)
      Tuesdays: $3.99 adult meals.
      Wednesday: Two free kid meals with the purchase of one adult meal.
      Thursday: $1 off Meatball entrees.
      Friday: 50% off adult entrees.
      Weekends: No deals.

      Not too shabby, especially since there’s no tipping and the coffee is free.

   2. I’m listening to Marge Piercy’s Gone To Soldiers through the library’s free Libby app and reading a Lucky Day library copy of Weyward, by Emilia Hart.

      Gone to Soldiers is one of my favorite books ever, but this is the first time that I’ve listened to it as an audiobook.

      

   3. My husband and I stopped into a Goodwill while in Vancouver, but all we bought were a 99¢ commemorative baseball, (my husband) and a 99¢ spice rack, for our son. I still have the remnants of a Goodwill gift card from Christmas, so our out of pocket cost was just 54¢.

   4. • I picked up seven discarded 10¢ deposit cans while my husband was at hockey practice.
      • I keep two foldable reusable fabric tote bags in purse at all times, which came in handy for the cans. They’re machine washable, which is great as there were a few sticky drips.
      • The Supercuts Training Center had to change my appointment time, which meant my friend could no longer go. I got a $12.99 Great Clips coupon in my Instagram feed, so I signed my friend up for the offer. Not free, but still a good price.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. 1. I scored an adorable antique dresser from my Buy Nothing group, which was sorely needed as my son’s old bedroom had devolved into a literal “bed” “room,” as it contained a bed and no other furniture.

      I’m trying to avoid spending money on extras as we had a deluge of unwelcome expenses in December and January. My goal is to not touch our savings account if at all possible.

   2. I try to balance the giving/receiving when it comes to the Buy Nothing group, so I looked over my eBay inventory for something to part with. I chose four vintage style blow-mold Santas that somehow didn’t sell over the holidays. I list quality items pretty frequently, so I’m not concerned about it being a precise exchange of goods.

   3. I finally scored appointments for a pair of free haircuts for my friend and I through the Supercuts training center. I didn’t get a response to my first email inquiry, but a follow up a few days later was a success. The stylists are all fully licensed and often have years of hair cutting experience, they’re simply new employees.

      If you’re also looking for a free haircut, call around to see if the Supercuts in your region have a training center for their newly hired employees.

   4. • I yelled at a passerby to stop picking my neighbor’s daffodils, which resulted in my neighbor being able to enjoy what was left of her flowers. I rarely absolutely do not approve of theft as a “frugal hack.”
      • Someone left an empty kombucha can in front of our house, so I added it to our stash of returnable cans. I’m never going to turn down an easy 10¢.
      • A different neighbor borrowed our muffin tins and returned them along with two frosted cupcakes.
      • I drove to Safeway to pick up a $1.49 half-gallon of milk and their 99¢/pound chicken quarters. I took a minute beforehand to glance at Ibotta* and loaded a 5¢ coupon for “any brand milk.” Meh.
      • I spent an hour or so pruning my backyard wall of hydrangeas and otherwise tidying up our outdoor space. A yard that’s simple enough to maintain on my own is a frugal choice.
      

   5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

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

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* Referral link

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1. 1. I stopped by my beloved dented vegetable store yesterday afternoon and shelled out $7.78 for an impressive amount of (actually undented) groceries/produce. Here’s what I got:

      • Two yellow heirloom tomatoes.
      • One container of cherry tomatoes.
      • Three heads of broccoli.
      • One container of mixed greens.
      • One big yellow squash.
      • Two boxes of egg & onion matzohs.

      Food prices are predatory right now, so it pays to be creative whenever possible.

   2. I walked my plastics wishcycling recycling to New Seasons Market without shopping downstairs.

      

   3. I came across a damp free pile on my way back from New Seasons, but I still took a minute to look through it. I wasn’t interested in the half used toiletries, but I did grab these two plastic organizers, which cleaned up perfectly after a run through the dishwasher. Organizing supplies are my love language.

   4. • My husband forgot to use coupons at the grocery store, so I stapled them onto the receipt so I can show them to customer service the next time I’m at Fred Meyer.
      • I finished listening to The Immortalists audiobook through the library’s free Libby app.
      • My plant cuttings are all starting to show roots, which means I’ll be able to fill my outdoor flowerpots without spending any money.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

“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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