The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. My son recently downsized from a two-story townhouse into a studio apartment and as a result, my back room/attic is now Tetris-ed full of the furniture he no longer had space for. I guess it’s the price I pay for being an empty nester in a big house. So much empty space!

   Luckily his stuff was all bought used, so he should be able to recoup his costs and maybe even turn a bit of a profit.

   So far he’s sold:

   • A $250 couch that he bought in January for . . . $250!
   • A garbage picked wooden bench for $10.
   • He listed the thrifted $30 IKEA dining table for $200.
   • He listed a microwave oven for $50, that he bought for $45.

   There are a few more items to sell, which he can do bit by bit. It pays to buy used, not only because it’s cheaper and keeps already manufactured items in circulation, but because you might be able to  flip it later on for more than you paid!

2. I made a pot of chili from random ingredients and it was the best ever!

   • Bulk purchased black beans, cooked in the instant pot.
   • A container of crushed tomatoes, leftover from my son’s meal prep adventures.
   • A “clump” of frozen sautéed onions that I’d prepped after scoring a huge $1 bag of white onions from the Fred Meyer clearance shelf.
   • Frozen chopped yellow peppers, also prepped from a $1 clearance shelf score.
   • Trader Joe’s soy chorizo, purchased when my sister visited in August.
   • Bulk purchased herbs and spices.

   I topped the chili with cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chip shrapnel. Freaking delicious!

3. I saw there was a $5-off-$40 Safeway coupon, so I stopped by and grabbed two cases of on-sale canned cat food. I also grabbed a single $1.99 eight-ounce bag of Tillamook sharp cheddar shreds to get my total over $40. I always need cat food, so I might as well get it as cheaply as possible.

4. • I finally sold my curb picked office chair, but only after I dropped the price from $20 to $12. Hey, it’s free money and I’m not too proud for smaller sales.
   • My neighbor gifted me a Rosh Hashana apple challah that she made from scratch. Thanks, Laura!
   • We had a full deep day of rain, which kept me from having to water any of my drought-vulnerable outdoor plants.
   • I stopped into Costco for my husband’s work lunch supplies, as I was passing by it anyway. I 132.7% wasn’t in the mood to face the crowds, but did it anyway. This saved us from having to do an additional Costco run. No hotdogs were purchased, no samples were eaten. I was in and out in record time!

5. I didn’t panic buy any toilet paper or paper towels.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I used THIS LINK to order four free Covid-19 tests for my household, then ordered additional ones for my son and sister. (My daughter had already ordered hers.) I like to keep extras on hand for those inevitable “is this a cold or something worse?” moments. A box with four tests cost $28.88 on Amazon, so these three test kits will save my family $84.64.

2. My son and I went to Winco Foods yesterday, which was a sorely needed trip for me. Unfortunately I had a fair amount of food waste last week due to being away from home, but everything got composted and today is a fresh start. I stuck to my list and took advantage of their bulk bins to buy onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt and cumin. I used the calculator function on my phone a couple times to compare prices (were 12-packs of eggs a better price per item than the 18-packs?) I steered my son towards store brands on items that made no difference such as corn starch and only succumbed to a single impulse item, which were chocolate wafer cookies at 78¢ per package.

   I took a quick detour past the clearance shelf and grabbed two $1.99 bags of Nestle mini chocolate chips, which were a good enough deal to stock up on. Remember when I scored 44 bags of 10¢ Bailey Irish Cream chocolate chips and them sold them for $10/bag on eBay? I keep hoping to come across a similarly amazing deal, but that day has yet to be repeated. Sigh . . . .

3. My friend Lise came over last night and we sat on the porch and caught up on each other’s lives. We indulged in some chocolate wafer cookies while she knitted and I grabbed a series of progressively warmer layers from the house. I’m no fan of hot summer weather, but I adore the longer days. I kind of hate that 7 P.M. is now too dark to walk around the neighborhood, but such is life.

   A lot of people think that socializing with a friend requires going to a coffee shop, bar or restaurant, but that can be a barrier due to finances, time restraints or simple overcomplification of life. I like to keep things generally simple, which works well for me. I might not be in the know on Portland’s genuinely fantastic restaurant scene, (there really are endless amazing places to eat!) but I’m content with the occasional food cart taco and my debt free life.

   

4. I spent a bit of time transplanting a laughably root bound prayer plant and then planted up some random rooted starts from my kitchen windowsill. I ended up with many more starts than I needed, so I offered up the extras in my Buy Nothing group. I have someone stopping by in the morning, but there’s enough to gift to more than one person.

