The Non-Consumer Advocate

I continue to sell a few things here and there including a vintage picnic basket, some midcentury salad tongs and a Portland Thorns scarf.

I listed a small dresser on eBay, which is a first for me as I normally sell furniture locally through Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I have zero interest in packaging and shipping enormously heavy items, so I marked this piece as “local pickup only” as an experiment. It’s a semi-desirable piece, so I figured I’d try to widen the net. It’s from the vintage (but currently popular) Thomasville “Allegro” line, which people love to repaint in shiny bright colors, so I’m hoping this will help find a buyer who’s looking for this exact piece.

Needless to say, it’s a $4.99 Goodwill find.

I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a nearby pizza joint, so my son and I walked the half-mile or so to the restaurant. I knew my son would appreciate the pizza slices more than I would, so I slammed down a PB&J before leaving the house. I was able to treat him to dinner for $3.25 (plus $1 tip) and ended up accepting a free slice as they’d initially messed up his order.

We also walked past a free box which included a cool baseball cap for him, as well as two cheese shaped cardboard cat scratchers, which I normally cost $27 apiece. I came home and washed up the cap and subjected the scratchers to a thorough inspection before sprinkling them with fresh catnip and setting them next to our couches.

Not bad for $4.25!

I bought tickets for my son and I to visit New York City for the second half of August. My son’ll be hanging out with his cousin, and I’ll be helping my sister set up her Bronx high school classroom where she’s been hired to teach Earth Science.

I should have bought the tickets ages ago, but was unsure of dates, which means that I have no crazy cheap fare to brag about. However, I did watch fares closely enough to know to I needed to pounce when they hit just (ha!) $400 apiece. I stalked costs through Google Flights, which I like better than the popup hell that is Expedia or Travelocity.

There’s inevitable buyer’s remorse when booking travel, as there will always be a cheaper flight, but in the end it’s done and time to move on. To fun stuff like what I can only assume is the joy of a non-air conditioned NYC classroom in late August.

I started listening to Jeanette Wells’ “The Silver Star” through the free Libby app, my daughter and I went in person to her medical clinic to investigate why a bill was being denied by insurance and I bought nothing except groceries. I’ll need spending money for my NYC trip!

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

I sold a few things here and there including a thrifted midcentury chair, a pair of Danskos, a Pendleton wool blanket, an iPad case and three more Thorns soccer tickets. I also earned some extra money by helping my mother clean her rental cottage between tenants.

For those who are counting, I’ve sold 18 of my free Thorns soccer tickets so far.

I got another free sample quart of paint from Miller Paint through their June/July “Free Sampler Saturday” promotion. I picked up another quart in the same color a few weeks ago, so I think I now have enough to paint my son’s small north facing room. We’d painted it a rich forest green when he was two-years-old and my single goal was to get him to sleep past 5 A.M, but he’s 21-years-old now and ready for some brightness. It’ll be a fun project for the two of us to work on together.

I think we already own the supplies necessary to complete the job, but should we need any miscellaneous stuff I’ll certainly bring that business to Miller Paint.

My husband and son both work night shifts, which means that I’m without a car after 6:30 P.M. Mostly this is a non-issue, as I can arrange to run my errands during the day, not to mention that I’m walking distance from two grocery stores and an endless number of miscellaneous shops. However, it’s an issue every now and then. Last night was one of those times. My daughter needed to be waaaaay across town at 6 P.M., and it was far enough away that an Uber would have been financially painful. Instead I asked my nearby friend Lise if she’d let me borrow her Prius. She did me one better by offering to drive so the two of us could hang out and hit a Goodwill together.

I thanked her with a Goodwill gift card.

Off subject, but we decided that there needs to be a word in the English language for “When you burn with envy from someone’s else’s thrift shop find.” This came up as the man behind us in line was buying a fully kitted out Motobecane racing bike for just $25!

Any linguistic suggestions?

My husband brought some bubble wrap home that his work was going to throw away, I crisped up a pan of stale boxed cereal, (250° for ten minutes or so) I listened to both Jennette Walls’ The Glass Castle and Andrew Rannell’s Too Much is Not Enough through the library’s free Libby app, I went back to my secret spot to pick more wild blackberries, I ordered a $4.95 lid (with free shipping) to go with the Hydroflask water bottle that I pulled from a pay-by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet bin last week and I found two dimes under my credit union’s coin counting machine.

