Zlittle Frugal Living

I’m a big fan of make up especially, lipsticks. It seems like I every time I go to the mall or regular retail stores, I feel like I am committing a crime if I don’t stop at a cosmetic counter/area. The temptation is overwhelming. Do you have the same problem as me? Nowadays, there are so many cute cosmetics with a different looks, colors and styles. All of them claim they are the best, they can make you look younger, and on and on. I love color a lot and I love to play with colors.

Even though I have tons of lipsticks, it seems that it’s never enough. I want to have a complete color collection that matches all of my outfits. Or maybe it’s just my addictions. Several times en I bought a new color which I thought was a new cool color for me, I got home and found out I already had one of a similar color. Then I ended up having so many lipsticks in similar color or slightly different. That’s really bad bad bad bad ( like my 2 years old niece said) ….and a waste of money too–quite the opposite of my frugal nature ( I know that!!..I try to forgive myself for this

As you all know that we can’t keep cosmetics for too long. Let say for 10 years. There’s a limit on how long we can keep cosmetics for our safety reasons. The best sign on when to throw your make up away is when the color changes or an odor develops. Get rid off them. Most of cosmetic use preservatives to fight bacteria. The reason of color changes or odor develops is because the preservatives may no longer be able to fight bacteria.

Here’s a few simple guideline for how long you can keep your make up in

• Mascara: 3 months ( for this one is a MUST)
• Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months (for this one is a MUST)
• Oil Free Foundation: 1 year
• Nail Color: 1 year
• Concealer: 1-1.5 year
• Lip gloss: 1.5-2 years
• Powder: 2 years
• Blush and Bronzer: 2 years
• Eye shadow: 2 years
• Eyeliner: 2 years
• Lipstick: 2 years
• Lip liner: 2 years

BUT…….In my opinion, basically, there’s no hard and fast rule on when to throw cosmetics out. I believe we can keep make up indefinitely as long as it looks and smells all right and the consistency doesn’t change. But there are some products that really sensitive and the rule it’s not working.

This season is about natural fresh looking color. Emphasize the assets that you already have Nude or natural lip color for lipstick is in now. I used to get really tempted to buy lipstick which is in season. But now since I have so many lipsticks I want to be more frugal and find creative ideas to use what I already have to create a new color to suit me.

So I came up with this idea…. If you have a lot of lipsticks in bold colors that are too bold to wear everyday, here’s the trick: buy a nude lipstick. First apply lip balm or moisturizer on your lips, then if you like to use lip liner, frame your lips thinly ( I don’t like to use this because if you are are not careful you can make your outer lips darker) then with a lipstick brush, fill the lips with bold lipstick color first. Make it even. Then apply the nude color on top of it, and you are done. Believe me you can have tons of new colors that you create by yourself. And you don’t need to buy a new lipstick that’s matchy matchy with your outfit. Simple but frugal.

Do you have some new tricks with your cosmetics? Anything related to cosmetic stuff. Please share yours. I’d like to hear them.

1. Before buying something on eBay, take a deep breath; control your body and mind. Create in your mind first an image of what in particular you want to buy.
2. Remember always that buying something on eBay always has a few risks. Why? The first reason is because you cannot see the product in person. The second is that once you buy something on eBay, you normally cannot return it. However, some sellers do state that you are allowed to return goods under certain circumstances. In these cases, you risk losing part of your payment because they probably won’t return the shipping cost. Shipping costs can be the most deceiving part of an eBay item that you are interested in buying.

My first inclination to buy something on eBay is always taken down a notch when I remember that I have to include “shipping costs” in addition to the price of the item. Many sellers list their products below the market price in the hopes that buyers will create excitement among bidders who will then bid the price of the item higher and higher, sometimes even higher than what is reasonable. Remember to take into account the shipping costs along with the price of the item. If you don’t, your total cost for the item could be higher than if you bought it in a retail store.

3. Especially for clothes or apparel, it’s good to know
the brand of the goods you want to buy, and also your size in detail. Watch out! Not all products have the same standard measurements. For goods that have a brand name, they always have the same standard. But measurements always differ from country to country. For example, standard measurements of clothes in the U.S. may be different than those in Asia, or Europe.
4. Of course, if you’re really concerned about clothing size, you can go to a retail store and fit the items you want to buy. For example you want to buy a Nike pants? You can go to the Nike store and fit the things you interested in. It costs nothing to try on clothes at the store.

Later you can use all the sizing information to search the same brand and size on eBay.

5. Now, let’s move on. You are on eBay now. Once you get the exact item you want, the next thing you have to examine is “Seller Information”. This is really important because you know the Internet is a market for many people from all over the world, a huge community in cyber space where you can’t see the people fact to face.
6. The first thing you must read is “the feedback”. Positive feedback is really important because from this part you will know what kind of seller they are. Are they committed to stand behind their products they’ve sold in the past? Are they honest? As a rule of thumb, I use
90%-100% positive feedback as the criteria for finding the best sellers. But under 90%, watch out! I won’t say that all sellers with less than 90% are bad people, but you have to be careful because it’s all about your money. For 90%-100% positive feedback sellers, I rarely actually read their feedback comments in much detail. If you’re going to do business with someone with positive feedback under 90%, it’s better for you to read the feedback comments carefully. You can examine a few negative comments and you determine the sellers credibility from the negative feedbacks.

