Five Frugal Things

by Katy on July 6, 2017 · 76 comments

  1. I hosted a going away supper for my sister, niece and extended family last night. I served a hodgepodge of leftovers, which kept the budget nice and low. It was a casual affair, but a mostly tidy home and attractively plated food (even leftovers) elevates any event. My sister and niece then spent the night to simplify ferrying them to the airport at 4:30 in the freaking A.M. Love them, will miss them, but that’s too damned early! Yawn . . . .

  2. My sister and I walked to the grocery store for a few items last night and came home with a pretty glazed flowerpot that someone had put out for free. It actually has the remnants of plant in it, so I’ll water it to see what happens.

  3. I was unsure of how make my garbage picked Westnova style (?) lucite table work, as the unusual top isn’t flat. (This is what it looked like before.) Anyway, I added a gold tray that I already owned to the top, which transformed it into the perfect end table for a corner of my living room. Note the “Happiness is found in little things” needlepoint pillow that I usurped from my mother. Theft from parents is very frugal. Sorry, mom.

  4. My sister brought over all her leftover and uneaten food from the guest cottage where she spent her Portland vacation. From ice cream to frozen Trader Joe’s meals, tortillas to veggies, my fridge is now fit to burst! Hello, free food. Goodbye, food waste.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 76 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on July 4, 2017 · 82 comments

  1. My friend Lise is rebuilding her Airbnb’s bathroom and was asking opinions on paint colors. I convinced her to try looking at the Habitat ReStore before buying new. Although she didn’t find anything she liked, it was still worth checking out as we both learned that the ReStore now sells their own line of recycled paint for just $16 per gallon.

  2. My sister, Lise and I stopped at the taco truck on the way home where my sister and I split a $7 burrito. We set up in the shady backyard and dined alfresco. We enjoyed leftover La Croix seltzers and chips from my husband’s work party and remarked on how the three of us could have easily split the single “super sized” burrito.

  3. My sister and I stopped at the Kroger grocery store to buy treats and chose two pints of Halo Top brand ice cream. The machine spit out a $2-off coupon, so I called over an employee to assist us as we were using the self-checkout. He whipped out an additional coupon for a free pint and he scanned our $2-off coupon. So instead of $6 apiece for the ice cream, (which we would have never paid) we paid 75¢ apiece for our pints!

  4. I noticed that my friend Lise was replumbing her bathroom using Pex tubing and mentioned that we owned the tool that goes with it. (This is as far as my knowledge on the subject goes.) She later texted me asking if she could borrow it. My husband, who works nights swung by the house to locate it, which saved my friend from having to rent or buy her own one. Much of frugality is providing frugal opportunities for others, which always gives me such a thrill. No roller coaster for me, my thrills come from frugal endeavors!

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 82 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on July 3, 2017 · 112 comments

  1. It’s apparently reseller season at Casa Wolk-Stanley, because I’ve been doing very well this past week with my eBay and Craigslist sales. I sold three items from my previously dormant eBay listings. (A pair of boots I got for free, a toy from the house and a cool throw blanket from Goodwill.) I sold a vintage office office chair that I’d fixed up, and then I sold the free garage sale leftover Yamika rack component pieces. The best part about the Yakima rack parts is that I simply took them into a local business that specializes in used racks and they gave me $74. Plus, my friend Lise handed me another part that she’d unsuccessfully tried to give away for free and they gave me $20 for it! Money for me, money for her . . . woohoo!

  2. My sisters, niece and I drove to the beach for the day and although we did stop for a splurge of a lunch, our dinner was a perfect Mexican food cart meal that cost a grand total of $20 for the five of us! Seriously, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in recent memory, almost worth the 2-1/2 hour drive just to eat it again!

  3. My sister, niece and I drove to the Mount St Helen’s Johnston Ridge Observatory which was awe inspiring. I can’t believe that I’ve lived so close to this recently active volcano without taking the time to get up close and personal. We did pay $12.50 for entry to the visitor’s center along the way, which I would not repeat, but now I know better for future trips. (I learned afterwards that the cool Forest Learning Center along the way is free.) Heads up all future house guests, you will be visiting Mount St. Helens! It’s hard to capture the magnitude of Mt. St. Helens in photographic form, so I added some perspective in the above photo. Day trips are a great way to feel like you’re on vacation without the associated travel expenses. I love day trips!