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

I sold a random hodge-podge of items which included a Marimekko tray that I picked up from the Seattle Goodwill a few months ago, four more Thorns soccer tickets and a macrame wall hanging that I nabbed from a Goodwill pay-by-the-pound outlet store, (aka “the bins.”) I turned in some paid writing and thrifted a few more pieces to sell both on eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

I returned to my newly discovered wild blackberry patch with bowls and a picking bucket that I McGuyver-ed from a milk jug. I braved the poky vines, (after first donning a protective layer of jeans, long sleeves and sneakers) and filled three large bowls with the sweet free berries. Enough to make jam, or . . . to make a single blackberry coffee cake and then eat by the handful.

I brought a still warm bowl of berries to my friend Lise as she was with me during the discovery of this secret garden.

I’ll go back later this week as I love berries, but rarely splurge on them.

My son is working a food service job this summer and gets to bring home leftovers, which means that I’ve been opening my fridge to discover such delights as poached salmon, shredded jerk chicken, turkey meatballs and fried rice! It’s like the Food Fairy has chosen to grace us with daily visits!

My husband and I started watching the third season of The Handmaid’s Tale through my friend’s Hulu account, I listened to the audiobook of Pride and Prejudice through the free Libby library app, I donated a bin of unwanted but perfectly good stuff to Goodwill and I bought a few too many half-off pints of Ben & Jerry’s from New Seasons Market, (they mark one brand 50%-off every weekend throughout the summer)

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

I didn’t sell much this week, although I made my favorite sale of 2019, which was the ornate wooden feet from my couch-that-must-not-be-named for $35 on eBay! Considering that I spent $50 on said couch, it’s a miraculous work of alchemy.

My friend Lise needed to go to the fabric store, and asked if I wanted to tag along and then hit up the nearby pay-by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet store together.

Hmm . . . let me think that over. I’d just watched a couple of The Recycled Life, YouTube videos that night before was itching for a trip to “the bins.” So yes, my answer was an emphatic YES!

I started out slow, and probably spent a good twenty minutes poking through the blue wheeled bins before getting into the groove. I ended completely filling my blue Ikea bag, which seriously dug into my shoulder, especially after I hit a deep pocket of heavy Brio track pieces.

Here’s what I bought:

– 54 Brio and Thomas The Tank pieces.
– One new looking Hydroflask water bottle.
– Two stuffed animal/blanket “lovies.”
– One Scrabble mug with the letter “J.”
– Four brand new Mikasa “fromage” plates.
– One Nasa dress-up jumpsuit.
– One new with tags Disney park stuffed animal.
– Three Calico Critters animals.
– One pair of Chico’s pants for myself.
– One large macrame bunting.
– One mini stainless steel bowl.
– One antique bedknob.
– One Electrical something or other.
– One vintage rosary.
– One antique Blue Ball jar that reads “Improved.”
– One water bottle lid to replace one that my daughter broke.

Total: $44 for everything, including Lise’s stuff.

I then spent a pleasant few hours on the front porch cleaning, photographing and listing said items on Facebook Marketplace and eBay. My happy place.

Lise and I pulled the car over near the fabric store as there was a row, probably 100 yards long of wild blackberries heavily laden with ripe berries. Neither of us had a container to collect the berries, but we did help ourselves to the berries for a good ten minutes or so. My plan is to go back tomorrow in long sleeves and closed toe shoes for more. Only one bandaid was required.

I stopped at the Franz Bakery outlet store in a quest to see if they sold discounted gluten-free bread. Unfortunately theirs was just as expensive as any regular store. (Five dollars!) However, I discovered that they have a bargain area in the back stocked with mostly $1 loaves including their fake Dave’s Killer Bread and other whole grain items. I’ve been buying bread from The Dollar Tree lately, but it’s super hit or miss, so I think I’ll switch this errand over to Franz.

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

Sales this week were not too shabby. I finally sold the thrifted Yakima bike rack system, as well as another Starbucks travel tumbler, a carved piece of wood from an antique piano, some brand new racquetball equipment (that I plucked from a free pile) and three more Portland Thorns soccer tickets. (Most of the tickets are for August games, so I expect to sell the bulk of them next month.) Once again, I got the tickets for free by taking advantage of an easy 76 gas station promotion.)

I finally got mad enough at my couch to heave it out of the living room and onto the front porch. Some mothers can harness Hulk-level strength to lift automobiles off their precious children, but my muscular prowess is reserved for urine scented furniture.

Yes, this is the $50 couch that I just bought mere months ago. The couch I bought to replace my beloved yet cat urine soaked vintage couch. Because as much as I laundered the cushion covers, doused gallons of enzymatic cleaner onto every non-launderable surface and even pressure washed the seat cushions, it still emitted a slight funk.

