Sunday, March 31, 2024
Friday, March 29, 2024
Sterling Silver Mother Of Pearl Drop Earrings
3) Without a doubt, this purchase of fake pearls is 100% fake ... and yet not 100% fake in every way. They are shell pearls -- made from natural Mother of Pearl (a substance secreted by mollusks, the same sea creature that secretes natural pearls.) Cut and shaped into round beads, these are covered with Nacre (the same substance pearls are made of) to give them good luster. So you get manmade fake pearls made out of the same natural substances as real pearls but for less moola!
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Oatmeal is Healthy And Versatile
Royalty free photo |
People make the mistake of buying single packages of instant oats when 1-minute or 5-minute oatmeal flakes quickly cook in a microwave just like the more expensive less healthy instant oatmeal. Knockoff brands from Amazon Walmart or supermarkets are great too and cheap. You can then add healthy ingredients like berries or nuts to it if you wish.
Another way I use oatmeal is in most recipes that call for breadcrumbs. Oatmeal comes in a big size while breadcrumbs come in much smaller quantities. I don't tend to stock breadcrumbs.
Photo & recipe courtesy of How To Cook Smarter |
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
3 Low-Tech Cookers Worth The Money
1) An Egg Cooker - When I first saw egg cookers on the market I thought how ridiculous to buy a special gadget to boil eggs, but I've changed my mind! The reason is you can cook either hard, medium, or soft boiled eggs perfectly every time. Not so in a pan of boiling water on a stovetop, where the results of getting the eggs cooked just right can be mixed. Cooking time is less using the egg cooker also because you use far less water. You pour a small amount of water into the egg cooker which quickly brings the water to a boil. A see-through cover lets the eggs steam until the water disappears which activates an alarm telling you the eggs are done. To clean, just raise the parts with tap water as they get steamed, not dirty.
Egg cookers come in mini, small, medium, and double-decker sizes corresponding to how many eggs you need to cook at once. They'll also make a custard, though I don't plan to utilize this function.
Wow, 3 economical simple cookers to make home-cooked meals better and more convenient. From cooking to serving dish to dishwasher!
πΊJust for fun, here are 4 gadgets that tend to be a complete waste of money: 1) a George Foreman grill, 2) a sandwich maker, and 3) a breadmaker as you'll rarely reach for them. Tasty hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a loaf of bread can be made as easily or consistently on a stovetop or inside an oven without special gadgets -- the reason you'll stop using them. I had a small George Forman grill. It grilled burgers no better than a frying pan on a stovetop, but I had to wash a special catch-the-meat-juices tray that is placed under, in front of it, so I gave it away. I never bought a breadmaker as I knew from experience you don't need one, and the devices seem to produce small loaves. When I bake bread I like sandwich-sized slices. 4) I also recommend passing on buying an ice cream maker. Ice cream is easily purchased from either an ice cream parlor or a supermarket. Homemade isn't better tasting than readymade and you'd have to eat plenty for homemade to be more cost effective. Ask would you really want to step on a scale after reaching your break-even point? Hell no.π³π±
Bon Appetite at home!π·
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Stuff I Don't Bother to Buy Anymore
When I started working and earning wages there were a few commodities I always bought that I don't value or bother with anymore. Here are 5 of them:
1) Scented hand and body lotions - For years freesia was my signature scent. Today I've replaced all scented body and hand lotions with drugstore brands, namely CeraVe and Cetaphil Moisturizing Creams, and use them as all-purpose (from face to toe) moisturizers. I love both dermatologist-formulated, fragrance-free brands, so much that I don't need to buy anything else. I mainly stick with these two, although I like other drugstore moisturizers such as salves from Neutrogena, Palmers, and Aveeno to name a few. I've moved on from freesia also. If I want a scent, I dab on drops of genuine Bulgarian rose oil.
2) Scented Candles - News stories warned us that synthetic fragrances usually contain phthalates that get released into the air as candles burn. Phthalates can be inhaled and dissolved into the skin. They get absorbed into the bloodstream to alter hormone levels and worsen asthma. Since it was reported, I don't bother buying candles. Then a careless hookah-smoking neighbor set her apartment on fire causing hardship and 4 maintenance hikes which were passed on to all the tenants in our building. Nowadays there's little joy in the thought of letting candles burn in my apartment.These will stay on the runway. |
Cute, but nope. |
5) House plants - One potted pathos sits in the corner of my living room. For a decade I also had an African Violet but after it died in its 10th year, I never replaced it. I also killed a Zebra plant, as well as, several Poinsettias over the years. At Christmas, I don't buy Poinsettias anymore. I'm fine with my only thriving greenery, a Golden Pathos.
