It's been more than awhile, but I have a happy excuse for my negligence: employment!
More than I could handle, in fact. For the past 5 months, I've been working as a Home Health Aide. The highs (getting to know fascinating elders & hearing their stories) did outweigh the lows (changing dirty diapers & being disrespected), but I decided it was time to move on & travel. Such is the position I am in today: soaking up free time & a social life but teetering on the brink of financial insecurity.

It's hard to say if this change will inspire me to be more attentive to the blogosphere, but perhaps such these two factors will coincide & leave me loquacious! For now, all I can say is "It's good to be back!" (Just wait until I can't pay my student loans in a few months...then you'll get an earful of complaints...)

This photo I took a few weeks back at the Green Lane Reservoir happily illuminates my mood: content, but at the mercy of the winds of change.

Stupid Mistake

What are you most ashamed of? 

That one is easy for me: stupid mistakes. 

Stupid mistakes like parking in a handicapped spot in a crowded city by accident & getting an astronomical penalty.

You guessed it! That’s what I did this afternoon. I am infuriated with myself. The astronomical fee? $301.

Instead of rattling off the ways I could have better used $301, I’m going to look at this situation constructively. It sucks that I will be wasting three-hundred-and-one dollars, especially because the time my car spent in that spot was exactly 16 minutes ( I had paid for more than that on the meter), especially because I made this trip to the city for those 16 minutes, during which I ran into Reading Terminal Market, ran to the Cookbook Stall, bought an expensive cookbook because I had half-heartedly asked after it one day & the owner made it a point to get in some copies & call me to tell me there was one waiting for me. I justified this special trip & expensive purchase by the fact that I was supporting a very small business (about 20 ft x 10 ft, realistically). But now not only did I spend a lot of gas money, a lot of time sitting in traffic, a lot of extra funds that I didn’t really have on a book that I could have bought on Amazon used for $5, but I also have now spent a whopping sum on a penalty.

Of course I didn’t see the 6”x6” sign hanging on a pole above the sign & if I were appearing in court I would make a case for myself by saying that I live out in the country, where we rely on painting on the ground to tell us if a spot it handicapped. (There was no painting on the ground. I would NEVER had made this mistake if there had been painting.) And while I could go to a hearing in Philadelphia to contest the ticket, I think I’ve added up the implications & stress of such an event (not to mention: taking off of work for a day) and decided that I couldn’t bank on my no-blue-paint-on-the-pavement argument to get me out of there free.

Ok, so first I was angry. Now let’s move on to the constructive side of this. There are going to be things I will do to not let this $301 get in the way of my financial goals (which are already a bit ambitious for a gal with a low-paying job). I will enumerate, more for my own benefit than for yours.

1. Scrimp more: on the way home I opted to get off in Lansdale rather than Quakertown because the toll charges were half. I usually don’t use toll roads but I was pressed for time today & I’m glad I did. That leads me to my next resolution. 
2. Get EZ-Pass: Pennsylvania drivers just saw a toll increase for cash payments, but EZ-Pass fees didn’t go up. It’s high time I get myself one! 
3. Debt Collect: If you already owe me money, I may ask you to get me a check more urgently! 
4. Start an Etsy shop: This is something that requires a bit more time than I have right now, since I don’t really have time to be crafting beyond the gifts that I have in the works for people. But now I will hurry up & finish them so I can build up an inventory of things! 
5.  Prepare lunch at home: With this new job, I often don’t have a lunch break or if I do it’s in my car driving from one client to the next. Obviously fast food would be the easiest option. While I try to avoid this, the long hours are getting to me & I often don’t feel that I have enough energy to think ahead & prepare meals to take along in my tiffin. It’s changing tonight as I resolve to not spend any money on convenience snacks or food. 
6. No buying gifts: Until I have made up this $301, that is. I usually make about 75% of the gifts I give, but I can’t afford to go to any expense with this new bill. 
7.  No shopping: As of last week, I bought enough scrubs to bolster my wardrobe. There is no reason for me to be buying anything for myself since I have too much already. 
8.  Get on those letters of complaint I talked of so long ago: I keep meaning to write them but just never seem to have the time. The reality is that I am too lazy to do so, as they could each take 5 minutes to write. 
9.  Spend less on postage: this is going to be the hardest resolution for me to keep. I have several packages to send in the next month, but I will be seeing what I can do!

