The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I unlocked a new level of non-consumer achievement after sixteen years of participating in the buy-nothing-new Compact. I bought a used toothbrush for the family to share! Yes, you read that right.

   Okay, perhaps some clarification is necessary. My husband and I share a Sonicare toothbrush system, which means we use the same motorized handle but each have our own toothbrush head. You know, like normal people. However, the rechargeable handle had gotten to the point where it no longer held a charge. Normal people would buy a new system.

   I believe that every newly manufactured item degrades our planet a little bit more, so I found a “refurbished” handle on eBay for just $9.40, plus $5.90 for shipping, (An equivalent one would be at least $80.) Saving money without overtly killing the planet is kind of my jam.

   Would you buy a used toothbrush handle?

2. I took advantage of an instant Portland General Electric rebate to get a $249 programmable Learning Nest thermostat for just $25. You likely already know what a Nest thermometer is, but just in case:

   “The Nest Learning Thermostat programs itself, automatically helps you save energy when you’re away and can be controlled from anywhere.”

   I’m very curious to see whether we’ll save an appreciable amount off our gas bill as we already have a Honeywell thermostat that we keep at 63° during the day and 58° at night. This may sound extreme, but I bump it up to 67° if I’m home and chilly. My thinking is that it’s easier for me to turn it up than it is for me to actually remember to turn it down.

   However, I’m not perfect and I did leave my empty house at 67° a few days ago, despite being away for an extended period. A Nest thermostat would’ve allowed me to adjust the temperature through the app and I’d have avoided this waste of natural gas. It’ll be interesting to see if I can game the furnace to use less gas. I see that this program is available through many different utility companies throughout America, so check and see if yours does as well.

3. I’ve started back up on thyroid medication as I’ve been feeling supremely cruddy and my labs backed up the lethargy. I had enough leftover Synthroid (Levothyroxine) to not need any for awhile, but still took this as an opportunity to look into Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company as a way to save money on future prescription medications. I have health insurance through my husband’s employer, but the American health care system is horrifically profit based, so it’s often cheaper to buy discount medications outside of the insurance you’re already paying for.

   Cost Plus Drugs charges patients the actual cost of their medication plus a small percentage for preparation and shipping. For some meds the price difference is shocking, (think $26 vs. $500 for Albendazole!) so go ahead and click HERE to check if your meds are available through them.

   Click HERE to read their mission statement. By the way, this might read like it’s sponsored, but I assure you that it isn’t.

4. My husband installed a”new open box” ice maker that we bought off eBay, I remembered to bring my houseplants back inside before they succumbed to freezing temperatures, I scored a free squatty potty off my Buy Nothing group, (don’t worry, I gave it the scrub of a lifetime!) I accompanied my son to Trader Joe’s and only bought the stuff on my list, (toilet paper and hummus) I made sure to use the $10-off-$50 Winco grocery coupon that I poached from my neighbors and I watched Last Holiday through my sister’s Prime Video account.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or spend 44 million dollars to ruin Twitter.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

{ 107 comments }

1. I took my mom to the Goodwill bins, where I scored a small LLBean duffel bag, a new looking Land’s End lined rain coat, (in my size!) a lazy Susan and a miniature wooden Pinocchio. All of which I’m keeping.

   The Adventure duffel was unfortunately embroidered with the name “Eleanor,” which I’m 93% sure is not my name. While it would’ve been perfectly acceptable to keep the monogram in place, (maybe it’s the bag’s name and not that of the previous owner?) I decided this was the perfect opportunity to experiment with removing the lettering. I paid around 50¢ for the duffel, so it wasn’t exactly a big gamble.

   Luckily I own a lil’ seam ripper, which worked perfectly. Sure, it was a slow and finicky job, but I used it as an excuse to watch delightfully mindless TV.  I probably spent 45 weirdly satisfying minutes picking out the stitching, all the while being verrrrry careful to not snag the fabric.

