The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I read a library copy of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, by Lisa See, which was as close to perfection as a book can be. I usually bury my library reads at the end of a blog post, but this book deserves its own spotlight.

   Click HERE for an excerpt.

   

2. My mother handed down an antique barrister bookcase that my parents bought in 1963 or so. I grew up with this piece of furniture and always liked it, so I knew I had to say “yes” now and figure out where to put it later. Luckily it tucked perfectly into a corner of the dining room where we’d always kept an antique tall boy dresser. The dresser got demoted our downstairs spare bedroom.

   Putting this piece together was a challenge as my husband was out of town and it disassembles into twenty pieces and normally would require a second set of hands. I somehow figured it out without smashing any of the glass panels and feel like I should’ve been handed an acceptance letter to Mensa by the end.

   The tallest top shelf is perfect for my husband’s cocktail supplies and I’ll figure out what to display on the lower shelves at a later date. You know, after I complete this Mensa admission exam.

3. I’ve been enjoying oatmeal for breakfast a couple times per week lately. Of course it’s bulk purchased from Winco Foods, which makes it super über frugal. Having all my bulk food in such organized pretty jars makes this choice much more appealing.

4. • I watered a neighbor’s garden for her while her family was out of town and she gifted me a jar of her fantastic homemade pesto as a thank you.
   • I listed a couple items on eBay, which I haven’t done in a long time.
   • I sold a single item on eBay, which was a groovy Tate Museum T Shirt.
   • I put “FREE” signs on a plant stand and a weird thrifted painting and then set them out on the curb. Fly free, stupid purchases!
   • I cajoled my friend Lise into coming with me to Trader Joe’s, which ticked off both “grocery shopping” and “socializing” from my to-do list.
   • I stopped into Safeway and bought nothing more than the 97¢ sale-priced eggs.
   

5. I didn’t buy tickets to go see Taylor Swift in Seattle.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. The mint I was rooting on my kitchen windowsill was taking forever to grow roots, so I asked a neighbor if I could have a bit of the mint that plagues her backyard. She dug up a plant and brought it over that evening and I quickly planted it in one of the Mexican terra cotta pots that I scored for free a few weeks ago. I’m fully aware of how invasive mint can be, which is why it’s in a pot. It’s a bit scrappy now, but I expect it to fill in. My goal, as always, is to spend no money.

   I later lent her our recycling bins to block off our street for her son’s (fully permitted) birthday party, complete with rented bounce house and water slide. Almost all of us on this block do nice favors for one another, which helps us all be comfortable asking for help when needed.

2. I saw an article about how a few different Pittsburgh museums will be free during the month of August, so I went to their websites and was able to reserve four tickets to the Smithsonian Heinz History Center. My husband and I will be in Pittsburgh to visit with family next month, so this is perfect timing! These tickets are normally $18 apiece, so I’m very excited with this score, especially since they have the original Mr. Rogers set as an exhibit!

3. I’ve been slowly deep cleaning and reorganizing my kitchen and gave away a number of random things through my Buy Nothing Group.

   • Two can of Sterno canned cooking fuel.
   • A set of vintage milk glass spice jars along with their original shelf.
   • A collection of assorted miniature kitchen items that I’d passively collected over the years.
   • Three slightly chipped vintage Fiestaware bowls.

   I also assembled a couple grocery bags of miscellaneous things to donate to Goodwill and let my kids paw through everything before it got donated.

4. • My mother read my Khloe Kardashian blog post and gave me a half-gallon mason jar from her basement. She also gave me a pair of hand me down outdoor cushions to replace a couple of worn out ones.
   • My friend Lise and I stopped by 7-11 on free Slurpee day. Even though I’m friends with the franchise owners and they never charge my family for Slurpees.
   • My mom let me put some bubble mailers in her pricey Ridwell recycling box.
   • I drove through McDonald’s on free french fry day and then swung by my daughter’s apartment where the two of us shared the large order with lots of ketchup.
   • I started listening to The Break, by Marian Keyes through the library’s free Libby app.

