The Non-Consumer Advocate

I’m in New York for a couple of weeks to visit with my sister. Amazingly I was able to score a round trip ticket for just $186 as I had a $50 voucher leftover from helping with a passenger’s on a previous flight. I flew into Newark and then took New Jersey Railroad into Penn Station for a mere $13, which was extremely straightforward. From there I met up with my sister, and together took the subway to her apartment in The Bronx. Navigating an unfamiliar public transportation system can seem intimidating, but is usually easier than you think. New York City’s transit system has great signage to direct even the most befuddled tourist.

I’m starting to arrange lunch and coffee dates with NYC based friends, which will be fun. I have writing projects to attend to, (as well as supporting my sister) but that doesn’t mean I can’t sneak in some mild fun and shenanigans.

Want information on visiting New York City on a budget? Click HERE to read how I’m enjoy the city without breaking the bank.

One thing I’m doing while in New York is helping my sister winnow down her belongings. However, unlike Portland, with its multiple easily accessible Goodwill donation stops, (that take everything from furniture to toys, books to electronics) things are not so easy here. We filled up the back of her station wagon and drove north of the city to her trusty New Rochelle Goodwill only to learn that they no longer accept books, which was easily 3/4 of her donations! (Due to living in The Bronx, it’s often easier to go north of city rather than into mayhem of New York City.) No worries though, as we knew that the Mamaroneck library features a used book store. Until we learned that they only accept a single box of books per day. Even the Little Free Library was so crammed with books as to be a no go.

This story does not have a nice tidy end, as the back of my sister’s car continues to be filled with books. I guess we’ll just head back to the Mamaroneck library tomorrow. And the next day. And probably the day after that as well.

Whattaya think? After effects of the current KonMari fever sweeping the nation?

I met up for lunch with my friend Greta today, but instead of heading out to a restaurant, we dined at the Rockefeller University cafeteria where she works. Not only was the price reasonable, but there was no tip to include, which saved us both a couple of bucks.

After all, what am I a Rockefeller? <—- I am unable to resist a bad good pun!

New York is brisk and windy, and it’s a challenge to stay warm while out and about. However, downloading the Pret A Manger app onto my phone rewarded me with a free coffee drink of my choice. Warm in my hands, warm in my belly. Plus it’s free? The cold weather trifecta!

I found one nickel and two pennies while running errands with my sister this evening, we stopped into Goodwill and I didn’t buy anything, I sold a vintage Hamm’s Beer knit scarf on eBay, my sister gave me a free pass to The American Museum of Natural History and then I found a dime on the ground.

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

I sold a few items including a landscape painting, some midcentury wall hangings and two brand new sets of Spanx pantyhose. The latter sale was an odd one, but I took a chance on picking up three pairs at Goodwill, as they were priced for 99¢ apiece despite the original Nordstrom price tag of $19.99. I still have one more pair for sale, and expect them to sell quickly as the first two sold overnight.

I’m flying to New York City and took the time to pack a ham sandwich, cheese, eggs and tangerines. The trip only takes five hours, but once you add in the Portland airport time plus transportation from the NY airport to my sister’s apartment, my food needs to cover breakfast, lunch as well as the multiple snacks that I normally mindlessly cram into my mouth enjoy throughout the day. I also packed a small box of chocolates for the flight attendants as a thank you gift, although I should have probably brought some for the poor TSA agents who are pointlessly working without pay.

I’m arranging to do eight hours of paid education hours through my hospital. I earned this perk by working a certain number of hours in 2018, and can make sure to get these hours onto the next paycheck that would otherwise be empty due to my traveling.

I created a Frankenbox out of used packaging materials to mail out the midcentury wall hangings, my husband and I continue to eat our way through the enormous free-from-work ham and I scored a used pair of jeans that are my favorite brand/my size. I recently discovered that they’re an expensive brand, (think $100+) which I hadn’t realized as I’d bought them at the pay-by-the-pound Goodwill. I’m extremely excited.

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

My husband and I switched cell phone providers, which came with two $300 debit cards as a rebate. The paperwork specified that they wouldn’t work for cash back. However, I’ve never been one to accept rules, so I tested it out and discovered that they did indeed work for cash back. I’m now in the process of draining them of value so that I put the money into the credit union, where they can be used for bills and properly tracked.

I receive a gift certificate for a “free turkey or ham” from my employer each holiday season. I’ve switched back and forth between the two, but mostly get the hams since they’re pre-cooked and the thought of preparing a turkey meal so soon after Thanksgiving is overwhelming. I took my voucher into the grocery store, but since it was right at the expiration date, they didn’t have any hams which met the strict criteria of the small print. However, a quick conversation with the butcher confirmed that they’d still honor the coupon, which meant I was able to get a $42 11-pound ham for free.

I’m not a big fan of ham eaten as is, (the texture is so . . . bouncy) but like it just fine as an ingredient in soups, which means my family will be enjoying a lot of ham-and-bean soups this month. Right now? Split pea soup. Starting tomorrow? White bean soup. Pretty soon? Chopped and frozen for future meals.

