Changing for the better, the invisible

For a long time, this box is placed in between doors. Within it I put the shower gel that goes in to the smaller pump bottle, unfortunately it's in the box, my mom didn't see it. So when she needed to refill the bottle, she took out a new bottle. I was shocked that she didn't found it and reached for a new one. So change is in place, I am preparing to use a detergent bottle to store all the powder and then throw the box away because it takes up space and it doesn't fulfill its duty.

Now I have to wait until I finished one big liquid detergent bottle before I can take action but at least I know how to make the change and what to plan.

Labels

I know that my blog doesn't has a lot of views and that's the reason why I am rereading my post. I see a lot of mistakes and am currently checking it out. Also I label it to find my post easier, something that I do now with my paper scans, date and subject of the scan.

This mechanisme makes sure I don't cover the same subject again and again. Therefore I need to first check what I wrote before. Fortunately, I did not attached labels on it. Yes, I am currently slapping my forehead. But on the bright side I am ready every post to assign a label to it and spell check.

I have a spell check blindness, at the moment or after writing I don't see the mistakes I make but after a few hours or a day I can see my mistakes clearly. Heck I am a pro at spell checking as long as I didn't write.

The labels will be put randomly on the post, someday just 10, no schedule that I have to keep  to finish it. But for every new post I write there will be labels attached.

Goodbye my dearest ASUS laptop

At the right moment that I am typing this post I am emptying my old laptop harddrive. My ASUS laptop has served me for 8 years and has been traveling with me to China, Korea and Hong Kong. The battery life was empty for almost 4 years so it became more of a desktop. But since I use my current laptop more often it's time to say goodbye to my Asus K52F. I am a proud owner when you where in my possession. You helped me typing great articles and rapports, your screen is bigger than the one I have now currently.

I have seen many movies with you. I will also miss your cd-drive even though in this time period not a lot of people care, I do heck that's why I still have a vcd-player. Even though it has been over 8 years I can see that I cherished you. The keyboard for example has been protected for years by a silicone cover which even my current laptop doesn't have. My current laptop doesn't even really qualify as a laptop. It's in between a laptop and a netbook. But I see that in the current years I have been using you less and less. It's not fair to compare you to a newer and faster processor. 

You have been a great laptop with a 15,6 inch screen and with a full keyboard with numbers that I needed to punch. I also learned a lot about computer with you and did the most amazing things. If I didn't had you, I wouldn't be able to fix our common desktop which had a virus. I upgraded you with extra 2GB-ram memory to keep you running faster. I had switched out the desktop hdd drive into a ssd with your help. You were always next to me to fix other appliance. Not my old cellphone HTC Wildfire or my tablet, it was my trusted laptop that didn't fail me. 

It pains me to ship you away to the electric graveyard so instead I am selling you to a recycle company that will reuse your parts. Thank you for being well made and so great!

Learn to fix it with glue

Consuming less and making the product useful. All of us can fix items that are broken. This time I am going to share some tips and tricks. I bought this package of superglue that is very effective. This month alone I already glued the hanger, my bluetooth headphones. For superglue I always decide a small package because it's small and won't dry out before you use drop of glue.

You can see that my Picun had some wire hanging out and with just a little bit of glue and the help of a toothpick it's fixed. And the overhead headphones with the black wire has not been in place for around 3 months and with glueing it's done. I can use it again as normal.

This is what's in my bathroom and I use

They say that women have around 6 products in the bathroom. I welcome you a glance in my bathroom. These items are the things we use. Shampoo that's stripped from it brand, information and cap. Instead of the original cap I use a pump to use it more economically. When using a new bottle sometimes you pour too much out of it, that's why I use a pump. My mothers shower gel is also in a smaller container with pump. I use the soapbar because it's as good as a shower gel.

These few years I have reduced my shower products significantly and want to share this with you. Pretty good, right? Even though I am a minimalist I don't force my way of living on my family because my siblings still have more products in the bathroom. They still have their shampoo, conditioner and multiple face wash.The best thing about it is: in a year I usually use one or two bottle of shampoo because I measure my shampoo usage with the pump and additionally I go to the hairdresser 3 to 4 times a year. I am not skimming on anything while using the necessary products.