   Can you still read the “Eleanor?” Sure, but I’m guessing it’ll fade with laundering and use. I’m going to keep the bag as the quality is excellent and it’s the perfect size for an overnight trip or some sort of local adventure.

   You can click HERE to watch my step-by-step process.

   

2. I’ve gotten lazy again with listing stuff on eBay, which translates into few sales. However I did sell these items this week:

   • A vintage flying geese wall art piece — I paid $1.99 and sold for $48.
   • A Cutco slotted spoon — I paid 99¢ and sold for $13.50.
   • A cashmere flat cap — I paid $4.99 and sold for $70.
   • An Aristocats stuffed animal — I paid $2.99 and sold for $30.

3. I asked for and received my neighbor’s “$10-off-$50” Winco Foods coupon that came in the mail. I know they don’t grocery shop there, so it would’ve otherwise gone to waste. This may reek of over the top moochiness, but I always tuck my New Seasons Market coupons into their mailbox so I feel zero guilt on this one.

4. I used some chicken thighs that my daughter brought home from work to brew up a huge pot of chicken noodle soup, (which also included four bendy carrots and the zest and juice of a lemon leftover from my aunt and uncle’s visit!) I called Costco and got a $100 refund due to the three documented scratches from the delivery and installation of our new refrigerator, I served my mother a bowl of reheated broccoli potato soup after the bahn mi restaurant we initially tried was closed, I listened to Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart through the library’s free Libby app, and then started listening to Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

{ 88 comments }

1. Our new Costco refrigerator was delivered today, but was lightly scratched in the transportation process. The installation worker took photos of the scratches and informed me that Costco would contact me to either replace the doors or refund some money as compensation.

   I think you can guess which one I’ll choose.

2. Portland finally remembered that it’s a cold damp climate, not an arid desert. Here’s what I’m doing to keep heating costs under control:

   • I closed off the heat registers in the kids’ empty rooms as there’s no need to heat their unused spaces.

   Edit: I’ve just been informed that closing off heat vents is a bad idea. I looked it up and here’s what I found:

   “The short answer is no; you should not close air vents in your house. Closing vents can actually waste more energy than operating your system normally. How does closing air vents waste energy? Because when you close vents in unused rooms, your central air system will push the excess air to other places in your home. Let’s take a look at what happens to all that extra air.”

   ‘Nuff said. I guess I’ll go open those vents back up again!

   • I’m dressing in cozy warm layers to heat myself instead of the entire house.
   • I ensure that there are ample lap blankets available to anyone who happens to sit still in the living room.
   • I flipped the switch on our new ceiling fan so it can spin warm air towards the ground.
   • I’m making sure to not run the bathroom and oven exhaust fans too long as I don’t want to pay to heat a room to only suck that expensive heat back out of the room.
   • I switched from Crocs/sandals to last year’s eBay shearling slippers and have added wool socks to the equation.

3. My hair has once again grown to the “sister wife” length and I’m in desperate need for a haircut as I’m either wearing it in braids or it tangles with no in between. I’ve used the Supercuts “training center” for free cuts at least six times, but it was organized through a Facebook page which seems to have been abandoned. I finally remembered to call the Supercuts salon that houses the training center and was told that cuts are now arranged through email. I quickly typed out a request and am hoping I can zip over for a free cut in the next few weeks.

   I’ve gotten my hair cut through beauty schools in the past and not had good experiences, but Supercuts’ training centers use certified stylists who often have years of independent experience but happen to be new hires. It doesn’t take any longer than a normal appointment and I get to hit an awesome Goodwill that’s out of my normal sphere of errands. WIN-WIN!

