Luxuries you can do from home!

During this economic crisis some of us has been hurt financially. We have had to cut back on some things that seemed to us to be necessities instead of luxuries. Here I have a list of a few things that most people cannot afford anymore, however I still have given you a way to enjoy.

Tanning
I know a lot of men and women love to tan at the salon. However that 30 dollars you spend every so often can better be used for food or a full tank of gas. Has anyone thought of tanning outside? It is summer now and the sun is very strong. Don't live somewhere that you can tan outside? Go to a park, a friend's house or a community pool. Instead of spending that money on some expensive indoor tanning lotion, spend it on tanning oil that is more affordable and will help your tanning time.

Have Your Own Salon At Home!

I know a lot of us are used to spending over 100 dollars at the salon every month. Did you know you can get the same effect at home? There are places that sell salon type products for very inexpensive. Have some friends over and make a night out of it! I have not been to a salon in almost a year to get my hair dyed. Those with blond hair I can understand the hesitation but a little bit of research on the internet can show you if it's easier to do it on your own than you think.

Now for nails! You spend at least 30 to get a set, then 15 to get them filled every week or so. Did you know again that you can do your nails on your own at home? And you do not have to get just acrylic nails either. Once again do some research and find out for yourself how easy it is to do!

Visit this website for a quick how-to on doing your own nails at home. You will be surprised on how easy it really is!

Go to a salon to have your own facial and skin treatments? Did you know you can save time and money by doing it from home?
Visit this website for information on how to create your own spa time at home by yourself or with friends!

A very big reason why people like to go to a salon is the social atmosphere. If you know the people that go to your salon then it will not be a problem for you to invite them to your home to have a spa party! Everyone will enjoy the company and the casual atmosphere of your home and perhaps you will start a trend with your friends!

Gardening In Any Space

I have lived in anything from a studio apartment to a nice size house and have always found a way to create a garden in my home. Having green, living things around you will always perk up your mood and give you a sense of stability. Needless to say gardening in a more roomy home with a yard is much easier than a studio. Nevertheless even while living in an apartment there were people around me determined not to let that stop them. For example, the new hanging tomato craze makes its easy to create your own garden no mater where you are. There are kits now containing DIY home herb gardens and more.

No mater where you are always make sure you are taking care of a living plant. One of the most popular and easily taken care of plant is the Aloe Vera. This plant can help anything from stomach aches to stretch marks as well burns. It is low maintenance and will not disappoint you in it's many uses.

Next time you are at a major grocery store stop by their garden section and see about indoor plants and gardens, you might be surprised what you can find!

The Cost of Eating Right

Have you ever noticed how much money it costs to eat healthier? Have you ever noticed that processed food costs less than food grown from the earth? The worst one now....have you ever noticed that soda costs MORE than water??? When soda actually takes more to make than putting natural water into a bottle? I live on a VERY limited budget and its sadly cheaper for me to buy instant macaroni and cheese as well as tv dinners that have what LOOKS like meat (not too sure about that) than to actually buy the ingredients and make it myself. What does that do to yourself? Next time you go to the store notice what people buy and the shape they are in. Now just because someone is skinny by any means it does not mean they are healthy. A lot of people have malnutrition issues due to the fact they are not eating enough healthy foods hence the slender figure. There are ailments that are caused in children and adults alike do to the lack of proper nutrition as well as the intake of so many chemicals. I remember when I was little my Mom and Dad bought some instant food (their never ending search for additions to the food storage) and made me some instant mashed potatoes and gravy. Now to back up a little bit I had only eaten potatoes and gravy from scratch my whole life. The potatoes had a horrible smell and taste and to this day I still cannot bring myself to actually enjoy instant gravy as much as other people do. I became extremely sick from the food and did not eat until the next day. Now there are good, healthy instant mashed potatoes as well as good tasting gravy that do not make me sick but I still prefer the taste of homemade. I have always had a sensitive stomach and eating right and healthy is the only way I feel good.
Another one of my goals with this blog is to show how everyone can still eat healthy and affordable, especially when you are on the awful student budget I am on. I long to have a garden and land to raise my own chicken and such. I even dream about it at night! However I am currently stuck in the city and must make due. So if I can so can you!
There are a few things everyone can do even if you are in my position. Creating an herb garden as well as grow some hanging veggies is a way to start. In fact it is exactly what I have started to do! So please keep posted, my next posting will be on Indoor Gardening. Something everyone can do!

Basic tips to 'Go Green'

This is a link from the World Watch Institute I found that has some basic good ideas to help you 'go green'. It has some practical, common sense information that we all should take a look at (yes especially me).

http://www.worldwatch.org/resources/go_green_save_green

Each of these ideas I will cover more in depth from time to time to break it down even more, due to the fact that some things we think 'don't apply to me' or 'I just cannot do that right now', such as biking or walking to work for instance (I certainly cannot and do not due to health and distance issues). So keep tabs because I will continue to post ideas!

Introduction to 'True Freedom'

Since I can remember, my family never had a lot of money, yet we never did without. Almost every day growing up I got dirt under my nails from gardening, taking care of animals and then the more yummy tasting dirt of whatever we were making that day. Even while we had to live in the city we tried living as self reliant as possible. Of course my young mind did not like the work that lifestyle created and how it took up my 'free' time. When I was on my own as an adult I did not think that I would ever live that way and it was not until a few years on my own did I finally see the true freedom that it could give.

To be 'free' I thought, was to find a decent job, live in a decent place close to 'everything' and have plenty of money to afford luxuries such as eating out or quick preparing food, being able to pay the electric and/or gas bill on time with plenty of use (or waste) for each month and other such luxuries that afforded me to essentially be lazy and wasteful. However, I did not think about what would happen if that 'decent job' was lost and finances did not allow for luxuries.
When in the midst of struggle I ate cheaper food like those instant noodle soups, cheap bread that smelled more of chemicals than grain and flour and found myself longing for the true homemade food my Mom made from fresh fruit, vegetables and meats that came from their hard work.
There was more than a few times that I was given food from my older sister's endless food storage and fresh food from her own garden. She had taken the lesson's she had learned growing up to heart and lived comfortably and freely. Finally I realized that it was about time I did the same.
I was not raised in a wealthy family. My Dad's income was very small and we still managed to live with the stability and freedom of realizing that even in hard times we would always eat healthy and sleep comfortably in a secure home.

My goal is to bring the message of 'True Freedom' to people around me by creating a vast treasure chest of knowledge. I will create ideas that everyone can use, whether rich or poor.

The definition of True Freedom is Self Reliance. It is not depending on job or economy to take care of you like your parents did, but taking your fate into your own hands and creating a true life for yourself and people around you. It is being secure even when business's collapse and money stops coming in. Having all of your basic needs not just taken care of but taken care of well is everyone's goal and I am here to help show people ways to create that for themselves no matter what goes on in the world.