NOT OKAY, PEOPLE!

I’d rather have zero couches in my living room than a living room that everyone avoids.

However, this couch had really ornate carved wooden feet that were easy enough to remove. I’m asking $35 on eBay*. Edit: I sold the couch feet!!!!!!!!!!!

Addendum: The cats (Zelda and Hyena) are fine, and have been deemed healthy by the veterinarian. We added an extra litter box to the nearby bathroom and have not had any inappropriate urination since. It just took awhile for my decision making brain to catch up to my irate nose.

My friend Dezsea was gifted an absolutely ginormous TV and generously offered us her hand-me-down plasma screen TV. It’ll replace the four-foot thick/not so energy efficient version that we currently watch. I thanked her with a Goodwill gift card. Thank you, Dezsea!

Our next door neighbors replaced their five-year-old air conditioner and offered it to us. (there was nothing wrong with it, they just worried that it was getting old.) Since my son’s window unit is easily twenty years old, we were happy to accept their generous offer. I thanked her with a latch hook rug kit for their energetic granddaughter.

Both these items will be more energy efficient than their predecessors, and I look forward to some savings. Sometimes it’s nice to be on the receiving end.

I used a 2-for-1 coupon to treat my son to some slices of pizza, I thrifted a fancy Arcteryx brand backback, which I quickly cleaned up and listed on Facebook Marketplace, I made another batch of homemade Everything But The Bagel mix, I finished my library copy of Lost Roses and started a Lucky Day copy of The Lost Girls of Paris, and I stopped into New Season’s Market for ice cream, balked at the $7.50 price tags and walked the extra two blocks to Fred Meyer for their $2.50 store brand.

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

I’ve been sloooowly but consistently selling things, including a pair of pricey Nike soccer cleats, a Starbucks tumbler and the set of free pots and pans that my husband earned for blah-blah years of service to his employer. I have someone supposedly coming by this evening for a Yakima bike rack system that everyone emails me about, yet no one follows through on. Crossing my fingers.

However, my experience has been that any item that gets this much attention, (however flaky that attention may be) will eventually sell for full price.

The money from all of these various income hacks goes into an account for my son’s college tuition and expenses. (The next tuition payment is due around October 1st.) Zero debt college is my goal, which so far we’ve been able to reach. One $22 Starbucks tumbler at a time.

For those who may wonder about my son’s financial role in his education. He’s working full time in a well paying job all summer, and will be contributing to rent and his own books and expenses for the 2019-2010 school year.

I’m attending an information session about building ADUs (accessory dwelling units) with a high end remodeling company. I’m not really in the market for one, but it should be interesting new information to tuck into the chaos of my brain. Plus, they advertised free hor d’hoeuvres, beer and wine, which is my love language. I roped my friend Lise into being my “plus one.”

Free food + free booze + information + socializing = my kind of night!

I paid $95 to my next door neighbor for six months of shared garbage service. Because my family of four creates very little garbage, it’s really easy for our two families to share this necessary service. (Oddly, garbage pickup is privately run in Portland, Oregon.) This isn’t something that the garbage company offers, but we set this system up at least ten years ago.

Each of our families saves $190 per year which makes it worth the hassle.

I drove my mother across town and she filled my gas tank as a thank you gesture, (thank you mom!) I found 31¢ in change under the credit union coin counting machine, I dropped an eBay package off with a nearby buyer instead of mailing it, I redeemed four more vouchers for free Thorns MLS soccer tickets through the 76 gas station promotion, I watched a library DVD of Coal Miner’s Daughter with my daughter and I crossed “avocados” off my grocery list this week.

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

I sold a few things here and there, including a pair of cute wooden clogs, a vintage light globe, a cute printed metal recipe box and more free Thorns soccer tickets. I also turned in a paid writing assignment and listed a few more things on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. No one of these income hacks will individually transform me into a Rockefeller, but they’re still worth the effort.

I attended a co-worker’s baby shower that was being held in a lovely downtown restaurant. I made sure to eat ahead of time and just ordered a coffee. (I did chip in $5 towards the total.) I used store credit from Powell’s Books to pick up three different CatWings books as a gift for the baby’s big sister. It was nice to see people outside of work and to celebrate the joy of new life.

I was dropping my daughter off downtown and realized that Sunday evening was the perfect time to stop into Powell’s City of Books as free parking was rich and plentiful. You may remember that I’d sold them a couple boxes of books after gleaning garage sale leftovers a few weeks back, which left me in possession of some juicy store credit.