  4. I picked up the first season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer from the library, as I’ve been in withdrawal since it left Netflix in April, I’ve been eating raspberries from the garden, we’ve been eating leftovers from a huge out of control kegger work party my husband threw at the house, I worked all weekend and of course I drank the free crappy coffee and the free lovely tea.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 28, 2017 · 104 comments

  1. I spent the afternoon thrifting with my sister and mother and posed wearing the above pair of Dutch wooden clogs. My theory as to why EVERY THRIFT STORE has at least a couple pair of these is that tourists buy them as gifts, which immediately get shunted to Goodwill. I encourage travelers near and far to spend their tourist dollars on experiences and consumables instead of clutter. On an entirely different note, I make these look goooood! #DidntBuyThem

  2. I took a pair of free Levi’s jeans from a garage sale leftover freebie pile and turned them into the above shorts. They had an unfortunate “boot cut” flare to the legs, which was remedied using nothing more than a sharp pair of scissors. Free shorts, people! FREE!!!!

  3. I sold another item on eBay, which I quickly boxed up and have ready to drop at the post office tomorrow.

  4. I mended a baby blanket from last week’s garage sale freebie pile, I mended a pillow case, I bought my husband a pair of pay-by-the-pound shorts at the Goodwill Outlet and I did another TV appearance.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 26, 2017 · 111 comments

  1. My son and I meandered through a nearby neighborhood that had just closed shop on a community garage sale day. Many residents had just shoved their stuff to the front of their property with a “FREE” sign, which worked quite nicely for me. We scored so much amazing stuff including a large amount of newborn clothing, (which I’m gifting to a very gravid co-worker) a complete Yakima rack, three boxes of labeled fossils and minerals, vintage jewelry, a fitted twin sheet, two matching pillow cases, two pairs of jeans, a pretty lampshade, hangers for my clothesline, two great towels, a shrink-wrapped blu-ray of Julia & Julia, a fancy Italian drawer organizer, a new-with-tags West Elm pillow, two life vests and then more Yakima rack components! This is only about half of what we brought home. Worry not that I have developed sudden onset hoarding, and I’ll be selling most of what I took, although I am keeping the sheets and towels for our own personal use. Sadly, we didn’t have room in the car for the above wobbly, but fixable mission-style desk.

  2. My sister and niece are visiting from New York right now, so I put together a burrito buffet for last night’s dinner. This worked perfectly to accommodate everyone’s individual food restrictions, as people could assemble exactly the burrito they were craving. The day had been hot with a peak temperature of 102°, so I placed the bubbling crock pot of pinto beans on my front porch to avoid heating up the kitchen. (It’s my summer trick and likely confuses the poor mail carrier.)

  3. My son is taking two community college classes this summer, which he’ll transfer over to the state university where he’s a student. These classes are much cheaper and work perfectly to give his summer some structure. Sadly, the store where he’d worked for four (five?) years shuttered its doors, so he didn’t have a job lined up.

  4. I earned some extra money by helping my mother clean her rental cottage. The place had been not well treated, and it took me over two hours to clean the kitchen, which is the size of the interior or my Prius.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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{ 111 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 24, 2017 · 102 comments

  1. I worked the past two days and brought my lunch both days, even though this meant taking one for the team with an impressively bruised banana and some dull enchilada leftovers that were probably a day or two past when they should have been eaten. However, I splurged on Vietnamese takeout for tonight’s dinner. This is a true example of saving on the daily boring stuff so your money is available for the big splurges.

  2. I sold another item through my eBay account. Not a brag worthy sale by any means, but I’m not one to turn my nose up at extra income. Best of all, I was able to print the postage from home and simply hand the package to my mail carrier.

  3. I attended a required three hour certification class this afternoon, which included an additional two hour test. I’ll make sure to stop by the hospital this weekend to submit the required paperwork to include these paid hours in my next paycheck.

  4. My husband will be hosting a huge backyard party at our house for his employees and soccer buddies. He was able to borrow a heavy duty pressure washer from work to dislodge some of the moss and generalized scum from our play structure/tree house. There is no reason for each household to own infrequently used items when people (or companies) can share them. For example, we own a steam cleaner which is currently lent out, as well as a fire pit that’s being borrowed by a co-worker.

  5. I successfully wore a secondhand outfit for a TV appearance this week. Mind you, I didn’t shop for this specific event, I simply pulled clothes from my closet. I’ve decided that I’ll wear the exact same thing for a TV interview this Monday, as I’m not interested in giving even 1% of my meager brain power over to “what will I wear?” If it works for Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, it can work for me.

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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{ 102 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 19, 2017 · 155 comments

  1. My son and I took the bus downtown to get his hair cut. I used my free workplace public transportation pass and paid the $2.50 for my son. (We made sure to keep our trip under 2-1/2 hours in order to reuse his pass for the return journey.) We then walked around and purchased iced coffees using a $5 Starbucks gift card that I received from my union.

  2. I returned a pair of sneakers to Goodwill as they were missing the insoles. I got store credit and wandered the store for a bit, but didn’t actually buy anything. The best bargain is the item never purchased in the first place.