Many of these things are doable with a bit more energy than I currently possess. Which means that I’m going to have to work even harder to stay within my narrow means. It requires pre-planning & dedication to saving. In order to garner more respect for myself, I am going to keep track of the savings & earnings that can be dedicated to leveling off this huge bill.

What tips do you have for me? I will welcome any ideas, however ingenious they may be!

Craft Friday

Black Friday brings out the materialism in our society, without a doubt. So this Black Friday I decided to suppress materialism, or at least modify it.* That's why I invited some friends over (although only 2 could actually attend) for a Craftluck! We shared a meal, lots of desserts, and then launched right into our recycling projects.

First up: denim rug or other creation. Kelly did some clothing deconstructing this summer & we had brainstormed some ideas for the scraps left over. We decided to recycle our old, hole-y jeans into a rug. The project is still in its newborn stage, but I'll be sure to post a picture if & when Kelly finishes it! My idea behind the rug is to cut thin strips of jeans & braid the strips together, tying them when you are almost to the end of your strip. Another option that I might try with my own clothing remnants would be to use a huge crochet hook & make a crocheted rug. This is a project for another day, though!

Our candle mold station!

 Second item on the list was our candles! We set up a laboratory to melt old wax (read: aged & ancient church candles saved for such an occasion by my resourceful grandfather.). Thanks to the tradition of using particular colors for the Advent candle wreath, we even had some pink. In the future when I do the project again, I'm going to melt down the beautiful dark blue candles! Tips for candle making: put newspaper EVERYWHERE in your workspace. Last time I embarked on such an adventure I added some new pock marks to my parents' kitchen floor. Whoops! Also, candle dyes seem to dilute quickly, or maybe I just didn't buy good dyes the first time I did this. Nevertheless, if you're a cheap-o like me, better get used to having a lot of pale & cream-colored candles in your life! On the other hand, candle scents do seem to go a long way, so I do recommend buying a small bottle of candle scent.

Our third & final project for Craft Friday was recycled glasses. We had high hopes for these potential beauties. In preparation I spread the word to everyone I knew (my sister & friends) to save their wine & beer bottles for donation to my cause. We had about 30 bottles ready to be transformed from average recycling to extraordinary upcycling! You heard me: we were going to make our very own drinking glasses from the old bottles. Sounds great, right? And we even had a simple process to follow (about which we'd heard of from our dear friend C.C.). Just grab a cotton string, soak it in nail polish remover, tie it tightly in the place on the bottle you'd like to be the top of the glass, set it on fire & plunge it in ice water to finish it off! Flawless.

Not. At right is a photo of my hand holding the bottle for one of our 370 attempts to successfully heat up the bottle & cut the glass. As you now know, it didn't work & I'm not convinced that that process is actually successful. But I'll welcome any proof to the contrary. After attempting one too many times, we found a creepy video online & went out to buy a glass cutter (only $6 at the local hardware store!). To make a long story short, we did learn how to cut glass successfully, but we are still stumped as to how we can make these creations smooth enough to be safe.

Even though our final project divulged some stumbling blocks mid-process, I'd declare our first ever Craft Friday a success. I'm interested in making Craft Friday a tradition & have lots of crafts to add to the list for next year (lint mache bowls, anybody?! And then we can decoupage them?!). It was an excellent follow-up to Thanksgiving! I hope you all had as great a holiday weekend as I did!

*I have to admit, I went shopping all day Saturday. I'm sorry. I know, I'm a hypocrite. But family tradition dictates that all of the females above age 10 in our family get together to tackle our Christmas shopping lists! It's fun, exhausting, overwhelming, but also gratifying!

It's 12 pm. I'm home 4 hrs early from work. This is where the unpredictable enters in my term "occasionally & unpredictably employed." I'm home early because I got to the school where I'm working daily (a 40 min drive each way) to find out that my client (student) was out sick. I'm not allowed to work/get paid/be at the school if he's not there. You'd think this was an easy fix - the teacher should just call me & let me know, right? Right. However, this has happened once before & I'd already suggested that avenue. When this morning rolls around, though, apparently she had the wrong number.
On the 40-min drive home (I pretty much got to the school & turned around), I brainstormed productive ways to use my time, as well as productive places to funnel this frustration. When I got home, my mom invited me to go to Kohl's with her. I told her that retail therapy is not on the List of Productivity. Because that SPENDS $, $ that I do not have because I have now only worked three days this week.

