I waffle greatly between hating to cook and enjoying the process. But one thing that I know makes the whole experience less painful is when I can minimize the prep time. And for me, preprepared ingredients are key! And no, this doesn’t mean that I buy premade PB &J’s or those Trader Joe’s jars of [...]

As a self-proclaimed “Non-Consumer,” I should probably keep this myself, but man, do I love shopping! Browsing the aisles, scanning every shelf, keeping an eagle eye out for that elusive bargain. Pure heaven. And I can’t be certain, but there may be some serotonin release and iris dilation. Wait . . . you

Remember my Before and After Projects, Without the After? Well, today’s blog post actually contains a bit of that oh so enticing after. I loved this project, not only because it makes the bathroom look better, but also because it didn’t cost a penny to execute. First off is our rusted out bathroom ceiling light

It’s time again for Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that. An Opportunity to Practice Being Patient Do you remember that 8′ X 11′ Pottery Barn rug that I picked up at the Goodwill Outlet for $25? My plan had been to break out the ol’ Bissell rug [

Frugality It’s salad made from the biggest head of lettuce in the bin instead if a bag of salad. It’s storing your lettuce in a manner that keeps it fresh to minimize food waste. It’s then eating that salad at home, using a homemade dressing recipe. Frugality is about feeling empowered, not embittered by t

Yesterday was a convergence of several rare factors. I was off from work, my husband was off from work, the kids were in school, it was not raining and neither of us had much in the way of pressing business to attend to. Bizarre to say the least. So my husband and I decided to [...]

Our whole never ending fixer-upper house has been a lesson in learning as we go since day one. Sadly, this often means that it’s only when a project is finished that we then know how it should have been done. Also, a number of initial design decisions were made pre-internet, which meant that there was [...]

Dinner out without ever having to worry about the bill. This season’s hip new clothing without the slightest inclination to look at the price tag. A turnkey house where your only project is where to place your gorgeous furniture? Sounds great, right? Nope. As dreamlike as it sounds to have access to everything you wa

So I was out running errands yesterday, when a pile of construction debris caught my eye. And in that pile was a broken up wrought iron arbor. So yes, I swerved the mini-van over to take a closer look. But what could I do with a broken arbor? There’s not really a logical spot in [...]

I wrote last week about the thin line between inspiration and discontentment, and how I can go from “ooh . . . that’s a cool look” to “my whole house needs a re-do” faster than a Kardashian marriage. (Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.) However, I have recently been energized to attempt

This was possibly the best chicken soup I’ve ever made. It included the last of a red pepper, three sausages and a small container of leftover rice. And yes, my house smelled like heaven for hours and hours. Plus, I got to have the Carole King singing in my head all day long. Please tell [...]

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! Dear Bagels, I can’t believe I’m having to write this letter. Where once we were inseparable, we’ve grown distant, apart, without the love that once defined us. I suppose I should start from the beginning. The very beginning. When I was a li

I am home from work today and all jazzed up about getting started on a couple of different fun projects. None of them are complicated or particularly spendy, so they’re right up my alley. (A.k.a. “Any-Extra-Money-is-Going-for-Trips-to-Japan Alley.”) The first project is to spray paint the light fixture in

Katy Wolk-Stanley “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter. Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.  

I’ve recently discovered the blog Young House Love, and have been enjoying spelunking through the archives and drooling over their projects and creative . . . well . . . house love. However, along with divine inspiration, I noticed that their blog was also starting to breed discontentment with my own house. Hmm . . [.

To say that Deanna Duke feels strongly about toxic chemicals in our everyday environment could almost be called an understatement. With an autistic son and a husband dealing with Multiple Myeloma, it’s a subject near and dear to her heart. You probably already know Duke as the author of the popular blog The Crunchy C

I ♥  being being frugal. I love the challenge, I love the freedom from keeping up with the Joneses and I love knowing that my family’s frugality keeps us from supporting businesses and environmental practices that are worsening our planet. Recent frugal activities that warmed my heart: Mailing out our thank you no

The wants vs. needs mantra is popular in frugal circles. Food, housing, warmth are all needs, while piping hot steamy lattes and this year’s tiny-bill-tweed-hat and are wants. (Man, am I sick of that hat!) But are all wants inherently bad? I want a nice home live in. If all I were addressing were my needs, [...]

The following is a reprint of a previously published post. Enjoy! I love a juicy makeover. It can be makeup and hair or even entire homes, it doesn’t really matter as those shows entice me equally.  Luckily I don’t have cable TV so I’m normally able to resist their opium-like charms. But the rooms at th

52 Weeks, 52 Letters Challenge I started this challenge last year, with full intention of mailing out my 52 letters. Alas . . . life and a susceptibility to distraction brought this down to a twenty-something letters challenge, which I’m actually okay with. I sat down to write a couple of thank you notes the [...]

In today’s blog post, I ask you to help out Renee, who is wanting to switch over to her dishes without resorting to buying new. Here’s her question: “In an effort to simply my life I’m thinking about switching out all my dishes for Corelle (or any other unbreakables – are there other brands lik

In honor of having to pull my I-worked-yesterday house together for the Japanese exchange teacher who’s moving in today, I present to you a dusted-off old gem of a blog piece. Enjoy! I really don’t like cleaning. I don’t like tidying up, I don’t particularly like getting things organized and I espe

Yesterday we said goodbye to our Japanese exchange students. Although they only stayed with us for six days, we really got to know these two kids. All host families received a $25-per-kid stipend, which was unusual. Another mother insisted that I accept her money to go towards my sons’ class trips to Japan. Such a [..

You may have noticed that I closed comments on yesterday’s blog piece. It was not an easy decision, and it was only after being called a “bitch” by a reader (as well as other unsavory terms from other readers) that the decision was made. The Non-Consumer Advocate is a place for respectful discussion, but y

Katy Wolk-Stanley “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

A recent conversation about my $50 Craigslist dishwasher got me thinking. Because I choose to buy a $50 dishwasher instead of a $500+ dishwasher, (and a $45 washing machine, etc. etc.) I am then able to do things like travel to Japan and work part time. So enjoy your sexy high end stainless steel appliances, as [...]

        Katy Wolk-Stanley “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Twitter. Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.  

Today I am . . . Hosting two Japanese teenagers. Driving up to Mt. Hood to play in the snow. Hoping to to have either snow or a sunny day, but not driving rain. Using a gift card to buy fresh bagels. Excited that my older son’s Japanese tutor will be moving in with us [...]

I am reading Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, by Martin Lindstrom. I am listening to The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, by Kevin Salwen and Hannah Selwen. I am watching repeats of Big Bang Theory, as well as the [...]

One by one, I’ve been upgrading my plastic, toxic and lower quality kitchen items with their better quality Goodwill counterparts. Rubbermaid made way for Pyrex, metal replaced plastic spatulas; and Teflon? Hello, cast iron! But the one thing I’ve had a hard time finding was a nice stainless steel ladle to repl