Extreme Frugality – Are You Willing to Go The Distance?

I like to bring a book or magazine into bed, where I can actually read without worrying that, “I should be doing this” or “I should be doing that.” Sometimes I read way into the night, other times just a page or two’ll do me.
Last night I grabbed my well worn copy of Amy Dacyczyn’s [...]

The Worth of Individual Action

I just finished reading Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process. One of the main themes throughout the book is whether there is worth in individual action when so much [...]

“How to Live on Nothing,” a Review

We recently enjoyed the privilege of hosting Christopher, an old college chum and his family for a couple of nights. They were wonderful house guests bringing both engaging conversation and an armload of delicious looking home canned goods from their garden.
On the last evening, Christopher suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to give me one [...]

An Inspiring Comment From a Reader

This comment in response to Now is Not The Worst Hard Times just came in, and it’s so moving and inspiring that I wanted to share it with everyone.  Next time you’re feeling deprived, think about how others have lived in the past, and how others still live in many parts of the world.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use [...]

Now is Not “The Worst Hard Times”

The following is a reprint of a previously published blog. Enjoy!

Times are hard now. There’s no debating this fact.
As an RN, my job is pretty much recession proof. But that doesn’t mean that my retirement is doing better than anyone else’s. Or that food prices aren’t shockingly high.
We are in a recession, and the media [...]

Dave Ramsey — Cash vs. Debit

 

I am currently reading Dave Ramsey’s wildly popular book, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. This book is often mentioned by writers I respect, so I thought I would give it a whirl. (Plus he’s coming to speak in Portland, and I thought I should familiarize myself with his teachings.)
My copy is from [...]

Am I a Loser in the Grocery Game?

 

Food prices are skyrocketing.
There’s no doubt about it.  At a time when most people are tightening their belts, keeping within a food budget is proving harder than ever.
I went to the grocery store the other day and felt pretty good about the deals that I had scored. But when I got home I looked over [...]

Book Club Selection — “Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle,” by David Wann.

 
 

 
The first  selection for The Non-Consumer Advocate book club will be the terrific Simple Prosperity : Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle, by David Wann. 
The Utne Reader writes:
“David Wann makes a compelling case that the current fiscal squeeze is really a good thing in Simple Prosperity. A coauthor of the best selling Affluenza, he covers a lot of [...]

Non-Consumer Advocate Book Club Finalists

 

 
I presented the idea for a Non-Consumer Advocate book club, and received lots of great book suggestions. Some of which I’d already read, others were ones I had been meaning to read. A few were ones I’d not heard of, and I put them on hold at the library.
Here are some of your books suggestions, (plus [...]

Send In Your Book Club Suggestions

 

My name is Katy Wolk-Stanley and I am a big reader.
I always have a book or two going at a time, and have become addicted to reading audio-books while doing dishes. (The addiction is so bad that I’ve been known to not do the dishes because I need to make a library trip.)
I’m going to [...]