Frugal with data

I don't make a fuss about data anymore. I used to hate using mobile date because it's super expensive but with innovation and the use of e-sim, I got the hang of it. The first e-sim data I bought is from Keepgo. If you want to use it, use my referral link. This way I can be rewarded with free data. But I also bought a physical sim card for 120euro for 4 years, every month 1GB data allowance. It's a bummer that I do need to use a mifi when going around. It's 2,50 euro per GB. 

Keepgo is easy because I don't need a different device but I do feel that it use more battery because it also needs to change my ip and location all the time.

I still have a 3 esim for Asia, with an allowance of 8GB and 5GB for social media. It's cheap but it's not as cost effective. Because I use way less data for social media. 

So in the future I will use more e-sim cards because it's cheaper and I don't have any cards that I need to keep.

I think I already found my next data carrier on Mobimatter. 30GB+5GB valid for a whole year for 40USD. That's a steal and they have much more choice. This short research cost me just five minutes online. Ain't that great, this log is a reminder that I don't need to search very long and I have some reference for in the future when I really need it. And again, you can use my referral code YEMA054583 during checkout at Mobimatter.

Closing the blog

It has always been on my mind. Closing this blog and delete everything. But then I am thinking about all the useless things on the internet. My thoughts and writing may not be for a huge public but it's better than generated by AI only. I don't make money out of it and perhaps there is someone that find my post useful. 

So for now I'll keep it and try to write whenever I want.

Things I like that are negative

Just like anyone I also like to watch videos and one of my favorites is coffee shops. I find it very pleasing to watch however I don't like the usage of a lot of plastic. Especially the Korean coffee vlogs are very pretty but I do cringe when they drink Americano's. I really dislike the concept of adding a lot of water to a good cup of espresso. 

Except coffee video I also like their baking videos but the packaging all the plastic makes me really upset. There was a time that drinking from a mug or a cup was the standard. For example, I try not to buy small bottles of water even when I am abroad. I will buy a huge one and pour it to my own water bottle and those of my siblings or put it in the hotel for the next day. This way I won't waste plastic, unless you are in Germany because they will charge you pfand which I find great!!

But plastic take out is just wrong. The expenses of buying the plastic is one thing but it also cost energy thus money to recycle it or even to burn it. Don't forget our trash man those need to be paid too and those truck that they use also need fuel. So single plastic is just a waste and unnecessary. 

Fire stick

Last Prime day I bought a new device. It's the Fire stick basic international edition. In the beginning, I was really excited because it could do so much more than a Chromecast. However, I got problems with registering and downloading apps. So after a weekend I gave up and waited for some free time after work and thought why not start from scratch. I register a new Amazon account and it worked. 

I have used it to follow my American drama's that haven't been updated through my rss app. So with an VPN and the fire stick, I have been watching the newest movies and series again. Hurray! The following movie Enola and the series Lucifer and The Good Doctor are superb. 

But the greatest thing is the connectivity with an bluetooth headset. I can watch the movie with my headset on. There are times when someone is in the kitchen making food or making a lot of noise. I connect my trusted wireless headset and watch the movie in peace. This is the biggest difference with Chromecast. And I like the remote that comes with it. And during Prime day it only cost 20 euros which is half the price off a Chromecast. I just love it!

Birthday

Normally I don't like to work on my birthday. However, I didn't requested in time for free days and I was scheduled with a training. Damn, but it was fun cause I didn't need to talk for around three days. I could mute myself and mom could call without trouble. 

This year we didn't made any schedule and I didn't eat out. Instead I haven't really anticipated to it. Basically I don't really care anymore about birthday. It just means getting older but I am thankful of course that I am healthy. 

Birthdays passes by just like any normal day. I didn't need grand gifts or celebrations, I am content with what I have and with whom I am. I am happy!

