prepare your things for the next day before sleeping.
skincare. (your basic cleanse and moisturize)
sweep the floor of your bedroom.
talk to your plants. (if you have plants)
update your financial report/expense tracker.
take a good photo.
meditate.
hug at least three people. (seriously.)
weeklies
polish your school shoes.
mop your bedroom floor.
dare i say, laundry. (donât put it off!)
exfoliate.
take a leisure walk.
review your past week and plan your next week accordingly. (a part of your routine may not be workingâtry something new)
make a piece of art. (a sketch, a collage, a quote in pretty lettering, a god-awful poem..)
sanitize your gadgets. (whip out the wet tissue and wipe away at your phone, your laptop, your mouse, your earphonesâjust donât forget to IMMEDIATELY follow that up with a dry cloth to prevent fogging and short circuits)
watch a TED Talk.
make a new playlist.
monthlies
wash your bag.
wash your shoes.
change the sheets of your bed and your pillows.
clip your nails. (honestly)
wax/shave. (if you want. i just really like how fresh my skin feels after i torture it with razors and wax strips)
wipe your shelves/the tops of your furniture clean. (try to avoid dusting. it just scatters the dirt everywhere. use a damp cloth instead)
see if thereâs anything in your storage that you donât need/want anymore and give stuff away or sell them.
review your month and plan the next one accordingly. (just like your weeks. remember to refer to your Life Goal/Yearâs Goals page)
finish reading at least one book. (and review it!)
Have you ever thought âMan, I feel impossibly shitty and I donât know whyâ?
Run through this checklist before you do anything else.
What have I eaten in the last 24 hours? Is it enough? If not, go and eat some food, you butt.
Am I hydrated? If not, put some fluids in your body, fool.
Have I slept an acceptable amount in the last 24 hours and preceeding few days? If not, do your utmost to have a nap. You need a reset, bro.
Have I been outside/partaken in whatever form of exercise I am capable of? Youâre stagnating, homie.
Have I communicated with anyone? At all? About anything? In the last 24 hours? Sup, youâre not actually a lone wolf, and even if youâre just shouting BUTTLUMPS at someone over the intertubes, itâs better than shouting it at yourself inside your own head.
So basically: eat, drink, sleep, walk, and talk. If you still feel like emotional ass after that, start looking for more involved explanations.
This shit is no joke.
All of these are extremely important.
Adding: 6. Have I communicated too much? Am I overstimulated? Do I need some quiet time? Go stare at a blank wall in utter silence for a bit.
I try to go through this kind of checklist whenever I feel funky. It really helps.
the greatest skill a woman can learn for herself is self reliance
to clarify ⊠so many strong women in my life rely on men. that dependence is dangerous. ladies here are some good ref resources Iâve found helpful on my journey towards self reliance
this list is in no way comprehensive feel free to add on
a lot of âman thingsâ are a lot easier than you think they are. especially considering the fact that most of these things when buying the parts come with directions on the packaging that men usually donât even look at (and often end up doing it wrong because they were taught by fathers who also did not look at the packaging).Â
like i recently had to change my car battery and freaked out cause i thought id electrocute myself but turns out new batteries come with directions and its the easiest shit in the world so long as you can lift the damn thing.Â
so yeah, ladies dont ever feel like a man is a necessity for life, you can do this shit on your own its easier than you think! Â
even if you get along great with your family you will get along even better with them after moving outÂ
generic is almost always just as good as name brand. But there are some things you never buy generic, including: peanut butter, ketchup, liquid NyQuil, Chips-Ahoy chewy chocolate chip cookies
just imagine the person on the other end of the phone hates talking on the phone as much as you do. Even a receptionist. I worked as one and I hate talking on the phone
at least once in your life you will go to Wal-mart to buy something under $20 like an ironing board or something and your debit card will get rejected. No one will judge. Everyone at some point in their lives has had $2.98 in their bank account.Â
thrift stores
everyone else is too busy panicking about everyone else noticing every tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about them to notice any tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about you
you will screw up. a lot. you live and you learn. and when you start to think too hard about that embarrassing thing that happened and how you wish you could change it, just tell yourself that whatâs done is done. Thereâs no changing it, so just forget it and move on. Itâs the only way to stay sane.
do the dishes before the sink grows its own ecosystem
you canât put Dawn dishsoap in the dishwasher.Â
if you are the only one in the aisle at the grocery store, and you need to get from one end to the other without even looking at anything in that aisle, then you should totally cart-surf down the aisle. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. Hold on to the little things. They make all the difference.
never try to make cake from scratch at 3am. You end up with a topographical map of Middle Earth.