The List of Productivity:

• hang the socks for my mom. This does not earn money, but it earns good will. I'm living at home rent-free & I definitely understand the importance of being a good housemate. 
• post on the blog! This also does not earn money, but some day maybe it will! All my favorite blogs ( 1, 2, 3,)have become sources of income for their writers. It begs the question: how does a gal make her huge break in the blogosphere? Tips please!
• get around to writing that letter of complaint to Megabus (cha-ching! Travel $$$!!!). I'll post pictures to prove that I actually followed through with this one...
• learn some new Arabic words. It's called delayed-gratification, folks. 2 words a day & in a few years I'll be technically fluent (that is, if I ever actually speak Arabic with anybody)! 
• Practice guitar. Busking on the street corners of East Greenville, PA (pop. 2,951 at the 2010 census) is my back-up plan. Plus, it's good for the soul.
• Make a hearty meal - eating well is always a productive use of time. Today's plan: sprinkle copious amounts of cheese on a homemade tortilla & pop it in the broiler. Try it. It's one of those meals that can only be dreamed up by a college student with no heat & fewer ingredients.

Hope ya'll have been having a day as great (or better!) than mine! 

Skill-Polishing (it's like shoe-shining) Pt. 1

Honing your existing skills can be a very lucrative endeavor as well as a time for personal enrichment. I've recently found that my love for languages & music could be making me money, if only I were more confident & they were more polished.

My under-employed status occasionally frustrates me to the point of The Craigslist Search. I have honed The Search to a systematic quest for jobs that I am qualified. The Search usually leaves me feeling un-employ-able. No, I do not have 3+ years of experience as an Administrative Assistant. And I am not available every weeknight and weekend to start as a waitress. The two key components of getting a job are experience & availability. I am limited in both.
Occasionally, however, I'll find a posting that I am almost qualified for. It is bittersweet: there is a job that I could nearly do but am not quite confident enough to apply for it. Recently, these jobs have been short-term or one-time gigs, but even such transient employment is a start toward paying those mountains of debt! These small opportunities have inspired me to write about tailoring & honing the skills you already have to make them viable sources for income. I'll choose my two skills & passions: languages & music. In this post, I'll talk about my experience with the first of those two.


I am fairly proficient in Italian & therefore was excited to see an ad for an Italian translator. As I read the write-up, however, I became less confident in my ability to fulfill the wants of the client, who was mainly interested in using an Italian translator for business correspondence with an Italian business. She wanted a person who would be able to write professional e-mails to an Italian company. This is where I come up short: my Italian is restricted to the vocabulary I learned in 11th grade while living in Italy. I do not call myself fluent because I am sure I do not know the -___ words that qualify a speaker as fluent. I have no concrete way to measure my vocabulary, but I doubt that I could conduct respectable & professional correspondence in Italians. My optimism for this job diminished as quickly as it had risen.

But, who's to say that I will not have that fluency in the future? After seeing this post, it made me aware of the fact that my deep but dormant interest in becoming a more capable Italian speaker needed to be galvanized by this job posting. As such, I've resolved to resume studying Italian, with a particular focus on gaining vocabulary. With some hard work, the next time I see such an ad I'll confidently click "reply" (or cut & paste the address, as is the case with Craigslist) & extol the virtues of my linguistic proficiency!

I'm sure you have similar interests that are dusty from disuse. What can you do about it? Perhaps you're like my aunt who loves to paint rooms in her house. If you could use the extra cash, take that show on the road! Or maybe you've always loved writing short pieces? I'll be the local newspaper needs some freelance writers. There are opportunities for supplemental work & my bet is that the change of pace is more likely to invigorate you than tire you out!

Pt. 2 of this post will focus on the ways I'm working (that's present tense, not future!) to expand my guitar (et al.) repertoire to be available for one-time & short notice gigs in the future!

Occasionally & Unpredictably Employed

I just got home from a frustrating day of working/not-working. (The not-working was what made it frustrating.) When I walked through the door, I began typing frenetically. Even though I have not attended to this blog for some time, its initial mission is a constant thread in my life: to live life fully but also frugally. I’ll provide a little explanation of why I am once again empowered to live thus:

I have created a new demographic to aptly describe my status: occasionally & unpredictably employed. Over the last six weeks, I have been on the roller coaster entitled “The Job Search.” I thought I had disembarked last week but today I rounded the bend to see that my future could hold another period of unemployment. I am “working” as a behavioral aide for an autistic boy. I was just alerted that, while I was assigned to this position last week, apparently somebody else has been promised the position for the last 6 months. If they cannot relocate her, I will be reassigned to another case. Read: my day-to-day working hours will be put on hold while I wait by the phone to hear if I have a new situation to walk into. In this field, you cannot walk from job to job seamlessly. Each new assignment means an entirely new learning curve due to the fact that autism is unique in each person on the spectrum. For instance, I was previously working with a boy whose main impairment was in his social skills while another client is barely verbal. Enough about my job. That’s not what you want to read; it’s also not what I want to write.

