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earlgreytea68 · 7 months

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I have always made fun of the people on House Hunters who are like, "I MUST HAVE A BRAND NEW HOUSE. NON-NEGOTIABLE. NO ONE CAN HAVE LIVED IN IT BEFORE." That always seemed so ridiculous to me. Like, who cares??? That is so wasteful and inefficient to think that a house can only be lived in by one family!!! Obviously we have to reuse houses and can't keep building new ones!!!! That is such an American thing to think!!!!

But it's true that the last house I owned was brand new. That's just how it worked out in the town/area of the country I lived in. This house I currently own is older. And in the couple of years I've lived here I have:

Fixed the air conditioning system when it broke.

Fixed the garbage disposal when it broke.

Fixed the kitchen sink when it broke.

Replaced the boiler when it broke.

Replaced the washer and dryer unit when it broke.

Replaced the bathtub when it broke.

Fixed the garage door when it broke.

Just now I came home to realize that the thermostat is broken (not the brand new boiler, because I still have hot water). So now tomorrow I have to replace that. And for the first time...I get it hahahahah. I get why people want a brand new home. It WAS nice to move into a house and everything was brand new and worked and nothing was going to have to be replaced for a little while. I have now bought a house AND bought everything that goes into the house, and it's not like I got a discount on the house to make up for that lol. (Oh, and my house was inspected and passed. None of these issues showed up on inspection. It's just that everything was old and apparently near the end of its natural lifespan.)

Anyway, I still obviously don't think you need to buy a brand new house and that houses should only be used once. But I do see now why I'm sure people might try to buy a house that says they just recently replaced the boiler or the appliances. Very smart! I should have thought about that! And obviously eventually I will have replaced everything and maybe I'll have a year or so where everything works before I have to start replacing again, because such is the way of a house. But I am very much missing my brand new house and all the things that worked in it lol. I didn't realize how awesome it was that the heat always came on when it asked me to.

(And I recognize my privilege in having a house at all, including a house with heat. I'm just whining for a second. I'll get over it. I am very lucky to have shelter and be able to afford to fix these things when they break so I can continue to have heat.)

#houses #personal #venting #real estate

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lunarlegend · 6 months

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well, i am now in Thought Mode™ about the move, and i'm a bit relieved to discover some things

basically furniture is a lot cheaper than i thought lol, it's not high quality furniture but it looks nice (and i don't have kids or anything so it's not like it'd be getting damaged just from my own use)

i can get a big L-shaped desk from Amazon for under $200, for example, and obviously it will need to be replaced after a few years, but for my first home? hell, that's fine...it's MORE than fine

and appliances...that's a job for my Best Buy card, lol. i have a credit card with them and i can get 12-24 months zero interest financing, plus i get discounts too. i pretty much buy all my electronics via Best Buy because of this, and it's been years now with no issues. so, a fridge? a washer/dryer? just gonna stick 'em on the Best Buy card and pay 'em off in a couple years (i just looked and i can get a decent fridge from them for like $1,500 or so...plus i'm only one person, so it's not like it needs to be huge)

this is all a huge relief to me because in the area i'm gonna be looking in, i can only realistically afford to put about 6% down (which is normal for a first-time homebuyer, but still), and i was dreading having to eat up ALL of my savings just to furnish the house. like i was thinking a nice-ish desk would cost at least a grand, but no. i actually have options now (and for a lot cheaper than i thought!)

this is good. this is very, very good. like i'm still stressed as hell about the whole process, but at least not about this anymore

(of course, actually moving in and setting everything up on my own...that will be a different story 🙃)

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thebibliosphere · 3 years

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Hello! I hope that you are well* (*As well as can be, in spoonie terms). I'm writing to ask if you have any Spoonie Advice on how to keep going with house repairs when it seems like your house invents new ways to be inaccessible every week. I had to move recently, and meeting the rising tide of accessibility challenges in my new apartment is daunting and tiring. Any tips, tricks, or words of wisdom? (No pressure to answer though, if you don't have the spoons or wouldn't like to!)

Hello, thank you <3 I hope you're doing well too. (With the same caveat of course lol)

My advice would be to do what is immediately available to you to improve your life and help you preserve energy for the big things.

