Saving a Scratching Post (Easy DIY Repair)

T and I have quite an active kitty, Toby, who just turned 10 this year. He's having a mid-life crisis renewed burst of kitten playfulness, and is going nuts on anything he can scratch. Fortunately, we have scratching posts in several rooms for him to take his energy out on. Unfortunately, they are starting to get destroyed (and look messy) after a few years of abuse. The good news is it's super easy to clean up with just a pair of scissors and some glue. I chose a hot glue gun. You could also use fabric glue or wood glue.

Exhibit A (Before). There is frayed rope on much of the scratching post and a few ropes that are completely ripped loose. 

First, clean up all the loose shreds of twine. I trimmed some of the shreds on the post too, but didn't go nuts because I didn't want to leave it bald!

Next, add a row of glue onto the bald part of the post and press down one of the loose ropes into place. Because these were completely frayed at the ends, I twist or braid them, and continue to glue down until the end is secured. Repeat for each loosened rope.

Exhibit A (After). Not brand new, but way less straggly than when we started. No loose ends or loose shreds of twine.

Exhibit B (Before). This post has the twine barely holding on to the batting ball and the base.

First, I squirt a line of glue onto the base, to secure the rope. I go a few inches at a time, one row at a time, re-winding the rope in the spiral that it was originally. I don't want to go too fast, or my glue will dry before I can get the full spiral laid down.

I repeat with the batting ball, gluing and laying down one row at a time, spiraling around the ball form.

Trim a few loose strands of twine, and viola! Just like new. Exhibit B (After).

Just about 10 minutes of time saved me from replacing worn, ratty toys (at about $20 each), and will give Toby many more hours of scratching time.

Earth-Friendly Ears

Whether you call them cotton swabs, cotton buds, or Q-Tips, you likely have a few uses for these sticks around your bathroom. For me, it's drying my ears or removing the last traces of eye makeup after a shower.

After seeing this devastating image of seahorse dragging around a Q-tip floating around the web, I wanted to prioritize swapping these out.

They may also be the next item to gain attention from governments, after grocery bags and plastic straws. Scotland has already banned plastic cotton buds, while the EU is looking at single use plastics in general.

Plastic, you say? Check your medicine cabinet and see if yours have a cardboard or plastic stem. If they aren't paper-based, that's the first easiest upgrade.

The next-level upgrade is to look at reusable options: for ear-cleaning they make them in durable plastic, metal, and wood. All are washable. I tested a couple out and wanted to share my results.

I first tried these Utility Tip ear cleaners, professing to be "ultra soft", because I was not sold on putting plastic into my ear instead of soft cotton. I was right to be nervous. After a few tries, I couldn't handle these, which felt like they were scraping me. However, I had a couple friends swearing by similar products, so I decided to give another brand a try.

Next up was Clínere. These are a bit better. Not only was the fin side substantially softer than the Utility Tip ones, but it also has a scoop side for if you have a wax issue. They still don't give me the same super dry satisfaction of cotton, but reduce post-shower water by about 80%.

Finally, I tried Last Swab. I first learned about them through their Kickstarter, and decided they would be my last ditch effort to finding a really comfortable reusable swab. Instead of plastic, they are made from silicone, and have a couple different designs: a regular round tip with bumps for giving your ears a good scrub, and a smooth pointed tip for makeup use. These were by far the most comfortable for ear use. It would be a fantastic tool for earwax removal and a decent tool for water removal. For makeup use... because it's smooth and not absorbent, it does nothing for makeup removal. I imagine it would be a great choice for blending makeup.

Having decided that none of these gave me the super dry feeling of cotton, I tried one last thing: an old t-shirt. I've been using cut up t-shirts for a few other applications: as hankies, as makeup remover pads, so I have plenty around. Simply wrap it around a finger and go for it. Viola! Not only did my ears get nice and dry, but it's probably the only doctor-approved method listed here. The used t-shirt squares are collected in a mesh lingerie bag, and then washed with my regular laundry.

In summary, after lots of experimenting, I will likely use t-shirts for ear drying and makeup removal, and Last Swab for wax removal.

T-shirts: FREE
Last Swab: $12, pay back after 4 boxes or 2000 Q-Tips

Q-Tips with cardboard stem: $3.29 for 500 at Target
Generic swabs with cardboard stem: $1.99 for 500 at Target
Generic swabs with plastic stem: $1.99 for 300 at Walgreens

(You can break even or even save $$ with the switch to cardboard!)

Flax FAIL

Friends, it's been a crazy month with everything going on in the world, but I'm back. I try to only post good recommendations here, that are tried and true, but my friend Tatiana pointed out, you can learn just as much from my fails. Not all products or projects will be successful, and you can either bypass my mistakes, or avoid it altogether. So, here's one *not* to try. :)

For those with curly hair, you are probably well aware of the challenges: one side may dry curlier than the other, we're prone to frizziness, there are 8000 rules about how to not damage the curl (you should wash in cold water, sleep on a silk pillow case, never use a regular towel, only microfiber)...

