Everybody has heard of a consumer advocate before- someone who helps to make sure that individuals are getting the best deal possible. Or to make sure that the quality of the products is up to snuff. For instance think of Consumer Reports and the countless reporting and tests they perform on the different items we use as consumers. But you likely haven’t heard of a ‘non-consumer advocate’ before and that’s who we’re talking with today; our friend Katy Wolk-Stanley! Katy’s site is TheNonConsumerAdvocate.com and she helps people learn to live on less, and to do so in a way that lessens their environmental impact. She’s an uber-frugalite who hardly ever buys anything new, and she uses that superpower to help others to live on as little income as possible. In this episode we discuss some of the different tactics that anyone can deploy: prioritizing lower tech solutions that last, how Katy easily fixes her broken household items, how minimalism and frugalism compliment each other, selling items on eBay, getting tax breaks for donating to Goodwill, and more!
Additional links:
- The Non-Consumer Advocate – You can check out Katy’s blog, her group over on FB, and keep up with her frugal ways over on Instagram!
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During this episode we enjoyed a Cloudscape IPA by New Park Brewing- thanks for donating this one to the pod Matthieu! And please help us to spread the word by letting friends and family know about How to Money! Hit the share button, subscribe if you’re not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us to change the conversation around personal finance and get more people doing smart things with their money!
Best friends out!
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Happy to have found your podcasts! I’ve followed Katy’s blog for a long time and am always amazed at her ability to resell her finds. However it should be noted that IRS rules regarding deductions for goods were changed a few years ago. A taxpayer needs to itemize in order to take a deduction for non-cash donations. With a standard deduction close to $26,000, many taxpayers will not be in a position to itemize, and therefore won’t be able to take a tax deduction for goods that they donate to charitable organizations.
That’s a great point, Diane. It’s always important to bring up the TCJA (and the much larger standard deduction) when having a convo like that. We really should have made that point during this episode. Thanks for bringing it up here – and thanks so much for listening!