When we first moved into our house, I was suffering the worst of my fatigue. Yet foolishly, I did very little to make my life easier. I was stuck in the mentality of not wanting to spend money on temporary fixes that would make my life easier because we would eventually redo the entire space.

So why bother to invest in a shower chair so I can sit down and preserve energy while I wash? We were going to redo the tub soon. Why bother with mobility aids that suction to the wall and don't require drilling? We're going to be installing permanent ones at some point. Why waste $20 on an ugly piece of plastic that I eventually won't need?

I did the same in our apartment. Why bother to do XYZ to the space when it would never be our permanent home? I could manage, I could cope. I didn't need to make minor accommodations when we would eventually make major ones.

Was there some internalized ableism going on there? More than probably. Was I justifying denying myself aids that would improve my life because I was suffering under the idea of being more efficient and cost-effective in the long run? Absolutely.

So yeah, when everything seems overwhelming, look around your space and try to assess what can easily be helped with a quick trip to your local Walgreens or Home Depot, or a quick look at Amazon and browsing through the accessibility options.

Would a shower chair help you preserve energy in the shower? Great! They can also double as extra flat storage space at the side of the tub/shower when not in use.

Would temporary suction cups bars help your stability in the shower? Also great. And the good thing about temp ones is you can take them with you if you wind up going somewhere where you're not sure your accessibility needs will be met.

Would extra laundry baskets help you pre-sort your laundry, thus removing an extra step from the executive dysfunction chain come laundry day? Awesome.

Would removing cabinet doors help with executive dysfunction so you can see where everything is? Cool. Most are easy to unscrew and set aside for putting back on later if/when you move on from a rented space.

Same with labels? Would labeling things help you find stuff? You could buy a label maker, or you could get some crafting tape that peels off from (most) finishes easily and write them by hand.

Would something like the 15-minute pick-up help you keep on top of your cleaning routine and make it easier for you to tackle? Fab. I bought a bunch of cheap buckets and baskets from Ikea to keep things contained. Helps with my dust allergies and reduces tripping hazards in the house.

Can't reach the storage space in your house? We bought low-down sorting bins for me to use that don't require a lot of upward mobility. You can get some pretty stuff at Ikea too if you're able to build things or have someone who can help you with them.

If the counters in your kitchen are too high, are you able to place a table you can comfortably sit at for food prep, or can you bring a chair into the space you can use to boost yourself up the counter height?

What about your utensils? Would tools designed for mobility help save energy/reduce injury? (Some good examples when searching Amazon for 'knives for arthritis'.)

I don't know what your specific needs are, but if you would like to discuss examples with me, I can try to help troubleshoot them and lighten the mental load. That’s the benefit of having a diverse disabled community around you. We get to share our experiences and our life hacks. And they're usually more helpful than "install an entire pulley system of ropes and sliders across your basement staircase to do your laundry in the basement" when you're talking about waiting to install a washer and dryer on your main floor lol.

(I love all of you. It's just mentally taxing when people all keep suggesting the same thing repeatedly. Especially when that thing involves major structural work that isn't actually as simple as it sounds.)

Of course, these are all steps that require money, but that is sadly true of most accessibility steps. The world is not built with us in mind, so it always costs extra for us to function in it. But from experience? It's money well spent, even if you have to do it gradually and if the goal is to replace them with "better" things in the end. Tackling things in little steps helps. And honestly, sometimes you don’t realize how much the accumulative weight of minor problems is weighing on you until you pick them off one by one.

A kilo of feathers still weighs the same as a kilo of steel. Just because one is softer and not as hard looking doesn’t make it any lighter to carry.

#chronic health tag #disability tag #I hope this was helpful #and again hmu if you're scratching your head over something #I'm getting pretty good at hacking my house together

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exeggcute · 2 years

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wait 3 loads of laundry A DAY? why / how do you have this much laundry to do omg

lol I have managed to consolidate that slightly (and hopefully we're getting a bigger washer soon, which should help) but I def used to do 2/3 loads a day on most days... I wash our sheets and comforter every week, so that's a consistent two loads there, and I replace the hand towels in our bathrooms about once a day, plus noelle doesn't like to use the same bath towel more than twice in a row but she also does literally 100% of the cooking and I haven't prepared anything more complex than a bowl of cereal in roughly three years so who I am to begrudge her a fresh towel. also just my own general cleanfreak-ness and the occasional wash cycle to clean the washing machine itself.

