Recession Obsession

During my long hours at home taking care of my dad, I often find myself looking for new forms of entertainment. This usually leads to trying bazaar things, and then I get to blog about them. I read a lot of news, watch a lot of Glee and for just a few minutes, try to come up with things to do to take my mind off what is really going on in my life.

I recently read an article that basically said the recession is showing signs of being "over", but that unemployment rates will continue to hover where they currently are (12-13% in many places) well into the next decade. I don't think that translates into "Hurry, everyone! Go spend as much money as you possibly can!" But hey, I'm not an economist.

I do wonder if the amount of debt people are in has increased or decreased over the last year. I can't help but think that the economy is still the same, people have just been scared to spend a dime for the last 9 months or so, and now they have some extra cash to burn and are finally getting the things they wanted. After all, wanting something really really bad is a great reason to buy it, right?

Anyway, the real purpose for this post is to help out those of us who are still very careful with our money, whether by choice or circumstance... So, for those of us who are still trying to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE to ward off anymore unforeseen economic crisis, I have decided to post some money-saving ideas which I have come across. Take them or leave them, but I have actually tried most of them. I will rate them as well so you know what to expect. If you have some ideas which have worked for you, e-mail them to me and I will post them on here for all to read.

1. Homemade lip scrub.

I don't know how your lips react whenever the seasons change, but you would think I was part snake, shedding my summer skin every time fall rolls around. I always get really dry lips and I found this simple recipe online because I didn't want to pay $12.00 for a lip scrub at Ulta. Here it is:

• 1 Teaspoon honey (warmed)
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Drops of Olive oil

Mix all three ingredients together, put some on your clean dry lips and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then gently start to rub your lips with your finger. (you can rub them together but when I did that I got a taste of the stuff and it was not very pleasant, use your finger:) Rub them for a couple minutes and then wash off the goo with warm water. Then, get some more olive oil and rub a little on your lips.

rating: (***- -)

reason: I think the baking soda actually dried my lips out a little. I think next time I will use sugar instead...

2. In-home body hair removal.

I don't know about you, but I could potentially spend a lot of money on hair removal. I am not a fan of body hair. My friend Roxanne is an esthetician and taught me some tricks to remove my own hair, rather than paying someone a boat-load to do it for you. While, I must admit, practice makes perfect and the first few times you try, well, you may just get what you pay for. In the long run you can save yourself a lot of money. An eyebrow wax can cost upwards of $25.00. I like to have mine professionally done every so often because over time, the shape of the brow needs to be fixed, but I am really cheap and like "free" things. Waxing at home for a few months between professional visits can really make a difference.

I just so happened to come across the "Nad's Hair Removal Strips" (pictured above) in a beauty supply store and they were on sale for $4.00. I love having hair-free arms so I purchased these to try them out. After all, way back in the day, the Nad's infomercial would suck me in every time and I would pine for smooth limbs. I anxiously purchased them and went home to try it out. If you have never waxed your arms before, don't worry, it hurts WAY less than eyebrows.

First you start out by "desensitising your arms" with the little cloth they give you. To be honest, the cloths are like the wet-naps from rib night at Applebee's. However, they did the job. Then you separate the wax papers and place them on your arm, rubbing in the direction that the hair grows. Then, in one swift movement, you rip the sucker off as quickly as possible in the opposite direction in which you rubbed. You can re-use the same strip many times and when it gets un-sticky, you just fold it in half, rub it a little, and then unfold it and wa-lah! Good as new. Highly recommended. HOWEVER, DO NOT attempt to remove hair that is less than 1/4 inch long. It won't work. So, it may take a while before I will be successful at waxing my legs with these strips.

rating:(****-)

reason: It worked well, but I still want to try a warm wax method. I'll let you know how it goes.

3. The Ped-egg

Pedicures are just as important for the cold months as they are for the warm months. Cold weather makes them crack and hurt. I can't afford the $40.00 to get a pedicure every couple weeks so I use a ped-egg. It is AMAZING. I love it! I use it when I get out of the shower and then I put lotion on my feet. Love it, HIGHLY recommend it. You can get one for about $10.00 at Sally's Beauty Supply, or maybe even Wal-mart... I don't know for sure. But I have seen them many places.

rating: (*****)

reason: It works! It's cheap!

So, there you have it. When I am bored and trying to think of things to do, I get dry lips, hairy arms, and nasty feet. So hot right now.