A golden pothos |
Hmm, am I becoming an old fogey? Are there things you once bought regularly but over time seem to have grown out of bringing home and fooling with them?
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Sunscreen Face Powder
EELHOE |
Hydra |
Colorscience |
- SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays
- SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays
- SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Do It Youself Meal Plans Are Cheaper
As we move into the Spring people think about dropping a few winter pounds, and I understand why some of them turn to meal programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. (The latter is the least expensive of the two.) There's no guesswork. Every bite you eat is packaged for you. The cooking and cleanup are light. It's convenient and nutritionally balanced, and if you follow it, you'll drop the weight. Years ago (around 2009), I tried Nutrisystem for 30 days. I wasn't hungry on the diet and remember dropping down to 118 pounds. As a younger woman, my loftier standard of my ''ideal weight'' was much lower. I was a size 6 - 8 for many years (without starving!). Today I'd love to step on the scale at the weight that I started with before dropping down to 118 pounds. THAT number + 20 pounds would be my ideal weight today!:)
At the same time, we also don't want to gain 10 additional pounds each and every year so our weight becomes unhealthy. Unfortunately, even without stringently high (or should I say low?) standards, you can't let yourself go! No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh.
Today I'm going to discuss the well-known Nutrisystem meal plans. If you were to buy similar food independently and are disciplined not to cheat, but follow the plan, including its portion sizes, you could reduce the cost of the diet significantly. Moreover, I remember not liking all of the Nutrisystem meals, yet ate them because of the expense and my commitment to losing weight.
Breakfasts were a combination of protein shakes, dehydrated scrambled eggs (add water and microwave), protein muffins, and protein bars.
Here's what I think you could substitute:
* 1 dozen fresh eggs
* You're favorite high protein, low sugar meal bars - Clean and Pure Protein bars are examples. Look for at least 15 grams - 20 grams of protein with low sugar per bar.
* Protein shakes - Look for 25 grams - 30 grams per serving with low sugar and minerals. Consider buying protein powder (over liquid shakes) and adding it to skim milk for savings. Also try different brands like Premier Protein, Aldi or Trader Joe's house brands for greater savings.
Lunches consisted of canned soups and you could eat fruit or vegetable sticks that you furnish.
THE SAVVY SHOPPER has recipes for a variety of homemade soups, but this post is about convenience.
So you could buy the healthy choice varieties of any number of soups at your supermarket. Read the labels carefully focusing on low calories, salt, and at least 20 grams (30 grams if you can find it!) of protein. I will give Nutrisystem credit for sending chunky protein-rich soup, trickier to find with supermarket canned soup.
Dinners were frozen meals: meat (beef, chicken, or pork), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta), and a vegetable, such as broccoli or peas and carrots).Supermarkets offer all of the above meals for less than $5 - $10 each of the Nutrisystem entrèes. You'll spend far less money plus only have to eat the dishes you like!
When you buy Nutrisystem you still must buy extra fresh fruit and vegetables as they aren't packaged and mailed to you.
Nutrisystem is great at teaching people what they should eat in a day; selecting food with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber; eating a variety of food; learning portion control; and eating when you're hungry. Also, you should and do consume 1/3 of your daily protein requirements with each meal.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
My Favorite Oscar Dresses 2024
America Ferrera in Versace |
The show is not half over! This year's Oscar gowns are lovely and tasteful if not as drop-dead glamorous as other years. Would you agree? Many of the dresses look comfortable so perhaps more attendees decided to dial it down a notch to better enjoy the evening without the fuss or pain.
The gowns are unique in a refined way! There's something of interest in each dress. Michelle Yeoh's long black gloves look so smart with her shimmering gown. Emily Blunt is elegant but her straps don't move with her. Jennifer Lawrance wears playful polka dots elevated by her diamond tennis necklace. More shine than vivid colors this year too!
All photos - Getty Photography
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Blue Diamonds Hold The Earth's Secrets
Photo: IFLScience |
Full disclosure: I'm not a scientist and I don't want to take credit for the work of others. All I can do is read a bunch of sources, then put some of the facts together so you don't have to read all those sources yourself. The following is a paraphrasing -- the Turner "CliffsNotes" -- from several sources on a subject I love covering ... gemstones and jewelry! In today's blog, let's learn more about blue diamonds!
Photo: The Hope Diamond - Smithsonian |
Photo: MID: Okavango Blue |
Photo: Getty - The Blue |
Getty - The Oppenheimer |
Now we know how some of the big rare blue gemstones such as the Hope Diamond and Oppenheimer Diamond were born. Billions of years ago Mother Nature had to come together in just the right way to produce them and for humans to find and have them all these years later.
Heart of Eternity |
Mouawad Blue |