15% tip.Â
the best way to get money for food is to tell your grandparents about how you basically live on microwaved mac and cheese. Their horror may result in twenty bucks and orders to go out and get yourself âa real dinnerâ.
sometimes life sucks, and knowing that it might get better doesnât always make it suck any less, but youâll never get to the non-sucky days without enduring the suckiness.Â
no seriously, NEVER put Dawn in your dishwasher
Do not buy generic brand spaghetti sauce either.
Always check the type of light bulb that goes in lamps. A 60w is not interchangeable with a 40w.
Dollar store batteries work just as well as store brand.
Reward yourself from time to time when you do things that you needed to get done. Itâs a good way to remind yourself to do them. Going out to pay a bill? Get Starbucks or something you donât get often. Rewards donât have to be huge, they can be small things like that.
Rice, pasta, flour, sugar, cheese, eggs, milk, a pack of chicken, a pack of frozen veggies and a well stocked spice cabinet go a long way food-wise. Splurge and get the biggest container of rice you can. You donât have to go back and buy it again anytime soon and it makes a TON of meals in the meantime.
Rice can be cooked on the stove. You donât need a fancy rice cooker. Two parts water to every one part rice (two cups water for one cup of rice for example). Get your water boiling, add rice, put a plate or lid on it, put it on low for 20 minutes. It should be done.
Keep a calendar on your pc of bill due dates. If your bills are set up at inconvenient times, like all of the services started on the first or something, then call up the company and find out if you can get your billing date switched to something more manageable. A lot of places do try to work with you.
There is no shame in calling a company and asking for an extension on a bill. Let them know what you can pay, pay that amount, and they arrange when the rest of the payment is required. This can stop you from having services shut off man. It shows responsibility on your part.
Take time to eat, even when you donât feel like eating. Your body needs energy to live.
Wash or rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. It prevents gross caked on junk.
âThe Worksâ is an excellent cheap toilet cleaner.
MAGIC. FUCKING. ERASERS. THEY WORK ON EVERYTHING JUST DONâT SCRUB HARD. I took the ring out of our bathtub with one. Also generic ones work just as well.
Keep some bleach around but if you use it for cleaning? Dillute it. Thereâs rarely ever a case where you need to pout straight bleach on anything. A cap full or two in a bucket of water works just fine.
DO NOT MIX CLEANERS. Chemical reactions are can be very dangerous. Hereâs a good list. (Note that vinegar and baking soda can actually be a good combo for removing smells from things but itâs not very good at actually -cleaning-.)
If you drink? Donât take meds at the same time itâs just not good.
Make sure you check the dosages on your pill bottles. No one wants to accidentally overdose on cough syrup or ibuprofen.
If you have a uterus make sure you have a heating pad and ibuprofen on hand for the pain. Hot baths also generally help and Ginger Tea is excellent for any nausea.
Buy a first aid kit. Itâs worth it in the long run.
You can often do your taxes online at places like TurboTax.
Hereâs somegoodsex ed resources because I had to explain what a yeast infection was recently.Â
Petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) is good for chapped lips and you can get a decent sized tube or tub of it (generic brand version) for cheaper/same price as Chapstick.
KEEP TRIPLE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT IN YOUR HOUSE FOR CUTS AND SCRAPES AND SORES.Â
~~Medications~~
Over the counter medications (stuff you can buy right off the shelf no prescription needed) have a name brand and a generic name. ALWAYS buy generic if itâs available it is literally the same thing and way cheaper usually.
Some names to remember when youâre looking for meds!
Acetaminophen = Tylenol
Used to treat pain and reduce fever. Do not take with Ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen = Advil, Midol, Motrin
Used for pain and fever, is an anti-inflammtory. Is good for period cramps because it is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).
Naproxen = Aleve, Naprosyn
Treats fever, pain, arthritis pain, gout, period cramps, tendinitis, headache, backache, and toothache. Is also an NSAID.
Acetaminophen + Asprin + Caffeine = Excedrin
Usually marketed as âMigraine Reliefâ as a generic.
Asprin = Bayer
Use for pain, fever, arthritis, and inflammation. Makes you bleed easily so should not be used for periods. Might reduce risk of heart attacks.
Triple Antibiotic Ointment = Neosporin
Used on cuts, sores, and scrapes to reduce risk of infection and promote healing.
