The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. 1. My son was able to find a free Ikea Leksvik coffee table through Facebook Marketplace, which is hilariously the same one that my father and step mother own. Plus it’s the same one that my sister regrets selling four or five moves ago.

      I asked for and am receiving a free tall cat tree for “Mama’s Little Meatball” through my Buy Nothing group.

   2. I’m on day five of being mostly house bound due to snow and ice, but I keep reminding myself that could be worse as we’ve kept electricity. I’ve been cooking from our ample stores and watching a gluttonous amount of TV. Again . . . going nowhere and doing nothing is #cheapaf.

   3. I baked a pair of pumpkin loaves yesterday, which used two cups of the pumpkin purée that I froze in November when friends and neighbors gave me their uncut Jack-o-lantern pumpkins.

      Most recipes I found called for butter, but I’m not a Rockefeller, so I continued my online search until I found one that used canola oil. I then plated up thick warm slices and delivered them to both a neighbor and my friend Lise who lives just a block away.

      I’m still working my way through the six 99¢ 5-pound bags of flour that I picked up in December, which helped keep this baking session on budget. I know that baking supplies always go on sale again before Easter, so I’ll stock up then.

   4. • I made a big pot of red lentil soup to balance out multiple slices of pumpkin bread. Because let’s face it — it’s cake.
      • I was almost out of chicken Better Than Bullion, so I used the vegetarian version, leftover from when from my vegan niece last visited. It was still perfectly yummy.
      • Mama’s Little Meatball is perfectly happy to curl up on my lap and keep me nice and warm.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. My son and I spent Friday traversing Portland in our attempt to source the furnishings he needs for his new apartment. This took us across the river to the William Temple House thrift shop, which dedicates a larger percentage of their store to furniture than a standard Goodwill. They had one couch with the midcentury aesthetic my son is seeking, but the quality was really low. (The couch cushions had icky cheap fabric on the underside, which meant you wouldn’t be able to flip them.) So that was a “nope.”

   We also hit up the N.E. Broadway Goodwill, the main Goodwill, a very cool vintage furniture store on Hawthorne Boulevard and a consignment shop.

   We didn’t end up buying anything, (other than a Barcelona soccer scarf for him and a pair of socks for me.) but it was still really good to see what’s out there and have conversations about what my son actually wants in his home. I’ve since sent out a couple inquiries on Facebook Marketplace, which haven’t materialized into anything. Luckily he doesn’t move in until February 1st. Deep breath Katy, patience is key.

2. Portland just faced a dramatic winter storm, complete with 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts! Unlike thousands of others, we were lucky enough to not lose electricity, plus no trees fell on our house. We spent over a thousand dollars having our enormous maple tree pruned in 2022 and it was the best investment, as it was less likely to blow over and damage our neighbors’ homes. It’s right on the property line!

   I did run out of milk for tea, which constitutes a crisis in my home. However, my lovely neighbors poured a couple glugs of milk into a jar for me, for which they received a jar of my homemade blackberry jam. I told them it was the “Jam For Milk Program.”

3. My nephew didn’t end up flying in from New York as he was sick and told not to travel, which is a bummer, but understandable. We’d made reservations for rooms at a hotel in Seattle for a couple of nights, which we were able to cancel without any monetary consequences. Unfortunately, the cancelled plane ticket only refunded as credit, but we’ll use it at a later date.

   It’s a good thing that we’re no longer living paycheck to paycheck, then again we wouldn’t have bought him a ticket if we had been.

4. • I found a penny and a nickel at one of the Goodwills.
   • We loaned our snow shovel to our other next door neighbors.
   • I’ve been fighting a cold over the past week, which has kept me at home more than normal. Nothing cheaper than going nowhere and doing nothing!

5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

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

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1. 1. My step mother and I went to a empty damp food cart pod to celebrate my belated birthday. I spied a soggy dollar bill off to the side and got on my literal hands and knees to grab it.

      A free falafel wrap and a one dollar bill? Happy birthday, Katy! Especially since we brought the food home to my warm, dry house.

   2. I asked for and received a poster size canvas through my Buy Nothing group. My son has a hankering for a Wassily chair, but we forgot to set aside $2906.40 for a single chair. Instead I’m planning on painting some wall art based on one of these posters. Mass produced art has no soul and I live a deluded life where I believe myself to have artistic abilities. We already own multiple tubes of acrylic paint, so there’s no harm in trying.

   3. My husband and I drove to pick up the $30 Ikea dining table from yesterday’s thrifting adventure. I explained to the Goodwill employee which table I was there to load up, and her response was “Oh, I know which table you’re talking about.” She then proceeded to share that I’d gotten a very good deal on the table as their new manager was pricing things lower. “The last manager would have charged at least $75 for that table.”

      “Thanks,” I thought to myself. “Now I have content for the blog.”

   4. • My friend brought me a jar of homemade biscotti and a cute pair of socks as a birthday gift.
      • Portland is scheduled for a snow storm starting on Friday, which always throws the city into chaos. This due to both our hills and the government lacking the sufficient number of snow plows. Even though Portland’s goofy citizens would have a heyday if ever given the chance to name a snowplow. Maybe we could all chip in a couple bucks for the opportunity?

      – Snow Business Like Show Business?
      – How Now Brown Plow?
      – Snow Plower to the People?
      – Plow Jones Industrial Average?

      The list is endless.

   5. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. I curb picked a terra cotta planter that matches three I already have on my deck. (Two of which I sourced from different after garage sale free piles last summer!) This one was pretty dirty and had pieces of English Ivy stuck to it. However, it was a just a matter of scrubbing it down with some soapy water to bring it back to back to snuff.