Great isn't it!

Remeber my 10 December 2017 entry

After a month of again searching and waiting I finally found the treasured item. My felted clothes hanger for pants. I got this in the first week in 2018 and I am absolute loving it. It's just so great to have it back in my room. This simple invention just helps me tidy up my space just that little bit more.

But, there is a but. Luckily I didn't wrote and post it online first. At the beginning I was so happy but after using it for two weeks and not even putting heavy clothing on it, it broke. Like snap and that was it.

The products that are in the store today are from lesser quality. If I compare my old pants hanger that withstood the years of heavy clothing and abuse it's just pathetic. Also consider the price that the old hanger cost only €1,- at the time and now I bought it for €4,- as a set of two and it broke.

It just doesn't make sense that it's more expensive but the quality is sh*t. I believe that in the past the lower price ranged product may be not as much adored but the quality is still great. Now the pricing may be high or low it doesn't give any indication on how the quality is.

In my last post I showed that I replace my old cherished stuff.

Buy it to replace it!

Our pan needs to be replaced because it's at the end of its lifespan. For over a decade it has served us delicious food and has felt the heat under it for a million times. For a year it has been emitting this smell when its put on the stove. I want to get rid of it for multiple time but without any good replacement I couldn't. My old pan is not usable anymore so donating it would be pointless that's why it went straight into the recycling bin.

 

This week I finally found this great pan. It is made from metal and no plastic. Because it's a cast pan there are no connection made with screw like in the old one. The handles are fully metal and the silicone is used to make it easy to pick up. The lid is also great because it's fully made from glass.

Before purchasing it, I looked at the quality and durability of the pan. From what material is it made and would it be easy to recycle. It also has 3 year warranty which is one year more than the shops required warranty.

Back at home I boiled water in it twice, cleaned it with soap and oiled it just as described in the instruction manual. So buying new products is okay as long as it replace something very useful.

Be careful of the flu

It's the flu season and that means being extra careful and recognizing the signs of an upcoming cold is important. I always cough in the morning or sneeze because of the difference in temperature, it's not a cold.

But one time after a long day out, I saw that the snot out of my nose is yellow greenish or green, I immediately took medicine to suppress the symptoms for getting worse and took an additional electrolyte drink with it. Through the whole day I keep drinking warm water as usual. I rarely drink cold water if I have the option to drink hot or warm.

 

The second thing I do is using my scarf to protect my neck area from the cold because feeling the cold is not pleasant when you're already not 100%.

I normally take paracetamol and most of the time I pop two of it to suppress the symptoms, drink a lot of liquids and even add a cup of freshly juiced orange to boost up my vitamine C to feel good again at the end of the day.

But remember if you don't feel good just go to your physician and get yourself checked up. Beter safe than sorry!

Outlet vs Retail

In this digital area where we can watch documentaries on the go on online platforms we can see that marketing tricks are happening anywhere. Even in Canada the television programs about consumer rights can be watched. One particular episode is the outlet vs retail products.

The outlet products are especially made to be sold for a lower price. It used to be older collection that found it's way in the outlet but consider the popularity from the outlet there is need for more products. So product that are made for the outlet are produced. The outlet products are from less quality than the stuff you'll find in the retail.

 
 


I adore the Le Creuset mugs, these are the most used mugs in the home. I bought them at a retail store and the outlet, can you find the difference?

The red one is from the outlet. I bought this one for €10,- and I miss the brand credentials under the mug. It also doesn't show how much oz. fit. The black one I bought in 2016 for €9,- at TKMAXX and the blue one in 2014 at the Dutch warehouse Bijenkorf for €13,-

How does this reflect in the daily life? Honestly, I don't know because the black and blue are both mine and the red one is my mother's. The difference is the design and the weight, the red one is heavier.

Just remember that when you find yourself in an outlet, the products are from less quality than in your normal store!

