The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. After having written that my eBay sales have been sluggish, I’ve actually sold a couple things over the past few days. This includes an Irish wool cap and an adorable vintage puppy lamp. The lamp was a bit of an impulse purchase as I couldn’t check exact completed listings for comparison, but in the end my intuition was correct on this one. Seriously, so cute!

   I also listed a few new items including a thrifted Roseville Sun and Moon planter, a free-pile bowl, a collectible spoon shelf, a cribbage board and a Fiestaware mini disc pitcher.

2. My neighbor is out of town and asked if I’d like her weekly CSA (community sponsored agriculture) box. My son and I picked it up last night, so I’m now the proud owner of some extremely random produce. Mind you, I’ll be sure to figure out how to incorporate everything into meals, but it’s a reminder of why I’ve never signed up for a CSA. I’m someone who needs to buy her groceries for specific meals, rather than working backwards.

   I’m very grateful that my neighbor gave us her weekly allotment, but it’s a bit of a head scratcher. Luckily, she forwarded me a suggested recipe email that should help.

   Here’s what I got:
   – 3 red potatoes
   – 2 small Jonagold apples
   – 1 white onion
   – 1 bunch of chives
   – 1 bunch of fresh oregano
   –  2 tomatoes
   – 1 green pepper
   – 1 poblano pepper

3. I’m switching the web hosting for The Non-Consumer Advocate over to a company that’ll save me $50 per month. I got the referral from my pal Kristen over at The Frugal Girl, who swears that this company has been nothing but amazing and helpful. I tend to experience paralysis when it comes to tech decisions, so I deeply appreciate her help with this matter. She’s also nudging me to switch over to a more profitable ad network, but there’s some behind the scenes tech stuff that would need to happen first.

   I made a decision a zillion years ago to not fully monetize The Non-Consumer Advocate, as doing so would be hypocritical to my core premise to buy used and shop locally. That’s why you’ll never see an Amazon affiliate link or a sponsored post for some random subscription service here. I could have made a lot of money over the past 11 years of blogging, but instead made this unprofitable choice.

4. One of the lift gate struts on our minivan stopped working, so my husband ordered $13.50 replacement ones and installed them himself, I cooked up a large Instantpot of black beans which served for multiple meals, (nachos, quesadillas, Mexi-bowls etc.) I snagged six bags of 58¢ clearance-priced chocolate chips, my son picked up a pair of Bose speakers for just $10 at Goodwill, I swapped out a Buy Nothing Group Soda Stream CO2 canister for a $15 full one and I’m soaking a pair of leather work gloves that I found flattened by traffic.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 79 comments }

1. I didn’t sell much over the past week, which I owe to having been out of town, (so no sourcing) plus the random whims of the world. I did sell a vintage basket and some hangers through Facebook Marketplace, as well as a box of programmable DVDs through eBay. Seriously, that’s it! However, I did post a few new things on eBay which’ll pay off in the long term.

   It’s not uncommon to doubt the stuff I’ve bought to resell only to later enjoy a rush of sales. Essentially, I just list it and forget it. Traditional retailers don’t expect to sell the entire contents of their brick and mortar stores on a daily basis, so why would I?

2. I went out to lunch with an old co-worker yesterday and hit up the nearby suburban Goodwill afterwards. It’s one of my favorites as it never seems picked over, and I don’t think I’ve ever walked out empty handed.

   I bought:

   – A couple dozen velvet hangers.
   – An antique “sun and moon” Roseville planter.
   – A Fiestaware mini disc pitcher.
   – An ornately carved antique doll chair.

   The total cost was $15!

3. I replaced all my bedroom hangers with those skinny velvet ones that take up waaaay less closet space. The total cost was a mere $18, as I was able to source them for $2.99 per dozen(ish) from two trips to Goodwill. I like the classic look of the wooden ones, but my husband and I share an non-updated 1914 closet and there’s no room for such frippery form over function.

   I sold the wooden hangers through Facebook Marketplace and put the plastic ones up on my Buy Nothing Group to keep them in circulation.

   Once I decide to get rid of something I tend to do it immediately. Not only does it keep my house from becoming cluttered, but it means that I can take the time to be extremely deliberate with how I rehome each item. This would be overwhelming if it was a huge pile of stuff, but it becomes possible when it’s just a few things per week.

