namastea
July 11th, 2008, 12:37 AM
My fiance and I are hardcore about luxurious yet simple living.
I will add to this more when I haven't had too many Chocolate Pumpkin cupcakes, too much "Pizza Hut-alike" cheeseless pizza, and gimlets :dizzy:.
-We buy a lot of our toiletries from LUSH. It's all not tested on animals, and it's vegan-friendly. A lot of it is too expensive for me, but some stuff is so budget-friendly:
-The deodorants last FOREVER and are solid! Try T'eo. These guys tend to last the two of us 6-12 months, but we're not terribly stinky!
-Solid massage bars and scrub bars! They are long-lasting, have metal storage tins, and no packaging. The massage bars are multi-tasking: massage, full body moisturizer, hair tamer, nail creme, etc. They smell amazing.
-Fresh Farmacy is great for irritated, red, pimply, or oily skin. A solid facial cleanser that lasts for ages and ages. No more bottles! Other facial care, too, like the cute and solid/package-free Babyface makeup remover.
-Squeaky Green, Gentle Lentil (mmm...lentils and a white chocolate scent!), and other solid hair bars. They store well in tins and my Gentle Lentil bar lasts me a year for one $9 chunk. It leaves my mid-back-length hair happy and shiny.
-Facial creams for the discerning vegan! They range from $20-90; a pot will last 6-12 months, however, and there are vegan options that don't suck. My face has been so happy.
-Hair-dye that prevents dandruff and ickies and may help shield scalps from the sun! We use Hennaforhair.com for this great stuff. I use the brilliant red kind and store some in a "shooter," also sold on the site, for my blonde roots. He uses indigo for his dark brown hair. It's cost-effective compared to salons and creepy homekits and all-natural. Be sure to buy pure body-art quality henna. The kind sold in health stores/natural foods stores is overpriced and doesn't pack any colour punch. Just add some spices: chamomile for blonde highlights, paprika for super red, coffee/grounds for chestnut. Also, add the juice of a lemon or lime (or just some ACV...anything acidic!) to facilitate dye release.
-Make your own toner/refresher with witch hazel, tea tree oil or tea tree water, grapefruit oil, juniperberry oil, rose water, rosemary oil, lavender oil as your skin desires. Tea tree, grapefruit, juniper are harsher and rose and lavender are softer. Rosemary seems all-purpose but may irritate sensitive skin.
-While you're at it, be cheap. Take a hunk of shea butter (kangarooblue.com) and whip it for a long time. Thirty minutes if you have a standing mixer; 10-15 if you must use a hand-held. It will whip up really nicely. Put into an old, sterilized jar and if you dip with clean hands, you have a really great winter/aftersun/anytime body cream. Scent with your favourite essential oils while whipping if you wish.
-Make an odour-busting foot powder. Take some cornstarch, baking soda, and tea tree oil. One cup of corn starch, a quarter cup of baking soda, and 25 or so drops of tea tree oil. Whisk a few drops in at a time; put some muscle into it. Transfer to an old powder container (or any shakeable container) and you've got a powder that will help with both odour and moisture.
-Make your own soap learning from the Soap Dish Forum. We sell it, too, but we use it for laundry detergent when powdered, for our bodies, hands, dishes, household cleaning...it's actually oddly easy to do and isn't very expensive if you make 100% castille (mostly olive oil, and the cheap stuff at that!). You'll know it's vegan, too!
-Go to ethnic restaurants that "ethnic people" actually eat at. Order some carbs, appetizers, and PERHAPS a veggie entree. More than enough for two, and you can get away with $20 including tip.
-Learn how to make a great pizza dough. Practice if you have to. Get it right, tweak it. Once you figure that out, and do a great sauce (if you need a recipe, PM me), you will never need to figure out delivery options that are vegan or run to a store for vegan frozen pizza that's overpriced. No need for vegan cheese!
-Figure out your own granola. It's oats, a sweetener, and frills--really. Make a huge batch and store it in a Tupperware-like container. Use for breakfast and you can't go wrong. So, so, so much cheaper than cereal.
-Look up how to make your own soy yogurt and it'll both taste better than the original and be waaay easier than you thought. I promise.
-Get all of your kitchenware/supplies from a secondhand shop. I live in Iowa and found all sorts of cast iron pans that should have been a fortune, were in excellent condition, and cost me a few bucks each. Potholders, seives, mixing bowls, teasets...don't be a snob! :) I've found classy stuff secondhand. Hint: try consignment shops in your phonebook before you go to Goodwill, etc.
-Instead of fancy bath oils (in addition to drying bubble baths or fizzy salts, even!), try a scoop of aforementioned shea butter. A teaspoon in a hot bath will cut the need for lotion.
-I loathe spending so much money on veggie burgers, but it's really a chore to make them at home. Take a good recipe and triple it. Freeze in Ziploc baggies in a container and be sure to put the date. They should last months, if need be, and a quick zing in the toaster oven makes them good as new. It's guiltless, cheap "fast food."
-Have a taste for cocktails? Why pay a fortune at a bar to get something better than the bottom-shelf liquor? Pick up a few beloved recipes online, practice at home, and host a cocktail night at your place. Offer to "bartend" for cocktail nights at friends' homes, too. I've saved so much money doing this. I live in a college town and two or three drinks can become very expensive.