Planning to sell

In three years time, I accumulated a box or three quality goods that I want to sell. It just sit there doing nothing eating my real estate, not letting myself live in that space. Last year I sold some stuff online and got a decent amount money back from my old useful stuff. But this year I want to sell more and faster.

I thought of opening an Instagram account to sell my stuff but with 2 pictures on it and no response it's a bit of a disappointment. The Dutch online secondhand shop Marktplaats did well in November and December because of the seasonal shoppers, in the down season I see less people clicking my advertisement.

Perhaps this year I will go and sell my stuff on the flea market. I hope that it can be sold as soon as possible because the money and the extra space are definitely welcome. Doesn't mean I won't keep up my advertisement online. But I will change strategy as in how to make it better to sell things as sets.

Like sets of stationary that goes together hand in hand. Or bluetooth headsets with wireless keyboards. I'm already experimenting with this but it's still difficult to put value on items.

Even freebies can be used

I have a sibling that loves the MacDonalds and the Happy Meals because besides the food you'll also get a freebie. I've mentioned before that the kids menu is most of the time the most value for you buck. Even now I also consume Happy Meals because it's a better deal. Consider that for not even €4,- you get a burger, fries, fruit, fresh juice and a toy.

Last weekend I went to buy TL-tubes for the kitchen and my sister didn't had breakfast so we decided to visit the Mac to fill our tummy. Four grown ups with 3 Happy Meal and two additional free coffee cost us less than €14,- in total. How amazing is that! The saus for the fries and chicken nuggets cost an additional €2,-?

I got a toy with the maze and silver ball which I really detest and even the box is white. I dislike white a lot so I exchanged it in to this cute Peppermint memory card game. It's so cute that I don't mind people seeing me playing with it.

This container can instead fit the memory cards my mini essentials which I use for travel short periods. It's sturdy, cute and easy to find in my bag. It's too sweet. I can even use it as an earphone holder. The possibilities are limitless as long as I use my imagination.

Learning coding

In December I received a list of one day projects from Codecademy with one day resolutions. All projects I can finish in a day. I started with refreshing my memory with HTML. The nice thing is that even now they still send me tips on how to improve my coding skills through email.

There are a lot of skills that we can get for free online, search and you'll find!

Always the damn pantry!

The cabinet that is always changing are the ones in the kitchen because the products that we consume has an expiration date and that change the interface almost every week or even day. This time I even called in help from my mother because half of the products are hers.

I can assure that the products on the top shelf are mine. You can see that I drink coffee and lots of coffee. Drip, French press, Biatelli, instant coffee and my recycle Nespresso cups. A lot of coffee utensils. The reason why I asked the help of my mother is because for a few times I did the cleaning without her and I didn't went through her boxes. In the end she switched out old broken plastic containers and threw away some products.

This results into less stuff in my cabinet. Look how soothing it looks when compared to before. It took me an hour to get everything out look through everything, see if it spark joy and put it back in the cabinet.

Welcoming 2018!

New year resolution are difficult to keep on to but this year mine is easy. Last year I saw a seal having straws in their nose. I am aware that I am partial to blame that a lot of plastic that I produce also ends up in the sea. So I immediately searched for new metal reusable straws. The small metal ones look awfully difficult to clean and with other drinks like bubble tea it's not useable.

The big straws are going to be my new buying item but my new year resolution is so much easier and should have so much more impact on the environment and my spending. Why would it effect my spending, in the past few years I bought more bottle water when I forgot to bring my own.

In short, I already have made it a custom to almost always take my own bottle of water with me or hot bottle. But whenever I drink out I see that almost every time I get a single use cup while I have my own thermos flask.

I have in total 3 plastic bottle for just water, the thing with these bottle is it doesn't always have to be  filled to the top. Most of the time if you go shopping you don't want to fill it to the rim because you will cary extra weight for nothing. Just fill it one third or half. That's more than enough to get you hydrate when necessary. I have two thermos cup, the long one isn't easy to use if I ask for my coffee to put into it because it won't fit on the stand but my smaller one, on the left can easily be used in any kind of shop.

Also if you're planning to sit in for example a coffee corner ask if it can be served in a ceramic cup instead of the one time usage.