4. I dropped off a handful of wine corks for recycling, I slipped a book into a Little Free Library, I was gifted a Soda Stream CO2 canister through my Buy Nothing Group, I removed some cool industrial-style drawer pulls from a junked desk, I refurbished a free cast iron skillet and I finished a library copy of Tara Westover’s gripping book Educated.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 64 comments }

I’m finally back in Portland after an immensely satisfying two-week stay in New York City. My son and I lodged with my sister, so these trips essentially boil down to the cost of airfare plus a few extras. I sold five eBay items while we away, but otherwise earned no money. Oftentimes I’ll indulge in paid writing gigs to offset the cost of travel, but instead I chose to put my focus on spending quality time with friends and family.

Here’s how I kept the budget under control:

1. I didn’t look at my vacation as one long shopping trip or feel the need to buy souvenirs or gifts to bring home. I had ample opportunity to buy stuff as I accompanied my sister and 15-year-old niece on excursions to buy classroom supplies and school clothes, as well as countless forays into Muji and Uniqlo stores while others shopped. I have enough stuff, as do all my loved ones.

2. I kept an eye out for dropped coins throughout my stay and ended up with $2.21, bolstered by a one-dollar bill that had blown into a shrub. I enjoy the thrill of finding money, which I add up at the end of the year as part of my Found Change Challenge.

3. I took advantage of free and inexpensive opportunities which included a afternoon at the American Museum of Natural History. My sister is finishing a graduate program through the museum, so she’s able to get us into all the exhibits, (including the paid extras) for free.

4. I packed food to eat on travel days both to and from New York, I veered more toward cheap slices of pizza than pricey sit-down meals, I discovered that the seafood restaurant across the street from my sister’s apartment had a happy hour featuring $5 mojitos, I chipped in for groceries and I was content to spend many days accompanying my sister on her career related errands.

   Of course I also picked up the tab here and there, and I tried to find that fine line between generosity and financial responsibility. Did I find it? Yes. No. Who knows?

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or stay at a vulgar Scottish golf course.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 75 comments }

1. I continue to visit my sister in New York City, and as such my income opportunities are down to almost nothing. I’m not interested in sourcing inventory to sell as it would be a pain in the tuchus to get stuff back to Portland. However, I did sell a few eBay items including a set of free-box mugs, a “One-Piece” T-shirt and an antique wooden bed knob that I found at the bottom of a Goodwill Outlet bin. I set my handling time to three weeks, so I won’t get penalized by eBay for any delay in shipping.

2. I was invited tomy friend Pam’s house for dinner, and when I asked what I could bring I was hit with the answer to “just bring yourself.” My plan had been to pick up something nibbly, but my day got away from me and then I wasn’t in an area that was conducive to grabbing a nice bottle of wine. However, there was a bodega (corner store) close to her Brooklyn house, so I wandered around a bit and grabbed a $1.25 roll of Scott toilet paper. Why toilet paper? Well, I figured if I was bringing something crappy it might as well be as practical as possible. Luckily, she shares my sense of humor and thought it was funny. Because, hey . . .  who couldn’t use an extra roll of toilet paper?

   We enjoyed a few hours together and even though our friendship harks back to the late 1980s/early 1990s when my husband and I lived in New York, it was like no time had passed.

3. I’m reading my niece’s copy of Barbara Demick’s Nothing To Lose: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, which is an utterly fascinating book about everyday lives of North Korean citizens. Based on countless interviews with North Korean defectors, the details are gripping and give an inside perspective to the struggles of this proud nation.

   I highly recommend that you put this book on hold at the library!

4. I’ve been helping my sister to ready her high school earth science classroom. This involves endless errands such as visiting the Department of Education office in downtown Brooklyn, Staples office supply trips to take advantage of back-to-school sales, (composition books for just 50¢!) cleaning and organizing her third floor classroom, (“Sorry, but the elevator isn’t working today”) and picking up bizarrely heavy geological samples from Baruch College and then dropping off others at Lehman College. This may not be the typical New York City trip filled with Broadway shows, afternoons wandering throughThe Guggenheim and sumptuous restaurant meals, but it sure is cheaper!