4. My friend Lise texted asking if I wanted to go with her to the “bent vegetable store.” I bought three salad kits, two bags of mixed greens, two cucumbers, three containers of fresh mozzarella, a pound of bacon and a restaurant size package of cut and prepped broccoli for $16.35, (I was accidentally double charged for the cucumbers, so it should have been $15.35.) I got my free Bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine at  the CVS in Target and didn’t browse for stuff to buy and my daughter continues to drop off free random groceries from her work which includes eggs, provolone slices, chocolate chips and cake.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 77 comments }

1. Our freezer stopped keeping the frozen food, well . . . frozen. We do have a basement chest freezer, but it was already close to full. I’d normally punt this task to my husband, but he was at work, and I’m inordinately pleased to announce that I fixed it by myself by simply scraping frost off the back wall and running a hair dryer over some blocked vents.

   We’ve had this refrigerator for 24 years, which I’m aware is a very long time for a modern era appliance. I was worried that it was a big picture repair which would require a big dumb new purchase, (B.D.N.P.) but occasionally a simple fix actually works!

   Update: Pride comes before a fall. My husband spent a couple fruitless hours trying to figure out why the refrigerator also stopped working properly. To the point where our milk prematurely curdled and the eggs smelled like Dante’s seventh cicle of hell. (Violence, they smelled like violence.)

   My husband and I found a bare bones white refrigerator on Costco.com for $649, which includes delivery and removal of the old fridge. It’ll be delivered on Monday between 7 A.M. and 9 P.M., no joke. Big. Dumb. New. Purchase.

2. I’ve spent the last week ferrying visiting family members around the Portland area. My mother turned 80 this week, so my aunt and uncle flew in from Nebraska, as well as my sister from NYC. As such, I’ve been treated to a tremendous number of restaurant meals and hosted a party at the house. I filled my minivan with octogenarians for a day trip to the beach and planned out a week of meals.

   The week was a huge success, even though one night’s main dish was dropped to the ground before reaching its destination. Leftover homemade lasagna stepped up to the plate, which luckily lived in my aunt and uncle’s functional AirBnb refrigerator. There’s no such thing as everything going smoothly, but sometimes these glitches make the best memories.

3. My husband finally completed our backyard deck, which was mostly pieced together using wood from our disassembled treehouse. He did end up buying seven decking pieces, plus two lengths of treated lumber as he accidentally cut two of them too short. (Oops!) We also shelled out for a roll of landscaping fabric, new screws and metal support thingies. We luckily had enough waterproofing stain leftover from building our Little Free Library.

   The overall cost was around $450 for a 10′ X 10′ platform deck, which hardly sounds like a bargain, but the price of wood these days is astronomical. I initial entertained a goal to keep the project under $100, but was quickly snapped out of that hallucination. Nothing is cheaper than you think it’s going to be.

4. My college friend Diana flew into town and instead of going out instead we visited at the house, I rooted rosemary stems and planted them in a garbage picked planter, (I need plants for the deck!) my aunt and uncle insisted that I take all the food that they didn’t eat from their AirBnb, I was treated to multiple restaurant meals this week, (Bob’s Red Mill restaurant!) my neighbor gave me a bag of rice when I realized that I’d somehow forgotten to add it to my shopping list and I mended my son’s mohair sweater.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 73 comments }

I’m fully aware that the current advertisement configuration on the blog is the absolute worst at the moment, and I promise that I’m trying to fix it. I do want a couple of ads to cover expenses, but this is ridiculous! I’ve unclicked for popup ads, but it seems to make no difference whatsover. Please know that however frustrated you are, I’m a thousand times more so! I’m meeting with a WordPress expert on Wednesday and am crossing my fingers that I can get the blog back to normal.

Sorry.

1. I sold just a few things, but I haven’t been listing so low sales makes sense.

   • A pair of vintage wooden wall ducks that I bought for a couple bucks and sold for $37.50.
   • A Brio Builder set through Facebook Marketplace for $20.
   • A Fiestaware teapot through Facebook Marketplace for $20.
   • A Wizard of Oz scarecrow costume through facebook Marketplace for $30.

2. My next door neighbor let me borrow her car for a last minute errand, and it really hammered home how valuable it is to have strong neighbor relationships. I’ve let this same neighbor borrow our cars when they’re in a pinch, which ends up being maybe twice a year or so.