but (aren't you glad you opened pandora's laundry hamper btw, get ready for OPINIONS on this!) I do have a system to it all. four hampers, one for each laundry type: (1) towels, which is hopefully self-explanatory. (2) delicates, which is anything that needs to get washed in cold water and air-dried; I own like eight pairs of the same stupid pants that need to be washed this way, plus some 100% cotton shit I don't want to shrink, so I probably get more mileage out of this category than most people would. (3) regular, which is anything that gets washed in hot water and goes in the dryer but isn't made of a particularly thick fabric. and (4) heavy, which goes through the same process as regular clothes but is, uh, heavier. the distinction here is like t-shirts and underwear versus sweatpants and jeans.

the heavy/regular distinction has helped a lot though—you can fit more clothes in each load when you separate them out, everything's less likely to get tangled while washing, and stuff dries faster and more evenly when all the fabric is roughly the same weight. lately I've been averaging more like 1-2 loads a day than my previous 2-3.

the one thing I don't do is separate lights from darks because wearing white clothes is for crazy people. who owns white clothes?

#plus 99% of fabric dyes don't run like they used to (especially with modern detergent) so it's less of a problem than it used to be

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soft-goodboy · 2 years

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Sorry if this has been asked before , but I was wondering what Binders do you use ? I’ve been wanting to start but I don’t know a good brand. Sorry again If this is too umm erm personal or if this has been asked before .

i have a gc2b which is ok but a lil tight bc i got it right when their sizing changed rip and an underworks which i prefer, but it’s a little stiffer in the beginning and i find it stretches out faster so i need to replace it more often. important to note that i just throw mine in the washer/dryer bc idc all that much so hand washing would help it last longer! i've heard good things about spectrum too

i also have a tomboyx compression top for no binding days, but tbh it doesn't really do anything for me plus the band is too tight so it still hurts my ribs lol rip

#asks #littlepagan

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cards-onthetable · 5 years

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An Elusive Computer Post

Y’all, 99.999% of the time, I exist on my phone and tablet. It’s very rare that I do any Fandom Stuff or social media on my laptop. But tonight, after This Episode, I had to break out the big guns. I need to be able to type as fast as my brain screams words. tl;dr: EVERYTHING IS THE WORST AND I HATE IT. Hey I’ll do a fun little page break so you don’t have to scroll past this whole thing if you don’t want to. How nice of me.

Erin

OPENING SCENE AND ERIN’S ALREADY YELLING AT PEOPLE. COOL.

JUST DON’T with this foster parent (allegedly) killing a foster child thing. Foster parents have enough of a negative perception as it is... a foster parent who “cracked” and killed a child in her care certainly won’t help. And I know this won’t turn into a well-done, thoughtful Discourse on the lack of support and resources for foster parents who are caring for children with complex needs. So I hate it.

I’m so, so, so sad for this child.

Sidenote re: Sam saying “I’ve already got a mom” (explaining why he didn’t call his foster parent “mom”) - okay, BB, one actual sensitive portrayal here, thumbs up.

Welp Erin’s boss is an asshole but so’s everyone else on this show. What else is new?

And now Sam is locked out of his new foster home. Another nice tally in the Negative Portrayal column. This is disgusting. His appreciation for his previous foster parent is obvious (this kid’s a ten times better actor than fucking Will “Dead Face” Estes at this point) and I hate this entire concept. At least the show’s portrayal of the child in foster care himself is positive.

Now Sam’s at Anthony’s house and this is off topic, but for half a second can we appreciate that Sam is also a bajillion times better at apologies than Jamie Reagan? Nice.

If Anthony becomes Sam’s foster parent I will be SO ANNOYED. One, because I’m sure the show won’t even hint at an accurate process - it’ll be insta-parent, Anthony walks into some caseworker’s office and walks out with physical custody of a child (fun fact: it takes three months or longer to get licensed as a foster parent). Two, because it’s kind of another blow to the reputation of foster parents that this episode is painting - like the only suitable foster parent in a whole city of veteran, trained, experienced FPs is this newbie? This does not taste good.

This is a cute scene. Rather than Anthony being Sam’s foster parent, how about he becomes his mentor?

