The Non-Consumer Advocate

1. I signed up for two months of Paramount Plus for just $1.99 per month. My husband and I are suckers for anything Star Trek, which makes this channel one of our favorites. The plan will renew at $12.99/month, so I added “Cancel Paramount Plus” into our calendar, complete with a reminder alert.

   This ain’t my first rodeo.

2. I’m still in the midst of a nasty head cold, but am treating it with nothing more than fluids and an extra strength dosage of taking it easy. I’ve never been one to take cold medicine, as I learned in nursing school that at best you’re just managing symptoms and at worst you’re wasting your money.

   The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that they’re beginning the process of pulling all medications containing oral Phenylephrine, as it’s been found it to be completely ineffective in treating the common cold and its symptoms. Phenylephrine is the active ingredient of common over the counter medications such as Nyquil, Robitussin and Theraflu. Save your money and instead drink a cup of tea and maybe go lay down.

3. I sold a pair of 1994 Lillehammer Olympics mugs* on eBay for $23.50. I’d had them up for sale for over two years, so I was happy to accept the offer down from the $30 asking price. Sometimes I thrift with the goal to earn an impressive amount of money, but other times it’s just because I want to put an unusual item into the right set of hands. It was unlikely that someone in this random Tacoma, Washington thrift store had a 1988 Winter Olympics connection, but me putting the mugs up on eBay meant a specific person was able to find these precise mugs.

   Consumer goods are grotesquely over manufactured, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily easy for the average consumer to source quality used items. That’s where eBay sellers and thrift stores enter the picture. Helping consumers avoid Amazon, one to two mugs at a time.

4. • My son sent me a picture of his meal prepping for the work week and I spied that he was wearing the apron that I got him from my Buy Nothing group. I also noticed that he’s using the huge mortar and pestle as a fruit bowl. Happy mom!
   • I started researching inexpensive places to eat that are near where my husband and I will be enjoying next week’s mini-vacation. I’ve found a couple of well reviewed Mexican food carts, which is promising. Their on-site restaurants feature $19 taco plates, $22 omelets and $18 burgers, so I’ll continue to figure out tasty options that won’t break the bank. No point in scoring this very-cheap-with-airline-miles schmancy vacation if we spend hundreds of dollars on restaurant meals. Luckily they have in-room refrigerators.

5. I didn’t buy 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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1. I sold a pair of reproduction prints* that I forgot I even had up for sale. Definitely not going to make me rich, but I’ll take the $28! (minus eBay fees.) I joke that my hobbies of thrifting, blogging and perusing the neighborhood’s “free piles” are all money makers; and frankly it’s true!

2. I’m taking the day to recombobulate, both myself and my home. The elusive Portland sun is peeking out from behind the clouds and I’m taking it as sign to open up a few windows and refresh the stale air in the house. Staying at home is an extremely frugal activity, especially when the heat is off.

3. I’m definitely not hitting any after-Christmas sales as I’ve put my spending patterns back into sleep mode. It doesn’t matter if an item is 50%-75% off, if it wasn’t something I would’ve bought in the first place!

4. • I’m listening to The Lost Library audiobook through the library’s free Libby app while I putter around the house.
   • I’m also reading my overdue library copy of The Echo of Lost Books, which I’ll hopefully finish up before bedtime. I really like the book, it’s just that my focus has been elsewhere.
   • I arranged for the mail carrier to pick up my husband’s baseball glove, which he’s sending out to be re-laced. It wasn’t our regular carrier, otherwise I would’ve handed him the tin of treats that I picked up at Trader Joe’s for him. Being able to schedule these free USPS pickups saves me a couple of post office trips per week, so I really appreciate this service!

5. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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Today is Christmas as well as the first night of Chanukah. There’s hasn’t been precise overlap of the two holidays since 2005, which makes 2024 seems extra special. My family gives Christmas presents, although we do light the menorah, eat latkes and spin the dreidel.

My goal for gifting is to either buy used or consumable as much as possible, as well as to avoid that Schmeff Schmezos guy like the plague. He has enough money without taking mine, thank you very much!

I’m gifting just two brand new items, one from my local Powell’s Books and the other from an historic hardware store. My husband also bought two brand new gifts. I wrapped almost everything in brand new Chanukah gifts bags, which I thrifted from Goodwill.

Here’s what we “bought” for everyone:

Son

My husband picked up a brand new TV at Costco for our son, even I was on team “We can find a used TV,” but sometimes you get outvoted, even when it’s a tie. I comfort myself knowing that there’ll be a warranty that doesn’t exist for Goodwill items. Also, I remind myself that “perfect is the enemy of the good” and have only bought a dozen or so brand new items since 2007 when I made the decision to only buy used.

