Julie Anne Cat

Happy New Year! I'm starting year 2 of a personal project to Buy Nothing (from the Broligarchs). I will NOT give the Trump Hate Machine economic support if I can help it. I do buy food, medical and work supplies, and local or second-hand clothes and gear. I use Bluesky as my journal of my process

Day 661 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I did need to buy something new for my mom: she loves her electric skillet, (only thing she cooks in anymore). But her old one's losing its coating, & that’s unhealthy. I got her a new Green Pan one-and got a good bargain. And not from a big-box chain!

Oct. 24th: Day 660 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I still try to hold the line on even small purchases that I don’t need and aren’t new. I resisted a $3 garlic press on a clearance rack recently; ours is old, *but still works* and I want to stick to my principles.

Day 659 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): Sometimes I can’t finish my lunch because I get interrupted by the start of office hours. I usually eat it up right after school, but when I had to leave early, I was glad to have reusable containers I use to carry things off - why waste good food?

🚨 FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA VOTERS! More than 7K voters had their registrations flagged over questions about their residential addresses, & the ACLU is raising serious concerns about errors. Check your voter status NOW. If it says “Challenged,” contact Fulton County Elections.

California, Alaska, and more. Here’s what you need to know to understand Trump’s last-ditch efforts to avoid losing. joycevance.substack.com/p/trumps-las...

Elon Musk has dumped almost $450 million into the midterm elections. Tesla paid 0% in federal income tax last year. We should tax the billionaires.

Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security wanted CISA, an agency that protects election systems, to acquire and hack a voting machine, which shocked staffers. “This goes against everything CISA represents,” a former official said.

youtube.com/shorts/eIXpu.... Hey don't assume all are cut out for the job 😂

Trump’s personal Attorney General Todd Blanche doesn’t rule out challenging election certifications in various states (You are not alarmed enough)

NO 👇 LIES DETECTED.......

TikTok investor Jeff Yass avoided paying $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He then poured that money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election deniers. From the ProPublica archives:

Russian disinformation campaign and Elon Musk going after Talarico. That’s all you need to know when deciding who to vote for: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/u...

Vivek Ramaswamy mocks Amy Acton for being raped by her stepfather and abused by her biological mother, saying she "complains about what someone else did to her."

Day 658 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I have the unusual privilege of *actual* free lunch at my school and it’s quite good, especially because I usually just go to the salad bar, and maybe top it with some of the main dish veggies and meat or tofu - healthy, yummy - and free!

Two weeks ago, @jimacosta.bsky.social broke the story about DHS potentially using a military-grade “heat ray.” I joined him to discuss the risks. Today, CNN reports the Pentagon authorized DHS to test it. Having worked at DHS and the Pentagon, I find this horrific and deeply concerning.

Day 657 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I made a smoothie w/ spare rhubarb sauce + the mashed oranges + peel from a jelly (draining) project. Plus brewer’s yeast & raw eggs (my neighbor’s, pastured; I trust them). It tastes like liquified rhubarb-orange bread. Odd, but tasty, healthy, frugal

This is long. I hope you’ll read it anyway. I’ve brought the tea: claims of noncitizen voting, last minute pre-election charges; it’s the same tired playbook & it's failed before. They’re hoping you don't remember. But knowledge is power. Read here: joycevance.substack.com/p/the-reoccu...

Day 656 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): A great thread about mending natural-fiber clothing. The videos are worth watching & the pictures are worth viewing even if you don’t have sewing skills or inclination, just to see the artistry! But hopefully also motivational?! bsky.app/profile/diew...

Enjoyed seeing this woman's work. Sustainability isn't just about producer decisions, but also consumer decisions, namely their willingness to repair things when needed. This type of repair is easier on natural fibers, rather than stretch fabrics. Consider that when shoppping. IG loosethreadsrepair

We need ads that are a montage of Trump administration fuckups punctuated with JD Vance asking people if they've said thank you

Every indication right now is that Dem lead in generic House ballot matchup is growing. New NBC poll has Dems +10. Given that Nate Silver's averages now have Dems +9.6 (a big deal!), the Dem lead might enter double digits very soon. On the pod, we dig into all of it: newrepublic.com/article/2168...