The big question is: what am I doing about this situation?

In the beginning, this blog was devoted to frugality & ingenuity. It still will be but it will also take the shape of a self-help page for myself. Writing is a form of therapy for many & it will also be a way for me to organize, regroup, and direct my energy. From now on, I will continue to suggest projects to do for the conscientious frugaler (made up words rule.); I will also suggest ways for the “occasionally & unpredictably employed” citizens to refocus their energy into productive & mildly lucrative areas.

To get my blog flowing again, I’ve brainstormed about what it takes to regroup during frustrating times. The virtues of the occasionally & unpredictably employed lifestyle are:

1. Habits: maintain some sort of schedule.

2. Diligence: follow-up thoroughly on each aspect of your life. (Don’t let things slide through the cracks.)

3. Inspiration: be creative about ways to earn the green stuff.

4. Crafty-ness: be creative about ways to not use the green stuff!

5. Productivity: even if you’re not earning a paycheck, remember that your time is valuable. Spend time in a productive way so you can be energized by your yield.

I’ll spend a blog entry on each of these topics & I am sure there are other virtues that I will come to. What would you add to my list?

Vegetarian cooking will save the world. Or at least your paycheck...

I have been majorly neglectful of the blog. Mainly because I don't have time to manage one and I really should be writing my Religion midterm right now. But I'll let that wait.

Now that I'm back into mainstream technology for the fall (my home doesn't provide the most conducive setting for connecting to the internet but college does!) I might try to update more often. Or I might fail at that as always.

Living in a dorm has its charms. A few of them, at least. Convenient laundry, internet...ok that's all I can come up with for now. I actually am not a fan of dorm life. At all. One substantial reason is that I love to cook. I'm a vegetarian and dining hall food just doesn't supply enough choices to satiate my cravings for a balanced diet. In fact, I've been fantasizing about having a kitchen to such an extent that I've gathered several blogs and websites to share with you. These are my particularly favorite vegetarian websites.

Check them out:

V e g a n D a d is a blog updated frequently by a father who is raising his children vegan. His recipes are quick and not too involved, although a general know-how of cooking will definitely go a long way. The right-hand side of the page offers an index of ingredients so that you can click on an ingredient and go right to a recipe which utilizes or frames that food. On top of all of that, his photos will lure the most ardent meat eaters!

The Hummus Blog: Who doesn't love hummus? Ok, it can definitely get old, but this blog is a interesting look into the world of hummus. It is created by Israeli brothers who know the best hummus first-hand.

The Toby Show: Organic on a Budget is a specific page from a blog called "The Toby Show." The author is a mom living in the midwest. This page is specifically interesting because, even though you've already thought of some of these ways to save money, she gives some other interesting options as well. Explore the rest of the blog-it's a lot of fun!

The Post Punk Kitchen: Vegetarian cooking & vegan baking with no attitude is a vegan website which gives a bit of edge to traditional cooking shows. It's a lot of fun to check up on occasionally even if I don't follow it regularly.

Have you gotten the hint? Go vegetarian!

Ok, I'll back off a bit. It's a personal choice that everyone has to evaualate, but there are a lot of persuasive reasons. Most importantly to me is the detrimental environmental impact I avoid by eating vegetables and legumes. But another excellent reason to become a vegetarian is to save on groceries! Vegetables, fruits and dairy are significantly cheaper than meat and will give you long-lasting energy. I can't praise the diet enough. But if you're not quite willing to retreat from the meat yet, take it one step at a time. If you refrain from eating meat every night, you'll definitely notice that your budget is not so stretched the next time you go to the grocery store.

Buon appetito!

Happy Lint

I walked into my room and proclaimed, "I have an idea for lint!"

My roommate thought I said, "I have an idea for Lent!"

Neither of these statements makes much sense.

My mother has always saved lint from the dryer and made it into fire starters. She stuffs lint into egg cartons, pours wax over it and you have compact cubes of lint to use in your fire. That's the first thing to learn about lint: it is incredibly flammable.