Using less single use cups and bottles is my 2018 resolution.

Consuming

It has been a year that I saw a documentary about how cheap stuff is and how it influence us as consumers to become unmindful shoppers.

I have to say that 10 years ago I would also buy all the random stuff that I can buy because I like it. It's not that I got older that I learned that stuff and the abundance of it is not only risky for my own health but also for the environment. The first time I learned about decluttering was of course Oprah, as a high schooler I loved watching the show and doing my homework all together.

But the documentary from last year made me realize that I used to go to bargain shops that offer great deals for useless stuff that I don't need. It's also one of the reason I don't go there anymore as often as a few years back.

The stuff that I bring into my home nowadays are things that I personally think about in the long run. Is it going to last and will it save money in the long run. For example my new stapler without staples. Searching on the internet I found this Harinacs stapler without making holes in the paper. I can only staple only up to 5 pages but I am planning to keep my huge stapler and the small ones scatter around the house are going to be sold or donated to my local thrift store.

I do have problems by finding good quality stuff locally that lessen the burden on the environment but luckily we have the internet that connect us to the rest of the world. My next hunt will be finding metal reusable straws that can also be used for Taiwanese bubble tea.

With every new item that I want to have I am now not only looking in local store but also try to find it online to get the best value for my items. I think that is way more important than the lowest price.

 

Drowning in E-mails

The day before yesterday I was working behind my pc to clean up my emails. In total I had around 600 emails that hasn't been categorized and was in my primary and promotion inbox. Two years ago I was able to have a very clean inbox.

In the past two years I have subscribed on more than one newsletter and especially during the december months I added extra newsletters to get more discounts but going in the new year I unsubscribed from a lot of newsletters.

I went from 500 something to just 2 email in my inbox. The cleaning up went very fast within 3 hours I cleaned it up and also made more folders for the upcoming mails. I also organized all my mail in the folders and even deleted old mails that aren't necessarily anymore.

As I am a frequent user of the Google drive, I also uploaded all my invoices there so that I can always pull it up when necessarily. Even my drive had more folders added and a lot of receipts are renamed.
The receipts are kept for warranty for at least two years because consumer rights in the Netherlands are awesome and I used warranty when needed instead of buying something new.

Also the receipts are a guideline for myself to see how prices change so I also keep it after the warranty period. For example the last two years when the economy is not doing well I got products for better pricing than I can have at the moment. With only memory alone I could always have a wrong guess but with the receipts stored up in the cloud it's good to see the correct pricing.

Now two days after cleaning up my inbox remain clean and new incoming emails are dealt with and organized in the folders. No more messy inbox!

Updating my Kindle

I like to read even though it's not as much as I used to. I remember that at the age of 8 or 9 I frequently went to the library every Saturday. I have read the whole series about ballet school and that was kinda my guilty pleasure. As kid I didn't have a lot of money to buy books so the public library is really a place that I like and still do. But with time being a little bit scare I reverse to ebooks. I first watch ebooks on my android phone but that was very tiring and also the battery on my HTC wildfire got drained.

So for years I have been using my kindle 5th generation reader. But I don't always connect to the internet to update it. I was too late to update it to the latest software through wifi and had to do it manually multiple times.

While I was doing that I was thinking about reading manga. The Japanese comic are almost always black and white so why not read it on my kindle. I search the internet and came to the kmanga.net where I could subscribe on different manga's. By making an account I subscribed to different manga's that are automatically updated to my kindle. Now I only need wifi connection and the chapters will be downloaded on my device.

P.S. Reading the manga on the kindle is very soothing for the eyes especially before going to bed!

Goodbye 2017 & welcome 2018!

The last day of the year I spent the last minute fix to go out with a great feeling leaving 2017. I have one thing that was messing me was the bed fixture. I've fixed it before with just rope but that won't hold very long so with metal bar and a few tie strip it made the wood sturdy and useful again. It's not really useful but more not so tiresome to see it or being very careful because I am afraid it would eventually break.

And that's not the only thing that went away on the last hour of 2017 because I finally threw away this earphone which has been only working on one earbud.