Try rubbing the inside of a banana peel around your teeth for a minute or two.
Then use a toothbrush as usual. (I use a little salt only.) Amazing! In just two weeks you should notice a big difference.
I have also read that ground activated charcoal on a toothbrush works wonders too! Makes your mouth very black though – until you rinse!
I am always amazed when I visit someone’s place in the evening and the lighting in the main room is overhead.
Now, I don’t mean the times when people put on the main room’s overhead lighting just for me.
I mean when there is ONLY overhead lighting and no offset lighting at all.
I know we are all different, but for me, at night, the living room is dark except for a low-light (warm) standard lamp in the corner.
Some people say just the TV is enough these days – since they have become so big and bright – but I think a soft, warm corner light is still essential.
It’s the bright overhead lighting that I don’t understand.
Fluorescent lights? Not for me. But if you really want to save…I suppose so.
You can always get ECO fluorescent tubes but my preference would be for a small aquarium growth light, and not overhead.
PS: I have read that uncovered fluoros may have a negative impact on your health. The wikipedia seems to think so too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamps_and_health
Sometimes you just have to make a stand.
I try not to buy processed soy products. Soy bean farming is destroying the Amazon. The rich crooks who stole the land from native farmers have a lot to answer for. Google it and I challenge you not to be at least a little ashamed to be part of the human race.
So what has this to do with saving money?
Well, not saving the Amazon is going to cost us all, but processed soy products are like paying good money for less of something.
These days supermarkets have the word soy written on products all over the place. And you thought you were doing your body a favour? Not so. All the real goodness of the plant has been stripped out. Once again, google it:
http://www.naturalnews.com/027880_soy_products_milk.html (for example)
I get angry with this constant shortchanging and addition of non-foods in our diet. Excess sugar and salt in everything. Don’t you?
Unprocessed soy is a different matter entirely.
Those poor farmers have had their land stolen from them and we lose the Amazon. And I thought the loggers were bad…
I like receiving cards. I really do. As a student I worked for a short time in a Hallmark factory. All those guys working so hard designing cards, writing soppy words, printing, cutting, packing. I don’t want to see them lose their jobs but…
The world has gone digital. And me too. ECards are the way I do it nowadays.
Not those horrible free ones with spam and ads. I pay a small 2 yearly membership to a premium site with great cards. And most of my friends like receiving them. (If they don’t and they haven’t said so and they’re still friends, like, who cares?)
And, no, I get nothing out of recommending this site to you.
Do you own a microwave? Most of us do these days – and that is a good thing.
There are so many myths associated with them. Heating from the inside out for example. Not true.
A source of radioactivity? There is NONE. Your body is more radioactive than the microwave. What? Well, it depends what we mean by radioactive. Microwave Radiation is not the the same as radioactive radiation.
Are they dangerous?
Some say yes: http://www.relfe.com/microwave.html
Most say no: http://elgringosalsero.hubpages.com/hub/The-Myths-About-The-Dangers-Of-Microwave-Ovens
I think the case for danger is extremely weak. Of course, it’s your choice.
Microwaves are 70% more efficient than an oven. True.
So my tip here is to remember to use the microwave.
Rather than immediately – and unthinkingly – using the gas or electric range and oven in your kitchen, give your microwave more work to do.
Did it come with a manual? Read it. Learn how to cook with it. Or google “microwave recipes” and find sites like this one:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/campus-cooking/microwave/
This is just about the best thing you can do these days to speed up your old – or new – computer.
Solid state drives are around 5 times faster than ordinary hard drives.
But they are expensive (at the time of writing).
The trick is, you don’t need a large one. A 60 GB SSD drive is around $120.00 (here in Australia) and you only need to put the Operating System and installed programs on it. Data can be stored on an external drive and plugged in when you need it (or for quick access to often used data – saved online on a site like Dropbox).
So SSDs are the way to go. Just don’t spend money on a large one.
One thing – NEVER defrag an SSD. Shortens their life, which is longer than a platter drive by the way.
Belts, my husband says, are useless things. As you get older – and wider – it gets harder for a leather belt to do its thing and stay in place.
And therefore he wears braces, and so does our son. In fact, braces are so-oooooo comfortable, and my husband swears they give you a real emotional lift all day. You kinds feel lifted up all day.
Son says it’s always fashionable too.
Did I mention braces can be picked up for less than $10.00?
Try it guys. You might never go back.
I always google “[name of known brand software] alternative” when I want to do something new on my computer.
e.g. office alternative
realplayer alternative
But there is even a website that helps you find alternative software: http://alternativeto.net/
And if you want to quickly add a whole bunch of good free alternative stuff, go here: http://ninite.com/
Brilliant!
Are you a tea-drinker? I believe it is better for you than coffee, and caffeine is one of the most over-“prescribed” drugs in use (tea contains less of it – unless you eat the tea-leaves!)
But we are trying to save money, not discuss health issues.
Which is cheaper? Tea-bags or loose-leaf tea?
Loose tea is less expensive AND tastes better (and allows you to brew the stuff properly!).
All you have to do is use a tea infuser. A single level teaspoon for a single cup.
My preferred tea infuser is: http://www.swissgold.com/e/tea.php
You might be able to pick one up on Amazon. After a while, it will save money if you drink a lot of tea.
Tea-bags are really not necessary and the tea is so tasteless in comparison with loose-leaf tea.
I’ve mentioned generic brands before with headache tablets – aspirin for example. In Australia they are branded (they have a name), but are considerably cheaper than better known tablets.
But you can find generic brands everywhere, in supermarkets especially.
You might think that generic brands are not as good as the real thing. Sometimes it’s true. But often they ARE the real thing. Try them out and see.
Make it a game to see if a generic version of an item is available.
Wine is a good one to try for. Cleanskins are sometimes real value and quality too. But you’ll have to taste them to find out. I return cleanskins, though, if they taste like vinegar. You’ll usually get your money back – you won’t if it’s a branded wine, unless the cork has really failed. But these days, corks are hard to find.