Strange City

As you may know my city has been participating in the campaign 'less plastic bag' for three months. Basically it's ended already but there are still some irregularities. A few of the shops donated the money to a good cause  which is great. But the campaign should been ended on January the first.

There are 5 major shops who didn't gave a plastic bags and now they walk their different paths. The department store is prolonging the campaign for another three months, while my favorite clothing store already quit the campaign 'cause it cause a lot of inconvenience to their customers.

The thing is that one store for every day stuff doesn't  stop and still ask money for their plastic bags. But they also donate it to a good cause. The funny thing is that the shop is part of a holding and their sister company just in the same street still give free bags. Isn't that funny. It's so stupid that their sister company a low budget store still gives great, big, good, quality bags for free.

It's just such a strange city that it's stupid and less environment friendly like making more dangerous roundabout. Not to forget the stupid bike road they made all bumpy and dangerous.

What are your stupid things in your city?

Saving Water

We all have to pay for water while it's the basic need in our lives. So how can I reduce water spillage in my own home and pay less.

The washing machine is using the most water for just one clean basket of clothes. Most of the time I wash full load and on just 30 degree Celsius so that is good for the environment. But for the really messy clothes I do have to wash it on 60 degree Celsius just a half load and half of the time. My washing machine is capable of slashing half the time of the cycle. Of course I also needed to wash on 90 degree Celcius once in 6 months to clean the washing machine and getting the soap out of the tubes.

Taking a shower is next on the list. I try to cut back in time under the shower but it's so refreshing and I want to be clean. So there isn't much I can do about that.

Doing the dishes also takes a huge portion of water. So what I have been doing is simple. Never use the whole sink to do the dishes. Take a small bucket or pan that has been used for cooking and fill it just for two third and add soap. Put the cutlery and plates or cups that fit and start washing. For the huge plates I just scrub it with the sponge and use a cup or something that can hold water and pour it over the huge plates just to rinse the dirt off.

Afterwards I never dry the plates off with a cloth but let it air-dry on a drying rack. It also saves me one spot in the washing machine and it's way more hygienic.

Toilet is also using a huge amount of water. So I fill three bottles with sand and put it in the water tank. Never put too much bottles cause when you poo, you want the water flush it away in the sewer.

Saving water is possible with small changes but the current lifestyle created the habit of spoiling it. It takes a lot of guts to take a few steps back and look at yourself. Cause, seriously is it possible to spent less time under the shower. Yes, I can but don't want to.

Buying Gadgets

The trend of getting the newest phone or tablet right after they come out is such a marketing trick that a lot of people fall for it. Their are a few standard thing you have to understand before you spend hard earned money.

*First one do you need a new gadget? Actually do you just want it or is it necessarily for you work/life?
*Second does a different gadget fulfill the same purpose?
*Third what do you look for in a gadget?

I give a simple example of my own wants. I want to have a smartphone that has an active dual sim so I can use two simcard to receive calls or messages. Why because if your on vacation I want to reach my contact for  less money with a local card and still being reachable with my own number. Also my tablet doesn't have a slot for a simcard and I want to be online even when I am not home. The phone has to be able to function as a wifi hotspot or at least connect with other devices to use the internet.

But while I am at home I need wifi connection so I don't pay buckets of money to be online. The phone needs wifi. I do like  to make pictures but it doesn't have to be a 10 megapixels on the back but clear photos would be fine. A front camera is also a must so I can skype all over the world.

Next is battery life, at least a day without charging which means 24 hours without being plugged
Preferably a second battery with higher voltage if needed and that's about it.
I don't like a slow phone so I want my processor to be running 1ghz or higher. And the possibility to
expanding memory with micro sd card.

So begin January I bought a playstation controller on amazon.de and I have to say I am quite happy with the delivery and product. It's a gift that I like to give and de receiver was happy too. So think before you buy a gadget next time.