   I won’t plant anything in it for now, (January and all . . . ) so I have time to figure out potting soil and what I’ll plant in it.

   

2. My husband and I celebrated my birthday this week by doing some thrifting out of town and then sharing cake back at home with the kids. I’m enjoying things a bit simpler lately, so our dinner was homemade turkey soup with no knead artisan bread that I’d left to rise at the house.

   I didn’t come across anything to dominate the news cycle like this $100,00 Murano glass vase, but hope springs eternal.

3. My son’s comforter is apparently starting to pill, which is how I ended up shopping for a duvet cover at an unpleasantly crowded Ikea on a Saturday afternoon. (His idea, not mine.) The one he liked was out of stock, but then someone in my Buy Nothing group offered up a similar one this afternoon. I love it when this happens.

   There is simply too much manufactured stuff floating around this world. Buy Nothing groups help put the glut of excess belongings into the hands of people who can put it back in use.

4. • I finished reading my library copy of The Saints of Swallow Hill.
   • I organized a drawer and came across a bag of mirror holder clips, which prompted me to install a full length mirror in my daughter’s old bedroom. Unsurprisingly, I curb picked it last summer.
   • I took my husband out to lunch and we shared an entree, which was enough food for the two of us.
   • My neighbor put another Bonne Maman jam jar in her recycling bin, which I brought home to wash and add to the cupboard for food storage.

5. I didn’t thrift any Lear Jets.

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

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Exiled lampshade

1. I pulled a bag of leftover Thanksgiving turkey bones from the freezer and threw them in the Instant Pot with salt, pepper and some ragtag carrot/onion/celery bits. I then picked through it, so I now have everything ready for a big pot of delicious turkey soup.

   I sautéed carrots/onions/celery in leftover bacon fat and added cooked black eyed peas and a splash of chicken broth for a yummy lunch. A friend of mine panic bought a bucket of black eyed peas at the beginning of the pandemic and has been plying me with them ever since.

2. My husband signed us up for a free week long trial of The Criterion Channel, so we snuggled up to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window last night. It’s been at least three decades since we watched this perfectly plotted movie, so there was still some element of surprise. But really, the movie could be hot garbage and it would still be worth watching for the opportunity to gaze at the ethereal Grace Kelly in her prime.

3. My nephew is coming for a visit, so I’ve been getting my son’s old bedroom ready for him to sleep in. I sourced a bed frame from my Buy Nothing group when my son moved out, but the blanket in the room isn’t the warmest. I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to stop by some thrift stores to look for a “new” duvet, but he reminded me that we had a backup blanket in our attic space.

   I doubted him, but sure enough he brought down a black contractor’s bag that indeed contained a nice warm blanket that I’d totally forgotten about. I put it through the wash to freshen it up, so now all I need to do is put clean sheets on the bed, run the robot vacuum, (it’s the only room in the house with wall-to-wall carpet) and we’ll be ready to be the hosts with the mosts.

4. • I walked to the library to pick up my holds, even though this time of year threatens rain from dawn till dusk and all night long.
   • My neighbor returned some pretty jars that I’d given to her filled with Christmas cookies. She added Harry & David chocolates to them, which I set aside for when my nephew comes to town. I normally welcome any and all sweets, but we overindulged last month so they’re not currently tempting me.
   • My husband returned a packet of sliced havarti cheese to Costco, as it was moldy from day one.
   • My son’s five-month-old kitten is a wild child, so I’ve been removing certain items from common spaces to spare them her wrath. So far this includes a Victorian style fringe lampshade, (see above) a pothos plant and a variety of breakable tchotchkes. He moves into a new apartment this February and will take the cat with him, so my vulnerable belongings will see the light of day once again.

1. I didn’t thrift any tiny Lear Jets.

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

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1. I took my vacuum cleaner apart to unclog the tubing, which was a messy but satisfying task. I’ve been troubleshooting the occasional issue with this vacuum since 2001, yet don’t use this normal maintenance as an excuse to replace it. An appliance is naturally going to need the occasional repair. This is both a financial and environmental issue, as the overmanufacture of consumer goods is detrimental to the health of our planet.

   The Story of Stuff points out how manufacturers profit from consumers perceiving older items as clunky and outdated, even when they still meet our needs.

   As Annie Leonard put it:

   “I’ve had the same fat white computer monitor on my desk for 5 years. My co-worker just got a new computer. She has a flat shiny sleek flat screen monitor. It matches her computer, it matches her phone, even her pen stand. [It looks cool.] She looks like she is driving in space ship central and I, I look like I have a washing machine on my desk.”

   So yeah, I’ll keep living with my vacuum cleaner, even if it’s neither sleek nor shiny.

2. I signed up for a free seven-day Britbox subscription on Roku so my husband and I could watch the eighth season of Shetland. I then took a photo of how to cancel the subscription and added the task to my calendar with an alert. No taking chances for me!

3. I’m reading a library copy of The Saints of Swallow Hill, by Donna Everhart, as well as listening to an audiobook of The Daydreams, by Laura Hankin through the library’s free Libby app.

4. • I went on eBay and bought a replacement copy of a book that a friend lent to me last summer, as I’d accidentally left it on an airplane. I’d totally let this transgression slip my mind until the memory suddenly snapped back to the front of my brain.
   • I delivered a basket to someone in my Buy Nothing group who was housebound with a sick kiddo.

5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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