The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. My daughter asked if I’d drive her through Taco Bell for crunchy tacos after yesterday’s driving lesson. Normally I’d say yes, as there’s almost no fast food she can eat due to her gluten-free needs, but I’m trying my best to stick with No Spend March. I knew I had a small container of black beans in the freezer, which when mashed with taco seasoning, sprinkled with cheese, rolled up in corn tortillas and then seared in a cast iron pan would be just as tasty. (Especially when topped with the avocado salsa and sour cream we had on hand!) It took just a couple minutes to assemble a batch, which more than satisfied her Taco Bell craving. I saved around fifteen bucks and used ingredients I’d already paid for, which is always a win.

2. I had my daughter pull over to inspect an intriguing “free box” and although few people would consider it a score, I brought home a small but sturdy plastic bin, even though there was no lid. It replaces the ancient Trader Joe’s “Cat Cookies” plastic bin we’ve always used to hold lightbulbs and batteries for recycling. It’s less janky looking, which is frankly an upgrade.

3. My son invited me to to hang out at his apartment last night and I’d originally talked about treating us to Chinese takeout. However . . . blah blah blah “No Spend March,” so I instead I heated up my small pan of recently frozen enchiladas and cooked up the last of some asparagus. We watched part of a terrible movie and then switched over to Seinfeld and it was a relaxing chill evening. I even left him with the leftovers.

4. • I started reading a “Lucky Day” library copy of The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman.
   • I noticed that my flowerpot of mint wintered over, when it normally doesn’t. In past years I’ve had to ask my neighbor to dig a bit for me from her backyard, where it grows invasively.
   • I brought my mending basket downstairs, which everyone knows is step one of eleven of starting to mend.

5. No one painted any graffiti on my car, as my vehicle doesn’t enrage my fellow Americans.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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I was feeling super unmotivated today, so I decided to run a cluster of tiny errands that normally wouldn’t rise to the top of my to-do list. Think along the lines of  “the sum is greater than the parts.”

So today I:

• Cashed in all our winning scratch-it lottery tickets from our Christmas stockings. $5, baby! I chose to take it as an annual annuity.

• Took a paint sample to the paint store to match the color from my daughter’s childhood bedroom, which features multiple white spackle marks. It bugs me, although let’s face it . . .  it’s an unused room that I go into once a week to water the plants, so not exactly a huge priority. However, I really do hate an unfinished project.

• Dropped off a box of Cream of Wheat that someone from my Buy Nothing group keeps forgetting to pick up.

• Returned a handful of craft beer can carriers topper thingies to a store for reuse.

• Dropped off and picked up library books.

I also took my daughter to run an errand, brought her to the house to raid the fridge, (No Spend March  = no restaurants!) and then took her out to practice her driving.

No one of these individual errands would’ve granted me a sense of accomplishment, but together they added up. Plus, it got me out of the house . . . .

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I made a pot of French onion soup, which was extra frugal as I made the bread from scratch, used white cheddar instead of gruyere and threw the above pat of leftover restaurant butter in with the onions. (Worry not, as I added much more butter than this lil’ guy!) I didn’t have any wine, but I added a glug of sweet rice vinegar and it was absolutely divine!

   

2. I spent an hour or so taking everything off my narrow back porch, sweeping it off, reorganizing everything and then putting it all back together. This project was about the functionality of the space, not the aesthetics — although it certainly looked better afterwards. Not everything needs to look cute. You can make over a space using nothing more than cleanliness and organization.

   P.S. The shelf was a curb find, as was the vintage green wastebasket. The bag holder was being thrown away by my husband’s employer and the yellow “Portland Recycles” bin came with our garbage service in the 1990s.

   

3. I’ve been taking my daughter out every day to practice her driving, which has been a long time coming. She turned 18 at the beginning of her senior year of high school, so they wouldn’t let her take driver’s education as the program was funded for students “under 18 only.” She then went to college in a walkable town and somehow here we are. Anyway, it’s been a lot of fun and although I’d be willing to pay for driving lessons, this is working out really well so far. I’ve watched a couple of “How to teach someone to drive” YouTube videos, which have been helpful.

   I’ll accept any and all advice on how you’ve successfully taught someone to drive.

4. • My daughter overwatered and killed a house plant that I’d given her, so I brought the flowerpot back home. I’m already propagating a number of plants on the kitchen windowsill, so I’ll be able to fill it back up again with fresh plants. Unconditional love = infinite plant replacements.
   • I started listing to Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Lathe of Heaven through the library’s free Libby app.
   • I socialized with a friend yesterday by taking a walk through the neighborhood and socialized with our back yard neighbors by giving them a tour of the house. Strengthening relationships is always a good plan.
   • I picked my stepfather up from the airport, which saved him the cost of a taxi.