Products bought and then on Sale

It happens to the best shopper among us. Buying stuff that goes in sale after you bought it. What to do? I had the unfortunately or fortunately opportunity to face this situation twice this year. And you have to consider that 2014 is just starting to take off.

Last week I already mentioned the buggy covers that was already on sale but was even priced better after one week. This time it's about two bottles of cleaning product. The things I do just to save a little. I went back to a different location but the same store.

The first thing I just asked was: Can I get my money back? The answer was no, that isn't possible. Next step I tried is, can I buy the same product and return it with the old receipt. The answer was again no because the products are fluid and they can't take it back. My deduction is what harm does it do to you or the store. I buy a new bottle of liquid and return it immediately.

Still she refused to do that because it could cause trouble for her later on. I do get the fact that some articles can't be returned like panties and nickers but serious right in front of you, I buy and return. I told her that I looked at the return policy of their company online and that it shouldn't be a problem. Also I have bought stuff at the same store and return it at a different location, no problem at all.

Then she gave me a whole lecture about looking at the internet and their products on sale. I tried not to pay attention to her cause my main focus is getting money back. And she went on about buying soda from the supermarket and returning it, that it wasn't possible. So it wasn't possible in their shop.

Seriously, I didn't care what she says but it was annoying. The Dutch don't have the proper service mentality. You do not argue with customers, you just don't. And it's not about the customer is king, no it's about listening to customers and finding a solution.

I actually gave the solution to her. I could drag my two bottle of liquid with me and return it and buy again. But then they don't know if I did something with it like diluting it. So now you know it, it is possible. Some cashiers are easier than the other but still. Why be a thief of your own wallet!

Buy New Coat or Repair

Yesterday I went shopping for my coat. The zipper broke, the thing that you have to pull to open and close. Never in my right mind would I thought I ever have to buy a zipper repair kit. I have seen the product on a website before but found it very expensive.

But I had to choose if I am going to spend thirty bucks or spend a couple to fix it. I have this particularly coat for more than 2 year but I really like it and it was a gift from someone. So I choose to fix it. Few months ago I saw the product for about 2 euro's but today I bought it in the same store for 0,80 cents.

This decision was easy to make, why spend extra money if it cost so little to fix it. Something I like to get repaired by a professional are my shoes. I find it very difficult to find good fitting shoes. Being a person that doesn't let the clothes wear me but I wear the clothes. Clothes have to fit you and not the other way around.

Trends come and go but it's not necessary to follow it. We are all smart enough to set our own trend.

Getting my money back!

I've wrote about the sale in January has started and I already bought some stuff on order. I had bought those rain covers for the buggy. Last week they were on sale 30% off and this week it was 50%. Which means I could bring them back and get some money back.

Those rain covers cost €4,99 each and I bought them in the sale for 30% off which is €3,50 but today they were in sale for 50% off which makes them €2,50 each. I have bought two of them and that cost me €7.- last week and today I returned it and bought it again for €5,-.

It's really funny getting money back at the cash register just by returning and buying the same item again. But on the other hand, my parent bought a pan for 50% off the original price €6,99 which is €3,50 and with the money I just received I had to cough up €1,50 to buy it.

I know some people that are afraid to do this. Basically the person who ordered to buy it saw the advertisement that the sale went higher and that she could get some money back. But she didn't dare to buy new and return it with the older receipt to get the higher price back.

Of course if you want to get money back because it's on sale, remember always get the receipt no matter how small the amount is. A lot of shops won't refund when you don't have the receipt. Check return policies, untill when can you return the product or do they return the difference in the sale price and the regular price in a certain period.

There is a saying that you can only spend money once and you have to look where it goes to. Do you want to spent more or less, it's all up to you.

Looking Back

I never thought I would still be blogging when I started it. The next thing I did is pulled up an unfinished post about how I thought about it and this is the result:

'When I reached the 50th message. It's time to read every article again. I found typos and really stupid grammar fault. Not only do I need to back up everything on an external drive. I wouldn't believe that I did reached 50 messages. 