I knew that my mom was not the average mother; I didn't know anybody else who saved lint but I wasn't really bothered by it. Until this year when I first had to wash my clothes away from home. My room is conveniently located near the laundry room and I really don't mind doing wash.

One thing I do mind is throwing away anything that can be reused or recycled. After months of throwing lint into the trashcan, I decided that there had to be more to life.

There is. I discovered a whole host of ideas about what to use lint for. I'll share my favorite recipe with you:

Make Lint Clay!

• Cover 3 cups of lint with 2 cups of water in a saucepan.
• Slowly stir 1 cup of flour.
• Add a few drops of vegetable oil.
• Stir over low heat until the mixture binds together.
• Pour onto a sheet of wax, parchment, or newspaper to cool.
• After you're done molding it, the clay may take 3-7 days to dry.

You can just as easily make lint papier mache (which is very similar to clay, just use about 2/3 c flour), lint paper (just add lint to your paper pulp, it won't stand well on its own), lint animals (be careful, they're flammable!), and lint firestarters.

Most importantly, lint is compostable. So don't throw it in your trashcan! Put it outside, let it fertilize your garden or just compost in a corner of your garden or behind a bush. Hopefully we'll get the point that we all create more trash than we need to we'll make an effort to reduce unnecessary waste!

Have yourself a haircut!

I'm all about not spending money unless it's entirely necessary. I rarely go out to dinner/spend money on food unless it's a social engagement. I head straight to the clearance section of stores and usually check out with some awesome deals. And who would stay in a hotel when you could tent camp for less and for more fun?!

In keeping with this philosophy, I have probably had my hair professionally cut only 5 times in my life. Luckily, I grew up in a family who instilled in me such frugality and as a result, my mom cut my hair when I was younger. When I actually did go to professional hair appointments, the results were always nice, but no better than my mom's.

For the past two years, I have cut my own hair. It started one night when I had about 30 minutes before a required assembly, so that ended up being a pretty hasty job. Some of the girls from the dorm helped with the back and the bangs and together we had a fun time chopping it all off.

With that said, I haven't had any radical haircuts since then. I trim and shape whenever I have a bad hair day, which is more often than not. Today, however, I was really whining about my bangs, or lack thereof. I see them all the time on other people, and they look so cute, stylish and fun! After a bit of research, I found this site which gave me suggestions, as well as nice pictures for stylish bangs:

www.style-hair-magazine.com/short-bangs.html

I also wanted to take into consideration my face shape before going with a radical cut that might now complement my face shape. I found help on a Stylish Haircuts blog, which you should investigate before you take the scissors in hand.

After I had loosely decided on this style, I wanted a couple tips about cutting bangs because I didn't want to end up having to get them fixed professionally. Wikihow offered these tips:

1. Select area to be cut. Push hair on sides behind your ears, or pin back.
2. Decide how much of a bang you want to cut.
3. Use the outer edge of the eyebrows to determine where to stop.
4. Comb the desired amount of hair down.
5. Comb the desired amount of hair down.
6. Gather the desired bang hair to a point in the center of your face. (According to how long you want your bangs.) Example: If you want your bang length to be below your eyebrows, hold the hair at the bridge of the nose.
7. Hold hair securely with your non-dominant hand and cut using one snip at the desired length. (The twisting will allow for extra length that is being stretched while you are holding it, and also will give the ends a "wispy" look, with little effort.)
8. After cutting, the bangs will fall to the desired length, with the sides being slightly longer than the center.

Always remember to use a comb instead of just pinching hair between your fingers-it will allow for a more consistent cut! Other than that, a mirror might be helpful too. Take your time when snipping!

Sweet Relief

I was worried! The blog server, Blogger, was giving me a lot of trouble with my account, telling me that it didn't exist, etc. So we can all rest assured that I will indeed be able to continue blogging, as far as I'm concerned.

After my two month hiatus, one would think that I have scores of experiences to share. If I do, I've forgotten most. But not all!

I was recently reading about new uses for Nalgene bottles on another blog. As you may know, old Nalgene bottles were exposed as leaching carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) into the contents of the bottle(the new ones are made differently so this is no longer an issue). One solution was to convert your old bottle into a lantern by purchasing a small solar device made especially for that. I won't go into all of the details now, but I'd be happy to answer any questions about them since I just bought one of these awesome devices!