Freebies with a twist

I have been using these cardholders for few years. Kidding, these are brand new. Before using the knock off Secrid, I did use one of these. But as you perhaps know I dislike doing marketing for any company without getting paid. These have been laying around and during cleaning, I found these and was planning to threw them away until I remember it's paper. I only need the inside. I can find a nice paper to cover the outside. Just like my metal cardholder. This is a nice and easy project to do. I already have it cleaned up. Now, I only need to find nice wrap paper to make it usable. And start crafting again. 

 

Hooks

Last week I fixed something that has been bothering me for a while. Last year, I already fixed the trouble in my own room but the one in the bathroom has been like a stain on a white cloth. I have fixed the over the door hook in my own room for a year or something. 

During Covid-19 seeing the movement of a hook continuously is really bothersome. So I took the sticky mat and cut pieces to stop the movement. The marks on the door let you see how slippery it could be. But this can be fixed within minutes. I just need to do it. 

Paper shredder

 During prime day I have bought a new paper shredder. The old one I have is a cheap one from a decade ago. It only shreds in stripes and the buttons to operate broke fast. I only used it with pulling the plug to operate it. Now I wanted to buy an Amazonbasics shredder but the Fellows one was also in sale for a lower price than the basics. I canceled my order and order the Fellows. 

Next day I received it and was over the moon. I got it out of the box and start shredding. I am so happy because I still have a pile of documents that needs to be digitalized and then destroyed. I told my sister and a colleague how happy I am. My sister bought one a few months ago a Rexell and she recommended me to buy it too. 

Minimalism more commercial

Minimalism has changed in the last few years. When I started, there wasn't really a lot of blog, vlog or channels. I am still a minimalist and I am loving the vibe that I have been creating for the last past 7 years in my life.

I got a better relationship with my stuff. I know what I want and got rid of a lot of other things. I still buy but much lesser. In the past 5 years I have been wearing my jeans until it fell apart and got new ones to replace them. I am also trying to not buy bags which is futile especially when I was in Japan.

I even got two wallets which is bigger but good for travel outside of Europe. Especially in Korea and in Japan where they use huge bills. 

Minimalism still plays a huge role in my life but the way it's been promoted on different platforms like buying into minimalism is so not environment friendly. I kinda find it horrible when people throw things away just to buy the same product but aesthetically pleasing or environment friendly. How environment friendly are you when you throw something away that cost energy and money to produce. 

I also don't buy into the hype of particular brands being good/green. I think learning and thinking out of the box is way more important and really reducing my footprint (travel excluded). I already wrote about it before, minimalism is for everyone different. But I think the best starting point is reflect on what you have and what it brings you. Step 2: what do you want, what is your ideal living situation. Last step is taking action to achieve step 2. 

Keeping busy and being grateful

I think everyone is tired of this Covid-19 situation, not even a vaccin is going to change the new normal. So in the end I'm thinking about adjusting my lifestyle to it instead. As many say ' if you can't beat them, join them'. Rather to get caught with the virus I'm  trying to make my life as enjoyable as possible. 

I'm not a big spender, although my vacations can be expensive. The rest of the time, I only have few cost that needs to be payed and I've cut every subscription or cost as much as I can. I already ended my holiday travel insurance, my monthly lottery/donation which granted me a free pass to different cultural outlets. All have been ended. 

I've been drinking coffee much more and recently I bought the espresso illy cups. And I am hooked! The regular coffee that I drink is okay but the taste, the aroma is just so damn different. So I bought coffee beans from Lavazza also a coffee brand that I like. I have a burr coffee grinder, old style. It means I have to manually grind it and it cost so much time. 

I decided to buy an electric one. Just when the beans arrived. I'll first try to use it with my Nespresso machine and with my mokka pot. If it doesn't generates the nice coffee as I want. I will think of upgrading to an espresso machine. I try to use the thing I have first before buying an expensive machine. 

In a sense I'm keeping myself busy. I'm grateful for having a job where I can work from home and stay safe. I hope that in the end we will all learn form Covid-10 and adjust so we all can have a stable life environment. 