There where also some articles without pictures. But I am not eager to share everything in my life with people on the net. Not only will I be kinda bare but also invading others privacy. It's important to know that what we post on the internet will always be traceable and we can not always delete things.

So, I did post things with mistakes in it. But when I reached the 50th article I will reread and put more pictures on the blog. This is basically a milestone and that's why I deserve a little treat. 

Being a minimalist is refreshing but also scary. I wished I had learned about this lifestyle sooner. Why doesn't anyone make commercials for less stuff and more quality time. Perhaps someone has to go to the marketing head and tell that less is more. But that means its becomes design and a expensive price tag.'

Seeing that I did change a bit is great. I have bought a lot but I also donated a lot. I've seen that I did change topic quite some times and repeated things. But the essential is that I did became a minimalist and that I am getting better at it. 

So to those that will start minimalism or decluttering or organizing, don't give up!

Quality Time

Yes, it's about time that I had some quality time outdoors with the family. So what better than spending a few hours with them in the car, shops and restaurant. Quality time is all about being there without nagging and without getting angry about something. Just thinking about happy thoughts. And yeah, no freaking screens/headphones aloud. 

So we start off in the car, the road to our nearest Ikea takes approximately 20 minutes. In the backseat, I almost played the whole ride with the cute little baby. We went to search for a sleeping bag for the little fellow but those items weren't on sale yet. I love the fact that I do influence my family about pricing and sale items. If it's not on sale, most of the time you can get a better deal online. 

Next stop is Ikea which is just a few minutes from the baby shop. I really forget how crazy it is with the elevator. Those things are just awful, they are crazy slow, walking the stairs is even better, healthier and faster. But with a baby it's not possible to choose the fastest route, it's always the safest route we have to choose. 

I was hoping to buy a flour sieve but that particularly shop didn't sell it and I ended up with buying a pan. It's kinda funny cause yesterday night I decided to throw our old pan (older than 6 years) away. Though we have another pan that one is kinda huge. The largest pit on our stove isn't big enough to fit it. So I bought a 20 cm diameter pan with 10 years of warranty. The great thing about it is that I can even put the pan in the oven. Hurray for me, now I have to find a recipe that inquire such pan. 

And of course when your in Ikea I always eat those cheap hot-dogs for €0,50 each and as a member of the shop a free coffee. Afterwards we rushed ourselves out of the store to get lunch at 2 o'clock in a supermarket with a restaurant/lunchroom in it. 

We ended each of us in a different row, we got sushi, Chinese and fried fish. The whole lunch together was under €30,- for four adults, even if I include the things we ate in Ikea. So it was great but it didn't meant our quality time ended here. The supermarket also offered wifi, so I immediately checked on sales item at that store. It's the only time I've pulled out my screen. So after browsing the store I decided to buy a fruit-tart for teatime.  

Getting back at home, I boiled some water and made tea. It's really nice to have a nice lunch and tea within 4 hours we spent. So that's what I do when having quality time out of the house. Next time, I don't know when, I will be writing about how I spend quality time indoors, at home.

First Saturday 2014

As the weather is quite good for this time of the year, I went to do some groceries. First stop is the drugstore cause I ran out of dental floss. Yes, flossing is very important so I found a great deal 3 for the price of 2 and bought it. After scanning and browsing the store my company spotted a water boiler for €15,- wich is a reasonable price. So next mission is searching toys for a baby.

As I have mentioned before in November/December, in January almost everything goes in sale. And it's not those fake sales signs they put in front of the store to lurk you in. So toys and cleaning supplies are also on sale cause basically everyone only cleans in the new year. I really don't know why those stuff goes in sale this time of the year, perhaps spring cleaning?

Next stop wich is also the last stop is the supermarket. There was some really good items on sale that I wanted to buy but the store run out of stock. One of the reasons that I try to limit on buying on Saturday. A lot of sale items run out because Saturday is the busiest for supermarkets.

