Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

In Part 1, we talked about how watching your portion sizes can not only save you money, but it can also help you to lose weight.

In Part 2, we’ll talk about another way to save money and lose weight at the same time.  Although it is simple, it is rather difficult - quit eating out!

Fast food is tempting when you’re tired, unprepared for dinner and want something now.  However, a little preparation can allow you to create homemade meals without a lot of hassle.  Yesterday my kids fell asleep in the car on the way home, so instead of waking them up, I sat out in the car for about 20 minutes.  During that time I created a weeks worth of dinner menus and made my grocery list.  I also made sure to write how long each one took to cook.  Now I can base what we’re having for dinner on how much time I have at night.  For instance, last night I did my grocery shopping and I came home dead tired.  I had very little time to cook and although I was tempted to buy fast food, I was able to glance at my dinner list and see that I had a meal that only took 20 minutes to prepare.  Voila, a delicious homemade meal.

Not only is saving money an important factor, but this is also a tip to help save your health.  When is the last time you took a look at what is in your fast food meal?  My husband and I were eating at McDonald’s the other day and they had a tray liner with the nutritional data on it.   We were quite shocked to say the least that our meals had over 1000 calories EACH!  That’s over half of my daily calories in one sitting!  I won’t even talk about how much fat was in that meal.

So the next time you’re tempted to eat fast food, look in your cupboard instead.  Often times you can find something to throw together to save yourself some money.  If not, make a quick trip to the grocery store instead and grab some basic ingredients for a quick meal.

We live in a country where people overeat, don’t exercise and are slowly becoming more and more overweight. A new year brings new resolutions of losing weight, but people set unattainable goals and set themselves up for failure. Instead of resolving to join a gym, exercise 4 times a week and start a low carb diet, how about tweaking some of the things you already do and making them work for you?

Today, let’s look at portion size. Does anyone even know what a “normal” portion is and what it looks like?? Most people cannot accurately estimate a serving size and it leads to overeating. In conjunction with super sized fast food meals and it’s no wonder people are failing - we’re consuming way too many calories!

Here are some common foods, their serving size and how to easily decipher how much of them you should eat:

• Cereal - 1 Cup - the size of your fist
• Pancake - 1 - the size of a CD
• Pasta, Rice, Potatoes - 1/2 Cup - 1/2 of a baseball
• Bread - 1 slice - the size of a cassette
• Cornbread - 1 Piece - the size of a bar of soap
• Cheese - 1 1/2 oz. - 4 stacked dice or 2 slices
• Ice Cream - 1/2 Cup - 1/2 of a baseball
• Margarine - 1 Teaspoon - 1 dice
• Meat, Fish, Poultry - 3 oz. - the size of a deck of cards
• Raisins - 1/4 cup - the size of a large egg
• Peanut Butter - 2 Tablespoons - the size of a ping pong ball

When you first start doing portion control, you’ll probably feel like you’re going to starve to death. It is a short term feeling and as your body adjusts you’ll start to wonder how you ever ate such large quantities. And your pocketbook will thank you.

Can someone please tell me why it is so expensive to take care of your hair? Shampoos, conditioners, detanglers, smoothers, balms, mousses, hairsprays, gels. Hair straighteners, curling irons, crimpers, blow dryers. Need I say more?

Leave your hair shiny and soft with this quick and cheap treatment for your hair. Perfect for those times when you can’t get to a salon and winter is taking its toll on your locks.

At Home Hot Oil Treatment

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine in a small snack bag and seal. Place in a container of warm water for 2 minutes or until the oil is warm. Apply to hair paying special attention to the ends of your hair. Cover with a plastic cap and blow dry for 5 - 10 minutes. Alternately you can cover your hair with a warm towel for up to 30 minutes. Shampoo or rinse when done.

Sometimes when we look for areas to save money, we miss the obvious. How much money do you spend on co-pays when you go to the dentist? Or, if you don’t have dental insurance, how much money do you spend on your dental bills each year? My guess is that it’s probably quite a bit and there are a few simple things we can do to protect our teeth.

Flossing

Just once a day is all it takes to remove food particles and plaque from between your teeth. I think most people don’t floss because it’s time consuming but what they don’t realize is that it really shouldn’t take that long. Once you get the hang of it, you can floss in less than a minute. If holding the floss on your fingers proves to be too difficult, then grab a pack of the little contraptions that have the floss already loaded.