I have scads more where that came from, so stay tuned. You would not believe how little we live on and how well we live.
I will add to this more when I haven't had too many Chocolate Pumpkin cupcakes, too much "Pizza Hut-alike" cheeseless pizza, and gimlets :dizzy:.
-We buy a lot of our toiletries from LUSH. It's all not tested on animals, and it's vegan-friendly. A lot of it is too expensive for me, but some stuff is so budget-friendly:
-The deodorants last FOREVER and are solid! Try T'eo. These guys tend to last the two of us 6-12 months, but we're not terribly stinky!
-Solid massage bars and scrub bars! They are long-lasting, have metal storage tins, and no packaging. The massage bars are multi-tasking: massage, full body moisturizer, hair tamer, nail creme, etc. They smell amazing.
-Fresh Farmacy is great for irritated, red, pimply, or oily skin. A solid facial cleanser that lasts for ages and ages. No more bottles! Other facial care, too, like the cute and solid/package-free Babyface makeup remover.
-Squeaky Green, Gentle Lentil (mmm...lentils and a white chocolate scent!), and other solid hair bars. They store well in tins and my Gentle Lentil bar lasts me a year for one $9 chunk. It leaves my mid-back-length hair happy and shiny.
-Facial creams for the discerning vegan! They range from $20-90; a pot will last 6-12 months, however, and there are vegan options that don't suck. My face has been so happy.
-Hair-dye that prevents dandruff and ickies and may help shield scalps from the sun! We use Hennaforhair.com for this great stuff. I use the brilliant red kind and store some in a "shooter," also sold on the site, for my blonde roots. He uses indigo for his dark brown hair. It's cost-effective compared to salons and creepy homekits and all-natural. Be sure to buy pure body-art quality henna. The kind sold in health stores/natural foods stores is overpriced and doesn't pack any colour punch. Just add some spices: chamomile for blonde highlights, paprika for super red, coffee/grounds for chestnut. Also, add the juice of a lemon or lime (or just some ACV...anything acidic!) to facilitate dye release.
-Make your own toner/refresher with witch hazel, tea tree oil or tea tree water, grapefruit oil, juniperberry oil, rose water, rosemary oil, lavender oil as your skin desires. Tea tree, grapefruit, juniper are harsher and rose and lavender are softer. Rosemary seems all-purpose but may irritate sensitive skin.
-While you're at it, be cheap. Take a hunk of shea butter (kangarooblue.com) and whip it for a long time. Thirty minutes if you have a standing mixer; 10-15 if you must use a hand-held. It will whip up really nicely. Put into an old, sterilized jar and if you dip with clean hands, you have a really great winter/aftersun/anytime body cream. Scent with your favourite essential oils while whipping if you wish.
-Make an odour-busting foot powder. Take some cornstarch, baking soda, and tea tree oil. One cup of corn starch, a quarter cup of baking soda, and 25 or so drops of tea tree oil. Whisk a few drops in at a time; put some muscle into it. Transfer to an old powder container (or any shakeable container) and you've got a powder that will help with both odour and moisture.
-Make your own soap learning from the Soap Dish Forum. We sell it, too, but we use it for laundry detergent when powdered, for our bodies, hands, dishes, household cleaning...it's actually oddly easy to do and isn't very expensive if you make 100% castille (mostly olive oil, and the cheap stuff at that!). You'll know it's vegan, too!
-Go to ethnic restaurants that "ethnic people" actually eat at. Order some carbs, appetizers, and PERHAPS a veggie entree. More than enough for two, and you can get away with $20 including tip.
-Learn how to make a great pizza dough. Practice if you have to. Get it right, tweak it. Once you figure that out, and do a great sauce (if you need a recipe, PM me), you will never need to figure out delivery options that are vegan or run to a store for vegan frozen pizza that's overpriced. No need for vegan cheese!
-Figure out your own granola. It's oats, a sweetener, and frills--really. Make a huge batch and store it in a Tupperware-like container. Use for breakfast and you can't go wrong. So, so, so much cheaper than cereal.
-Look up how to make your own soy yogurt and it'll both taste better than the original and be waaay easier than you thought. I promise.
-Get all of your kitchenware/supplies from a secondhand shop. I live in Iowa and found all sorts of cast iron pans that should have been a fortune, were in excellent condition, and cost me a few bucks each. Potholders, seives, mixing bowls, teasets...don't be a snob! :) I've found classy stuff secondhand. Hint: try consignment shops in your phonebook before you go to Goodwill, etc.
-Instead of fancy bath oils (in addition to drying bubble baths or fizzy salts, even!), try a scoop of aforementioned shea butter. A teaspoon in a hot bath will cut the need for lotion.
-I loathe spending so much money on veggie burgers, but it's really a chore to make them at home. Take a good recipe and triple it. Freeze in Ziploc baggies in a container and be sure to put the date. They should last months, if need be, and a quick zing in the toaster oven makes them good as new. It's guiltless, cheap "fast food."
-Have a taste for cocktails? Why pay a fortune at a bar to get something better than the bottom-shelf liquor? Pick up a few beloved recipes online, practice at home, and host a cocktail night at your place. Offer to "bartend" for cocktail nights at friends' homes, too. I've saved so much money doing this. I live in a college town and two or three drinks can become very expensive.
I have scads more where that came from, so stay tuned. You would not believe how little we live on and how well we live.