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.
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I first published this blog post in 2013, but am reposting it a mere decade later as I’m sure I’ve assembled a few new readers since then. The original blog post had 251 comments, and were a fascinating reread so I recommend that you click over to time travel back ten years.

I invite you to share your stories in the comments section below.

Who Are You & What Makes You a Non-Consumer?

As The Non-Consumer Advocate, you all know who I am. A wife, a mother, a nurse, a sister, an aunt, a daughter and a lover of all things non-consumerish. I buy almost nothing new, find joy in the simple tasks of daily life, and scour thrift shops like my life depended upon it. And I try not to take myself too seriously.

Me. Katy Wolk-Stanley.

But The Non-Consumer Advocate is more than a blog about a single person, it is a community. We share ideas and commiserate about our daily struggles. We find like-minded people to remind ourselves that our frugal and simple aspirations are admirable rather than weird. We’re here in America, and we’re all over the world.

But today, I want to know about you. Who are you and where do you live? How did you start coming to The Non-Consumer Advocate and what kept you coming back? How has non-consumerism affected your life, and what has been your family’s reaction to any changes you may have made?

Essentially, what makes you a non-consumer?

I will be checking in frequently throughout the day and I’ll try to reply to all comments. So please, share your thoughts and join in the discussion. After all, this blog is about you.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I took two partial boxes of stale cereal, two partially full but stale bags of marshmallows, the last of a jar of peanut butter and three-quarters of a stick of long leftover margarine and assembled a pan of the most delicious faux Rice Krispy treats.

   I’m happy to rid my cupboards of this old food and ecstatic that the result was so delicious!

   

2. My husband and I took a spontaneous day trip to the Oregon Coast, which we timed to take full advantage of the low tide. As always, we stopped in Tillamook for Mexican food. Our favorite food cart was closed for the day, but the one down the road was decent enough. Our burritos were enormous and served as both lunch and dinner and we’d filled our travel bottles with enough water for the entire day.

   We spent a couple hours on the beach looking through the tide pools for marine life and were rewarded with views of anemones, crabs, sea stars and tiny fish. The tide was even low enough to walk all the way across to some caves, although not low enough to actually go in them. We then sat on a bench to watch the tide come in while munching our burritos.

   Lastly we drove up to the Cape Meares lighthouse to enjoy the view that never disappoints.

   We could certainly rent a hotel room or a cabin to stay overnight, but I actually really like how a day trip puts me back in my own comfortable bed by nightfall. Less to plan, almost nothing to pack and the cost is simply a bit of gasoline.

   

3. I used some neutral Resor-A-Finish to gloss over a watermark from where I stupidly set my tea slightly off the inset tile on my midcentury coffee table. This stuff is a freaking miracle, although it’s supposedly a controversial product in the furniture refinishing community. But really, can you argue with these results?

4. • My son and I drove over to a friend’s house to ooh and ahh over her two-week-old kittens. She sent us home with 18 freshly laid eggs from her backyard chickens.
   • Me being me, I’d just bought two packs of eggs at Safeway as they were priced at 97¢ per dozen. Oh well, I’m set for quite awhile!
   • I boiled up the last of the 10¢ ears of corn and then poured the cooled down water over some backyard ferns.
   • I received a free, yet new looking pair of Marimekko espadrilles through my Buy Nothing Group.
   • I stopped by the dented vegetable store and came home with two grocery bags of produce plus two boxes of matzoh crackers for only $10.31.
   • I picked up an extra $1 bag of organic Roma tomatoes for my friend Lise.
   • I thrifted a $4 frame for a watercolor that my insanely talented and creative daughter painted her first year of college. It’s been sitting dusty and propped up in her room ever since then, but it’s now protected and on hanging the wall of her childhood bedroom.
   • I know I already blogged about it, but I’m including that I painted over a large stain to keep my porch rug in use.
   • I’m almost done listening to Willa Cather’s My Antonia through the library’s free Libby app.
   • I found four items in my kitchen, (two mugs, a plate and a glass growler) that can go to Goodwill. Not an impressive amount, but it’s these consistent small donations that keep my house from getting too cluttered.

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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