I also got him a menorah from my stash. a mortar and pestle and apron from my Buy Nothing group, the aforementioned screwdriver from the non-chain hardware store, some lovely treats and a lottery scratch-it ticket.

Daughter

My husband bought a Roku box for our daughter, (also from Costco) and I bought her a set of Dungeon and Dragon books from Powell’s Books. I also got her a blender off Facebook Marketplace, plus a rice cooker and new pair of Apple airpods from Buy Nothing. Plus lots of yummy gluten-free treats, a thrifted menorah and a lottery ticket.

I also remade her baby book after finding a blank version of the original on eBay; and I did the bureaucracy to register and obtain a replacement college degree to match her legal name and gender.

Husband

My husband and I don’t exchange Christmas gifts, but I did tuck a few things into his stocking. Maple syrup, dried mango, plus various chocolate treats and a lottery ticket.

My sister

My sister and I both have Christmas adjacent birthdays, so we abstain from Christmas/Chanukah gifts. I mailed her birthday box to New York last week, which contained a variety of store bought treats, such as McVitie’s digestive biscuits, chocolate oranges and Jaffa cakes. (We lived in London for a few years throughout our childhood and are sentimental about British treats.) I also included a Revere Ware tea kettle, which I scored at a consignment shop for just $8. Her one broke a few years ago and she frequently complains about how the replacement one is worse in both form and function. Lastly I ordered a specific magazine from eBay that she and I oohed and ahhed over last summer.

It cost more to mail the box than to fill it.

My niece and nephew

Money. Venmo the college kids what they really want. Fifty bucks for Chanukah, fifty bucks for birthday. Boom, done!

My mother

I bought my mother a matching purse and wallet from the defunct company Queen Bee Creations, which sadly closed shop a few years ago. I bought these from a woman on Facebook Marketplace and it was a great score as they’re actually brand new. She’s also getting British treats and a lottery ticket.

My step father

My step father is getting a great big bag of gourmet goodies, plus a lottery ticket.

My daughter’s girlfriend

My daughter’s girlfriend is getting a pair of Goodwill Boutique earrings, a thrifted (brand new) fleece blanket, gluten-free treats and a lottery ticket.

That’s it, as we’ve winnowed down the gift list through the years. Not sending gifts to fertile cousins or their millions of kids, not doing a work gift exchange and always striving to avoid giving clutter or unethically manufactured objects. I feel content with my gifts this year.

How did you do?

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. When pushed to come up with a few holiday gift ideas, my daughter asked for a blender. I was able to find a Cuisinart Duet model on Facebook Marketplace for $15, which was much better than the $90 it would have cost new. I had to drive across town, but that was okay with me.

   I have other gifts for her, which I’ll include separately in a future “what I gave for Christmas/Chanukah” post.

2. I stopped at Safeway on the way home as my husband had grocery shopped for his work lunch supplies without using one of my 10%-off coupons. He’d spent sixty-some dollars, but that was enough for me to bring the receipt plus the coupon to customer service.

   The clerk asked if I was sure I wanted to use the use the coupon for such a low purchase as “this coupon can get you 10% off $200!” I spent a moment wondering if he had a fair point, after all $20 is nothing to sneeze at. But then I realized that’s there’s no way I would ever spend $200 at Safeway, as all I ever buy there are sale items or last minute emergency ingredients. Spending $180 would get me dramatically less food, when compared to shopping at my beloved Winco. I took a deep breath and accepted $6.25 and walked over to the cheese aisle, where I picked up a pair of $6.49 sale priced Tillamook cheese blocks and nothing else.

3. I sold the $7.99 thrifted needlepoint rooster for $75 through Facebook Marketplace. I’d had it up on eBay  for almost a month with no interest, so I cross listed it locally. The photos were already taken and the description was pre-written, so there was no reason to not complete this extra step.

   I think I’ll go through my eBay listings and find a few more items to list locally. People shop like crazy in the lead up to Christmas, so I might as well give them the opportunity to buy my stuff!

4. • The 10%-off coupon was one of three that someone in my Buy Nothing group gifted to me. They’re given out when you get your vaccinations at Safeway.
   • My neighbors dropped off a yummy looking can of peppermint cocoa, which’ll be great to have on hand, even though the ten-day forecast shows nothing but dreary rain. I tend to save cocoa for snowy days but it might be time to rethink this policy.

5. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I asked in my Buy Nothing group if anyone had an apron that I could give to my son as a holiday gift. It took a few days, but someone a couple blocks over had one to offer. I walked over this morning and left them a prettily tied handful of rosemary sprigs as a thank you.

2. I offered up the leftover Christmas tree boughs on my Buy Nothing group. These are the ones I got for free from a Christmas tree lot a few days ago and am happy to share the extras. I also offered up a box of maple flavor Cream of Wheat packets that had been too sweet for my palate. I’d used a coupon to get them for free, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for them to go to waste.

3. My neighbor across the street gave us a box of Christmas cookies and mini-cakes, which were top tier amazing as she’s a trained chef. We were somehow able to make them last over the course of multiple days and even shared some with our son. I’m not doing any holiday baking, (so far at least) but I did bake up a loaf of no-knead artisan bread to return the favor.

4. My son wanted to hit IKEA after work to pick up a specific kitchen wastebasket and asked me to accompany him on his adventure. Although my first instinct was to say “no,” (The 4:29 P.M. sunset is far from invigorating) I did assent, as quality time with my adult kids is increasingly rare.

   I did grab a few gourmet goodies to give as gifts, but otherwise kept my wallet in the closed and locked position.

   

5. • I’m picking up mail for a neighbor who’s out of town for a few days.
   • I tied the rosemary sprigs with leftover bakery twine from Zeppieri & Sons, my favorite Bronx, NY bakery.
   • I stopped into the CVS that’s near my father’s house to pick up the medication for my husband’s upcoming colonoscopy. This saves us from driving across town for a single errand and is a favor to future us.
   • I cut out gift labels from the paper cookie box for next week’s Chrismukkah-palooza.

6. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I sold a Shiny Brite tree topper* on eBay for $20 and packaged it up in the ugliest but most functional Frankenbox. I also used two inside out Amazon bubble mailers as bubble wrap. I was able to get it out for the mail carrier maybe ten minutes before he came by the house this morning, which is great as I imagine the buyer wants it before Christmas.

   Maybe it do, baby. Make it do!

2. I used my minivan to help my step mother pick up a mattress she was buying from Facebook Marketplace. It didn’t exactly fit, so we drove a mile or so with the mattress sticking out of the back of the car. Luckily, it wasn’t raining.

3. I stopped by the Goodwill in my father’s neighborhood and although I didn’t find anything worth buying, I did find a dime on the ground.

4. I wanted to buy a multi-bit screwdriver for my daughter’s stocking and chose to buy it from a locally owned hardware store. Wink’s Hardware, which touts themselves as an “old fashioned hardware store” has been in business since 1909 and is a breath of fresh air in the era of Amazon and Home Depot. The store really does feel like stepping back in time, which is my favorite kind of shopping experience.

   My father gave me a similar screwdriver maybe 25 years ago and I swear that I’ve used twice a week ever since. It’s not an easy thing to find used, but I still feel good about this purchase.

5. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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1. I drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain to pick up a pair of Facebook Marketplace gifts for my mother. (I can’t be any more specific as she reads the blog more than I do!) I then decided to hit a juicy suburban Goodwill since I was in already the area, but accidentally programmed the GPS to take me to a “Boutique Goodwill.” (Boo!) I normally avoid these stores as they’re stocked with dull designer name clothing, which is totally not my thang. However, I figured that I might as well give it a look see.

   I browsed the store and ended up buying a cute pair of earrings for my daughter’s girlfriend that were priced at a reasonable $7.99. I also used their bathroom, so I’ll call it a win.

2. I boxed up my sister’s Chanukah/birthday gifts by creating a Frankenbox from a package that my husband got in today’s mail. I’m really hoping that he doesn’t need to return his purchase, as he’ll be up a creek.

3. I used Pirateship.com to prepay for the USPS label, which saved me a bit over two dollars. I could’ve saved a lot more had I chosen UPS, but the package would’ve taken four extra days in transit and my sister’s birthday was yesterday.

4. I’m not putting up a Christmas tree this year, which is my small protest against right wing Christian nationalists forcing their religion into secular government agencies and policy. (Also, it’s an unpleasantly scratchy endeavor.) I did grow up with a Christmas tree, as did my father, although he tells a funny story of how his family spied his religious grandfather slowly walking to the house on a Saturday. (He didn’t drive on Shabbat.) My dad and uncle then hurriedly yeeted threw their fully decorated tree out the window and their Jewish grandfather was none the wiser.

   Instead I stopped at a Christmas tree lot and grabbed an armful of free cut branches and arranged them in a vase for winter solstice. I’m content with my wintery blue and white decor, especially since William Shatner made the cut.

5. I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley 

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

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