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet and I won’t be visiting any vulgar gold-plated apartments in the city.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 76 comments }

1. I’m in New York visiting with my sister and her kids for a couple of weeks, so my side hustle opportunities are a bit diminished. (I did switch my eBay listings to a three week handling time so I can continue to sell.) Not too much is flying off the shelves at the moment, although I did sell a Dr Doom Funko Pop bobble head for $65, which is not too shabby considering that it was jumbled inside a large $4.99 bag of collectible figures.

   My niece and I collected free magazines from a nearby business for collaging, and I set aside a small stack of vintage Modeltec magazines and quickly listed them on eBay. I’ll delete the listing if they don’t sell before I’m scheduled to fly back to Oregon as I don’t relish lugging heavy stuff through the airport, but I figure I might as well attempt to squeeze a few dollars out of this trip.

2. I accompanied my sister and niece into the city yesterday to pick out school supplies and a new pair of shoes. We hit Muji, Staples and Dick Blick for school supplies; and then Marshall’s, Modell’s and Designer Shoe Warehouse for sneakers. I rarely shop at traditional stores, so I felt like a visiting alien.

   “Beep boop . . . take me to your sneakers.”

   I did force them to go into the Goodwill thrift shop on 14th Street, and ended up buying myself a pair of like-new Uniqlo jeans. Unfortunately they ended up fitting incorrectly around my lumpy belly, so I handed them over to my un-lumpy sister as a hostess gift. I should have tried them on in the store, but I was feeling lazy.

   Rookie mistake!

3. My son and I went into the city together on Tuesday and wandered around a bit after we hit a guitar shop that he’d been wanting to visit. We passed the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and stopped in as A) It was free, B) We both like Project Runway and C) It was free. (Have I mentioned that it was free?)

   Their current exhibit is titled Minimalism/Maximalism and is a very interesting examination of the ebb and flow of fashion, and how the minimalism and maximalism aesthetics relate to one another. A reflection and reaction to culture and era. What is considered luxury is largely perceived, which is an interesting notion to mull over.

   It’s a small exhibit, and worth stopping into, but not to make an entire day of.

4. I’ve been carrying my thrifted HydroFlask water bottle in my purse, I’ve picked up five pennies and a dime, my sister and I split entrees at two different restaurants, my friend Jennifer gave me a Carolina Herrera purse to sell, I’ve been taking the subway and walking for transportation and I staved off hunger with a 25¢ banana from a 23rd Street vendor.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet and I won’t be visiting any vulgar gold-plated apartments in the city.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 74 comments }

1. I continue to sell things at a slow but steady pace. I sold a Funko Pop Iron Man bobble head that was jumbled in a $4.99 bag of similar items, I also sold a vaseline glass sugar bowl and mustard pot to a friend, a Jonathan Adler wine stopper, an All-Clad sauté pan and a student tech thingy that I nabbed from an after-garage sale free pile. No one of these things will trigger a clickbait article titled “You’ll Never Believe What This Woman Found at Goodwill,” but together they add up quite respectably.

2. My son and I are flying out to New York City tomorrow, so I’m spending the day spinning my wheels ticking off small tasks from a lengthy to-do list. It’s kind of overwhelming, but I’m hoping that this being my fourth (!!) to trip to New York over the past ten months to have a slim chance of achieving packing perfection. However, there will always be something that falls off the radar.

   My son didn’t have a great carry-on suitcase, so I let him choose from the three available at the West Burnside Goodwill. He wisely picked out a Samsonite “spinner” suitcase that was in almost new condition. $14.99 later and he now owns the nicest piece of luggage of anyone in the family.

   I’m giddy with excitement that my sister will be able to pick us up from the airport, as it saves us $26, but mostly because we don’t have to take New Jersey Railroad into Penn station. Something I’m normally 103% willing to do, but also 104% happy not to do.

   I’ll pack food, as well as reusable water bottles and coffee mugs for the journey. Plus I always bring a sealed treat for the overworked and underappreciated flight attendants.

3. I’ve been keeping an eye out for a used Soda Stream seltzer maker, specifically one with glass bottles. I wasn’t actively looking for one, so there was no urgency to my search. I liked one that my friend Lisa has in her kitchen because it has the requisite glass bottles, but mostly because it’s shaped like an adorable penguin! So there was I was perusing my local Goodwill shelves when suddenly a tall, dark and handsome penguin caught my eye. $14.99 and it included two glass bottles. SOLD! It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that they sell for $380 new!

