The Non-Consumer Advocate

What’s making me happy:

1. I’m happy that the road to Timberline Lodge was freshly plowed so that my husband and I were able to avoid putting chains on the tires.
2. I’m happy that the architects of Timberline Lodge included this little writing nook way back in the 1937, and that no one besides me wanted to claim it as their own in 2017.
3. I’m happy that both my kids seem to be emerging as functional adults who know how to problem solve and take care of themselves. (This is prompted by my older son who figured out how to get himself to jury duty, despite it being in a different town than where he attends college. He successfully argued that he has classes he’s unable to miss, and then he figured out how to catch a bus back to campus. He didn’t even contact me once about the logistics, so I only heard about it afterwards!)
4. I’m happy to have amazing neighbors who don’t bat an eye about keeping an eye on our cats while we’re out of town.
5. I’m happy that I took the time to deep clean the house, so that we’ll come back to a fresh and inviting home. Nothing is more depressing than coming home from vacation to a stale smelling and messy house.

What’s pissing me off:

1. An eBay buyer tried to scam my son by claiming that he’d sent the wrong size soccer jersey. Luckily the jersey that he returned had a different ID number on it, so I was able to definitely prove the deception. My son is not out any money, but I spent a fair amount of time and mental energy dealing with the return. However, I learned that you can block a buyer, which is a good skill to have.

Now your turn. What’s making you happy, and conversely what’s pissing you off?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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1. My husband and I spent yesterday finishing up our taxes and rewarded ourselves with dinner and a movie. Of course, our frugality was on point. My father likes to take me to lunch once or twice a month at a local restaurant that offers punch cards. It takes forever to earn anything, but I was finally at the point where buying one entree would qualify me for a free one. Unfortunately, it ended up being a “happy hour” day, which meant that they weren’t punching cards. Luckily I was able to talk the server into charging me an extra dollar (the full amount) in order to qualify for the free entree.
2. We walked home where I finished up a Clark Howard article, and then readied ourselves for round two. Our favorite refurbished art deco movie theater has bargain Tuesdays, which meant that the two of us paid just $2 apiece to see Star Wars: Rogue One. The grand total of the our adventures ended up being $15, including the tip! By the way, I loved the movie and its attention to detail, including that the Rebel Alliance fighter pilots had dorky mustaches, consistent to the 1977 Star Wars actors. Continuity matters!
3. I received a free container of Barkeeper’s Friend cleanser in the mail yesterday, which I earned from submitting my own before-and-after for their website. Pretty funny, as the shipping far exceeded the cost of just buying one from my own grocery store. Hey, free is free!
4. I did my kids’ taxes for them, but used TaxAct.com instead of TurboTax.com as the state filing was going to cost $29.99 as the period for free filing had passed. I meant to have the boys do their own taxes during spring break, but forgot as my focus was on my son’s oral surgery. I want full credit for this frugal act, as I had to start from scratch when I realized that I was going to have to pay to file his taxes. Kind of a pain, but I saved $60.
5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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

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One thing that I really like about blogging is that I’m constantly learning new tricks. Whether it’s here or on The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group, new ideas are constantly flowing in.

So today is your turn. Have a tip or trick that saves you a few pennies or a few dollars? Please share your unique money saving ideas in the comments section below.

I’m sure we could all use a new idea or two, so please, share what works for you!

Here, I’ll start. My main money saving idea to to tweak my attitude. Instead of feeling bummed out about not having money for all the fun things I could be doing, (Hawaiian vacations, etc.) I choose to focus on how great it is to not have to work all the zillions of hours it would take to earn the money for these kinds of expenses.

Tag, you’re it!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I worked the last two days, and of course I brought my own food and drank the free crappy coffee and the free delicious tea. I used cloth napkins and silverware from home, and all my food was packaged in reusable glass containers.
2. I listed a few more things on eBay and quickly made two sales. One was a vintage key fob screwdriver that was included in a $2.99 bag of miscellaneous Goodwill sewing supplies, (sold for $19.99) and the other was an antique cast iron stove handle thingy that I bought a million years ago for 49¢. (Also sold for $19.99.) Both pieces were packaged in used padded envelopes, and I took advantage of free bubble wrap that a local business was giving away. I even arranged for a mail carrier to pickup from the house, which meant no extra errand for me! I just love that I was able to put these odd and specific items into the hands of people who will use and appreciate them!
3. I’m looking forward to an upcoming freebie mini-vacation courtesy of my husband’s employer. He has a three-day work conference at an amazing historic mountain lodge, and his boss says that not only am I welcome to accompany him, but that I’m specifically invited! (For those of who’ve seen The Shining, this lodge was used as the exteriors for the movie!) I love this historic landmark, and have always wanted to stay there, but have never felt comfortable with the splurge. I’m already gathering library books and plan on doing some serious writing in in front of the massive lobby fireplace. I just hope to type more than “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!”
4. My $2.99 bag of Goodwill sewing notions included two darning eggs. I gave one to a co-worker, and in exchange she insisted on giving me two hand knit potholders. My sons will both be living off campus in the fall, so I’m starting to think about the household supplies that they’ll need.
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