Cancellation due to pandamic

During the pandemic and quarantine I have been reflecting a lot. Last year, I went to Asia visiting family and a trip to Japan. So I bought travel insurance just in case. I decided to go for a year contract cause I wanted to travel in 2020 to Taiwan and South Korea. But also to neighboring countries like Germany, Belgium, France and UK. However due to the pandemic it all got canceled.

So after two months in quarantine and working from home, I looked into my expenses. I decided to end my insurance at the end date. This makes sure I will not be too late to notify and it will not be extended for another year. I also see that they will adjust the terms of insurance so, goodbye to this expense from September on.

I also got a free banking account, so that I can cancel my frequently used account. Since I don't receive any interest but pay a monthly fee for it. Even my event card for museums has been cancelled because I can go nowhere and enjoy the benefits of the card.

Quarantine is not fun but during the extra time at home, I can make sure that what needs to be done will be done. And cutting cost is always a plus.

Quick folding

At times, I forget things like folding and organizing. As you can see it the picture. I sometime also forget or have not put things neatly back. This leads to a chaotic situation like mine. So taking a few minutes to fold things up neatly and put it upright makes it so neat. Adding an organizer for my ceramics and putting it in a different way leads this beautiful picture. 

Cardholder improvement

This cardholder has been through a lot. It used to have a blue leather holder. But due to the stripping of the sides, I have ripped the leather off and used this beautiful sticker card. After using it with my coin purse I found it too bulky. So what do I do, find a solution.

I searched on the web and found a solution with modge podge. Let's improve it and make it my own. I love estactic appearing stuff. So with that I have taken out some washi paper that I love seeing.

Cutting the small pieces and glueing it on the cardholder makes it more appealing and easier to use with my coin purse. Now, when I go out I grab my coin purse and cardholder.

  

Hardware changes

As we have been in quarantine we all have extra time around the house to improve our living habitat. I have been trying to improve my keys. I had them on a beautiful ring but it still leaves scratches on my card and other things. So I decided to use this pouch that I bought in Japan in 2016 in a magazine insert. But the hardware is so flimsy, so what to do. Let's change it and improve my living style.

With a new hang clip inside and on the outside, I can click it in my bag. I have been loving the pouch as a small touch up pouch but it now function as it was meant to be.

The switch and adding extra hardware makes it much more usable. I don't need to worry about loose hanging keys or wholes in my bag due to the keys. And an other thing is that due to the pouch others aren't able to see the keys and copy it. Handing or lending my keys to my family is easier as they see the pouch. This makes my life a little bit easier.

Bluetooth earphones

I love bluetooth earphones because I can move without a cord that's connected to my phone or player. Truth to be told, I use it mostly with my mobile, laptop or tablet. I really love my noice cancelling headset that I bought last year, only downside is that it's huge. I love to use it at night or when I really need to concentrate.

But while I'm on the run, like doing groceries or just going to work. I want something light so I can walk freely and jog when needed. I already bought two Picun headphones that are just lovely but with both of those I have battery problems. So, I personally do not recommend them.

I also have one very nice one that's a bit old, my very first bluetooth headset. A no brand that I bought for €10,- in 2015 and have been using it on and off until now. Since the Picun really disappointed me, I tried buying cheap €2,- online. Not great quality but it works and at least no battery problems. Only thing is the bluetooth connection, that it will be recognized it as an input device instead of earphones.

So two weeks ago I went to the TK-Maxx store and bought JBL bluetooth. When at the store I was looking at it and searched on the web how the reviews are and what the price is in store. I am really fortunate because in the tech stores or online it all cost around €50,- and I got if for 50% off. It is in rose gold but not overly girly.

This means I am going to say goodbye to two of my old bluetooth earphones and just use my new ones. It saves a lot of space and cord management.

Mirror

This year I sold away an old round mirror for my mother since it's so bulky and dust gathering. After all the mirror is so big she stalled it between her bed and wall. But after selling it she missed a mirror to check herself at. Around the house we have face large mirrors but those don't show how her outfit looks.