   I need to buy the CO2 canister, but I can do that after I get back from New York. My new tuxedo-d boyfriend can wait for me.

4. I grabbed my reusable shopping bags and bought a metric ton of Winco groceries to get my husband and daughter through the first week that we’re gone, (my husband works night shift and is often in a fog) I picked up a pair of high falutin’ artisan crafted pepper mills to sell on eBay, I got another paid writing assignment, I gave a jar of homemade applesauce to a friend, I enjoyed a restaurant lunch courtesy of my father, I finished listening to an audiobook of Half-Broke Horses (I highly recommend!) then started listening to At The Water’s Edge through the free Libby app, and I resisted the urge to get a haircut to ready myself for the trip. Nobody cares what I look like.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet and I won’t be visiting any vulgar gold-plated apartments in the sky.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 69 comments }

1. My Facebook Marketplace and eBay sales picked up this week, and I sold a number of items including an Arcteryx backpack, some Yakima bike rack pieces, a pair of Doc Martins, a Jonathan Adler wine stopper, a Portland Timbers scarf, one soccer ticket and the $4.99 vintage dresser that I picked up a few weeks ago.

   I also stopped into a couple Goodwills yesterday while running errands and picked up an armload of fresh inventory. Especially impressive was a $4.99 bag of collectable Funko Pop figures which I’ve pieced out into six different eBay lots. I should make a couple hundred from this find alone! I also grabbed an $4.99 All-Clad sauté pan, which should sell this morning.

2. I haven’t been in the mood to do any cooking lately, but still force myself to prepare inexpensive meals. (My husband works 5 P.M. to 5 A.M., so I do all the cooking.) I fired up the ol’ Instant Pot and pressure cooked white beans for a batch of The Prudent Homemaker’s white bean rosemary soup as well as some black beans to stash in the fridge. I also pulled two packs of clearance priced chicken breasts from the freezer for some tasty marinated Asian style chicken.

   Mind you, we do splurge on food here and there. For example, my 21-year-old son woke up the other day and mentioned that he was “craving jerk chicken.” I did some quick internet sleuthing and found a nearby Jamaican food cart with good reviews. (Gotta love Portland’s food cart scene!) An hour later my son was sitting in front of a steaming plate of jerk chicken and I was $11 poorer. Worth every penny.

3. My son and I are heading out to visit my sister and her kids in New York City at the end of the week. Because we have a free place to stay, being there is barely more expensive than our normal humdrum Portland existence. Just like at home, we’ll buy groceries but eat some few meals out, fill up our Metro subway cards instead of our gas tank and enjoy some generally simple (read inexpensive) NYC activities.

   We’ll be there a couple of weeks, so you’ll be able to follow along with our adventures through the blog as well as The Non-Consumer Advocate Instagram. I’ve reinstalled the Pret a Manger and Pain Quotidian apps on my phone as they keep sending me emails about how they “miss me” and that I should come enjoy a free coffee/baked good/some such thing. Free coffee? Twist my arm!

   We’ll also be celebrating my niece’s 15th birthday, so I’ll be treating her to a Birthday Day of Adventures. I guess I’ll have to scour through The Skint to research free and almost free opportunities.

4. I listened to Sophie Kinsella’s My Not So Perfect Life through the Libby app and then started listening to Jeanette Walls’ Half Broke Horses, (both great, I highly recommend!) I thrifted a $2.99 wooden cutout of an adorable fawn which now graces my front porch, (cheap decor for the win!) I forced myself to break down and buy a swimsuit at Goodwill, which was a necessary purchase as my last one had disintegrated and become see through, (NOPE!) I was gifted a basil plant as a thank you from a neighbor, (I’d given her a large bowl of yellow plums) I chopped and planted a sprouted sweet potato, I pounced on a billowy mountain of bubble wrap that came with a guitar my son ordered from Japan, (I exclusively wrap my eBay sales in used packaging) I slathered benzoyl peroxide over pen marks on a $4.99 thrifted American Girl doll to ready her for resale, (great tip for anyone whose doll-loving kid is a budding Picasso) and I returned a blouse to Goodwill that was so voluminous as to potentially get me congratulated.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 74 comments }

1. I sold a few things here and there including some Doc Martin Mary Janes, 50 Fiestaware paper napkins, a small set of vintage dishware, a couple mugs and the last of my free general admission Thorns soccer tickets. (I still have a few miscellaneous assigned Thorns seats left, but those are harder to sell.) I also sent out a two invoices for paid work.