On a good day this is how my curls dry naturally with no product. I have a bit of frizz, and would like more definition. On a less good day, well... there's a reason I revert to straightening my hair vs leaving it to chance.

Now that I'm working from home for the foreseeable future (thank you zombie apocalypse), I have a lot of flexibility for experimenting with my hair. I've been intrigued to try this DIY hair gel recipe, that's touted as both a miracle for curly and kinky hair as well as low waste. It's made with just water and nutrient-rich flax seeds, full of fiber, proteins, and Omega-3.

There are dozens of how-to videos and blogs online showing soft defined curls, a nice thick hair gel, and an incredibly simple process, so I'm excited to get started. I mean just look at this one:

I jump right into step 1: boil 1/4 cup flax seeds with 2 cups of water, on medium for about 10 minutes.

Each of the various videos have different cooking times resulting in different thickness of gel, so cook down to your preference.

Next, cool the mixture. Then strain though a knee-high stocking, or a mesh strainer. The seeds will be strained out, leaving a translucent gel.

Wait, what? I'm left with an oatmeal-y sludge! No viscosity after cooling, just grainy, soupy sludge!

I think I figured out the problem, yet none of the recipes clearly call it out: you need to use WHOLE flax seeds, and I used ground.

30 minutes lost but not wasted. I've learned one way to *not* make hair gel! If you end up trying a home hair gel recipe, let me know what works for you.

Rideshare for Savings

Headed to the airport the other day, I realized I haven't shared one of the EASIEST ways to save a few bucks while making the eco-conscious choice.

If you take taxis, as many of us do, switch to a rideshare app! I won't endorse any one app, but I do want to talk about a great feature: shared or pooled rides.

Prior to rideshare apps, when traveling, I would be standing in the taxi line thinking, "we're all headed from the airport to the the same handful of hotels. Wouldn't it be great if we could double up, save some traffic, and split the fare?" But very rarely could you coordinate a shared ride successfully. Now, apps make it easy.

Here's an example from Lyft. A ride for just myself or my party would be $39.49, but if I'm willing to share a car with others going the same direction, it drops to $31.67 (a 20% savings). If I'm willing to walk a couple blocks to meet at a more convenient pickup point for all, my trip reduces even further to $28.25 (a 28% savings). They also show you the time added to accommodate the extra pickups/dropoffs, and this example is fairly average from my experience: an added 6-8 minutes.

This next example is from Uber. Their standard option for just you/your party is UberX, costing $30.70 for this ride. If you are willing to share the ride, choose Pool for $19.07 (a whopping 38% savings and 12 minute added time).

Keep in mind the available options, savings, and added time are all variable depending on when and to where you are traveling. For the best outcome, I have a couple apps downloaded and compare at the time I'm requesting my ride.

Cons: you need to have a little flexibility for arrival time.

Pros: in addition to saving money, there are all of the eco benefits of carpooling... and the apps take care of all the coordination for you!

New Year, New Clothes

A couple weeks ago, my friend Mariko messaged me to plan a thrifting date, and I jumped at the opportunity. I never need an excuse to go shopping, but I knew going with someone else would lead to some different shops, and I was excited to see if fresh eyes would lead to some fun finds.

Where I tend to focus more on budget basics, Mariko has a passion for vintage. In fact, she is a collector of vintage Pyrex, classic cookbooks, older editions of Agatha Christie novels, and collectibles. Those she is willing to part with, she'll bring to markets like the SoDo Flea Market, or post on her Etsy shop.

So, adding a couple vintage shops to my usual haunts, Mariko and I headed out, and powered through 5 stores in 2 hours! Capitol Hill has *many* shops, and you could easily make a full day out of it. We hit: Lifelong Thrift (donated/thrift), Crossroads Trading (consignment), Revival Shop (vintage and boutique), Goodwill (donated/thrift), and Pretty Parlor (vintage and boutique).

Right away, I found success: these Calvin Klein skinny boyfriend jeans fit like a glove and were in great condition at Crossroads Training.

They were on half-off special, so I took them home for $12. Compare at $70 new.

Next stop, I found this great skirt at Lifelong Thrift. With a gauzy outer layer, it was perfect for a night out on the town. (I wore it to the theatre this Saturday, and my friend Jeni exclaimed, "It's like an adult tutu!")

A lucky find, this skirt was new with tags, costing $136 retail, and I scored it for just $7.

I'm sad to say I missed capturing the best moment of the day: Mariko didn't go empty-handed. She took home a comfy and colorful vintage muumuu in varying shades of blues and purples from Revival Shop.

