The Non-Consumer Advocate

Now that our sons are both in college, my husband and I have a lot more time to hang out with each other. It’s still a bit odd, but we’re starting to get into a groove. My husband volunteered to teach CPR during the day, and I texted him suggesting that we “do something nice tonight.” Mind you, my idea of “something nice” is still going to be 97.2% more frugal than other people’s idea of an ideal date night. (Then again, I’ve never aspired to be like “other people.”)

Here’s what we did:

1. I gave my husband a few options of where to go to dinner, as he’s not very good at coming up with ideas. He immediately jumped at the suggestion of a nearby brewpub, as that’s A) his favorite category of restaurant, and B) my least favorite category. After all, isn’t marriage about compromise. (I’m not a drinker and get annoyed by menus that are 90% burgers.) Because we dined early, we were able to order from the discounted happy hour menu, which pleased us both as my husband could order a plate of fish and chips and I could choose yummy fish tacos. Win-win! Even with my husband ordering a pint of porter, our bill only came to $22 with tip.

2. Our next stop in Operation Something Nice was to treat ourselves to fancy coffees as my husband had earned a free Starbucks drink. He buys those big vats of Starbucks coffee for his CPR classes, which occasionally add up to free drinks. But first we stopped at home for travel mugs as I’m trying to hold myself to a zero waste standard whenever possible. We ordered the largest Venti size and had the barista split a mocha into our two mugs, and then sat to leisurely drink our coffees before our next activity. Photographic proof HERE.

3. Brace yourself, as this is when things get exciting. We stopped into Trader Joe’s to buy 19¢ bananas, as it was almost next door. Of course I chose the biggest bananas, as they’re priced per unit instead of per pound. (Hey, what can I say? Going on a date with me is always going to veer towards the practical.)

4. We then drove over to my favorite second run theater for a 6:45 showing of The Big Sick. It wasn’t my husband’s first choice, but as I’ve already clarified, marriage is about compromise. The tickets were $4 apiece, and the two of us walked right past the concession stand despite the alluring aroma of hot buttered popcorn. I normally have 2-for-1 coupons for this theater, but they wouldn’t have been valid on a Saturday night anyway. The movie was great, and I even ran into an old friend for bonus enjoyment.

5. Our post-adventure evening featured the two of us goofing around on the internet in front of Star Trek:The Next Generation reruns. And about halfway into Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra I jumped up to make some hot buttered popcorn as I felt we deserved one last tasty treat. Dare I say it? A extremely frugal treat.

Total cost of the evening? $30, plus around 70¢ in change that I put into the tip box at Starbucks.

Now your turn. Do you and your loved one enjoy date nights that don’t break the bank? Please share in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. I gave away all our leftover Halloween candy to someone in my Buy Nothing Group who is a middle school counselor. She’d posted a request, asking “Have leftover chocolate? I’d be happy to take it off your hands for my students. I’m a middle school counselor and chocolate has a magical way of making teary, awkward, emotional middle schoolers feel much better after a crappy day.” Poor kids, middle school is THE WORST!

2. I sold all my leftover Red Rose Tea figurines to someone who sells at area flea markets. (Not a ton of money, but every penny counts!) Once I’ve decided to get rid of something it’s almost painful to continue looking at it. I also picked a different buy nothing recipient to come and get a tea kettle that I’ve been trying to give away. (The person who had so desperately wanted it kept flaking out.) I finished up another Clark Howard article that I’d been tinkering with for a few days. In the end it took a long time to write, but I’m really happy with the end result. I’ll start on another article today that’s hopefully a bit more straightforward.

3. I needed to get out of the house yesterday, so I texted my friend Lise to see if she was up for a walk to the grocery store. I needed carrots, onions and beef broth to tart up my leftover pot roast, and I even stuck to my list. We had a nice long chat while crossing tasks from our respective to-do lists. She’d recently reorganized her magazines, and I showed her a nearby Little Free Library that would be a perfect way to declutter a few of her old New Yorkers.

4. I took some Dollar Tree navy beans that I’d cooked in the crock pot a few days ago and am turning them into a savory soup. I work tomorrow and would like to have some nice leftovers to bring for lunch. The hospital cafeteria has an amazingly inexpensive salad bar, but homemade is still cheaper.

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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1. I bought an on sale chuck roast yesterday and filled my house with the heavenly scent of pot roast. I gobbled up all the ambrosia-like carrots and onions, so I’ll go to the store today for more carrots to bake in the leftover broth. Day two of the house smelling like pot roast? Even Lorelei Gilmore would approve.