5. I hadn’t planned on buying a brand new car, so I don’t have to panic buy one before the tariffs kick in.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I cooked a small batch of black beans in the Instant Pot, which I then mashed up with Dollar Tree panko crumbs, spice mix and an egg. I then smooshed that onto a corn tortilla and seared it face down in an oiled cast iron skillet. The addition of ketchup, mustard and pickle gave it a smash burger/taco vibe and it was delicious, cheap, healthy and easy — my favorite combination!

   Lettuce and tomato would’ve been perfect additions, but I used what I had on hand.

2. I’ve been in a reading rut, so I put a ton of physical books on hold at the library so I can break through. Hopefully one of these books can lift me or at least distract me from my malaise.

   Here are a few of the books I put on hold:*

   • Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent
   • Bunny, by Mona Awad
   • The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters
   • The Favorites by Layne Fargo

3. I stopped to look over a free teak patio table that someone in my father’s neighborhood set out for free. It definitely had condition issues, but I simply don’t have the mental energy to take on project in the here and now, although I’m already starting to regret that decision. (It looks bad, but it really only needed a couple hours with an electric sander and some wood oil to bring it back to life.) We don’t have an outdoor table, so it would’ve been an excellent addition to our backyard.

   Maybe I need to see if it’s still on the curb.

4. I’m one week into my No Spend March economic boycott and have only shopped at Winco and HMart for necessities. I do plan on stopping by the Franz Bakery outlet tomorrow as they discount their bread to $1 per loaf on Saturdays. I’d like to have some gluten-free options in the freezer for when my daughter stops by and I used up what I had on hand the other day.

5. I didn’t blow up my multi-billion dollar spaceship.

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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* Please note that I never EVER post Amazon referral links!

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1. We celebrated my stepfather’s 75th birthday at the house and I assembled a pan of rice and bean enchiladas using ingredients we already had on hand. I even had enough for a small pan for the freezer, which is a favor to my future self. I’m very much a “from scratch” cook, but there are a few items that I leave to the experts, specifically enchilada sauce. I try to keep cans of both red and green sauces in the pantry at all times and last night was a green enchilada kind of night. Easy, cheap, tasty.

   No recipe necessary, just rice, black beans, frozen corn kernels, three or four chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, shredded cheese, (I used white cheddar) and sautéed peppers on top. I added come of the enchilada sauce into the filling and poured the rest on top. (I never bother dipping the corn tortillas in the sauce as that’s too messy.) Cook at 350° until the sauce bubbles and remove the lid for the last ten minutes or so.

2. Someone littered a can from some weird alcoholic drink in front of our house, so I added it to our bag of returnables. I also picked up two pennies and two foreign coin at Winco.

   So yeah . . . I recently came into some money!

3. My husband had a dental appointment near my father’s house, so I tagged along to combine errands. I got a nice visit in with my father, without the added cost of driving across town. I even had him grab another free lip balm for me.

4. I sent a text to my neighbor across the street letting her know that she’s welcome to ask to borrow anything from tools to last minute dinner ingredients from us. Our side of the street already employs this give-and-take, but she’s unfortunately situated next to deeply unfriendly people. She’s the one who gives us her thick Safeway bags to use as bin liners, plus I arranged for her family to visit the American Museum of Natural History for free last year through my sister’s connections. I want her to have what we have.

   It’s important more than ever that we as Americans bond together, even if it’s just a cup of sugar at a time.

5. I continue to do my best to boycott shitty corporate companies. Specifically Amazon, Target, Safeway, Kroger, Hobby Lobby, WalMart and such. No Spend March!

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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1. My youngest came over and cooked up a big pot of red lentil soup for this week’s work lunches, using ingredients we already had on hand. (Lentils, onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, broth and bulk-purchased spices) It may seem illogical to let other people use our ingredients to make their meals, (especially during No Spend March) but I’m more than happy to share with others. I’m really good at bargain shopping and want nothing more than to help other people stretch their dollars.

   Click HERE for my red lentil soup recipe.

   

2. The two of us walked a half mile or so to the library to pick up the books I’d put on hold. Three for them and one for me. I also grabbed a Sophie Kinsella book from a neighbor’s little free library.

   

3. I made a loaf of no-knead artisan bread supposedly for French onion soup, but it was gobbled up before I had the chance to slice up a single onion. Good thing it’s the easiest recipe and takes maybe two minutes to mix up!

   

    

4. I spent a couple scratchy hours pruning my backyard hydrangeas so they’ll be nice and full this coming summer. They’ve gotten leggy over the past couple years, so I cut them waay back. (Hopefully I didn’t screw up!) By the way, this photo is from a couple summers ago. This is what they currently look like:

   

5. I didn’t have to switch up any last minute skiing plans due to protestors.

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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