OH. NICE. EXACTLY WHAT I DIDN’T WANT. “I’m going to sign the papers later today. I’m going to foster Sam myself.” Can we please get some follow-up on this, BB? Let’s please see Anthony trying to navigate the waters of parenting a teenager who likely has attachment-related diagnoses and other challenges. Is Anthony going to get trauma-informed care training? Or is he just going to wing it and hope that it’s all magical and swell? Does he have a sensitive, non-snarky bone in his body? I’m on the edge of my seat. (LOL @ Erin being the voice of reason here.)

OH. WHOA WHOA WHOA. “It’s not like I always wanted a son, but one came knocking and I answered the door.” Remember that line above where Sam reminded us that he has a mom? Do you understand why this line made me gag? There’s a fine line you walk as a foster parent, where you’re performing all the duties of parenting this child as if they’re your own - but you have to remember and be sensitive to the fact that they’re not. Kids in foster care are a package deal, yo, they come with a whole other family too. For teenagers this is an especially important Issue.

This entire storyline was terrible. 0/10.

Fat Shaming (Frank and co)

Poor Witten, you guys. That is awful and terrible and dangerous that her partner can’t even make it up 4 flights of stairs. “I’m here and you’re fine” - but what if she wasn’t?

Did Sid Gormley just use the word “fat shaming” and argue that physical fitness does not affect a cop’s ability to do their job?

Cops who are on the beat should be able to pass a fairly high standard for physical fitness. The end, basically.

Family dinner (tossed in here due to the topic of conversation): Seriously? Henry’s going to talk about it being discrimination to require cops to meet a physical fitness standard that is a pretty basic aspect of their ability to do their job? Nice.

Oh, magical, Frank has come up with a Compromise that Makes Everybody Happy. Raise your hand if you’re surprised.

Danny

TBH I hardly noticed this storyline at all. I’m much too busy angrily scribbling all of the examples of Dismissive Jamie on my whiteboard. Oh well, win some lose some.

Jamko

The way Jamie brushes Eddie off during this whole New Partner Discussion is gross. Refer to yesterday’s Two Pronged Complaint for the details.

The Biggest Issues: Jamie minimizing Eddie’s experience on the job, and being too protective of her/failing to be an objective boss. Et cetera.

“wHaT eLsE dOn’T I kNoW?” suck a dick, Jamie Reagan.

Peep those obviously empty coffee cups that probably have a piece of dry ice at the bottom to make the “steam.” A+.

I’m going to keep track of how many times “female empowerment” is said in this episode. I’ll keep you updated.

So this “fraternal organization” that we’ve all been so stressed about Eddie joining is...basically a women’s intramural sports league? LOLOL so I’m super excited to watch Jamie sputter about how Joe died playing softball* and therefore Eddie shouldn’t join.

LOOK AT EDDIE. She is legitimately excited about the idea of playing softball, dude. That smile is as much personality as we’ve gotten out of her all season. CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH JAMIE “WET BLANKET” REAGAN SNUFF THAT RIGHT OUT.

This ~date night~ situation is hilarious in a Young Childless Couple way.

OH, so NOW Jamie’s interested in a legitimate conversation with Eddie, engaged and responding... with questions in a demanding, rude tone? I’m so annoyed at his whole handling of the Eddie’s-new-partner thing.

GOD why is everything a Female Empowerment Thing? Can’t women just... enjoy playing sports?

OH HERE’S WHERE IT GETS FUN HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS

BAD IDEA

YOU’RE ABOUT TO BECOME A REAGAN

THAT’S A NO-GO

NOW YOU’RE JUST BEING STUBBORN

“No, I’m being astonished that my fiancé is trying to tell me what I can and cannot do” SAME, EDDIE

I’m so angry that the scene cuts off there. Did they just go about their stupid dinner date with this Tension floating palpably in the air between them? Did Eddie pull out an “I think I’ll sleep at my place tonight” and stalk away in that red? satin? dress? ? I hope she poured his stupid ON TAP IPA (objectively the worst type of beer, btw) down his shirt and walked out.

I AM SO SAD watching this scene of Eddie backing out of softball.

“I’m not much of a joiner” is a DUMB RIDICULOUS LINE and Eddie says it TWICE, folks.