In some rare cases, other eBay users may try to sabotage another user “perhaps a competitor” with negative feedback.

7. Okay, keep going! The next thing you have to know is to read the entire “item description” and “shipping instructions” and information carefully. This is true especially for clothes. Make sure they have detailed measurements including size, brand, and condition. Never assume! For example, for pants misses size S, if the seller doesn’t give you the exact measurements, please never assume that it’s the size you want because they are many subcategories of sizes S, M, L, small from 1-4, medium from 4-8 and etc.
8. “Examine the picture”, if provided, but remember that the original is always different than the picture. That’s why you need to gather as much information as possible about the product beforehand.
9. Always “ask the seller questions” if you are seriously considering buying. This way, you can get an advantage by receiving a bit of information about the products that others don’t have. If seller never answers your question, don’t buy from them. Just leave it, even if it looks very good.
10. The next important thing you need to know is “shipping cost”. Take your calculator and put in the numbers. Watch out! You don’t have to be
Einstein, so don’t make it difficult. If you think the shipping cost is reasonable then keep moving on. Alert! Some sellers like to put the price extremely low with the shipping cost very high. That’s a trick!
11. Next, read “payment method”. Not all sellers use Paypal. If the seller only takes cash or checks, be extra careful! It’s best not pay cash to someone you don’t know, unless you’re convinced in your heart that God has given you instructions to do so. Or if the seller is someone you really trust and someone you always buy from and have experience with them before. It’s your money.
12. Check the “time left”. If the time is still long, I like to bookmark the item and monitor it everyday. If I really want to win the auction, I like to wait till the last minute and see how the bids are flowing and how much the price has changed. If it’s still reasonable, I’ll bid at the last minute at the highest maximum bid I’m willing to pay. You may not win the auction. Of course you have to know that you’re not the only one who knows the trick of bidding at the end of an auction.

Imagine that if another person bids a high price at the last minute too. Even though you may win, you will pay for a higher price. So be careful with this trick and give it back to your heart,go with your intuition.

13. Always put “positive thinking” in your mind. If you bid them and someone outbids you, just forget about that auction. Just put this thought in your mind: “there’s a good for me”

Keep moving on and try again later, because eBay is so big and there are always new things appearing for sale. Don’t be stubborn and bid higher and higher simply because you want one item. Often you will regret doing so.

14. It’s also okay to bid at the start of an auction or in the middle at the lowest price, and then bid again later if you really want to own that item. Imagine if you bid in at the lowest price and no one bids after you! Yipieeeeeeeeee! You’ll get the thing you want in at a great price.
15. If you win the auction, always “pay immediately” not just because its good business, but because you will be more likely to get positive feedback from the seller.
16. Always give “feedback”to the seller after you receive the goods.

Happy Bidding!

Not related to frugality though, but I found this really cool site. And I’m thinking gosh! I love this site and want to share it with you.
This site is a ” how to ” video that teaches you anything from simple things like, how to use the shower, how to tie a tie, how to brush your teeth, and etc. from cooking to kissing.

Check this out : http://www.videojug.com/

Do you know how much money we spent for trash bags every year? Even economical trash bags can cost $5/6 a box. That’s not cheap. It really hurts to spend $5, especially when you know that you will throw it out finally. Some families can use 3 trash bags everyday. And It means you will spend $15 a month just for trash bags.

Have you noticed that grocery stores are very generous lately in giving away plastic grocery bags. Sometimes one plastic bag contains only 1or 2 items. For example, when you buy a birthday card for a friend or loved one, they will put it in one plastic bag. What a waste! In one grocery trip, I may get 10-15 plastic bags. If you go to grocery store twice a week, you will have about 30 bags or more.It depends on how many items you buy of course.

I’m always sad to see how people in the U.S. (not all) are so easy to throw away something that, in fact can still be used. In Asia we have to work so hard to get anything and we have to leverage our economic principles in life. Life is difficult and you have to appreciate everything, not stingy but frugal.

That includes plastic bags that we get from the grocery store. Instead of throwing them away, why not use them as trash bags? I know small plastic bags can only be used for small amounts of trash and using them means you have to go to the dumpster more often.

These days, we tend to spoil ourselves too much. We spoil our children too much. Look at how many toys our children have that they never seem to appreciate. We prefer the comfortable and instant life. We don’t want to try new ways or come out from our comfort boat. Especially if it ruins our pleasure, comfort, habits or happiness.