Anyway, I followed a link on the blog and after a couple more clicks found a page which interested me. The page was dedicated to the uses of baking soda as an exfoliant. Many users who commented gave rave reviews about just scrubbing with baking soda once or twice a day in place of or as a supplement to the traditional face wash products.

I was intrigued! Finally a new idea which is incredibly good for the environment, so cheap, and so ironically similar to my green toothpaste... In fact, I have since read suggestions of using olive oil as a moisturizer after you scrub with the baking soda. Baking soda + olive oil? Sound familiar?

Anyway, I happened to be out of face wash at that moment so I couldn't think of a more perfect time to test out this new experiment. To date, I've been using baking soda for about three weeks. I'm very happy with it. I wouldn't say that it's solved all of my skin's troubles, but it certainly has done more than St. Ives or Neutrogena ever has!

I still get some stares in the bathroom, though...

So I think we (I) can all agree that this blog is entirely fueled by the personal gratification I experience after writing. I won't really mind if nobody is inspired to go out and be frugal and creative. It's ok, because I am the one who benefits most from putting finger to keyboard.

If you're like me (even though we've established that there might not be a 'you'; that it probably is just a 'me'), you like bananas with a tint of green on them. They're not too mushy, and the flavor tastes much fresher. I will not eat a banana if is in the yellow to brown stage. So once bananas approach middle-age, they are no longer appealing (get it? like a peeling? That's a Nana pun). So what to do with a banana in this stage? There is only one thing:

Make Banana Bread!

Recently, my roommates and I collected several bananas and we realized that none of us were interested in actually eating them. So I looked up a recipe on-line and we planned to make banana bread.

Our Recipe:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 c. sugar
• 7 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs slightly beaten
• 3 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. baking soda

We're just making half because we're going to start with just 4 bananas.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar; blend in bananas, vanilla, and eggs.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Add dry ingredients stirring until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into two greased 9x5 in. loaf pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees. Check on the bread after 35 minutes. Continue to check on it until a toothpick comes out clean. It could take up to 60 minutes. After it is done, cool it in its loaf pan for 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Now, this is great, right? You forget, however, that we are but lowly college students with much more "out"come than our income can handle. So naturally, we next decided how we could get the ingredients without paying for them.

To date, we have collected

• 1 c. of sugar by taking sugar packets
• the required amount of salt from a salt shaker in the dining hall
• 4 bananas
• and 1/2 cup of butter through the pats of butter packaged in little plastic containers.

Good deal, right? Well, sure, it would appear so. Unfortunately, we have had to buy about half of the ingredients on our own. Luckily, with my Bonus Bucks card, we could get the necessary flour, vanilla and baking soda.

Only one problem remains: we have no way to bake the bread! We may end up actually buying a loaf pan. Or we may just try to create one by sculpting several sheets of aluminum foil into the desired shape. And in the end, if our banana bread doesn't satiate our cravings, we will at least spiced up our week a bit with all of the scheming, collecting, and hoarding!

If You're Gonna Use, at Least Re-Use

Today was a good day. It was one of those days where you feel really positive about being independent. I started off my day by going to a campus chapel service by myself. It was sad to see how few students were in attendance at the service. I think I'll try to go more often.

After that, I went out to lunch with a bunch of friends. While I don't spend much time with this group, it was a reminder that I should spend more. They're fun people and I know I could bond with them much better if I just made the effort to see them more often.

But after lunch was when I had the most success of the day. I had heard about this huge used-book sale which benefits the local library. Apparently, tons of people donate books and then tons of people come and buy these used books. I've heard that people will go and buy a huge stack of books and then they'll donate those books back to the organization once they've read them. Because of this reciprocity, there's a really great cycle. These books get a lot of love and a lot of chances to affect people. I went to the book sale and loved it.

I had a great time finding things, but I have to admit that I bought way more things for my friends and family than I did for myself. That's probably what makes me feel so positive about it. I won't go into details about all the things I bought but I will say that I bought 3 records (two of which still have the original packaging to protect them) and 8 books, all of which (except for one about vegetables) are in other languages which is what makes them so cool.

Q: Guess how much I spent?

A: $1.70

Sure, these books are old. And they probably smell a little musty. But they have character and rich histories. I could be the 5th or 6th owner of each of these books. And how does it feel? Well, not only am I benefiting from the ways in which I will learn from the books as I read them, but I am also sharing in their history. I helped a local library and even helped build the community in which I live by participating in such an event. I only bought books that had already been produced- thus saving more virgin forests from being cleared.