Witten doesn’t bring up Jamie at all - I therefore assume she doesn’t know Eddie’s a Future Reagan (which is a whole other issue, but anyway.) . Witten thinks Eddie’s backing out so as to avoid associating with Witten. So I assume Witten’s intentions with the softball invite were totally pure. IMAGINE THAT! A woman who wants to be friends with another woman, one who she works with and respects and wants to get to know better! With no ulterior motive! Someone please hit Jamie Reagan in the nostril with a dart.

I like Witten more and more. Can we replace all the Reagan storylines with Witten, Sam, and Old Eddie in dark jeans and a studded jacket?

A LAUNDROMAT? ONE: Shouldn’t Jamie, as A Reagan, have laundry in his building?* TWO: It he didn’t, why wouldn’t they do laundry for free at Frank’s house every week?*

I CAN SMELL THE TENSION and I am legitimately curious how they’ve coexisted between the date and now. How’s that working out, hmm - that “keeping work and home separate” thing?

“I DIDN’T TELL YOU TO, I ASKED” says Jamie. Shall we go back a few bullet points to when he told her it’s a “no-go”?

I NEED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE I NEED TO KNOW - Same, Eddie. Do I really need to reiterate how ridiculous this whole thing is - that they’re engaged without dating, and now finding out that maybe there’s a reason people date first, even if they’re best friends, because this is the kind of stuff you work out before you start shopping for your dress.

“Are we talking, or are we just talking smack?” SOME ACCUSATION from the dumbass who said ALL THE THINGS IN THOSE BULLETS UP ABOVE.

Finally, for once, Eddie is voicing some real and legitimate concerns. Are we going to get any sort of resolution or mature adult discussion of these things? NOPE!

Did he seriously just tell her to cut it out? I hate him so much. I hope somebody duct tapes him to the front of those washer/dryers and pulls out each individual eyebrow hair with tweezers.

This laundromat scene just exemplifies so many of the issues I’ve been rage blogging about all damn season. Jamie ultimately brushing off Eddie’s concerns without ever giving her real answers. Not having the respect for her to even take her thoughts into account. Barking orders like he knows it all, and Eddie isn’t capable of making her own decisions. At least this time that’s the actual point of the scene rather than the nasty subtext.

EDDIE AND DANNY SCENE: I’m actually surprised that this is the first time Joe has been mentioned. Watching the sneak peek I figured Jamie’s main argument against Eddie joining an organization would be that it’s what got his brother killed (being vague, obviously, since Eddie clearly didn’t know the details). Not that it’s improper As A Reagan. I hoped the context of the episode would make me feel a little better about this scene but it just feels even more out of place and poorly/choppily written. I like Eddie and Danny together - I’d like them to interact more. But this didn’t do it for me. Gotta meet that Joe Mention Quota* on the season, I guess.

FINAL SCENE: in summary, FUCK THIS.

Sidenote: When is someone going to get suspicious @ how often Eddie gets pulled into Sarge’s office?

For the record, I anticipated an eye-rolly “Ohhkay, maybe I overreacted...” speech.

WHAT WE GOT FELL BELOW EVEN THAT VERY LOW BAR.

Jamie explains himself. Fine, he has a right to do that, and it’s constructive in helping Eddie understand the man she’s about to marry (god don’t even remind me). BUT HE DOES NOT ADMIT ANY WRONGDOING.

THERE IS NO APOLOGY

THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT HE MADE MISTAKES in how he spoke to her, ordered her around, and didn’t even stop for eight seconds to listen to what she had to say

THERE IS NOT EVEN THE VERY MINIMAL “I overreacted” type of acknowledgment.

“So maybe if I forget sometimes, you can remind me” THIS IS GROSS TOO because it essentially puts the burden on Eddie to teach/remind Jamie how to HAVE AN ADULT CONVERSATION AND NOT BE AN ASS. He could AT LEAST take responsibility for his own improvement in the Future.

Eddie said literally two words in this entire scene. There was no mutual understanding, no real agreement, no genuine Development in their relationship.

THIS IS NOT A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION TO THIS CONFLICT.

This episode is called Rectify but NOTHING HAS BEEN RECTIFIED.

ALSO, this seems like an awfully Personal conversation to be having in uniform, Sarge. Are they even trying anymore?