At the end of the day, I spend $19 and saved $187 (90%), all while having eco-friendly fun with a friend.

Mind Your Bee's Wax

My friend, Tatiana, has been super supportive of my goals to reduce waste, and got me this sweet DIY Beeswax Wrap kit as a holiday gift! Don't know about wax wraps? They are basically wax coated fabric, that can replace cling wrap, and can be reused for months before refreshing.

The kit contains everything I need to make 3 assorted size wraps: fabric in a fun pattern, directions, parchment paper, 3 pieces of wax, a glass jar, and a paintbrush.

First, preheat your oven to 200℉ while you complete the first few steps.

Lay the fabric on a piece of the parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (I ended up using the same piece of parchment for all 3 wraps, and keeping the other sheets for future projects.)

Next, create a double boiler situation by setting the mason jar inside a pan of boiling water. Melt the beeswax in the jar.

Use the melted wax to paint a thin layer over all your fabric. Don't worry if it's perfect or starts to get chunky.

Next, put the cookie sheet with fabric into your pre-heated oven for 1-2 minutes. This helps melt the wax further, so its spreads evenly over the fabric.

Then remove the cookie sheet, and carefully pick the fabric up by the corners, and wave it in the air for about 30 seconds. This will quickly cool the wax until the fabric stiffens.

Finally, test out your new wrap! Simply wrap it around the food you want to package, or bowl you want to cover. The warmth of your hands should soften the wax enough so that the fabric molds into shape. Exhibit A: wrapped orange.

In between uses, you can wash your wrap in cool water with dish soap. You should be able to use the wrap many times before it starts to lose its effectiveness. Then, simply repeat the waxing process.

Not feeling crafty? Get a ready-made wax wrap, like this set of 3 for $18 from Sur La Table.

Have your own fabric but need wax? Get it for about $1.50 per wrap, available online or at craft stores.

Pat yourself on the back for reducing your use of cling wrap and having super cute lunches. :)

Awesome in 2019 and Looking Forward to 2020!

Hi friends ~

Thank you for joining me in 2019. I was a little lighter in posting due to multiple things going on - job changes, job travel, love ones lost... But we still accomplished quite a lot!

You stuck with me through 27 posts, in which we made smarter shopping choices, and made the most of what we did purchase:

Recycling/upcycling programs: 

• We found multiple programs that recycle dead Christmas lights (and some that give you coupons for new lights!).
• We put ourselves on the waiting list for Loop, a milkman-style service for household products, currently being offered on the East Coast, and expanding.
• We discovered Ridwell, who hosted a special event to take Amazon Prime Day packaging, and has programs for other difficult to recycle items.
• We learned about the value of replanting trees (or getting a houseplant!) to soak up our CO2.
• We learned about a cool company that both upcycles and creates jobs, making animal sculptures out of used flip flops.

In the Community:

• We learned there were tons of ways to do more during Earth Month and throughout the year with Earth Day Bingo and a list of community events throughout the Northwest. 
• The Seattle Recycled Arts Festival provided both entertainment and introduced me to multiple upcycling artists.
• Airports helped us avoid buying water bottles (and spending $3) by providing refill stations, and apps are helping us find bottle-free water around town. 

Clothing:

• We explored options besides donating to thrift stores, and gave ourselves more reasons to shop at thrift stores!
• We found several great shops in West Seattle and saved $52 on some brand name shoes.
• I got brave with the floral denim trend, and saved $75 by thrifting.
• We built thrift shopping into our regular habits, and saved $486 in a single month.
• Online thrifting let me quickly shop for something specific while saving $100. 
• I saved $160 on summer sandals by letting friends and family know I'm open to hand-me-downs. 
• We had a rockin' Halloween costume, and saved $140 by buying used pieces, and made $25 back by selling some components online.

Other Thrifting and Swaps: 

• I saved $37 buying a vintage cake-taker to treat a friend for her birthday. 
• Online used book sales helped us save $5 and shop with convenience. 
• Our pets got more love and we saved $32 by switching our style of lint roller.
• We got $12 more value out of our Thanksgiving turkey by using our slow cooker.

DIY: 

• We gave new life to half-used makeup, by testing out some online tutorials. 
• We improved our every day floor care with homemade "Swiffer" solution and pads.
• We propagated our own succulents, saving $32 on 8 successful baby plants!
• Snack containers were the perfect base for DIY decoupaged planters.
• We converted our favorite concert tee into a conversation-starting tote bag. 
• Homemade simple syrup saved us $7 flavoring our beverages. 
• A quick mending job on a shower curtain saved us $10. 
• Recycled cardboard was transformed into cute holiday decorations. 

Overall, we saved $1176, and had a fun time shopping and crafting throughout it all! Here's looking forward to an even better 2020.