Also a general mutli-vitamin isnât a bad idea and if you donât get a lot of fruits or milk/sunshine in your diet you might want to get vitamins C and D specifically for daily use.
if you do accidentally lapse and put dawn in your dishwasher, run it empty and put hair conditioner where the detergent goes. thatâll clean it out (tip given to me by dorm custodian when roommate did the thing).
if you live off ramen, add stuff to it! add veggies you like, donât use the whole flavor packet to cut down on sodium and msg or donât use it at all and add your own spices.
if youâre making something with potatoes in it (beans, stew) potatoes are done when you can easily stab a fork through them.
you can microwave a hotdog as long as you put it in a microwave safe container of water. microwaves work by making water molecules vibrate. also, when reheating rice leftovers, add a small amount of water, like maybe a spoonfull, so it doesnât get hard and crunchy.
the rice cooking advice above is for long grain rice. if youâre making short or medium grain rice, a 1:1 ratio (one cup water for one cup rice) is better, so the rice doesnât come out too mushy.
buy a few cans of chicken. wholesale club stores like samâs, costco, or bjâs tend to carry multipacks for a good price. theyâre incredibly useful for when you forget to defrost meat.
buy meat on sale and put it in the freezer. buy vegetables on sale, and put them in the freezer. frozen veggies are often as flavorful and good as fresh ones, keep longer, and often come in microwaveable bags or with microwave directions.
soak ink stains in milk to help get them out or at least lighten them.
soak blood stains in water as soon as possible, with a bit of detergent or stain remover. scrub at them. use cold water, heat binds proteins to fabric. tbh, thereâs no real need to change the washer from cold-cold setting unless the thing youâre washing says to wash in warm water.
acetone, found in most nail polish removers, dissolves super glue.
YOUâRE ALL DOING GODâS WORK BLESS YOU
Takes pictures, have prints made and put them in photo albums. Be IN the pictures, have someone take pictures of you and your friends. Get over not looking perfect in thw picture. Someday that friend might be gone and those pictures might be all youâll have, you will want to be in them. I made that mistake with my best friend, i always felt weird asking for a picture together⊠he died of cancer January of 2014 and now i have no pictures of us together. Its my only regret in life.
This is really helpful, thank you all!
Iâm the newest of new adults but Iâm gonna throw these little tips in there. IF YOU HAVE AN OLD CAR:Â
-coolant or water if your car overheats (coolant is preferable cause it wonât hurt the engine in the long run but hey i know money is tight)Â
-flashlight in case you break down at night and need to check under the hood and your phone is dead
-SPARE TIRE.Â
-jumper cables.you will at some point leave your lights on. you just will.Â
AAA or any other road side service is never a bad investment i swear. (try to mooch it off your parents as long as you can though)Â
Know how to change a tire. Youâre going to need to do it at some point in time and you canât always rely on someone else to do it for you.
Donât be afraid to go to your local food bank. They are there for a reason.
Donât be ashamed to ask for help period. Life is hard, everyone needs help occasionally.
You can put a LOWER wattage bulb in a lamp that says itâs for a higher one, but donât put a HIGHER wattage bulb in. Also, watts refer to the amount of electricity used. LUMENS refers to the amount of light put out, and can vary quite a bit between brands, even though the wattage is the same. Look for the one with the highest lumens unless you actually want a slightly dimmer bulb in a certain location.
Those dollar store batteries? Fine if theyâre alkaline. âHeavy-dutyâ batteries, however, wonât last nearly as long.
You can microwave a hot dog and bun simply by wrapping them in a toweling for a minute, less if you donât want them scalding hot.
Reblogging to save lives.
Two adulting (kitchen-related) tips from me!
1. Buy a roll of parchment paper from the cooking shit aisle. A big roll will last you for-fucking-ever. Pretty much any time youâre using a baking pan you can line it with that stuff and save yourself A: food sticking to the pan and B: itâs a quick rinse and itâs clean.
2. Bread can get fucking expensive, so make your own. A bigass bag of flour and a bag of active dry yeast (store it in the friiiiidge!!!) works out a FUCK of a lot cheaper than buying bread at the store, and you can do so much more with it. Bread, pizza, rolls, cinnibuns, homemade pizza pockets. It seems intimidating but itâs stupid easy.
Seriously. Itâs stupid simple to make, and most of the â3 hoursâ to make it is sitting around surfing the internet or doing whatever the fuck you want while the dough rises. If you have an afternoon free once a week to sit and play video games or surf the net, you have the time to make your own bread on the cheap. Hereâs my simple-as-fuck recipe:
2 Œ teaspoons active dry yeast (You can buy a bag of this stuff CHEAP in bulk stores, the little packets are hella stupid priced) 1 cup warm water (think a hot bath) 1 œ teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons oil (any kind works for the most part) 2 Œ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt
1. Stir the yeast, water, sugar, and oil up in a bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It will foam up VERY high, this is the yeast getting happy! If it doesnât get all foamy, the water may have been too hot or not hot enough. Remember, Yeast is alive! Treat it like a nice girlfriend!