   I love when my frugality allows for others to save money, as I really do want everyone to have the opportunity to save money whenever possible!

5. • I found a dime on the floor at Costco last week, but it was in a heavily trafficked area. I stood to the side for maybe 30 seconds until it was clear to pick it up. Free money, people!
   • I scanned all my receipts into the Fetch app*, which slowly earns free gift cards to corporate grocery stores and such. They have a deal right now where you get 1000 free points when you sign up through my referral link.

   Edit: I guess this link doesn’t work.

   • I renewed all my Facebook Marketplace listings this morning. It’s fun and impressive when something I curb pick sells immediately, but most items take awhile to find a buyer. This is a normal part of the reselling process and I just know to be patient.
   • My neighbors put another Bonne Maman jam jar into their recycling bin, which I promptly brought home to wash up for reuse.
   • I scored a four-pack of orange and yellow peppers from Fred Meyer’s $1 clearance shelf. I ate one that night in a quesadilla and then sliced and froze the other three for “Future Katy.”
   • I snipped off a half dozen or so spider plant babies for one of the buy nothing people.

6. 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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1. I was extremely frugal over the ten days that my mother was in the hospital for her cardiac surgery. I made sure to eat a filling breakfast before leaving the house each morning, (bulk purchased bowls of oatmeal, sprinkled with homemade brown sugar!) and I packed boring but serviceable PB&J sandwiches for lunch. Dinners were either $6 Costco food court chicken Caesar salads or I just waited to eat until I got home around 9:30-10:00. I carried my ever present reusable water bottle. Most days I also threw a banana into my purse.

   When I was a hospital nurse, my motto was “I’m here to make money, not spend it!” and I guess that mindset lingers on.

   My mother is now recovering at a skilled nursing facility that’s conveniently located around ten minutes from the house. Perfect for shorter and spontaneous visits.

   

2. I mixed up a batch of no-knead artisan bread last night and molded the dough into four small loaves instead of one big one. I wanted to bring fresh bread to my mother without it being an overwhelming amount. It turned out exactly as I’d envisioned and I’ll absolutely repeat this process. Homemade bread always feels like alchemy, as such humble ingredients, (flour, salt, water and yeast) transform into absolute perfection!

   

3. • I started listening to Kalaine Bradley’s The Ministry of Time audiobook through the library’s free Libby app.
   • I used my garbage picked GEM canning jar as a vase for flowers.
   • I gave my free-from-the-library Connie Chung tickets to my friend Lise, who then used them with her daughter.  I’m relieved these tickets didn’t go to waste and that she said it was a really fun evening. Apparently Connie Chung is super funny. Who knew?
   • I gave my son a hand broom and dustpan that I garbage picked a couple months ago. I ran it through the dishwasher with a few other grody items first though.

4. 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 continue to spend my days at the hospital with my mother as she slowly recovers from her cardiac surgery. I bring a library book, water bottle, travel mug, Tetley tea bags and a peanut butter and (homemade) blackberry jam sandwich with me each day. Dinner is whatever my step father and I figure out for that day. Tonight he sprang for teriyaki bowls from a nearby restaurant, yesterday I bought slices of cheese pizza and a chicken Caesar salad from the Costco food court.

I did sell a curb picked Kitchenaid bowl for $40 on eBay this afternoon and then packaged it up when I got home from the hospital around 10 P.M. . . .  so my weirdo uber-Frugal life continues on? Needless to say, I used scavenged packaging supplies.

I’ll continue to spend my days at the hospital, as my mother does better with me and my step father at her bedside. Sorry that I haven’t been responding to comments, but my mind is elsewhere.

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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eBay inventory — before

1. I made the decision to go full steam with decluttering my eBay items and donated around 75% of everything. This gave me the opportunity to organize what was left and make room for things that’ll sell better. Most of what I donated was stuff I got for free or paid very little for. Mind you, it was all very organized, but there was just too much stale inventory.

   I made sure to list out each donation, so I’ll be able to get the full tax credit come next April. And yes, it was very cathartic.

   Organizing the eBay stuff motivated me to give attention the rest of this spare bedroom, as it had become filled with artwork from my late in-law’s estate. I was paranoid that something would get stepped on or cat damaged, so everything is now either properly displayed, (so much pottery!) or safely in the dry area of our basement. I was also worried about not being able to keep this room appropriately clean, as I’d seen a moth in there a few days ago and wanted to vacuum my wool rug before it became an all-you-can-eat buffet. So many of my in law’s valuable items were destroyed by moths and rodents. If you can’t be an inspiration, at least be a cautionary tale!