   I cut her a bouquet of hydrangeas as a thank you.

3. My beautiful daughter turned 27 last week. She threw herself a birthday party at her new apartment with friends, although it was definitely wasn’t the kind of party where parents are invited. However, I’m not going to let a family birthday pass by without planning out a Birthday Day of Adventures.

   Here’s what we did to celebrate:

   • I took the kids, (adults, I guess they should be referred to as “adults.”) out for brunch at an area restaurant.
   • We then went to a local video arcade where you pay a $3.50 entry free, but the games are cheap, mostly 15¢ – 20¢ per play. (This activity was nostalgic for the kids, as we used to go here a lot.) I loaded ten bucks for each kid onto swipe cards, but try as they might, they were only able to spend them down to about $5 apiece.

   I didn’t want to leave money on the cards, especially since you have to pay to return and spend any leftover balance! So I figured out a hack to spend down the cards. There’s a single solitary game that still takes physical nickels, which is the “coin pusher.” When you swipe your card for the game, it decreases the total by 25¢ and spits out five nickels to play. Or . . . you can swipe repeatedly until your cards are empty and your purse weighs a thousand pounds. Luckily our credit union has a free coin counting machine and was just a few blocks away!

   • Our next stop was the Academy Theater, where we watched the original 1993 version of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, which was amazing and refreshing break from modern Hollywood films.
   • Our last stop was a nearby food cart pod, where we each chose our own dinner to enjoy at home.

   These birthday adventure days are some of my favorite days of year. Especially now that family togetherness has to be scheduled. My husband wasn’t able to join us, but I did text pictures throughout the day. Creating these family memories are so much better than anything I can buy from Amazon.

4. My son thought he needed to replace the charging port on his iPhone 8, but it turned out to require just a couple puffs (squirts?) of canned air, my daughter moved out but still works at a high end grocery store just a few blocks from the house and often drops by on her lunch breaks to graze leftovers and brings day-old treats like pies, cakes and ciabatta in return which I consider to be a a fair trade, I transplanted my fast growing snake plant into last week’s free pile flowerpot, I listened to an audiobook of The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand through the free Libby app and I read a library copy of Miss Benson’s Beetle, by Rachel Joyce.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 60 comments }

1. My 27-year-old daughter moved out last week, which was an almost seamless process. She took her childhood bedroom furniture to her new apartment, which differed from her college apartments, which were wholly furnished from thrift stores. After all, we still needed to keep her room a functional space for when she came home on breaks.

   Here’s what she took:

   • An antique dresser that my husband refinished to use as her changing table in 1995. It came to us after the passing of a family friend.
   • An antique full-size bed which was a hand me down from my late aunt in 1991 or so. My husband and I slept on it until we switched to a queen, and then put it in her room room after she moved home from college. (Very few adults enjoy sleeping in their childhood twin bed.) My husband has repaired both side rails through the years, but unlike a particle board piece, the solid wood is almost infinitely repairable.
   • A thrifted wooden bookshelf that I painted when my daughter was little.
   • A pretty wood and upholstered chair that I curb picked a few years ago. It later sustained some cat scratches from our naughty feline, but a few minutes with my sweater shaver erased most of the damage.

   These quality items are all classic designs that’ll stand the test of time and should continue to do so throughout her life. I think of all the cheaply manufactured  furniture that has come and gone over that past 27 years and wish that more consumer goods were designed for longevity. Whether it’s flimsy construction or falsely rapid design cycles, people now replace their furniture in a way that would be inconceivable to our grandparents.

2. I curb picked a new looking ceiling fan for the living room. The Portland, Oregon of my childhood had a few hot summer days here and there, but that infrequency is long gone. 2021 and 2022 tell a different story of multiple 100°+ days, plus endless 90°+ days that are melting both me and my 108-year-old house.

   My husband and I quickly installed the fan and are quite satisfied with the results. It’s not a complete eyesore, (some ceiling fans are U.G.L.Y.) and the “oil rubbed bronze” color actually coordinates with the dining room chandelier.

