Alana Rose

My ‘beauty’ routine has definitely changed over the years. In my teens and 20’s, I went out dancing and singing karaoke a lot. I wore Mac foundation, Maybelline mascara (the iconic green and bright pink container) and glitter eyeliner I designed myself… before it became a big thing. And sometimes, we got home so late, we slept with it on. I wasn’t super into fragrances… and I didn’t wear makeup or do my hair daily but I regularly got dressed up with friends, wore high heels and it was lots of fun.

Well, my skin feels better without anything on it and even then my eyelashes felt ‘heavy’ with mascara on. And well, high heels and most beauty products aren’t healthy.

For the last several years, I’ve just used an oil (olive, avocado, sunflower, argon…) on my face as a moisturizer. I did try a few natural moisturizers but I wanted to minimize waste and to buy things that had multiple uses.

As I approach 40, I realize that wrinkles or more gracefully known as ‘expression lines’ will likely show more… but I don’t necessarily like mine. (I’ve always been a very facially expressive person!)

A few weeks ago, I found myself very curious about a recommendation made by one of the crunchy mama blogger’s e-mail lists I subscribe to for a product called ‘frownies’ https://www.frownies.com/ Since my job has been extra stressful lately… I found myself sleeping with a scrunched up face and it wasn’t a good look in the morning… so I bit the bullet and bought some, along with some rose water spray… not the most permies purchase but one of those… I can’t believe that I’m gonna be 40! ones.

It’s a little embarrassing… but why not embarrass myself with all you wonderful people.

Any of you have unusual approaching or in my 40’s purchases that you never thought you’d buy?

This article also talks about soaking & kombu and also the role of digestion-enhancing spices: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/food-features/putting-the-polish-on-those-humble-beans/

It has a “Neutralizing Phytic Acid” chart and it  also talks about the hardness of water and it’s effects on cooking beans. Age of beans can determine the cooking time which in turn could affect how well one digests them.The nourishing traditions cookbook suggests soaking in lemon juice, vinegar or whey but I haven’t noticed a significant difference with that. I did try sprouting lentils once or twice before cooking but the texture is a lot to get used to.

Side note: Peruvian beans make an excellent and creamy hummus.

I too like beans more than they like me back… but not to the point of being in pain. Thanks for sharing your experiment with us! I might try implementing eating some beans every day to see if that makes a difference in my body’s reaction to them.

I had to laugh when I just read the daily-ish… and wondered… how did Nicole know I made beans for dinner tonight?!

Thanks for that input John. I definitely do the calm conversation and even petting her against the outside of the screen of the carrier seems to help calm her down.

I just ordered a product called Feliway, https://us.feliway.com/products/feliway-mulitcat-starter-set, I could use this at home while I pack and in the moving transition and if I leave her with someone to watch (who already has cats)… I also ordered a spray to put in her carrier for the car/plane. The reviews were mixed, some said it worked great, others it didn’t work at all.

Another website also recommended a product called Thundershirt which is supposed to calm anxiety and thus helps unwanted behaviors due to stress.

I found out if I take her to PA, I technically will need proof of a rabies vaccine and a clear bill of health from a certified vet. This makes my practically free trip… now cost quite a bit of $. However, considering I’m not sure how long I’m staying in PA… possibly more than 1 month… maybe it would be okay.

It’s disappointing that she needs a rabies vaccine and clean bill of health to travel from CA to PA but didn’t need one to cross the international border from Mexico into CA.

I did find information about PureVax which is a somewhat new line of feline vaccines that don’t have adjuvants (that can cause death, disease & disabilities) but now I can’t seem to figure out how to find a vet that carries/offers those nearby.

My kitty does hunt for and feast on mice nearby for at least a few hours each day but she is more of a house cat than a barn cat. Being all black also makes her stand out quite a bit for predators like hawks.

I rescued a kitten 🐈‍⬛ from a ministry I worked at. Her mother lived in the chicken coop and I noticed the kitten wasn’t growing (like her siblings.) For three months, a little boy at the ministry and I brought her and her mom food and water. One day I noticed that the mom was pregnant again and was not sharing her food with ‘kitty’ so the day the kitten was brave enough to let me touch her, I took her in and she did grow but she’s still a lot smaller than her siblings.

Anyhoo, I adopted kitty out to two people and paid for her food & litter to ensure she had a nice life. Her second family needed to give her back to me due to job loss and move. I am now moving and looking for a new job and perhaps a new start. I have booked my ticket and hers to fly to Pennsylvania.

In order to get her to my current home, it was about a 10 hour drive and she meowed on and off the first few hours…

Any travel tips for car or plane travel with cats? (Yes, I’ve “googled it” but I’m asking you all fellow permies.)

I did pet her while she was in the cat carrier and put her on my lap under a sweatshirt on the drive but those are things I can’t do on a plane.

I’ve read websites suggesting sedation but because of that thing going around, pets cannot travel as cargo and are not allowed to be sedated…

I was thinking that over the next couple weeks I should take her on short drives to help her get used to her carrier more and the noises and movement… I don’t want to be THAT person with the crying cat on the flights…

I would just have someone care for her while I’m away but most friends of mine have left CA or have other pet responsibilities. She does have a history of getting along well with other cats and dogs. I will probably be gone for a month.