   

   eBay inventory — after!

2. I sold another Wii guitar through eBay, (this time for $40) although sadly not as local pickup this time. Kind of a pain to package, but the time would’ve passed anyway so I might as well be productive with it. I had both these guitars listed for over a year and then they sold in the same week, which was odd but welcome.

   I also sold a wooden accordion style wine rack for $15 through Facebook Marketplace.

3. On top of everything else, our 2005 minivan is now having problems, something to do with the ignition and how the car recognizes the key. This happened when my husband had the car crammed full of the last of his parent’s belongings and was finally on his way home from the Oregon coast and stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom. I got a 9 P.M. phone call and drove his father’s car down to him and together we waited until 2 A.M. for the tow truck before driving home. Our insurance paid to have the car towed to the house and then towed to the mechanic this morning and we’ll pay to get this issue fixed.

   Why are we spending money on a 19-year-old car? Because it’s an otherwise great car and neither of us are interested in buying a new or even a used a car, especially when used cars are selling at such high prices. Maintain what we already own instead of using this isolated issue as an excuse to buy new.

   Update: $960 repair!

4. • I slapped a piece of duct tape onto a torn reusable grocery bag that my son handed down to us. I had a moment of being tempted to toss it, but am glad that I didn’t.
   • I listed three picture frames on Facebook Marketplace that my son no longer wanted. These were ones that I rescued from a neighbor’s garbage can earlier in the year. There were six frames originally and I sold the other three in February or so.
   • I created an ugly but functional Franken-box to ship the Wii guitar using supplies I already had on hand. I protected it with second hand bubble wrap that my husband brought home from work.
   • I continue to eat the chicken soup that I made over the weekend, although my husband and I did share a well deserved plate of fish and chips at a local pub last night.

5. No Lear Jets, bought or chartered.

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’m still in the midst of swirling chaos, so I’m going to scrape the bottom of the barrel for this Monday’s Five Frugal Things blog post. Okay, let’s see what I can come up with.

1. Last Tuesday found me stashing my perishable groceries in my mother’s refrigerator across town, as well as abandoning a pot of chicken soup that I’d started in the Instant Pot. I finally got my groceries back and finished the soup on Sunday. I even made a loaf of artisan bread to accompany the soup!

   It’s easy to lose track of frugality goals when life goes off the rails, but this soup will be an easy heat-and-eat option to have in the fridge. I try to keep a couple of zero effort meals on hand, which are usually homemade, but can also be from Trader Joe’s. Think frozen gyoza or such. It’s a favor to my future self.

2. I sold a “just for parts” Wii Rock Band guitar through eBay that I probably listed in 2021 or so. (I didn’t notice that it was broken until I got it home.) I have a whole shelf of stale eBay inventory and often wonder if I should admit defeat and donate it all back to Goodwill, but then I make a random sale like this and change my mind. I’ve gotten much much pickier about what I buy for reselling, which means that the stuff I currently pick up ends up selling pretty quickly. The old stuff? Not so much!

   The money to buy these items is already spent and it costs nothing to keep everything listed on eBay, so I might as well just keep it up for sale. Right?*

3. My husband finally (FINALLY!) got his late parents’ house on the market, which was an enormous endeavor and we thought would never happen. He and his brothers did almost all the work themselves, (Home Depot did install the new carpet) and hopefully we’ll find a buyer in the near future. He and I sunk thousands of dollars into this project, which’ll come back after this supposed sale.

   We still need to go through their belongings, which are split between their storage space and our basement. (Even though most of their stuff went go the landfill or Goodwill.) It’s a soul crushing burden, please don’t do this to your loved ones. Also — have a lawyer put together a will!

4. • The Wii guitar sold to someone local, which means I didn’t have to fuss with packaging it up. Woo hoo!
   • My husband bought a Costco take-and-bake pizza to eat while he was at his parents’ house at the coast. Unfortunately their oven didn’t work, so my husband brought it back home to Portland and we had it with a salad for dinner last night. No food waste!
   • I went to a neighborhood real estate open house on Saturday, which was inspirational, relaxing and downright enjoyable. What does it say about me when my favorite houses are devoid of personal belongings?

5. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t buy a Lear Jet. Last week was a kind of blur though, so you never know.

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 kind of think it would be cathartic to have a blank slate with my eBay inventory.

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