2. Mix your flour, salt, and the yeast concoction up in a bowl.
3. Knead that shit for about 5 minutes. It will start sticky as heck, but will come together into a nice dough. If itâs still super sticky, toss in a bit more flour. Hereâs how to knead it:Â
4. Put your dough in a covered, lightly oiled bowl and leave it someplace warmish for an hour. At that point it will have roughly doubled in size, give it a gentle punch to release the gasses that have built up inside. Cover it again and let it sit for a bit longer.
Boom. You have bread dough. Here are some baking times and uses for ya:
Optional egg-wash: Just crack an egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and mix the bejeebus out of it with a fork. Brush (or if youâre like me, goop it on with said fork) that shit thinly on bread before baking for a nice crust.
Pizza: Stretch it on a pan, stab the fucker all over with a fork, add toppings, bake 425*F 15-20 minutes.Â
Bread Sticks: Make snake-shapes, let rest on pan 10-ish minutes, bake 400*F 10-20 minutes.
Dinner rolls: Make ball-sized (yes those balls) balls. Place on greased pan, let rest 10-20 minutes to rise. Egg-wash and bake 375*F 25 minutes.
Bread: Lightly score (cut) the top, let sit for 20-ish minutes on/in whatever youâre using to bake it, egg-wash, bake at 375*F for 20-ish minutes. Itâs done when it sounds hollow if you knock on the bottom.
You bet your ass you can deep-fry this shit for cheapie yeast doughnuts. Roll that shit in sugar or dip it in whatever, itâs fucking tasty.
Bagels: YES. YOU. CAN. Form bagel-shapes out of the dough and boil them in salty water for about 2 minutes. Egg-wash them and bake them at 400*F for 10 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls: Roll that shit out into a rectangle. Brush it with a mix of butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no exact amounts here, do it to your taste). Roll it up into a log, and cut it into discs. Let them sit 20 minutes in a pan and then bake at 375*F 15-17 minutes.
You can add whatever you want to the dough for some variety, just if itâs dried spices remember you really only need 1-ish tablespoons. I personally like making bread with about 1 tablespoon of dill in the dough. Roll it out flat, sprinkle it with cheddar, roll it into a log, squeeze the ends shut, and bake it like a regular loaf of bread. Cheesy dill bread OMNOMNOM.
*ahem* That got a bit long. But yeah. Breadâs expensive, yo. Save your wallet.
(Also itâs ridiculous amounts of therapeutic to bake, for me anyway)
Being able to bake your own bread is pretty awesome, if you got the time for it.Â
Here, have a list of tips on how to be good to the Earth and not spend a fortune on it. Organic is good, but actually being able to eat the whole month is even better (especially on a student budget, yikes).
Leave the air con off when you are not at home. At some point, your house canât get any warmer than it is, and having the AC on to constantly combat the heat just will burn so much energy that you do not need to pay for. Also, the difference between the temperature on your air conditioning unit and the outside temperature should be no more than 5 C. The smaller the difference is, the lower your energy cost!
Turn off the heat, or turn it way down, when youâre going to sleep. Grab an extra blanket and put on some socks instead!
Donât cover your radiators with anything; the heat wonât spread efficiently and youâll waste energy.
Same goes for your fridge. Try not to have anything touch the back wall. Same principle as above, just with the cold. Plus, the stuff touching your back wall might actually freeze. Iâve had this happen with yoghurt.
Letâs reverse all that. If you have a wall or corner thatâs drafty as hell, put stuff up against it. Put your bookshelf there. Hang up posters and paintings. Cover it as best you can.
Save on dish soap by buying a small spray bottle, they cost like, nothing. Fill it 4:1 water to soap. You still get plenty of the cleaning goodness from the soap, but you use much less of it. Make sure you use all the soapy water that same day to avoid bacteria growth. Better for the water, better for your wallet. Of course, this is only relevant if you donât have a dishwasher.
Donât waste your money on expensive Magic Stain Removal For Clothes. Get some normal, clear dish soap. Wet your t-shirt or whatever it is that you got grease on. Rub dish soap on the opposite side of where you got the stain and let it sit before you wring out the soap again. That way, you get the stain out of your clothes fibers the same way it came in, so to speak. Wash clothes as normal afterwards. Itâs magic, I swear.
Recycle! Find out where you can return glass (!), metal (!), cardboard, and what else your city asks you to sort. Save up bottles and cans in a bag or box, and take them there when itâs full. Donate clothes to charity.
While weâre at recycling, buy clothes that last, instead of poor quality clothes produced in a sweatshop that will stretch, twist, and tear after a few times in the washing machine. Spend a little more on your wardrobe a little less often.