Brushing

Pop quiz. How long should you brush your teeth? The correct answer is 2 minutes. How long do most people brush their teeth? More like 30 seconds. It can seem like an eternity but if you set a timer or sing a song then the time will go a lot quicker. Twice a day is optimal - morning and night, but if you can, sneak a midday brushing into your schedule. Make sure to use a fluoride toothpaste for best results.

Also, just as important is to make sure your toothbrush is in good shape. A worn out toothbrush is not as effective at removing plaque from your teeth. A good rule of thumb is to replace it every 3-4 months or when it just looks worn or frayed.

Rinse with Mouthwash

Mouthwash not only kills bacteria in your mouth, but it can help prevent it as well. You should rinse 30 seconds to a minute, however long you can handle it. Plus, who doesn’t like to have minty fresh breath??

Good dental habits can really save a lot of money in the long run. So start taking better care of your teeth today and see how much more money you have in your pocket tomorrow.

If you’re like most women, you probably love to be pampered. One of my favorite treats is to go out and get a pedicure, although now I rarely get the opportunity. The cheapest place I’ve found offers a spa pedicure for $15, but even that is more than I can reasonably dish out. So, I’ve learned to overcome this obstacle and do my own pedicures.

To get started, there are a few key items you will need to have on hand. There will be a small initial investment but it will quickly pay for itself. Here are the tools that I recommend:

• Foot basin or foot massager
• Cuticle softener (at any nail/beauty supply store)
• Cuticle stick (preferably metal)
• Pumice stone
• Toe nail clippers
• Nippers (this is the most expensive of them all)
• Emery board
• Nail polish
• Acetone polish remover

Now, the first few times you do this, it may seem difficult. As with anything though, practice makes perfect. In no time you’ll be able to give yourself a pedicure in about 30 minutes and the results will look professional.

Cleaning Up the Cuticles

1. First of all, take off any old polish you have on your toenails. The acetone polish remover works best, but make sure to wear gloves if you’re wearing polish on your fingers.
2. Put your feet into soak for about 5-10 minutes. You can use something that smells nice in the water if you’d like, but it’s not necessary.
3. Take your feet out and put them onto a towel. Save the water for later.
4. Use the cuticle softener sparingly across the base of each toenail and rub it in.
5. Take the flat end of the cuticle stick and gently scrape all the way around the edge of the nail. You will probably see a lot of “gunk” at this point, so make sure to wipe your stick often. Repeat on each toenail.
6. Use the pointed end of the cuticle stick to clean underneath each nail paying special attention to the corners where dirt likes to hide.
7. The nippers can now be used to trim any dead pieces of skin around the toenails. Nip very gently as you don’t want to take out large chunks of skin which will actually look worse in the end.

Shaping the Nails

1. Take the toenail clippers and clip each toenail straight across. The length of your toenail is a personal preference.
2. Use the emery board to straighten and curve each nail as you would like it shaped.
3. At this point you can also use a little buffer (looks like a block with sandpaper on it) to buff the tops of the nails if they look pitted or discolored.

Soften the Calluses

1. Rinse your feet in the water you originally used to soak them.
2. Wet your pumice stone and using an up and down or side to side motion, rub it on your heels. If at any point it hurts, move the pumice to a part of your foot where there is a thicker callus. Common spots are the back part of the heels and the side of the big toe.
3. Again rinse your feet in the water making sure each toenail is clean. Pat dry your feet and nails. You can dump the water at this point.

Time For Painting

1. Start with a clear polish as a base and put a thin coat on. You can do this quickly since the clear polish won’t show up if you make any mistakes.
2. Wait about 1 minute to allow the clear polish to dry and then start with your colored polish. Make sure it is a new bottle that is thin and smooth. If it seems a little clumpy, add a tiny bit of acetone and shake well. Start in the middle and then put a stroke on either side. If you make any mistakes, you can use your thumbnail to wipe it off.
3. Finish each toe and then wait about 10 minutes for them to dry. You can speed up the process by using a speed dry nail polish or a fan pointed at your toes.
4. At this point you can either put a second coat and repeat step 2 or you can skip to the topcoat. It’s a good idea to get a topcoat with UV in it because it helps your toenails keep from turning yellow. They’re easy to spot because they have a purple tint to them and if you’re really lucky, you can find a UV top/base coat (all in one!).
5. Cleanup any messes with a nail corrector pen (I know of a good one if you need one) or a little bit of cotton dipped in acetone on a toothpick. Make sure to clean up your thumbs if you used them earlier!

At this point you should be done. As soon as your nails are safely dry you can put a little lotion on your feet and you’re set. You can even look the next time you’re out shopping and you may be able to find little flower stickers for your nails that really give it that professional look. Nobody will ever know that you did it yourself!