HE JUST THREW A SOFTBALL GLOVE AT HER. Is that supposed to be... sweet? Touching? An admission of guilt/mistake/wrongdoing? TRY AGAIN, BB. NONE OF THE ABOVE.

WELL. If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’re as disgruntled as I am. Seems like plenty of y’all were quite unhappy with this episode as well. I’m enjoying your tweets and sadness. I’ve been the queen of this club for almost a year now. Welcome, make yourselves comfortable, there’s plenty of ice cream in the freezer. Just don’t sit on the far end of the couch. That’s my dog’s favorite spot.

*These four hilarious lines were taken from two important Outside Sources. Thanks for your contribution, Outside Sources.

#sandy hates it all #blue bloods #9 x 18 Rectify

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wemcgeevintage · 5 years

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(More) Sustainable Laundry Care for your Everyday (Vintage) Wardrobe

-as you build and refresh your sustainably sourced wardrobe focus on natural fibers-

Every time we wash and dry our clothes millions of micro fibers are shed and released into either the water or the air. Best for those fibers to be cotton, linen, wool, silk, hemp, etc. rather than plastic (synthetics like polyester, nylon, anything with stretch) which doesn’t biodegrade and will eventually make its way into our food or water supply chain.

read more about microfiber pollution here!

-wash less often-

kind of obvious, but always good to remember that washing garments less saves water, electricity, and prolongs the life of the garment itself. In our home only athletic gear, undergarments and babywear get washed after one use. Jeans, blouses, sweaters, office wear, everything else can usually be re-worn at least a few times.

hot tip: when it comes to extending your tops and dresses for 2-3 wears before washing, finding a natural deodorant that works for you (I love the Weleda spray) and wearing natural fibers will help reduce stinky sweat production and prevent creepy antiperspirant related staining. I’m also a big proponent of sourcing everyday pieces that have a loose fit through the armscye (the place where your shoulder turns into your arm) for ease of movement but also breathability.

a little guide to healthiest deodorant products via EWG

hotter tip: if you frequently like to wear fitted retro styles, I know a lot of women like underarm protectors, which can be pinned or tacked in and can help avoid anxiety-inducing wet washing of vintage fabrics or extra trips to the dry cleaner.

-dry less often-

when you do a load of wash, consider what items can be hung to dry. I use a folding rack and for garments that aren’t heavy/don’t stretch, hangers on the shower curtain rod. Some items *do* benefit from a little fluff in the dryer to soften and de-wrinkle them a bit. I suggest letting them mostly air dry then popping them in the dryer for a quick 15 minute finish. Once again, saves electricity, reduces fiber shedding and prolongs the life of garments. Outdoor lines are awesome too, especially on breezy sunny days. if you have the outdoor space to set one up you should def go for it. Ours is retractable so it doesn’t get in the way of other yard activities when not in use.

-wash with cold water-

Most of our clothes do not need hot water to clean them. Use a cold cycle to save hot water and prolong clothing life. Generally in garment care, exposure to high direct heat should be avoided where possible. less heat = longer life. We generally use warm/hot water only for kitchen/bath linens, gym wear, and soiled baby clothes.

-use an EWG highly rated laundry detergent-

probably the easiest step we can take towards a more sustainable laundry practice is finding a healthier detergent. There are so many eco-friendly, “natural” detergent options out there. I love the Environmental Working Group’s list of rated products. It will help you find one that works for you and that you can easily pick up at one of your local retailers. Generally avoid fragrance (fragrance = chemicals) or any kind of deodorizing, anti bacterial, anti wrinkle, products. These all have more chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic (aka cancer causing) or endocrine disrupting (aka fuck with your hormones + reproductive health).

access the EWG Laundry List here!

Hot tip: if you want to get real real with it you can make your own detergent using a handful of natural ingredients. There are tons of tutorials online. This one has only 3 ingredients! If you are already using homemade detergent and love it, let me know what you’re doing! It’s on my “To Try” list!!