I sold a Baby Bjorn carrier and a breastfeeding pillow through Facebook Marketplace, as well as a hodgepodge of different items through eBay. This includes a Calico Critter car, vintage floppy discs, two Starbucks mugs and a flannel duvet cover that my son had deemed to be “too scratchy.”

I packed my work lunches, I arranged to come into the hospital to complete some online education, (thus ensuring I’d be paid for my time) I brought a couple bags of miscellaneous stuff into a local consignment store that I’d pulled from a shelf of “free stuff” outside an antique shop, I found a handful of change under my credit union’s coin counting machine, I took my daughter to a free resume assistance clinic at the library, I discovered that the library has a WordPress expert, and put in a request to meet with them for some desperately needed blogging assistance, (so many glitchy issues!) and I took up my neighbor’s offer of some free boxes and packing supplies from her basement.

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

I sold a few items, including a hand me down Fiestaware teapot, a thrifted lamp, a thrifted painting and a rotary paper cutter. I also picked up two extra hospital shifts and just today found two pennies and a dime on the ground. My son’s tuition payment is due on January 1st, and it’s crunch time.

We got through the holiday gift giving season with minimal financial damage. I was able to shop from Goodwill thrift stores for all physical items, (three wallets, a curling iron and two pairs of pajama pants) and otherwise gave consumable gifts, practical gift cards and cash. But most of how we kept spending under control is that we’ve drastically minimized the number people with whom we exchange gifts. I’ll be back in New York City next month, and will individually take my niece and nephew out to do something fun. Neither of them needs any more stuff, and choosing an experiential gift creates memories instead of clutter.

The only person who gives me a holiday gift is my mother, and she gave me two sterling butter knives, (that match my existing set) as well as a couple of tea towels, which will all be put to good use. Gone are the years when we’d be inundated with well intentioned but useless gifts that had no logical place in our home or lives.

I’m reading a library copy of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers, which I’m loving. The last couple of books that I’ve picked up haven’t held my interest so I haven’t read as much over the past couple of months. I need to remind myself that it’s okay to not finish a book if it isn’t grabbing my attention. (I have a tendency to halt any and all reading when I get stuck in a middle of a dull book.) My 2018 resolution was to “read and write,” and although I haven’t done as much writing as I’d hoped, I did read a lot more than in recent years. I’m just so happy to be immersed in a wonderful book again!

Thank you, Multnomah County Library!

My son wanted to drive to the video store to get a movie, but instead I convinced him to find something on Amazon Prime, I packed up leftovers to bring for work lunches, a friend gave me two bins of brand new packaging supplies from her husband’s previous business, I cancelled a monthly subscription I wasn’t using anymore and I darned a weirdly huge hole in the sleeve of my son’s sweater.

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

I sold a few things through eBay and Facebook Marketplace including two Christmas sweaters, two Elf on a Shelf plushies, a baby sized Patagonia coat and a collectable figure. Almost everything was bought for next to nothing at the Goodwill outlet. Seriously, how much can a 12-month sized down jacket cost when paying $1.29 per pound?!

I ran out of padded manilla envelopes, so I texted my neighbor and she happily gave me an armload of her used supplies!

I’ve been really good about cooking at home and resisting the siren song of Portland’s endless restaurants/food carts. My son’s next college tuition payment is due at the beginning of January. We don’t have enough set aside quite yet, but you know I’ll be hustling my tuchus off between now and then. (You know, as in “side hustle,” not the other meaning of hustle. Just thought I should clarify.)

Luckily we’ve winnowed down who we exchange presents with over the past ten years, so Christmas gifting shouldn’t be too painful. If you’re unhappy with your family’s gifting expectations, I suggest that you plant that seed for 2019’s holiday season sooner rather than later.

I finished reading an advance copy of Joshua Becker’s newest book titled, The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life. You likely know Becker as the guy behind Becoming Minimalist, which is a website “designed to inspire others to pursue their greatest passions by owning fewer possessions.” I don’t identify myself as a strict minimalist, although I do keep a tight eye on how much stuff my house contains, and like to think that I keep a balance between too much stuff and “why does your house echo?” (My mother complains that my house echoes. It doesn’t.)

I enjoy reading books on minimalism, as there’s always a new idea or inspiring viewpoint to keep me on track. This one did not disappoint.

I drove 200 miles to pick my son up from college today, and even though I made sure to eat before leaving, I became hungry verging on hangry on the way home. (Can I just say that I love the word “hangry?” I wish I’d known about it during the years of parenting children who’d go from normal to inconsolable whenever an dusting of hunger entered their lives.)

Hyperaware of budgetary limitations, I made a decision to drive through a McDonald’s. After all, their coffees are a buck apiece and there’s usually a $1 burger available through their app. My son also wanted a coffee so I ordered the largest drip coffee and asked them to put it into two cups. (50¢ coffee hack, people!) So for a budget friendly $2, I downed a increasingly necessary burger and my son and I enjoyed coffees. (Before anyone has a fit that I frequented a McDonald’s, let this be an example of how real life can get in the way of one’s loftiest ambitions.)

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