Forming frugal habits is a matter of how we educate ourselves. We want to make sure that we always save money in everything we shop for, even though it’s just a dime. I know this sounds radical. How can plastic bags can save you money? How 15$/month can make a difference?. Definitely, you won’t get rich with that one habit. That’s the wrong attitude. Saving money, big or small, is saving money. This is all about how to educate yourself to not waste resources and to appreciate small things. I remember a Bible phrase that says

“if you are faithful in small things, God will entrust you with big things.”

Also another phrase says

“little by little, it will build up to be a hill after while.”

A dime here, a dime there; that’s the way we save money.

Sometimes, I don’t understand why a lot of people continue to live lives of luxury even though they have mountains of debt. For them, outer impressions are more important than inner peace. You have to learn to be a poor person, then you will appreciate material things more. Trust me! Remember life sometimes moves so fast. Life is like a wheel, sometimes you are at the top and sometimes you are at the bottom. Ready or not ready, you have to prepare yourself.

I better stop before this turns into a real sermon–okay let’s get back to our plastic bags

Here are a few tips on how trash can save you $150 a year.

1. You can get a bulk trash bags at Walmart/ Discounted store. But save them just for emergencies or for really large amounts of trash. Keep them in storage as backup.

2. Make a habit to save all your plastic bags from the grocery store. Don’t throw them out because that’s cring (my pet word for money).

Before you store them, check the bags’ condition. Don’t use broken plastic bags, of course. When you get a lot of plastic bags, they can clutter things up and often we don’t have anywhere to keep them. Typically, we just toss them in the kitchen cabinet. Again clutter is a big NO, NO! Not to worry, here are a few tips than I can show you on how to fold plastic bags. STBS - Small trick big style so you can save hundreds of plastic bag without taking all your space.
You can do this while you are watching TV or when you sitting on your deck with the blowing in your face and humming birds singing a sweet song with the smell of fresh cut grass…… oooopss!! before we start daydreaming, we better get back to our folding trick . Below are the steps to fold your plastic bags :

• Flatten a plastic bag on the table or in a flat area. Fold in the handle tidy.
  

• Join the edges both right and left to make it smaller, then fold it again until you get a lean long fold in the bag.
  
  

• C. Go to the clean edge (usually at the part of plastic bottom) and fold it in triangle shape.
  

• D. Follow the triangle shape to the end of plastic bag, but leaving about 3 inches short. Tuck the rest of the 3 inches short end into the space between the triangular fold.
  

• E. Wualla! You get a cool folded plastic bag.

  

• F. After you fold all your plastic bags, you can put them in a container or in a box.Put the box/container full of folded plastic bags nearby in the area where it is easy to reach.

  

3. Some stores like Target or JC Penney or shopping mall stores have a big plastic bags. I’m always happy when I get their plastic bags. I save them with a big smile. Use the best for last. Just save them for a rainy day.

4. When you’re throwing away big boxes of trash, try to break them apart or cut them into small pieces so you can put them in the plastic bag. Again, use a little bit of effort. True frugality means that you have to step out from your comfort zone.

5. Instead of throwing away your trash once/twice a week, throw it away everyday. It takes you 5 minutes to do it. You can do it before you go to work everyday, before you go jogging or whenever you leave home. In that way you won’t pile up your trash.

6. If you have a few small plastic bags full of trash and you don’t want to go back and forth to carry them, here’s a way you can simplify your life.

1. Tie the handles of 4 or 5 small plastic trash bags. Take one plastic bag, stretch it lengthwise to form a sort of rope. Weave it into the small holes/spaces between the tied up handles.





2. Pull it tightly and tie it up. Now you can easily pick up all those small bags and march away to the trash dumpster. It’s like carrying a suite case



My husband gets a little grumpy when I tease him asking him to be a trash bag model

7. The first or second time will probably be uncomfortable for you, but after a week, you will enjoy it and feel satisfied. You can now be proud of yourself that you can save money from simple thing like conserving trash bags Make your life fun. Even small things like this can create a smile on the face of your family. Being frugal doesn’t mean that you will suffer. Use a sense of humor in anything you do. Create something funny. In that way you will enjoy your frugality. You might even enjoy it enough to form a habit.

The Laundry Room doesn’t have to be a Boring Place

The laundry room is one of the last areas of the house to get our attention. The reason is that we ask ourselves, who will see that tinny bitty place–the place where we can just dump all our dirty clothes or where we can hide a trash can. Washing clothes is never a cool thing to do in life. That’s why sometimes we are so lazy to do laundry, especially when the time to fold the clothes comes. Watching TV beats that any day. Now, let’s face it, laundry is something we have to do from time to time. There just may be a way we can make our laundry time fun.

We call our house

“home sweet home.”

Wherever we go, no matter how bad our house is, we always miss it and want to go back to it. We have an attachment to that place where we can be who we are. Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz describes it perfectly when she says:

“there’s no place like home.”

Most of the time, we like to do an activity when we enjoy doing it, when the surrounding environment sustains us. We can spend hours and hours doing things we like to do. It’s the same way with laundry. To enjoy the time, we have to attach and build a connection to where we are.

Here are a few tips we can do to change our laundry time from dreading it to loving it: Continue reading