Blessings,

Jay Angler wrote:I certainly wouldn't want to risk a lot of food, but adding a single noodle to the boiling water might be a good test as the food may be more prone to absorbing the chemical scent than the water.

Excellent suggestion!

I did the 1 noodle water test (I had to buy more noodles) and I didn’t notice any soapy taste or smell so hooray!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help.

Travis Johnson wrote: A vacation? I am on vacation everyday as I can do whatever I want, when I want. I have nothing to take a vacation from.

Thanks for sharing! What an inspiring post! This quote was especially excellent.

The alternative I used for neither renting (with money) nor having a mortgage was bartering.

When I was younger, I contracted babysitting/nannying a certain number of hours per month for housing. The homes I stayed in where far above what I could’ve afforded then (or now) and I was able to work full-time elsewhere to cover my other living costs. I also, as a young single woman, was able to be a lot safer because I lived with a family and in low crime neighborhoods.

They were also blessed because not only did they have trustworthy guaranteed childcare for certain hours, they also never had to pay for a pet or house sitter if they went out of town.

(Of course, I recommend that if someone is bartering to have clear boundaries and expectations with lots of details so both parties understand expectations. One situation was a written contract and another was just verbal because there were years of trust built.)

John C Daley wrote:

I have not read this book, but it was mentioned in a Topic I started about GOOD DEBT / BAD DEBT
The suggestion at the time seemed to be that all debt is bad, I dont agree.

I like what Marco shared here: https://permies.com/t/93089/Living-debt-free#762584

That agrees with your sentiments that not all debt is bad.

As I read this article this evening: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/how-to-retire-early

I thought of this post and the early retirement posts.

I liked that this article covered the ‘Baby Steps.’

Debt Freedom and being at the beginning of Baby Step 4 allowed me to take almost a 2 year ‘Gap year’ and pursue philanthropic interests. Though I’m bummed to go back to Step 2 (because of some dental work I want done a specific way) and Step 3… it was a wonderful feeling to not be a slave to my job like many of my co-workers who stayed in a toxic work environment for years longer than I did because they had debt and didn’t keep a budget. It was also exhilarating to go serve at-risk youth and abused mothers and children without having to ask for money (depend on it) from others to fund my livelihood while I did acts of service.

My most conflicting idea in the Dave Ramsey books and other money saving books is their food budget/health philosophy and the types of foods they recommend. As a permie, voting with my dollar for local, organic, non-GMO produce is important to me… as well as pastured eggs, grass fed (& finished beef) so on and so forth. Because our food contributes to our health, and as permies the food we consume often relates our core values… it is part of the budget that I couldn’t skimp on. That being said, eating at home, packing lunches & snacks & water bottles, eating more organic rice & beans, using glass reusable storage containers… composting, gardening, and meal planning all helped.

The good debt, bad debt is a challenging topic and I’d say that many successful people I’ve met looked to me like they followed a blend of Dave Ramsey’s  and Robert Kiyosaki’s philosophy (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.) …I’ve never been a big risk taker with money but that has prevented me from seeing larger gains. However, I sure wish I started investing in aggressive mutual funds right out of high school. It is one of my regrets.

Retirement: I also think our world is changing drastically and it seems difficult to predict if retirement strategies that previously and currently work, will work in the future. After teaching in various capacities for the last 20 years and then in public schools… I’d much rather live a Gert lifestyle than work to obtain what I’d need to to retire ‘well’ but working as a teacher, in a traditional sense for the next 25-30 years. Do I trust the state of CA to manage what I’d be mandatorily paying into to be there in 25 years until I die? (I don’t.) Teaching has also morphed into something I find very difficult to participate in after being exposed to John Taylor Gatto books.

Permies has really inspired me to live more of a ‘conserver’ lifestyle and the diverse DIY skills of the permies on this website never cease to amaze me! The book, How to Survive without a Salary, reminds me a lot of Gert while implementing some of the shared philosophies of Dave Ramsey.

Happy budgeting!

I absolutely agree. And not just water issues but electricity issues. I currently live where we use well water to flush the toilet but the well uses a pump that is controlled by electricity… so no electricity no water for flushing.

In Mexico, similar thing… where I worked lastthe pumps were controlled by electricity and we frequently had power outages. We had no outhouses on that property, so we literally could not go to the bathroom on site for hours and there were about 20 of us.

thomas rubino wrote: Saw this on the shark tank of all places ... Piper Wai, all natural underarm deodorant.  

This is a product that holds up to all its claims No sweat/no smell and no toxic chemicals slowly killing you  so your (oder) does not offend anyone...  

If the woman in your life is still using the nasty chemicals that are in (regular) underarm deodorant then do yourself a favor and buy some piper wai for her , she will be so happy that you may find yourself with a happy purring woman who feels healthy and smells good ... a win win situation.  

I love watching shark tank! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post.

Kudos to you for helping your woman feel healthy, smell good & purr.