I love books, and pretty much always have a couple going at once, but I’m a read-em-and-return-em kind of library gal. However, Powell’s sells stuff besides books, including . . .  locally roasted coffee beans for the tourist crowd! Which means I was able to magically transform other’s people’s garage sale leftovers into delicious caffeine liquid.

Just like Rumplestiltskin.

I finished reading a library copy of the marvelous The Secret Keeper, I was able to hand a lightweight eBay box to the mail carrier instead of driving to the post office, I picked up a library DVD of Coal Miner’s Daughter after putting it on hold for my daughter and I bought ice cream at New Season’s Market, as they put one brand on sale every weekend in the summer, which bring their food down to my budget as there’s no way I can swing $8 for a half gallon of ice cream!

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

I did sell the vintage suitcase that I mentioned in the last blog post, as well as one more Thorns soccer ticket. (I’ve been getting these for free through a 76 gas station promotion.) But the biggest sale of the week was a set of four knock-off Breuer style chairs that I picked up at the Albany, Oregon Goodwill, and proceeded to sell within two hours through Facebook Marketplace. If only it was always that easy.

I got together with my friend Lise to parallel play while we both worked on our laptops. Instead of going to a pricey café, we hit Ikea to enjoy the free coffee offered through their Ikea Family program.

I use the term “parallel play” to describe when a friend and I get together socially, but instead of chatting we both work on our individual projects. Of course, we catch one another up on our lives during the drive, but once the laptops open, we focus on our own tasks.

I also recycled some crusty AA batteries from some Goodwill Furbies and Lise returned some towels.

I was on a solo road trip the other day and working on a ravenous hunger. I didn’t feel like spending a significant amount of money, so I made a plan to stop into a Costco for one of their infamous $1.50 hotdogs. (Yeah, it’s not the healthiest, but I rationalize it by piling on the sauerkraut and choosing straight seltzer instead of a sugary soda.) I was also running low on olive oil.

However, I was saved from spending the $1.50 by a boon of free samples, the likes of which have never been seen. It’s kind of a blur of tortellini and beef jerky, but I would estimate that there were close to twenty sample stations, yet miraculously no lines!

I then hit the water fountain and was back on the road. Stomach stated and wallet intact.

I returned my library edition of A Woman of No Importance and picked up a hold copy of The Secret Keeper, my husband brought home an armload of used bubble wrap from his workplace, I sold one of my son’s unwanted soccer scarves through my eBay account, I picked up a paid writing assignment, I scavenged the fridge for makeshift meals and I accepted a neighbor’s hand me down air conditioner that’s better than what my son is currently using.

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

I’ve been slowly but consistently selling things through Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and eBay all week long. No super-wow-amazing-impressive flips, but together they added up to a financially respectable amount. This included another pair of Danskos, a groovy old light fixture, a vintage office chair, a book and two more freebie soccer tickets.

I have someone supposedly coming tomorrow to pick up a cute 1960s suitcase, although I know to hold off counting that chicken until it hatches.

My county commissioner held an informational meeting at a nearby library, and I’m not too proud to admit that I was sold by the promise of “free coffee and pastries.” It was actually very interesting, and I enjoyed increasing my knowledge of various community concerns.

Of course, the combination of civic engagement with free coffee and pastries, all in the presence of free books practically demands my presence.

I helped myself to a coffee, a sprinkled donut and a Lucky Day copy of A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell.

I received a email reminder about my son’s July rent, so I got on the horn with the property management office as his lease actually ended on June 30th. This company has high turnover, which in the past has meant that an employee ensured me that some issue was of no concern, and yet was long gone by the time it did become an issue. I confirmed that they had the correct information, and then had the person send me an email confirming that we were in no way responsible for July’s rent.

This may sound paranoid, but getting things in writing is never a regret.

My neighbors are heading out on vacation, so they gifted me fresh peas and lettuce from their CSA box, I created a dinner that used up three (THREE!) half-used boxes of pasta, I gleaned a free enormous cardboard box from a local business after hitting up an appliance store that was going to charge me, I almost bought tickets to visit my sister in NYC and then hit the brakes as the tickets were $420+ apiece, (I’ll continue my search for cheaper tickets) I pulled a handy not-too-big-not-too-small box from a neighbor’s recycling bin, (perfect size for eBay) and I socialized with friends by going for walks, sharing errands and simply chatting on our front porches.

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