-avoid dryer sheets and fabric softener-

I’ve used pretty neutral language so far, but dryer sheets are basically cancer causing/endocrine-disrupting chemical delivery systems. LOL. But seriously, they are loaded with fabric softener which is loaded with chemicals you do not need or want on or near your body, in your home, or released into the environment. not only that, they aren’t great for your clothes!

but you don’t have to take my word for it:

“Not only does fabric softener not do what it promises, but it also prevents the fabrics from functioning the way they’re designed. With regular use of fabric softeners or dryer sheets, activewear becomes less breathable, children’s clothing becomes less flame-retardant, and towels become less absorbent.”

full (and very compelling) article from apartment therapy here!

Wool dryer balls are a good natural alternative. They can last up to a year, help fluff your clothes, speed the drying process, and have naturally occurring lanolin which is nature’s conditioner. I haven’t done it myself, but I think you can even use essential oil with them to add a little natural scent to the laundry cycle, now that you’ve cut out all those nasty artificial fragrances.

dryer balls can be found at more holistic grocers (even Wholefoods) or local co-ops and farmers markets. there’s also always good ole amazon in a pinch.

-avoid dry cleaning when possible (it is often possible)-

Dry cleaning is a process that involves a lot of chemicals that are harmful to you and the environment. Conventional dry cleaning also requires exposing garments to high heat, which can stress fabrics over time, and be particularly harmful to older garments.

As you have probably noted, many garments made in the past 50 years include care instructions, and many of them simply say “dry clean only”. There is an industry regulation reason for this:

“Under the law, if either washing or dry cleaning can be used on the product, the label needs to state only one of these instructions—and which one ultimately appears on the label is up to the manufacturer. An expert in textiles who asked that her name not be used for this article revealed to us that “clothing manufacturers tend to opt for as few instructions on the label as is legally required.” Given a a choice between “wash” and “dry clean,” manufacturers tend to choose the latter because it is more likely to lead to the consumer leaving the care of the item to professionals, and professional cleaning can reduce the manufacturer’s risk of of return by the consumer who mishandles the item with home-cleaning.”

More on what dry cleaning means here!

I successfully machine or hand wash many many many pieces for myself and for the shop with dry clean only tags- this includes rayons, linens, silks, woolens and cashmeres oh my. You can too!

hot tip: if you have a newer washer dryer (like in the past 20 years), make sure you’re making the best use of the settings to be as economical as possible, and not just going with the auto settings. For me this means making sure its set to a cold cycle, and that the soil setting is appropriate (sometimes its lighter than “normal”). Delicate and handwash cycles are a great option for those “dry clean only” labeled pieces you’re nervous about wet washing.

-practice general garment maintenance-

doing things like treating stains, mending small seam pops or holes before they grow, and proper storage in conjunction with conscientious laundering practice will help prolong the life of your garments, and delay the need to purchase replacements. Being a better mender is a goal of mine (my pile of personal mending is ever-growing). As a preventative measure against pests and storage “musk”, I add lavender sachets to my drawers and closets. Dr. Bronners soap bars (in the paper wrappers) are great for this too! I also use a fast evaporating alcohol-based homemade lavender spritz for the same purpose (not just for refreshing clothes, but also bedding, drapes, etc). And remember: friends don’t let friends use Febreze.

The great news about all these changes is that they really don’t make more work for you, and they are good for your clothes, YOU, and the environment! Nothing like a win-win-win.

#vintage vintageclothes sustainableliving slowfashion laundry

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wheretogofrmhere · 6 years

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i love when things i want to happen, happen without me actually making it happen lol

so ive been telling my husband for MONTHS that we need a new washing machine. the one we have is i guess, 7-8 years old front loading. but its been leaking at the bottom of the door. and there is some kind of ventilation problem so it grows mold in the seal around the door and the compartment that you put the detergent in. i would clean it alot but it would just come right back but otherwise it worked fine and didnt have any other issue. so saturday, i complained to him again about the leaking and mold (its not a lot of leaking, but it drips down the front when its in use) and hes like “it works fine, we dont need a new one.”

so then come sunday, the fucking thing WONT TURN ON 😈 and im like “hey come help me, i cant get it to turn on” so he tries and tries and ends up having to unplug it and plug it back in and then it turned on and worked. so then later on that day, he goes to do a load of his laundry and the same thing happens again and he has to unplug/plug it etc. so he checks online and its the electronic switch board inside and thats the one part that isnt covered by warranty AND it cost almost $400 to replace 😈