Upcycle! Clean jam/pickle jars make for cute candle holders, pencil cups, hell, grow plants in them if theyâre big enough. If they smell funky, wash them with lemon juice, salt, and water.
If you can, hang your clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer. Itâll smell nicer, and sunlight helps bleaching your whites!
Check the kilogram/pound price on stuff when grocery shopping. Thatâs where you really compare differences. I found out that a store near me sells organic peanut butter, which, per jar, deceptively costs a lot more than conventional. However, when I looked at the kg price, the difference was minimal. You should be able to find the kg/lb price on the price tags. Go organic when you can afford it! Less poison in the water, less poison in your body. Tomatoes, cucumber, and strawberries are some of the biggest sinners regarding how many pesticides they contain.
Figure out what fruits and veggies are in season when where you live. Buying stuff thatâs in season means itâs a) produced locally or as close to your country as possible, which b) means that tons of fuel hasnât been used to cart these vegetables all the way to you from the other side of the planet.
That goes for everything else, pretty much. Check where itâs been made, go for the stuff that is produced the closest to you.
The Forest app – youâve heard about it. But were you totally aware that you can spend your imaginary coins on planting a real tree? You can!
Also related to forestry, check the list of ingredients for palm oil. Harvesting palm trees for oil means a crazy amount of deforestation and replanting of oil palms, leading to animals being robbed of their habitats, and overall the palm oil industry has a devastating impact on biodiversity. Say no and look for an alternative.
Quit the car in favor of walking, biking, or public transportation. A bus carrying 30 people spends less fuel per person than a car carrying only 1.
If you already have a car, carpool! Find a neighbor, some friends, classmates, colleagues nearby. Ask them if they want to go with you. Bonus: you can totally ask for gas money if it becomes a regular thing, and no one will think youâre a jerk.
Bring a fabric shopping bag for your groceries and avoid plastic and paper one-time-use bags! More and more countries are moving to ban plastic bags at grocery stores, which is fantastic.
Get kitchen rags (for wiping the countertop and such) made from cloth, not the microplastic ones that, when washed, allow plastic to go out into the water. The cloth ones will last you longer, too, as theyâre more durable.
Lots of soaps, lotions and cleaning supplies have more environmentally friendly alternatives at no or a very small extra cost, and these should be helpfully marked with ecolabels! In the Nordic countries, for instance, we have the Nordic Swan, among many others.
All of these tips are nothing more than habit changes. Theyâll take very little extra time out of your life and doesnât require much dedication. You can do it!
How much longer until the utopic Solarpunk future where Capitalism is dead and we all live in ecologically sustainable high-tech forest cities? Asking for a friend.
Until we make those ecologically sustainable high-tech forest cities ourselves. Itâs going to take a lot of us to do it though, so best to spread the word (and gather native tree seeds).
And, like, get started now. Then our âweirdo housesâ will be the only thing functioning when everything falls apart!
The only reason why we donât live in a solarpunk world right now is because no one has bothered to make it yet.Â
Weâll have to make it ourselves, and weâll have to help each other make it. Thatâs why it is solarpunk.Â
Some resources to consider creating or joining or doing:
Repair cafes – create or join your local repair cafe! Repair stuff, learn how to repair stuff, teach others how to repair stuff.
Map of Makerspaces – make some things! learn how to make some things! teach others how to make some things!
Community Garden Map (note that this is US-only, and not a complete list) – join a local community garden
Learn some basics on passive solar design – clever use of the sun can create extremely energy efficient homes and buildings. You can use these principles to save on energy bills, even if youâre renting.
Free USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015 revision – cut down on personal food waste! Learn how to safely preserve food. Very useful if you suddenly harvest / purchase for crazy cheap in season / dumpster dive a ton of perishable food.
Donate to One Acre Fund, which provides training and capital to farmers (making them more productive and pulling them out of poverty) in various east African countries
Donate to Bridges to Prosperity, which provides technical expertise, money, and volunteers, to help local people build and maintain their own footbridges in extremely isolated rural areasÂ
joining r/solarpunk, and sharing links/ideas/art/music with the community. Also, upvoting stuff for greater visibility. Thereâs over 900 members!
But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that thereâs a woman with a blog who had to feed both herself and her young sonâŠon 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?
Let me tell you a thing.