  3. I have a TV appearance tomorrow and remembered from last time that I somehow don’t own a lipstick. Did I go to Macy’s for a beautifully packaged and elaborately marketed tube of brightly hued glop? Nope, I stopped into The Dollar Tree for a perfectly acceptable alternative. I also bought an eye shadow kit as all mine are pure dust from apparently being dropped a time or two.

  4. I approved the 35,000th member of the Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group this afternoon. How is this frugal? Amazing and wonderful ideas and inspiration from 35,000 individuals who will answer your questions and give you support as you navigate through your non-consumer journey. Plus, it’s free!

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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{ 155 comments }

Before & After – Vintage Shell Chairs

by Katy on June 18, 2017 · 22 comments

I recently took on a new project, because how could I resist the opportunity to bring home four matching shell chairs when the price was simply “will they fit into my Prius?”

Even though these stacking shell chairs aren’t as desirable as a classic Eames chair, they are still groovy enough to be worth a few hours of my time. And since I own a Bissell rug shampooer complete with a handy-dandy upholstery attachment, I already owned everything I needed to bring them back to life. (By the way, I use the Dollar Tree knockoff Oxyclean in my shampooer, which works perfectly for just about everything. Just mix half a scoop with water for the cleaning solution tank.)

Can you tell which one had already received its beauty treatment? Notice how the foam cushion on the right sided chair had an indentation from being stacked. Those popped right out after being shampooed.

Even this indentation went away.

My secret tool for refurbishing upholstered furniture is a sweater shaver, which smooths out the fabric and removes any unwanted shagginess. Plus it’s bizarrely satisfying to use.

The last step was to scrub down the legs with Bar Keeper’s Friend, which removed any superficial rust, and brought the chrome to a mirror finish.

I have the chairs up for sale on Craigslist right now, but I’d also be happy to hold onto them as both my sons will need furniture for their off campus housing this fall.

In total I probably spent three hours on this project, which I consider to be well worth the effort. It’s easy to garbage pick individual chairs, but finding four that match is the holy grail. I really enjoy the process of bringing things back to life. I feel that refurbishing grubby items not only keeps them out of the landfill, but also helps people avoid new purchases created from virgin materials. Plus, these chairs are at a quality level you’re not going to find at Ikea.

Now, onto another project!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 14, 2017 · 95 comments

  1. I worked the past two days and brought my own lunch, drank the free crappy coffee and then the free delicious tea. I did take my younger son who is home from college out to dinner last night, but we drank water and didn’t order extras. We climbed to the top of Mt. Tabor afterwards to enjoy view and the non-rainy weather.

  2. I scored some free vintage stacking chairs, which I’ll clean up and sell on Craigslist. They’re not quite prime midcentury level, but they’re likely from the 1970’s or late 1960’s and any money made will be pure profit. I’m tempted to keep them as both of my sons will be living off campus next year. However, they’ll survive just fine with random mismatched chairs. I enjoy a project and find it very satisfying to bring things back to life. I joke with my husband that “all my hobbies make money.”

  3. I put together a number of eBay and Craigslist listings and although I have yet to sell anything, I have received a number of inquiries that should lead to sales.

  4. I pulled a Kitchenaid dough hook from an estate sale free box last week, and just now gave it to someone who had asked for one in my local Buy Nothing Group. Perfect coincidence.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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{ 95 comments }

Five Frugal Things

by Katy on June 11, 2017 · 94 comments

  1. I holed up at the house yesterday and Friday to binge watch the fifth season of Orange is The New Black on Netflix. One of my favorite shows that never fails to disappoint. It’s amazing how the writers have yet to dilute the intensity and continue to expand on the complexity of their diverse characters. One storyline that resonated with me was the backstory of one character which closely follows a This American Life piece from a few years ago about the inequality of educational opportunities for Bronx, NY high school students. Great podcast that’s worth a listen.

  2. I did venture out to a nearby grocery store where I bought a few items including an enormous $2 bunch of organic beets. This particular store tends to be really expensive, but sometimes you can get an impressive bargain when produce is priced per item rather than per pound. Of course I chopped up and sautéed the greens in my cast iron pan for a bonus snack. I’m the only one in my family who likes beets, so I’ll have all have the roasted deliciousness for myself.

  3. I peeked into my neighborhood’s Little Free Library on my walk home, and was delighted to find that someone had added individually packaged chamomile tea bags. I took a handful and will return the favor later on with a few items from my own house. I enjoy a caffeine free cuppa in the evenings, and had almost worked through my stack of random herbal teas. Knowing that people are sharing more than books really opens up the possibilities.

  4. I work the next two days, and am making sure to plan out my meals so I won’t have to hit up the hospital cafeteria for my lunches. Not only does this lazy practice use up my budgeted restaurant allowance, but I resent wasting precious minutes from my short breaks to walk across the hospital for food.

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

Now your turn. What frugal things have you been up to?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter.
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{ 94 comments }

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