2. My son and I drove to the Oregon coast for the day and stopped at our favorite Mexican food cart in Tillamook. They had large boxes of fresh yellow plums with a “free” sign, so I filled a small bag. I started up a conversation with the owner’s adult daughter and she ended up offering me an entire large box of the plums, which I gratefully accepted.

   I ended up making a dozen or so jars of jams and then cutting up the rest for the freezer. I would estimate that there were approximately 73.4 bajillion plums and it took an entire day to process them all, but nevertheless I persisted.

3. I treated my kids (plus my daughter’s girlfriend) to a night at the movies, but kept the cost under control by going on 2-for-1 Tuesday. So yeah . . . I paid $8 for the four of us to see The Goonies on the big screen! I’d never seen the movie before and actually really enjoyed it.

4. I enjoyed a simple morning sipping home brewed coffee with my childhood best friend Carol, I cleaned out the impressively filthy interior of my car with a standard vacuum cleaner, I stopped into Goodwill to return a pair of Nike sneakers that didn’t properly fit my son, (possible with the receipt and original price tag still attached) I picked up a Blues Brothers mug and vintage Finish casserole dish to sell, I made an appointment to get a free inspection of a slowly leaking tire at Costco, (part of their warranty) I saved the skimmed-off plum jam foam to use in a chicken marinade, I foraged more wild blackberries with my friend Lise, I listened to the audiobooks Why Not Me and Silver Star through the free Libby app and I picked up a bag of $1 bagels from Dollar Tree.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 61 comments }

1. I continue to sell a few things here and there including a vintage picnic basket, some midcentury salad tongs and a Portland Thorns scarf.

   I listed a small dresser on eBay, which is a first for me as I normally sell furniture locally through Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I have zero interest in packaging and shipping enormously heavy items, so I marked this piece as “local pickup only” as an experiment. It’s a semi-desirable piece, so I figured I’d try to widen the net. It’s from the vintage (but currently popular) Thomasville “Allegro” line, which people love to repaint in shiny bright colors, so I’m hoping this will help find a buyer who’s looking for this exact piece.

   Needless to say, it’s a $4.99 Goodwill find.

2. I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a nearby pizza joint, so my son and I walked the half-mile or so to the restaurant. I knew my son would appreciate the pizza slices more than I would, so I slammed down a PB&J before leaving the house. I was able to treat him to dinner for $3.25 (plus $1 tip) and ended up accepting a free slice as they’d initially messed up his order.

   We also walked past a free box which included a cool baseball cap for him, as well as two cheese shaped cardboard cat scratchers, which I normally cost $27 apiece. I came home and washed up the cap and subjected the scratchers to a thorough inspection before sprinkling them with fresh catnip and setting them next to our couches.

   Not bad for $4.25!

3. I bought tickets for my son and I to visit New York City for the second half of August. My son’ll be hanging out with his cousin, and I’ll be helping my sister set up her Bronx high school classroom where she’s been hired to teach Earth Science.

   I should have bought the tickets ages ago, but was unsure of dates, which means that I have no crazy cheap fare to brag about. However, I did watch fares closely enough to know to I needed to pounce when they hit just (ha!) $400 apiece. I stalked costs through Google Flights, which I like better than the popup hell that is Expedia or Travelocity.

   There’s inevitable buyer’s remorse when booking travel, as there will always be a cheaper flight, but in the end it’s done and time to move on. To fun stuff like what I can only assume is the joy of a non-air conditioned NYC classroom in late August.

4. I started listening to Jeanette Wells’ “The Silver Star” through the free Libby app, my daughter and I went in person to her medical clinic to investigate why a bill was being denied by insurance and I bought nothing except groceries. I’ll need spending money for my NYC trip!

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 63 comments }