Everybody should read books. Everybody could read more books. It is a way of learning and relaxing. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do it nearly often enough. But I will. And if you're going to buy a book, why not buy it already used? The publishing houses don't really need your patronage (they're just fine), but the environment sure could use your help!

If you're gonna use, at least re-use.

Not So Kool-Aid

Is that the cheesiest blog title or what? That's the way I like it.

So I have been on a bit of a break. I apologize to those of you who regularly check Hectic Eclectic blog (which is most likely no one) who were disappointed by the fact that I hadn't written in some time.

What can I say, I was on a break. Which is not an accurate term, because I had very little of a break. Sure, I went home (for the first time since college! Woo-hoo!), but I took work to "get done" and, naturally, didn't get it done. It's somewhat depressing to think that tonight I'm writing two three page papers which were prompted two weeks ago and are due tomorrow. I'd like to work ahead for a change, but I just can't seem to discipline myself.

Over this elusive "break", I had the opportunity to see friends (what else would one do?). My friend Kelly, who shall remain named, actually came home to see me! Can you believe it?! I must admit that she had more incentive to come home other than my presence. I had strategically suggested that we spend some of our time trying a new experiment in fun and frugality. Namely: dying our hair with Kool-Aid.

Needless to say, Kelly did indeed come home once I tempted her with the Kool-Aid bait and fun and frugality we certainly witnessed. Originally, we were just going to buy Grape (it probably has some "g" adjective in front of it to make it catchier, like Great Grape or Goofy Grape, but I don't recall), but Kelly had the blossoming idea to buy Black Cherry (do I get points for alliterations?).

These were the instructions that we followed (loosely)

• mix packet of kool-aid with conditioner
• add a spoonful of vinegar
• apply and wrap highlighted/dyed strands with aluminum foil
• leave in for as long as possible (we left it in for several hours each)
• rinse and blow-dry

So, following the instructions, I applied the Goofy Grape to Kelly's hair while she put some Blossoming Black Cherry on my hair.

This sounds great, doesn't it? Not so grape-y great, though. In short, neither Kelly nor I witnessed the miraculous effects of cheap ($ .25/packet) Kool-Aid hair dye. Both of our heads remain un-tarnished (which, I supposed is better than being tarnished).

But I will say that both of us were a little disappointed in our failure. But we all know that failure make us stronger, so who knows how this experience will serve us in the future? I wish I could give Kool-Aid props for being such a great alternative, but alas, I cannot tell a lie.

You're paying for it, you might as well take it...

So in the whirlwind of midterms, I find myself being less resourceful than usual. But, as I got sick last week, I was thankful for something I had done the week before.

Whenever I was sick, this is what my mom told me: get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, and eat bland foods. I'm definitely into the whole sleep thing. It gets a little bit trickier with the latter two ideas. But I managed to drink the tap water from my dorm (environmental propaganda: don't buy plastic bottles: they are awful for the environment, and you're paying for a resource that you already have) and tried to eat toast and applesauce when I went to meals. Something that I found really helpful happened to be a general tradition I have of trying to sneak things out of the dining halls.

Seriously. You wouldn't believe how many things you can take from the dining hall. The other day, I witnessed a friend order a custom made wrap and then package it in a plastic turtle shell box. My roommate also has been known to make PB&J sandwiches at late night and bring them back with her. In fact, my roommate and I just got back from dinner, with 4 apples, 1 blueberry muffin, and 1 croissant which we had wrapped up in napkins.

And what, you might ask can you do with these things? Well, that brings me back to my original paragraph. So I was hungry this weekend, but didn't want to make yet another batch of Ramen noodles. Instead, I checked my fridge and found a container of fruit salad that I had made the week before. I had collected a piece of fruit from every meal I ate from the dining hall and there was no way I would eat so many bananas before they went bad. So I chopped them up and they served me in my time of need!

In conclusion, I encourage all college students to take advantage of the tuition bill for which they're footing the bill. You paid for it-you might as well take it!

Green Toothpaste?!

Like every other person, I care about the hygiene of my teeth. I'm proud to say that I have no...what are they called? Oh, right! Cavities! Those detestable things.

Anyway, I follow the daily regimen of brushing my teeth morning and night. I live in a dorm on campus, so I clearly have to share the bathroom with about 15 other girls (our dorm is technically co-ed, but there are only two boys on the floor!).