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1. My son needed a few things from home, so I spent yesterday driving down to his university. Although the trip is generally pleasant, I roped my mother into coming with me as I knew she’d enjoy seeing her grandson’s dorm, and frankly it’s nice to have company during the five-hour drive. I cemented the deal by suggesting that we could do some thrifting. I packed snacks, (apples and carrots) as well as a reusable water bottle and travel mug. My mother was kind enough to pay for lunch and dinner. Sadly the restaurant where we’d planned on having lunch closed early.
2. With my willing 18-year-old in tow, the three of us located a large Goodwill across town from his university, (thank you, Google maps!) where each of us found something to buy. For my son it was nice thermal knit shirt, for my mother a pretty frame, and for me a $2.99 mixed bag of miscellaneous sewing notions. What caught my eye about it, was that it contained not one but two vintage darning eggs! Again, my mother treated.
3. I bought a $2 drip coffee at the grocery store for the ride home instead of going to the Starbucks across the street. The coffee tasted like it’d been brewed many hours earlier, but I was miles away before I realized the extent of the cold bitterness. But guess what? I survived!
4. I mailed off another one of my son’s eBay sales on Saturday. So far he’s sold two soccer jerseys and a pair of sneakers for a total of $260. Of course I packaged it up with second hand supplies. My neighbors receive a lot of packages, so they bring me their padded envelopes for my eBay needs.
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

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1. I had a two hour class at the hospital yesterday morning, which put me way across town into suburban territory. I used it as an opportunity to visit a couple of Goodwills that don’t normally enter my orbit. I ended up buying two items to sell on eBay, (a vintage sports theme glass lighting shade and a pair of designer sneakers) as well as a $2.99 padded lap desk so I won’t overheat my laptop. I’m still chipping away at a Goodwill gift card from Christmas, so no money was spent.
2. I invited my mother and step father over for dinner last night to belatedly celebrate his birthday. I was able to pull together the food from groceries I already had on hand, which was perfect since I was exhausted and had indulged in a two hour nap. We enjoyed our meal and then watched a Netflix comedy special.
3. I stopped into a Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet while doing my suburban adventures and bought $1 tissue paper, a $1 jar of pickles, a $2.99 packet of Columbus brand roast beef and some 50¢ Tillamook/Bob’s Red Mill yogurts. I later passed a Costco and made a quickie stop to take full advantage of their cheap gasoline. (Unrelated to frugality, but I passed some groovy looking buildings that caught my attention, and then realized that they were part of the Nike world headquarters campus. Oh right, that . . . )
4. Our hospital census was down earlier this week, and I got called off for eight hours of my twelve hour shift. I used the time to do the legwork for a couple different Clark Howard articles. Also, I chose to work on continuing education the day before instead of accepting the offer to go home early.
5. I didn’t buy a Lear Jet or a a vulgar Квартира в небе.

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

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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1. I called our cable company to find out the cost of our monthly bill for internet without the cable TV. (It’s bundled, so it’s confusing.) And . . . as long as I had them on the phone, I asked for and magically received free HBO. Yup, we’re doing our taxes! #GameofThrones
2. I scrubbed up our old propane grill to ready it for an exciting new journey. My husband and I lugged home a freebie upgrade last week, so we’re giving this one to a co-worker. It’s a bit scrappy, but still functional. Better for it to stay in use.
3. My son made two eBay sales totaling $220, I’m so proud of him! Especially since the majority of that was a pair of $20 thrifted sneakers that sold for $180! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with this one.
4. I was feeling super blah today, which I know is a combination of missing the kids and having to go back to work tomorrow. However, I was still able to fight my way through a monster to-do list. It was boring, but future Katy will be happy that today Katy accepted her adult status. (Being an adult sure involves returning a lot of e-mails and making insurance related phone calls.)
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

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