Beauty

[rnmom]

@aprilskies -I was like you at the end of the year last year, before I started with HEP. 

We had all sorts of junk food and treats in the house that I wanted to try to eat up before I started cutting back and trying to lose weight. I didn't want to waste it, so I ate way more than I should have and probaby gained an extra 5 lbs that I had to lose when the time finaly came. We still had junk in the house when it was time for me to "diet". I just had to decide not to eat it. It wasn't easy, but I just had to do it or else I knew that I would never start.

Even now, we still have candy, cookies, chips in the house. I just have to choose not to eat it. It's hard sometimes, and sometimes I will have a small treat. If you're like me, and you hate wasting food, maybe you can just set some of your treats aside if they won't go bad within the next few weeks and plan on eating them later, rather than trying to get thru them and then cutting back.

Because for me, it seems like as soon as the ones in the house are gone, new ones reappear to take its place. I know that I have a hubby and kids which makes it harder, I wouldn't buy nearly as much as I do if it wasn't for them. But they are here, (the food and the boys) and I need to learn to live with it and just make smarter choices for myself if I can. Not perfect, just smarter overall. Good luck this month, I know you can do it!

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

Hoarding Report:

First, and most important, plenty of toilet paper available!😂  Whew!  What a relief!😊

Much to my surprise, even in my tiny little town there were some scarce items.  No hand sanitizing wipes at all.  And only one display of Equate gel hand sanitizer in the large bottles--everything else was sold out.  The regular disinfecting wipes were about half gone, but plenty still available.  Same with regular liquid laundry bleach--only about half the usual supply.  Kleenex was low, but it usually is this time of year.  

A couple of oddities: dry pinto beans were totally sold out.  And dog biscuits almost gone--all varieties.  So, of course, I had to get Carla the last bag of some she likes, just in case!😊😆

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@geezerette 

BH and I took WGD to eight different parks yesterday.  I think we're at 130 now.  Driving around ABQ, we see heavy traffic and full parking lots at stores and restaurants.  We polished off the curry so we'll need to hit the grocery store today.  I want to see if there's been a run on anything.

I remember the Big Snow of '67 when Chicago shut down.  Grocery store shelves were bare and we were living on Pillsbury frozen biscuits.

Good times.

[just bee]

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@beautybee wrote:

Those of you that are looking to cut cable because of the repetiveness and violence, I've got a hack for you. I hooked up my laptop to my large screen tv. I have a wireless mouse and keyboard. So I am able to watch any topic from Youtube on a large screen right from my couch. I love watching interviews and lectures. But sometimes I watch movies. Yesterday I watched The Stand (the whole thing) that someone uploaded.  I haven't had cable in many years. Oh, and a&e recently uploaded tons of their hoarders episodes.

I also am not into being busy. I have my share of projects,but it's always something I like to do and it has an end in sight. There is a character in the film, About a Boy where people ask him, "What do you do?" and he always answers with, "Nothing."  I love that. I don't want to do, I want to  @just bee  (See what I did there? Lol!)

I haven't purchased anything online, but I have had several dental visits that more than make up for it.

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@beautybee 

Smartbee!

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

My two cents on the IM tees:  I don't think I'm going to buy any more.  At least not on a consistent basis like I have been.

I like them, but they're not fitting in with my paring down.  And I can't justify the price when Bean's tees are more in line with how I dress now and I can get them so much cheaper.  A lot of my clothes are Bean now and it works better if I stick to their tees if I'm wearing their other clothes too.  And if for some reason I need to return, I can do that for free with Bean.

IM material has gotten cheaper (yes, so has Bean and everybody else) and I find it wrinkles more now.  I like that the length is a little longer (one thing I don't like about Bean) but I usually wear a shirt or fleece jacket over top and they're too long and show underneath.  I'm not a fan of longer tops under shorter ones.  So that means I need longer shirts/jackets/sweaters to go over those in addition to what I have, and most of those look too long on me anyway.  The necklines are "iffy" for me too--crew is too tight, scoop too loose.  What I do like is that I can buy an IM 'small' tee, wash it and dry it and it fits perfectly.  I have to be careful not to accidentally leave the Bean shirts in the dryer because those end up too small unless I line dry.

I may keep a few IM tees for specific occasions, i.e. they're perfect for a chiropractic treatment.  Long enough not to ride up in back.  But that's it.

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@geezerette 

We're planning on ordering longsleeve tees to wear under scrubs with our hospital name and unit on the sleeves.  I hesitate because the shirts are $20 each.  Then I looked at the price of the IM tees.

I think I'll just order the work shirts for now.  Warmer weather is coming and I hate summer wear, so I'll just pick up some cheap longsleeve tees locally.

What are the chances that I'll finally wear those linen-look jumpers I've owned for over 20 years?  The recurring fantasy of slipping one on over a tee and going to the Growers' Market?

They survived the house fire, so I really should wear them.  The coordinating ballet flats and straw hats are in landfill.  Way too much fantasy there.

[just bee]

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@Squirrel Lover wrote:

@just bee Oh, no, just bee go to a hairdresser and get yourself a good cut. You will feel so much better.

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@Squirrel Lover 

That sounds like the right thing to do.  The problem is that I can't seem to find anyone who can cut my hair.

I didn't think I'd ever let it get this long again, but right now I have no urge to cut it short.

