time your shower

 ELECTRICITY, GENERAL  No Responses »
Jul 172012
 

There is often a cost to saving money.  It would be nice to be rich enough not to worry.

But waste is for everyone to consider. And over-showering wastes money…and water.

The cost is the loss of the enjoyment of hot water on your back for 15 minutes…

15 minute showers can cost anything up to 50c depending on where you live.

You can always do better.

Take a kitchen timer into the shower with you and speed up – see if you can do your thing in under 3 minutes. Make it a game.

Brushing teeth and shaving can easily be done while NOT showering, but many do.

My husband actually turns of the shower while sudsing up his hair and body. A shower break!

 

cosmetics substitutes

 APPEARANCE, SUBSTITUTES  No Responses »
Jul 152012
 

My husband swears that women look better without make-up, so do we apply it for the sake of other women or for the men?

If we do it for men, I think he might have a point. They aren’t into shoes either.

Makeup substitutes (good for you and your skin too!) include:

makeup remover: olive oil or baby oil
shaving cream: baby oil
lip gloss: vaseline
dry hands: tomato ketchup – just wash after use!
hair gel: vaseline
blemishes: toothpaste dabbed on overnight
lotion: coconut oil or coconut milk
toner: apple cider vinegar with drop or two of essential oil for the smell (which fades fast anyway).
deodorant: equal parts baking soda and coconut oil
tooth whitener: pure baking soda on a toothbrush

cables

 ELECTRICITY, RIP-OFFS  No Responses »
Jul 152012
 

Where would we be without cables for all the new tech gadgets we have?

Well, a lot better off financially!

No other tech product I now is so overpriced!

Make sure you check around online before ever plonking down $20-$30 a cable.

HDMI cables? Some crooks are charging uop to $200.

Just search around online.

 

 

personal finance managers

 FINANCE, RIP-OFFS  No Responses »
Jul 152012
 

Most just don’t perform as well as you can do.

Much of the time they suggest products that are known poor performers because they gain commissions for doing so.

Who else would you employ to do a worse job than you more often than not, and then have to pay a fee for the  privilege?

 

headache tablets

 HEALTH, SUBSTITUTES  No Responses »
Jul 152012
 

Got a headache? I am not surprised – if you are paying top price for brand name heachache pills.

Always ask at the chemist for generic drugs if available.

They are often exactly the same the substance (headache pills for example).

 

bottled water

 FOOD AND DRINK, RIP-OFFS, SUBSTITUTES  No Responses »
Jul 152012
 

No-one in their right mind would deliberately pay for a product they can easily get for free. But people do.

The quality difference between tap water and bottled water is – in a great many cities (though not all) – so slight as to be negligible. And, who would think it?, much bottle water actually contains more germs and mineral imbalances than tap.

Just say no.

vegetable soup

 FOOD AND DRINK  No Responses »
Jul 122012
 

Vegetable Soup

It goes without saying that soup is good for you.

It’s cheap food too.

Every student would do well to start the week by making a large pot of vegetable soup with some chicken or other meat thrown in.

Place in three or four plastic containers and freeze.

So simple, so inexpensive, so necessary.

No need to follow a recipe. Vegetables?

Mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, a few silver beet leaves, celery… it’s up to you. Just cut and add to a salted pot of water.

Cut up an onion or two and fry in olive oil. Add some sausage or bacon blocks if you like. When cooked, add the lot to the vegie stew.

Personally, I always add a can of lentils to give substance.

Grate (parmesan?) cheese over the top.

Delicious!

hair care shampoo substitute

 APPEARANCE, SUBSTITUTES  No Responses »
Jul 112012
 

Experiment. Go for as long as you can (two weeks at least) without washing your hair with shampoo.

By that time your hair and scalp will have readjusted and you can wash your hair with water as nature intended.

You can add a rinse of apple cider vinegar from time to time, but water is all you need.

It does take time, though, for your hair’s natural oils to do the right thing.

 

 

rules for eating out

 FOOD AND DRINK  1 Response »
Jul 112012
 

When you eat out at a restaurant, don’t feel that you have to eat a lot to please the proprietor.

It’s amazing how many people have guilt feelings about spending little in a restaurant.

You don’t have to have an entree. Or a dessert. Or even a main meal if you don’t want one.

And you certainly don’t need to order anything to drink but water. Tap water.

Walk out if you are pressured to pay too much after looking at the menu.

And certainly, unless in the USA,  skip the tip for poor service.

In other words, learn to be a little bit mean. That way you can leave a decent tip when you do get good service.

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