This woman saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and thatâs it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then.Â
This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didnât have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together.Â
AgirlcalledJack.com is run by a British woman who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. She had to find a way to feed herself and her son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes she came up with are amazing.Â
You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, this woman will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already.Â
Bake your own bread. Itâs easier than you think. Hereâs a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic.Â
She has a book, but many recipes can be found on her blog for free. She prices her recipes down to the cent, and every year she participates in a project called âLiving Below the Lineâ where she has to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days.Â
Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. She gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and thatâs a fabulous feeling.Â
Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. Thatâs your super emergency money. Make sure they donât charge by the month for lack of use, though.
I donât care if it sounds like an advertisementâyou wonât be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical healthâand dammit, foodâs right in the center of that.Â
If you donât need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this.Â
Reblogging for all the impoverished students. Jack is the breadline queen. And if you donât need this – donate to your nearest food bank, stat.
Reblogging for students, working folks, and everyone whoâs ever had to choose between essentials at the store because you can only afford milk OR bread, not both.
even if you get along great with your family you will get along even better with them after moving outÂ
generic is almost always just as good as name brand. But there are some things you never buy generic, including: peanut butter, ketchup, liquid NyQuil, Chips-Ahoy chewy chocolate chip cookies
just imagine the person on the other end of the phone hates talking on the phone as much as you do. Even a receptionist. I worked as one and I hate talking on the phone
at least once in your life you will go to Wal-mart to buy something under $20 like an ironing board or something and your debit card will get rejected. No one will judge. Everyone at some point in their lives has had $2.98 in their bank account.Â
thrift stores
everyone else is too busy panicking about everyone else noticing every tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about them to notice any tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about you
you will screw up. a lot. you live and you learn. and when you start to think too hard about that embarrassing thing that happened and how you wish you could change it, just tell yourself that whatâs done is done. Thereâs no changing it, so just forget it and move on. Itâs the only way to stay sane.
do the dishes before the sink grows its own ecosystem
you canât put Dawn dishsoap in the dishwasher.Â
if you are the only one in the aisle at the grocery store, and you need to get from one end to the other without even looking at anything in that aisle, then you should totally cart-surf down the aisle. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. Hold on to the little things. They make all the difference.
never try to make cake from scratch at 3am. You end up with a topographical map of Middle Earth.
15% tip.Â
the best way to get money for food is to tell your grandparents about how you basically live on microwaved mac and cheese. Their horror may result in twenty bucks and orders to go out and get yourself âa real dinnerâ.
sometimes life sucks, and knowing that it might get better doesnât always make it suck any less, but youâll never get to the non-sucky days without enduring the suckiness.Â
no seriously, NEVER put Dawn in your dishwasher
Do not buy generic brand spaghetti sauce either.
Always check the type of light bulb that goes in lamps. A 60w is not interchangeable with a 40w.
Dollar store batteries work just as well as store brand.
Reward yourself from time to time when you do things that you needed to get done. Itâs a good way to remind yourself to do them. Going out to pay a bill? Get Starbucks or something you donât get often. Rewards donât have to be huge, they can be small things like that.
Rice, pasta, flour, sugar, cheese, eggs, milk, a pack of chicken, a pack of frozen veggies and a well stocked spice cabinet go a long way food-wise. Splurge and get the biggest container of rice you can. You donât have to go back and buy it again anytime soon and it makes a TON of meals in the meantime.
Rice can be cooked on the stove. You donât need a fancy rice cooker. Two parts water to every one part rice (two cups water for one cup of rice for example). Get your water boiling, add rice, put a plate or lid on it, put it on low for 20 minutes. It should be done.
Keep a calendar on your pc of bill due dates. If your bills are set up at inconvenient times, like all of the services started on the first or something, then call up the company and find out if you can get your billing date switched to something more manageable. A lot of places do try to work with you.
There is no shame in calling a company and asking for an extension on a bill. Let them know what you can pay, pay that amount, and they arrange when the rest of the payment is required. This can stop you from having services shut off man. It shows responsibility on your part.
Take time to eat, even when you donât feel like eating. Your body needs energy to live.
Wash or rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. It prevents gross caked on junk.
âThe Worksâ is an excellent cheap toilet cleaner.
MAGIC. FUCKING. ERASERS. THEY WORK ON EVERYTHING JUST DONâT SCRUB HARD. I took the ring out of our bathtub with one. Also generic ones work just as well.
Keep some bleach around but if you use it for cleaning? Dillute it. Thereâs rarely ever a case where you need to pout straight bleach on anything. A cap full or two in a bucket of water works just fine.
DO NOT MIX CLEANERS. Chemical reactions are can be very dangerous. Hereâs a good list. (Note that vinegar and baking soda can actually be a good combo for removing smells from things but itâs not very good at actually -cleaning-.)
If you drink? Donât take meds at the same time itâs just not good.
Make sure you check the dosages on your pill bottles. No one wants to accidentally overdose on cough syrup or ibuprofen.