[just bee]

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@geezerette wrote:

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@Squirrel Lover wrote:

@just bee Oh, no, just bee go to a hairdresser and get yourself a good cut. You will feel so much better.

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@just bee 

At this point, if your mop is unpresentable outside the house, that might be your best bet.  Or you could try styling it for a while and see how that goes.

If it were me, I'd try to figure out how I wanted to wear my hair from now on before I did anything else to it.  That way if I did need to go to a stylist, I would have an idea of what I wanted her/him to do. I'd never give a stylist free rein with my hair.  Did that a couple of times when I was young--never again.

You know how hair is growing out, though--even with a good cut, there are always periods that you can't stand it.  

I'll bet it's not as bad as you think.  If nothing else, you can always continue wearing a ponytail for a while.  Or use those alligator clips.  Pull it back, scrunch all your hair in, and nobody has any idea what your hair looks like!

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@geezerette 

I think I'll leave it as-is for now.  Everything seems to be on hold until we get back into the house.

I have to get new glasses, too, so I'm just waiting until after the BIG MOVE.

Once we unpack we'll realize what we need to replace.  And we still have landscaping to do.  Spending money on a haircut right now is low on the priority list.

Then again, I could go to work this week and someone might gasp: What happened to your hair?

Might have to stop at one of those chain places.

[just bee]

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@aprilskies wrote:

Brand new month - brand new beginning. Yes, I know it doesnt have to work Iike that, but it feels fresh or something. Something I havent scr$wed up yet. 

HEP Fantasy Self Declutter - the part of myself that thinks I can control portion sizes.

When I was topically counting calories I was getting somewhere, I will go back to that starting today.  My consumption has been off the charts. 

I have lot to get through but I am going to try my hardest not to bring anymore home.  If it is here, it is fair game. One of my favorite ice cream is on sale again this week. I will resist. I must resist. 

March will be another HEP focus for me. Moderate March. I have to paste that everywhere as a reminder. 

I have a little catching up to do on this thread.

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@aprilskies 

Ice cream is hard.  I know if BH brings Talenti gelato into the house that I will eat it.  But gelato is something that makes life better.  Still, I don't need gelato.

We rented an On Demand movie last night and I ate a small bowl of microwave popcorn.  It was just enough.  But I'd already had a snack when we got home with the dog: Sardines on crackers.

And I have to say sardines are more satisfying than gelato.  There is much less guilt.  And sugar.

I've been looking at portion sizes, too.  Once you're consistent with portion sizes, I think your brain adjusts.  I like the smaller meals.  They're starting to feel normal.

[just bee]

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@rnmom wrote:

Because for me, it seems like as soon as the ones in the house are gone, new ones reappear to take its place. I know that I have a hubby and kids which makes it harder, I wouldn't buy nearly as much as I do if it wasn't for them. But they are here, (the food and the boys) and I need to learn to live with it and just make smarter choices for myself if I can. Not perfect, just smarter overall. Good luck this month, I know you can do it!

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@rnmom 

That sounds hard.  Food is a huge part of family activities and you're almost obligated to join the rest of the family when there's something snacky in the house.  But I think if they see you eating smaller portions or reaching for healthier choices, a message will be sent.

Mom is a force to be reckoned with.  Something is hard, but you're doing it anyway and for good reasons.

[just bee]

I was so excited about Target carrying my Stella D'oro cookies.  There were three varieties that were available and I decided I could live without two of them.  The one I really like is the Breakfast Treat.

They haven't been on the website for weeks.

I lived without Stella D'oros for a couple decades so I should be able to survive being without them again.  No, I'm not ordering them from Amazon.

What I do want to order from Amazon is a new Salux cloth.  BH ordered a hard one for himself and he likes it.  I like that they're available in white and gray, so I'll order more and take a white one.  Practical and they'll "match" the new bathroom decor.

Of course there's no place to hang them inside the new showers.

We'll figure it out.

I passed up a tempting H&S tea offer: 29% off on Leap Day.  And I'm still avoiding new tea tins.  Determined not to replace all the tins I lost.

Small victories.  But I have the excuse that I don't want to buy anything just to have to move it this month.

I think we still have to buy a dishwasher, stove and washer and dryer.  Almost there...

[FindingMyJoy]

Hello Everyone!! Here's to all of us having a great March!

February was a positive month for me due to I avoided all purchases of any type of body care! This was big since there were some really good sales from the companies I like. I made a good dent using up products by making sure each day I applied body creams. It was a good month of practicing consistency using products this includes skincare. Call me crazy or in need of an eye exam, but my skin looks better than it did a couple months ago? Interesting what consistent use of products can do vs just stock piling items.

This month, I want another no-buy month of body care and skincare. New goal for this month = dust off the nail polish and use it!! This winter I've been super lazy and haven't painted my finger or toe nails in a long time. I know I have some fun cheery colors so I should use them to perk me up during this dreary winter month. 

I'm concentrating on working out more this month. The goal is 5 times a week including at least 3 of them have strength training. I do believe there are muscles under this layer of fluff. Since I can't do portion control when it comes to chips or chocolate - I'm enforcing a no-buy challenge for myself to avoid buying bags of either. I will find better alternatives. A friend mentioned that when she's at home and feels the temptation to munch, she will make a cup of tea to sip. She said the activity of making it and then sipping something keeps her mouth and mind occupied. That will be my goal in the evenings to cut back on mindless munching after I've had dinner. No point in eating calories in the evening.