I am stealing off for four days at the Oregon coast. Sadly/happily there will be no internet access, which means . . . No Non-Consumer Advocate until Tuesday, September 1st.
Have a fabulous Non-Consumer weekend, I know I will!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
Entries from August 2009
August 29, 2009
Off to the Beach, No Internet Access
August 28, 2009
What Would You Do With an Extra $100, $1000, $10,000?
I had the privilege of taking my aunt Anne out for breakfast today. It was her birthday, (which I had actually forgotten about) which made it all the more special. Our original plan had been to go out for dim-sum, but we ended up finding a wonderful little café not far from my house which [...]
August 28, 2009
Fabulous Frugal Finds
It time again for another installment of Fabulous Frugal Finds. An ongoing series where you, the reader send in your stories and photos of your brag-worthy frugal scores.
It has been so entertaining to get your e-mails and pictures, so keep them coming in!
This is my antique Marion pot belly stove, and next to it, is [...]
August 26, 2009
In Defense of Non-Productivity
The following is s reprint of a previously published column. Enjoy!
I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I could conceivably clean, cook, organize and generally work on my house every waking moment and never, ever run out of stuff to do.
Yes my house is big, but it’s not monstrous. There’s just one bathroom to clean, (this [...]
August 26, 2009
Do You Get What You Pay For?
Who among us has not made the least expensive choice and then lived to regret that decision?
The most glaring example for me was a quick and dirty bathroom remodel from when we first bought our house in 1996. At the time, everything in our fixer-upper of a house needed major attention and it was hard [...]
August 25, 2009
Non-Consumer Mish-Mash
It’s time again for another column full of Non-Consumer Mish-Mash.
When I was pregnant in 1998 with my second son, all my generous co-workers kept asking me what I needed. Because I already had a 2-1/2-year-old baby, I couldn’t think of a single thing. It did finally dawn on me that I would need another chest [...]
August 23, 2009
Take Care of Financial Business Challenge
It may be a month-and-a-half old, but I just came across NY Times reporter Ron Lieber’s piece about how he took an entire work day to take care of his financial business.
My favorite line item on his to-do list was to use up all his gift cards:
“SHOPPING SPREE Yes, you get to have fun on [...]
August 22, 2009
Random Acts of Happiness
I am a generally well organized person. More than some, less so than others. But one of the things that I just love are not the things that I work hard to organize, but the wonderful surprises that fall into my lap.
Recent examples of this phenomenon have been a huge bag of green tomatoes from [...]
August 21, 2009
Fabulous Frugal Finds
The following is part of my series of Fabulous Frugal Finds sent in by Non-Consumer Advocate readers. Today’s column features a super cute sleeping bag score from Freecycle. Thank you so much to Janet for sending in her pictures and story!
“Here is a picture of a sleeping bag that I just got today for my [...]
August 20, 2009
The Non-Consumer Advocate Book Club — Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle — Time Affluence
Welcome to the sixth installment of The Non-Consumer Advocate Book Club. We are discussing David Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle.
The first week we discussed the preface, introduction and first chapter, Taking Stock: How Foresight Can Cut our Losses.
The second week we discussed the second chapter, Evolutionary Income: An Instinct For Happiness.
The third week we discussed the [...]