If you have a uterus make sure you have a heating pad and ibuprofen on hand for the pain. Hot baths also generally help and Ginger Tea is excellent for any nausea.
Buy a first aid kit. Itâs worth it in the long run.
You can often do your taxes online at places like TurboTax.
Hereâs somegoodsex ed resources because I had to explain what a yeast infection was recently.Â
Petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) is good for chapped lips and you can get a decent sized tube or tub of it (generic brand version) for cheaper/same price as Chapstick.
KEEP TRIPLE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT IN YOUR HOUSE FOR CUTS AND SCRAPES AND SORES.Â
~~Medications~~
Over the counter medications (stuff you can buy right off the shelf no prescription needed) have a name brand and a generic name. ALWAYS buy generic if itâs available it is literally the same thing and way cheaper usually.
Some names to remember when youâre looking for meds!
Acetaminophen = Tylenol
Used to treat pain and reduce fever. Do not take with Ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen = Advil, Midol, Motrin
Used for pain and fever, is an anti-inflammtory. Is good for period cramps because it is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).
Naproxen = Aleve, Naprosyn
Treats fever, pain, arthritis pain, gout, period cramps, tendinitis, headache, backache, and toothache. Is also an NSAID.
Acetaminophen + Asprin + Caffeine = Excedrin
Usually marketed as âMigraine Reliefâ as a generic.
Asprin = Bayer
Use for pain, fever, arthritis, and inflammation. Makes you bleed easily so should not be used for periods. Might reduce risk of heart attacks.
Triple Antibiotic Ointment = Neosporin
Used on cuts, sores, and scrapes to reduce risk of infection and promote healing.
Also a general mutli-vitamin isnât a bad idea and if you donât get a lot of fruits or milk/sunshine in your diet you might want to get vitamins C and D specifically for daily use.
if you do accidentally lapse and put dawn in your dishwasher, run it empty and put hair conditioner where the detergent goes. thatâll clean it out (tip given to me by dorm custodian when roommate did the thing).
if you live off ramen, add stuff to it! add veggies you like, donât use the whole flavor packet to cut down on sodium and msg or donât use it at all and add your own spices.
if youâre making something with potatoes in it (beans, stew) potatoes are done when you can easily stab a fork through them.
you can microwave a hotdog as long as you put it in a microwave safe container of water. microwaves work by making water molecules vibrate. also, when reheating rice leftovers, add a small amount of water, like maybe a spoonfull, so it doesnât get hard and crunchy.
the rice cooking advice above is for long grain rice. if youâre making short or medium grain rice, a 1:1 ratio (one cup water for one cup rice) is better, so the rice doesnât come out too mushy.
buy a few cans of chicken. wholesale club stores like samâs, costco, or bjâs tend to carry multipacks for a good price. theyâre incredibly useful for when you forget to defrost meat.
buy meat on sale and put it in the freezer. buy vegetables on sale, and put them in the freezer. frozen veggies are often as flavorful and good as fresh ones, keep longer, and often come in microwaveable bags or with microwave directions.
soak ink stains in milk to help get them out or at least lighten them.
soak blood stains in water as soon as possible, with a bit of detergent or stain remover. scrub at them. use cold water, heat binds proteins to fabric. tbh, thereâs no real need to change the washer from cold-cold setting unless the thing youâre washing says to wash in warm water.
acetone, found in most nail polish removers, dissolves super glue.
YOUâRE ALL DOING GODâS WORK BLESS YOU
Takes pictures, have prints made and put them in photo albums. Be IN the pictures, have someone take pictures of you and your friends. Get over not looking perfect in thw picture. Someday that friend might be gone and those pictures might be all youâll have, you will want to be in them. I made that mistake with my best friend, i always felt weird asking for a picture together⊠he died of cancer January of 2014 and now i have no pictures of us together. Its my only regret in life.
This is really helpful, thank you all!
Iâm the newest of new adults but Iâm gonna throw these little tips in there. IF YOU HAVE AN OLD CAR:Â
-coolant or water if your car overheats (coolant is preferable cause it wonât hurt the engine in the long run but hey i know money is tight)Â
-flashlight in case you break down at night and need to check under the hood and your phone is dead
-SPARE TIRE.Â
-jumper cables.you will at some point leave your lights on. you just will.Â
AAA or any other road side service is never a bad investment i swear. (try to mooch it off your parents as long as you can though)Â
Know how to change a tire. Youâre going to need to do it at some point in time and you canât always rely on someone else to do it for you.
Donât be afraid to go to your local food bank. They are there for a reason.
Donât be ashamed to ask for help period. Life is hard, everyone needs help occasionally.