   I know a single ceiling fan won’t magically chill the house, but I know it’ll help and the price was definitely right.

3. I broke my buy-nothing-new rule to buy my daughter a new pair of sneakers for her birthday as her old ones were embarrassingly raggedy. Portland is the North American headquarters for Adidas, which means that we have an employee-only store where merchandise is 50%-off retail. However, the passes are relatively easy to procure if you dig through their app. So I downloaded the app, located the pass and drove across town to grab the sneakers.

   50%-off and I was in and out of there faster than you can say “their music is so loud it’s surely a OSHA violation!” Seriously, the thumping music was entirely too loud for the poor employees who must go home to ringing ears.

   Then I deleted the app off my phone.

4. I used a digital coupon to get a free box of macaroni and cheese from New Seasons, I grabbed four 48¢ bottles of Newman’s Own salad dressing from the Winco clearance shelf, I defrosted some old pie dough, which I then chopped into chunks, rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked on top of cut cinnamon sugar apples and was *chef’s kiss* spectacular, I sold a Kitchenaid bowl for $30 and a $25 framed print on eBay, I listened to a so-so audiobook through the free Libby app, (I won’t link to it) I accepted an orchid plant from a neighbor who didn’t have a good spot for it, my daughter took a number of miscellaneous items from the house which she would otherwise have needed to buy, (silverware, a TV, dishes, etc.) and I nabbed a sofa table for my daughter and a huge glazed flowerpot for myself from a tasty free pile.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 98 comments }

1. I received a large postcard of coupons for a high end grocery store that’s normally too pricey for my cheap blood. It included a coupon for a free jar of pasta sauce, which I promptly snipped. This coupon was dated for a week or so out, so I added it to my calendar to make sure it wouldn’t slip my mind. I then gave the rest of the postcard to my next-door neighbors as it had multiple coupons for 10%-off this and that, and they do shop there.

   This may sound like a lot of trouble for a single food item, but it involved just a few minutes out of my day. I normally make my own pasta sauce, but this pantry staple will serve as a time saver on an inevitably busy day in the future. It’ll bar me from to succumbing to takeout’s siren song and feed the people I love. I do love me some free food.

   

2. I cooked multiple frugal meals from scratch, (endless, is the word “endless?” Because that’s how it sometimes feels.) This includes red lentil soup, cheesy grits, tacos with bulk purchased pinto beans, baked potatoes, twice baked potatoes, thrice baked potatoes and even a $5 Costco roasted chicken that snuck a bit of meat into our diets.

   I buy our produce from either Winco or the Everyday Deals grocery liquidator, although I’ve been trying to hit the liquidator more often as their prices are at least 75% less that any traditional grocery store. Unfortunately the store is a schlep from the house, although it’s literally next door to a big Goodwill, so I’m able to rationalize it as “combining errands.” Worth it though, as the above cart of produce set me back a mere $13.

3. I saw an Instagram ad for a bra that might work for me, so I gathered all the details and instead bought from eBay. Not only did I save money, ($14 vs. $36) but I also supported a small business person and my purchase didn’t prompt the manufacture of a brand new item.

   Choosing eBay or similar keeps otherwise unwanted goods back into circulation and puts money in the hands of people who spend money in their communities instead of hoarding wealth or spending it on ego driven rocket ships. Officially, “bras” are on my self-approved list of items I’ll buy new, but there are millions of new and “like-new” items available on the secondhand market. Already manufactured, just waiting to be put back into use.

   And no, it’s not gross.

4. I gave away a piano keyboard, a fabric sunshade, a magazine holder and some random pantry items through the Buy Nothing Group, I listened to The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah through the free Libby app, I asked for and received a pair of pruning shears for gardening, I walked my laptop over to the library for a free tech help session, my next door neighbor gave me a huge tomato from her garden, I lent her a shovel and bin and I sold a pair of sneakers on eBay that never fit right. 

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley    

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

{ 61 comments }