Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Not only is there no unpleasant family drama, but there’s candy involved. Not to mention it’s a perfect creative challenge for the Non-Consumer in all of us.
Put together a costume from this-and-that and then get rewarded with sweets, what could be better?!
Have a great Halloween!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, [...]
Entries from October 2009
October 30, 2009
Happy Halloween!
October 29, 2009
Coupons — Are They Worth The Trouble?
When my friend Glenn sent me a link to a Good Morning America/ Huffington Post piece about a woman who feeds her family of six on $4 per week. My first thought was:
Wow, that’s a lot of lentils!
But no, the women is one of those coupon fanatics who’s able to combine sales, coupons and [...]
October 28, 2009
Your Favorite Fall Recipes
Fall somehow always takes me by surprise. At first there’s a few leaves here and there, then come the rains and before you know it the cruddy days outnumber the nice ones and summer is officially gone.
Does this happen every year?
Yes it’s a little sad, but the season of cool and wet, (I live in [...]
October 28, 2009
Things vs. Experiences
Last Sunday’s Parade Magazine included an article titled, “Why Shopping is Good Again” by Lee Eisenberg. I set the insert magazine aside, thinking the information included in such an ad based publication would certainly be an interesting read.
It turns out that Eisenberg has a book to be published next week called, “Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer [...]
October 26, 2009
My New Obsession — Unitaskers
One of the blogs that I subscribe to is Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutterer.com. And one of my favorite features is her Unitasker Wednesdays. This weekly column highlights a product that serves a single, often bizarre purpose. Of course:
“All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you [...]
October 25, 2009
Comments From The Secretly Frugal
The recent column titled, “Shh . . . it’s the Secretly Frugal” garnered the most amazing and inspiring comments.
Here are just a few, although I would highly recommend reading the entirety. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share your thoughts and stories in the comments section.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, [...]
October 25, 2009
When You Fall Off The Wagon
I am mostly a consistent and self-disciplined person. I’ve been with my husband since 1987 and in the same job since 1995. I have been doing The Compact (buy nothing new) since 2007 and hanging my clothes on a clothesline for over two years.
However, I’m far from perfect.
For example, my younger son leaves for a [...]
October 23, 2009
Volunteering — Like Work, but Better!
The following is a reprint of a previously published blog. Enjoy!
My family volunteers.
Here, there and especially at the library.
My husband volunteers as the equipment manager for our local recreational non-profit soccer club. This means that he coordinates all soccer equipment for the largest league in the state of Oregon.
It’s a big commitment.
What this really means is:
The only clean and bright [...]
October 23, 2009
Sometimes Life is Too Full to Write
I was not able to write a blog post today because I worked from 7:00 – 3:30 P.M., helped my son with a school project, went to a play and then dessert with my mother and am only now at home at 12:30 A.M. And yes, I have to be at work at 7:00 A.M. [...]
October 21, 2009
Shh . . . It’s The Secretly Frugal
Frugality is everywhere. It’s on TV, in the papers and certainly on the internet.
It’s inescapable.
But that doesn’t mean that frugal folk stand out any more than your average American. Often, frugality is completely behind closed doors.
I come across a wide cross section of society in the course of my job as a hospital nurse. I [...]