You can put a LOWER wattage bulb in a lamp that says itâs for a higher one, but donât put a HIGHER wattage bulb in. Also, watts refer to the amount of electricity used. LUMENS refers to the amount of light put out, and can vary quite a bit between brands, even though the wattage is the same. Look for the one with the highest lumens unless you actually want a slightly dimmer bulb in a certain location.
Those dollar store batteries? Fine if theyâre alkaline. âHeavy-dutyâ batteries, however, wonât last nearly as long.
You can microwave a hot dog and bun simply by wrapping them in a toweling for a minute, less if you donât want them scalding hot.
Reblogging to save lives.
Two adulting (kitchen-related) tips from me!
1. Buy a roll of parchment paper from the cooking shit aisle. A big roll will last you for-fucking-ever. Pretty much any time youâre using a baking pan you can line it with that stuff and save yourself A: food sticking to the pan and B: itâs a quick rinse and itâs clean.
2. Bread can get fucking expensive, so make your own. A bigass bag of flour and a bag of active dry yeast (store it in the friiiiidge!!!) works out a FUCK of a lot cheaper than buying bread at the store, and you can do so much more with it. Bread, pizza, rolls, cinnibuns, homemade pizza pockets. It seems intimidating but itâs stupid easy.
Seriously. Itâs stupid simple to make, and most of the â3 hoursâ to make it is sitting around surfing the internet or doing whatever the fuck you want while the dough rises. If you have an afternoon free once a week to sit and play video games or surf the net, you have the time to make your own bread on the cheap. Hereâs my simple-as-fuck recipe:
2 Œ teaspoons active dry yeast (You can buy a bag of this stuff CHEAP in bulk stores, the little packets are hella stupid priced) 1 cup warm water (think a hot bath) 1 œ teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons oil (any kind works for the most part) 2 Œ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt
1. Stir the yeast, water, sugar, and oil up in a bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It will foam up VERY high, this is the yeast getting happy! If it doesnât get all foamy, the water may have been too hot or not hot enough. Remember, Yeast is alive! Treat it like a nice girlfriend!
2. Mix your flour, salt, and the yeast concoction up in a bowl.
3. Knead that shit for about 5 minutes. It will start sticky as heck, but will come together into a nice dough. If itâs still super sticky, toss in a bit more flour. Hereâs how to knead it:Â
4. Put your dough in a covered, lightly oiled bowl and leave it someplace warmish for an hour. At that point it will have roughly doubled in size, give it a gentle punch to release the gasses that have built up inside. Cover it again and let it sit for a bit longer.
Boom. You have bread dough. Here are some baking times and uses for ya:
Optional egg-wash: Just crack an egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and mix the bejeebus out of it with a fork. Brush (or if youâre like me, goop it on with said fork) that shit thinly on bread before baking for a nice crust.
Pizza: Stretch it on a pan, stab the fucker all over with a fork, add toppings, bake 425*F 15-20 minutes.Â
Bread Sticks: Make snake-shapes, let rest on pan 10-ish minutes, bake 400*F 10-20 minutes.
Dinner rolls: Make ball-sized (yes those balls) balls. Place on greased pan, let rest 10-20 minutes to rise. Egg-wash and bake 375*F 25 minutes.
Bread: Lightly score (cut) the top, let sit for 20-ish minutes on/in whatever youâre using to bake it, egg-wash, bake at 375*F for 20-ish minutes. Itâs done when it sounds hollow if you knock on the bottom.
You bet your ass you can deep-fry this shit for cheapie yeast doughnuts. Roll that shit in sugar or dip it in whatever, itâs fucking tasty.
Bagels: YES. YOU. CAN. Form bagel-shapes out of the dough and boil them in salty water for about 2 minutes. Egg-wash them and bake them at 400*F for 10 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls: Roll that shit out into a rectangle. Brush it with a mix of butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no exact amounts here, do it to your taste). Roll it up into a log, and cut it into discs. Let them sit 20 minutes in a pan and then bake at 375*F 15-17 minutes.
You can add whatever you want to the dough for some variety, just if itâs dried spices remember you really only need 1-ish tablespoons. I personally like making bread with about 1 tablespoon of dill in the dough. Roll it out flat, sprinkle it with cheddar, roll it into a log, squeeze the ends shut, and bake it like a regular loaf of bread. Cheesy dill bread OMNOMNOM.
*ahem* That got a bit long. But yeah. Breadâs expensive, yo. Save your wallet.
(Also itâs ridiculous amounts of therapeutic to bake, for me anyway)
Being able to bake your own bread is pretty awesome, if you got the time for it.Â