Day 655 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I really hope Democrats regain Congress, so we can slow the economic catastrophe and investigate the corruption, not because I hope a Dem. victory will give me license to buy things again. I think I’ve changed fundamentally into a non-buying person

Day 654 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): My friend has a spice grinder, and we’ve been playing with dehydrating and then grinding to powder things that would otherwise go to waste. Some recent successes: orange peel powder for flavoring baked goods and tomato seeds and skins to flavor eggs

Must remember

Washington Post has released series of new polling this morning Perhaps this is the most striking finding:

Day 653 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I do this trick to use up the last contents of squeeze bottles. It’s so normal for me now that I just keep the set of bulldog clips in a bathroom drawer along with my hairclips - I will need them about once every month or two. Every little bit helps!

Day 652 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): even on sale these Halloween decorations are expensive ($75!!) - and plastic, cheap and UGLY! I don’t dislike Halloween, but I hate the over-commercialization. I’m for harvest decor and home-made or thrifted costumes.

Day 651 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I saw this sign at a thrift shop. I hope it was meant to be ironic, because the best way to simplify my life is to have fewer useless possessions. I did not buy the sign (I’m sure you’re not surprised!)

Day 650 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I had to buy some “single use” towels for a school activity that were actually durable. Someone wanted to throw them away after the event because they were dirty, so I took them home, washed them, and now I use them to clean my car windows!

Petri for the win. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Day 649 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): The main take-away treats I’m coming home with are lovely memories and stories, and a bunch of gorgeous pictures, because the weather was fine and the blue sky and sparkling sun set off the fall colors beautifully!

Day 648 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): We traveled by car, and so I didn’t have to pack light. So I was able to bring home-raised produce and jarred syrups as hostess gifts - another way I didn’t have to buy anything much despite travelling

Day 647 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): My no-buying self-control skills are strong. Despite being in a town with many cool restaurants, bookstores & tourist shops that we’ve browsed, the only treats I bought this weekend are an ice cream, a coffee and a used book (as a gift)

Trump’s White House ballroom is funded by lobbyists, billionaires, and pardon recipient wannabes. trib.al/jgQsNaF

Donors of $333 million to the ballroom include "contributors who have benefited from regulatory decisions, government contracts and, in one case, a pardon for a family member." From @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4yiUDPx

BonesSpurs McDraftDodger had the unmitigated gall to post this image & I just threw up in my mouth a little. At long last, sir, have you no sense of decency? #StolenValor

Elon Musk has pointed directly at Trump as the source of recent throttling on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine. Zelensky warned the slowdown would cost lives by limiting Ukraine’s ability to fend off Russian invaders. www.yahoo.com/news/world/a...

CLARKSVILLE: “Attacking children to win an election is disgusting. Full stop.” State house candidate Allie Phillips @allie4tn calls out the TN GOP for yet another attack mailer that uses images of her children: www.facebook.com/share/p/19wu...

Imagine working for Starlink in TX, CA & WA, going home to your own family at night knowing the product Musk sold to Ukraine for battlefield Wifi use is now being turned off so Putin can murder children in Kyiv. There must be some kinda ‘paper trail’ in your offices. Leak it now.

Day 646 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): For our trip I prepared picnic food for lunch on the way down and back, and ingredients to make breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. We are eating one dinner at our friend’s house and just one meal out. So frugal travel meals too!

Day 645 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I’m getting to go on a weekend theater trip with a friend, which is awesome enough in itself, but it’s turning out to be super frugal too, because we are able to stay in the home of a friend’s mom who’s out of town - no hotel bill either!

Day 644 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): The secret to the tomato abundance seemed to be all the manure my husband adds in late fall - we’ll do that again. I recognize it's a privilege few have, although we do have city friends who come out with buckets & help themselves from our barns

Somebody crocheted an entire van for Gina Hinojosa’s campaign for Texas governor, and I am OBSESSED! 💙 #GinaForTexas #VivaHerAlliance

Q: You said Zacharia is an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? What state? ZACHARIA: When I moved to China

I can’t even keep up with the tomatoes, which are STILL going solidly - I made a caprese salad with the last of the basil and a big, beautiful tomato. If I wasn’t teaching, I might harvest & process it all, but harvest season clashes badly with being a teacher (as does planting season, actually)

Day 642 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): I like thrift shops and antique shops, but I’m not a fan of pawn shops, which feel like they manipulate the misfortunes of poor folks. The high proportion of guns in the windows is also a turn off for me - creepy and a bit scary

Day 641 of Buy Nothing (from the broligarchs): If you often buy markdown grocery items, plan to stop and check your receipt before you walk out of the store.The scanner can grab the original price, not the markdown one. Just today I had to ask for $4.25 refund for an item that didn’t scan correctly