So new lesson learned this year don't try to buy sale items that you really want in the weekends and always take the receipt with you.

Today I'll keep it short so you can have some more quality time with your friends and family.
So turn off that damn smartphone/screen!

Things just happens

My last entry is huge but I still haven't got to tell everything that has happened or how I really felt about things that was going on. This month I will refer to things from last year and also give my opinion on that.  Like the breath in technics that mentioned on the last post.

When traveling on last minute basis it's really scary cause suddenly I have to go and prepare stuff for the next coming days. It was kinda expensive for such a short stay but luckily I found another airport that is much cheaper than Birmingham airport. I also had to trouble some folks with credit card cause flybe didn't accept my debit card.

Because everything happened so fast I couldn't choose to print the boarding pass and such. Arriving at Schiphol airport 2 hours before boarding, I luckily could use those self-service computers. But before that I had a phone call from my sibling and lost all track. I want to get in the gate ASAP cause there are so many things that still could happen.

So I took a deep breath and relaxed before checking in. The ID control went fast cause eu resident going to an eu country is no big deal. The only thing I dislike is the control passage cause it always take so much time. I always bring a bottle water with me but the restriction on board is a huge hassle. I had a 0,33 cl bottle but that wasn't even aloud. I forgot that even though I can take 1 liter liquid on board the container can not be over 30ml. So i asked the security personal just to empty the bottles so I can refill it after passing through.

Sometimes we get lucky by meeting great people. This was one of the times I am amazed that even at work people can still be nice. There are shops employees that are really slow and totally not understanding.

So things just happens and sometimes those actions leads to a smile on my face.

December the longest month

Today, I tried to get some work done on my laptop. I tried to turn it on but for some reason it just didn't start up, not even a light on. Checking the laptop again I tried it with the battery in it but still nothing. Taking a deep breath and just getting the topic of mind really helped. After switching my clothes, the third attempt on getting the laptop to work starts. By then the battery was in the laptop for a few minutes but it was in vain. The next step is trying it with the power cord and battery and it did work.

The next thing to do is getting all the best deals online. Still it doesn't mean I had some spare time to write an entry for the blog. I was looking for the best deal even across borders. And after that I still had to do some shopping for I run out of plastic wrap.

While doing my shopping I saw a water boiler in sale for 15 euro. I did took a while before the sales lady could help me but I got my boiler. As a few already knew, my city doesn't give free plastic bags anymore.
Of course I brought my own bag but it didn't fit. So I tried to get a bag in another shop, they have a non-plastic bag policy but customers can buy plastic bag for usage and afterwards sell it back to the shop for the same price. But the Zeeman shop ran out of those bag but I could buy one for 50 cent but those one are so huge. I decided to go to a different shop where they still give out free plastic bags. I wanted to buy cake molds but after seeing the plastic bag I just took it and left.

At home, I opened the box and everything was in it. The only thing that wasn't working is the push-button on top. I saw that the plastic wasn't really made beautiful, that means another trip to the shop.

The to-do-list was long for today but for some reason I got it done quickly. That leaves me a lot more time to do some research on shopping on amazon.de. Cause the prices over there is much more lower and the vat is also lower. The only thing I want to purchase but couldn't is the Kindle ereader. If I want it, I have to order it from amazon.com for a much higher price. I really dislike it cause it makes the kindle so much expensive for me.

December 2013 was a month that was like a roller coaster, it literally has a lot of ups and downs. Being away from home for a funeral and that right before Christmas. Almost missing things, getting present and giving presents. Buying food for the Christmas and New Years Eve. There was just so much going on. Last December was really the longest month that I have experienced.

The new year has already begun and I wish all of you a happy new year. Stay healthy and give those you love a big hug. Tell them that you love them and thank them for just being there for you.







Because sometimes I need to hear that I am loved.