2. I sold an Izod shirt on eBay that I’d had listed for ages. I then bought a pair of eBay jeans that I’ve determined to the perfect size and style for me. I was down to a single pair of pants, (“trousers” for you British readers) and was unlikely to come across these specific jeans while thrifting. I paid $13.50 with free shipping, which works for me.

3. For years I’ve set up an old TV/VCR combo in our front window on Halloween to play “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” We no longer own this TV, so instead I set up a big computer monitor and played the same movie through Netflix. Our nine front steps are wide, which gives them the illusion of being steeper than they actually are, so I feel the need to advertise our house as “worth the effort” to hesitant trick-or-treaters. It always works and many of the kids commented on how much they loved it. This Halloween decor doesn’t need to be bought, stored or maintained. Using what I already have as a Halloween feature? Perfect!

4. I packed up the Izod shirt in a used manilla envelope, I arranged a free USPS pickup to avoid driving to the post office, I handed out Red Rose figurines to trick-or-treaters who wanted “a ceramic figurine” and I only bought practical food while grocery shopping. So yeah . . . no ice cream.

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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1. I’ve been successful at not breaking into the Halloween candy, even though I changed my mind about storing it at the neighbor’s house which is my normal Katy-is-an-unapologetic-wierdo hack. (Instead, I shoved it into the back of our attic space to protect it from inevitable late night cravings.) I bought it during a 50%-off sale a couple weeks ago and look forward to handing it out to tonight’s adorable zombie cheerleaders and Darth Vaders. I’ll be alone at the house for the first time ever as my husband works and the kids are in college, but I still plan on dressing up and reveling in the neighborhood fun.

2. I sold an antique cast iron skillet through Facebook Marketplace that was a pay-by-pound Goodwill Outlet find. I then sold a textbook through eBay that I’d pulled from a free pile while dropping my son off at college. I was put on call for work yesterday and then immediately called back in, which gave me four hours of overtime pay. I submitted another Clark Howard article and proposed two more article ideas.

3. I borrowed my friend Lise’s sweater shaver to tidy up a Pendleton wool sweater that I’d bought at the Goodwill Outlet. I’d intended the sweater for my husband, but it was too small for him which means I now own a refreshed pill-free and cozy sweater for fall. I don’t own very much clothing, and this addition is perfect as the sweater is warm but still pretty thin. Plus, we Oregonians love our Pendleton wool!

4. I worked yesterday and brought my own lunch, and then drank the free crappy coffee and the free delicious tea, I decorated my front porch using Halloween doo-dads that a former neighbor had handed down to me a million years ago, I gave my friend Lise a can of La Croix cranberry seltzer as a thank you for the sweater shaver and I let my free HBO subscription expire without renewing it, (I only wanted it for Game of Thrones.)

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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1. I worked yesterday and brought food from home, even though all I had for a heat-and-eat meal was half of a roasted acorn squash, hard boiled eggs and a banana. I worked my tuchus off and needed every single drop of the free crappy coffee and the free delicious tea.

2. I came home and remembered that they’d started airing the second season of The Durrells in Corfu on the PBS Roku channel. I loved the My Family & Other Animals books when I was a child, and even read them aloud to my sons when I became a parent. This Masterpiece Theater series is one of the few television adaptations that does justice to the source material. Laying in bed watching the struggles and adventures of the perfectly imperfect Durrell family was the perfect end to an exhausting day.

3. I’ll be treating my mother to a Birthday Day of Adventures this afternoon. I won’t spoil the surprise by sharing my specific plans, but there will be an anchor activity, a meal and then a treat. All based on my mother’s interests and centered around a single locality. Very few of us are wanting for miscellaneous knick-knacks and random tchotchkes, so I encourage you to consider replacing your thing based gifts with experience based gifts. After all, multiple studies have shown that experiences make us happier than physical objects. Plus the enjoyment of the gift can be shared with all who participate. Click HERE to see how we celebrated last year.

4. I decided that I didn’t like the You’re a Badass at Making Money book that I currently have from the library. The author’s tone and central premise about the super cool amazingness of being rich rubbed me the wrong way, so I’ll be returning it to the library this afternoon. It’s a couple days overdue, so I’d planned on dedicating time to finish it, but instead I decided to cut my losses. I’ll also drop off our election ballots at the library, which will save us 98¢.

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

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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