So she is in need of a new mirror after all that trouble to sell the old one off. I see that she first ask to get rid of it before buying a replacement which is good since she isn't adding material to her room. This time the mirror should be light enough to hang or stick it somewhere.

So I checked in Ikea and found a €4,- stick it on mirror. The place she has placed is for myself too low and too close to the edge. This will basically smudge a lot when she's going to open the closet. But I asked her over 3 times if she is sure she wanted and she didn't ask for my advise so I paste it on just as she requested.

I find her process of switching from a big round mirror to the closet mirror really nice since now she doesn't have to handle the heavy mirror anymore.

Different look

I now see that I have power that I knew exist but never tapped into it because it does scare some people. In the last month I decided not to do anything or think about things just let it be. Let faith lead a way to what's supposed to be.

Just for your information I didn't went to any special believe system/church. I just let life lead me without thinking too much. In the past I would say or stand up for someone when I see something wrong. For example the silence wagon where you're not supposed to say anything. I just ignore it now, I kinda grown some invisible plugs.

Even with my nephews I didn't really care anymore, I din't see them as my responsibility. Their action doesn't reflect my teaching it reflects that of their parents. Though I find them at times very annoying when they don't do what's "normal" like eating on their own and not be spoon fed. But hey I don't decide or am the person spoon feeding them.

This small change made me realize it's not that important to do what right, it's not always a problem or something that I will need to solve. This month I've tried to use the knowledge that I acquired and used it.

Testing my mouse

I finally go the time to clean my wireless mouse. It had a logo in it front but I don't like making advertisement or getting distracted by logo's in my working space. I have connected it but somehow the pc doesn't recognize the mouse. I already checked online for some solutions but I will try after turning the machine out and then on again.

You can get logo's that are stamped on it away depending on the surface with an eraser. Due to the friction the logo gets scrubbed away. But be careful for very glossy and smooth surface which can be damaged.

PS: I used the wrong dongle to connect to the computer (very smart)

A different I

When I'm going on a holiday and stay over at a hotel it's important to be prepared. I used to easily get sick during holidays because I was stressed out and didn't know if everything I needed was packed and how it would be at the destination place.

I think with age, I have a different view of tasting a different culture. I used to want to have a picture of everything. Now you would rarely see me picking up the camera to shoot pictures. Being in the moment enjoying the view and the atmosphere became much more important. What also changed is the planning. I used to had to visit every tourist place on the map that was planned before the airplane left.

I've learned to adapt to the fact, time is limited and I won't be able to see everything as scheduled. Now I would pick a top 3 for the day that I want to see and search a way to see all three of them. In a way my personality changed with time. Minimalism has of course played a part in it too.

I want this!

I've been thinking about buying an internet radio for I like to listen to shows without thinking about it while surfing on the web or cleaning up. Of course I don't want it to run from my laptop or computer every time I want to listen. But the devices I've seen range from €50-200 so frighting. Then I was thinking about streaming from my phone but that doesn't work either since it will eat up my battery.

Second thought was Chromecast audio, that should be my savior right? I've checked but the Chromecast audio would also require a soundbox so that means an extra thing to buy and extra electricity uses. Think, think wouldn't something else be better like the AI's from Amazon and Google?

I searched online how both the Google home mini and Alexa dot 3rd generation works. Would it be able to listen internet radio. Because I'm already a bit familiar with the Google environment I would prefer the Mini instead of the Dot. I know that both of them are basically listening into my home environment but since I can always unplug it I'm not that afraid.

After searching online about the Dot3 and Mini I decided to go for the Dot since it also had easier buttons to manage the device instead of the Mini. Considering it will be used by an a-technical mom it would be great to use the voice assistant to ask for the radio to be played instead of using the mobile app.

The nightmare starts now when I wanted to order it from the site. I went to the familiar amazon.de and it didn't ship to the Netherlands so I went to the amazon.fr and on this site the Dot3 isn't available until March 2019. This was so terrible since I finally found a solution to my problem.

This situation is really frustrating since I really want to have it!