So I go in, toothbrush and facewash in hand, and start my morning routine. And then I get the looks. The looks that say, "I'm trying to discreetly look at you." Which they never really are.

But I guess I deserve the looks. You see, my toothpaste is green and is 'packaged' in a Gerber baby food container (due to the fact that a have a nephew with a voracious appetite, these are readily available-for free!). The first I was living at school, one girl blatantly stared at me and asked if I had a special facial regimen in the container.

So, like Lucy, I usually have a lot of 'splainin' to do: I use my own homemade toothpaste! It's really very simple, and rather effective thus far. I found the recipe in a craftbook and followed it, rather loosely, to create my great baking soda toothpaste. It's really very simple and economic and, like many crafty projects, uses things which you might already have (or your mom probably has, so go raid her pantry.). Here's what I used to make my toothpaste:

• baking soda
• lime zest (this is the rind of the lime: just grate it with a cheese grater so it's pretty fine)
• mint extract
• olive oil (to make everything stick together)

I think, for my next batch, I need to modify a few things. First and foremost, I'm going to use mint oil instead of extract, because I think it might have more profume and will definitely make the baking oil into a better consistency. I believe, in turn, that this will dimish the need for olive oil to a certain degree. Also, I haven't been entirely thrilled with getting little pieces of lime zest left in my mouth. So I think I will cut out the lime zest, seeing as it doesn't add too much flavor.

As far as storage goes: I would recommend keeping it in the fridge most of the time. That's why it's convenient as a college student: I have to walk by our mini-fridge in order to get to the bathroom. I can see how it would be less convenient if not living in this environment. I think it would be okay if it wasn't in a fridge, but I can't be sure how long it would last with the lime zest in it. Also, be prepared for the toothpaste to taste like salt. It's not a bad taste, but it might take some time until you are entirely comfortable with it.

I'll be the first one to admit that my toothpaste is not perfect (what a great line. I think I'll use that when I write my first novel). It doesn't give you that overwhelmingly minty after taste which makes you confident and awake. It doesn't create the foam in your mouth which makes you feel efficient. But it is cheap, easily organic, and makes for a good story (and some strange glances!).

Hola! Ciao! I can't think of any other greetings, even though I am a self-professed lover of languages.

I guess, as a first post, I should explain a mission statement. According to my brother, "blogs are for ranting." Instead of boring my (miniscule) audience, though, I want to give pointers. Based on my own experiences and triumphs, I will write about my efforts to be cheap and resourceful. Although I take a lot of heat from my friends, I generally save a lot more money. These efforts have almost always worked out very well for me in the past.



In June, I splurged on a beautiful Martin guitar. I love music and I've always wanted to be at least proficient in guitar. I felt that I could only be an authentic lover of folk music if I knew how to play James Taylor, Nickel Creek, and Joni Mitchell. Guitar is going well enough, but I recently realized that it would be much more comfortable if I had a guitar strap. Impeded by a lack of money and transportation, I got to thinking about making one. This was the beginning of my braided hemp guitar strap.



I've been using the strap for almost a month and I can't tell you how pleased I am with it. I had all of the materials in my dorm room so I saved about $20 bucks. Even better, it has character!



Hemp is a pretty strong material, and I think the strap should last me for a while. So, if you're looking for a quick fix for a broken guitar strap here's your first project:

• Make six braids of hemp twice as long as you would need a strap to comfortably support your guitar.


• If you want to embellish it a bit, put beads, buttons, bells, etc. on the hemp as you braid. As you can see, I wanted to embellish it a bit.

• Then, tie all of the braids onto one. This one will serve as the anchor.


• Make sure all of the braids match up length-wise.


• Now, pick up all of the braids from the middle.


• You can tie this between the neck and the guitar strings, or you can pull the middle, as a loop, between the neck and strings.

• Proceed to pull the ends of the strings through the loop that you've just made (compare this to looping a scarf on a pole or around your neck-you take the long scarf, double it over and put it around your neck. Then you pull the ends through the loop to make it tight).


• Make sure that the hemp is pulled tight so it won't obstruct the sound.


• Finally, tie all braids to the anchor braid and tie the anchor braid tightly around the plug in for the amp!

You're on your way to being frugal! The hemp should cost you about $3 and you definitely won't use the entire spool. That's a pretty good deal when you could be spending $10-20 on a cool artsy looking guitar strap. Instead, you just made your own!