SO, long story short, hes like “....well i guess we do need a new one.” im like “I KNOW IVE BEEN TELLING YOU FOR MONTHS!” lmaooo so yeah, now i get a new washer and dryer, woo hoooo. (its the small things in life lol)

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steamishot · 3 years

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spring cleaning

today is cesar chavez day and the start of a three day weekend for me. G and S are coming to visit next week so i thought it’d be a good time to clean up my apartment. we accumulated a lot of junk that i didn’t even know of lol. i spent the day throwing crap out, rearranging our limited storage areas, and wiping down surfaces. it feels a bit better in here, i hid a lot of the crap away!

matt and i had discussed moving closer to his new workplace in the fall, but we might just choose to stay here. we locked in this price at the covid rate and now the going rate is $1k more. the pros: doorman/safety, dishwasher, in unit washer dryer, newish building and appliances, location (close to a lot of subways and easy access to JFK), in building gym, cost/rent control, penthouse lounge, easy access to trash chute, great maintenance, secured packages. the cons: small space, north facing windows, studio/no separation. the pros heavily outweighs the cons, and it reminds me to work with what we have. matt may also become a PRN employee at his current hospital to work extra shifts, so it would be convenient to live here.

i will look into buying a nice quality couch (third time replacing it), and mounting the TV on to the wall to possibly save space. i’d also like to get rid of the furniture we don’t necessarily need and continually find ways to make the apartment feel bigger, but it’ll take some thinking.

one thing i feel more adult-ish about is my credit card game. matt’s obsession with credit card churning and deal hacking has rolled over to me. this past year, i opened up an amex plat and venture capital one card. these two cards give me quite some benefits, like priority pass, clear, global entry, etc. i’m also now gold elite status for mariott even though i’ve never stayed at one before, due to my credit card. i helped G & S book a room at the sheraton next to my apartment and i’m excited to use my gold elite status to ask for a free room upgrade and late check out lol.

the last time matt and i flew to la and back was the first time i utilized my global entry perk. clear helps me cut the line and global entry allows me not to take my shoes off. i felt like a boss because the whole TSA experience has improved drastically with these benefits. i specifically remember the time we flew back, it took us like less than 5 minutes to get through TSA. and at the time, i felt a little proud of myself. like, this is what 30 is lol.

BS update: i passed my taxation class. the two subsequent classes were very easy and i passed those too. now i’m at a 78% completion rate of the degree and have 9 remaining classes with include three intermediate accounting and one auditing classes... so wishing myself luck.

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thebibliosphere · 5 years

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ADHD reward system? Please tell me your secret!

My therapist has been helping me find a reward system that works for me, and as it turns out, gold star stickers are really helpful for making me feel like a tangible goal was met, and helps give me that sweet, sweet dopamine release that comes with completing a task, something which us ADHD’ers really struggle to achieve and are already coming at from a disadvantage with our brains regularly not producing enough “happy” hormones as it is.

It was supposed to be “a sticker for every time you finish a chapter”, but after some revision, my therapist said that was too tall of a goal, and that I should pick something smaller. So instead I now get a star every time I finish a 500-word milestone, placing the sticker in my writing calendar/journal thing that I use to keep track of my writing, and ironically, I have started to produce more work than when I was stiving for one chapter a day.

To give you an idea of how staggeringly effective this has been for me, I’ve written over 30k of original fiction in the last week. (75k total if you include my social media and blog stuff, which I currently do not but likely should.)

So this is what it looked like when I was attempting to do a chapter of edits and revisions a day during the month of December 2019 (note: I was supposed to start this in Nov, so you can see how well that worked out for me lol):

ID: A calendar showing days of the month with a shiny star sticker showing a completed task.

And this is what my writing journal looks like now that I’m doing a star for every 500 words:

ID: an image of a handwritten journal with the dates mapped out, followed by a shiny star sticker for every completed 500-word milestone. There are 65 stars in total for the month of January 2020. It’s also tinged by a green light cause I’m doing a chronic pain experiment, so far with positive results!

So as of today, January 8th, with ever star = 500 words, then 65*500 = 32500 words totalled in 7 days. This does not include, like I said, my social media output where I am far more productive, this is just my fiction and some editing work for friends.

(Which side note: this is not to flex, or to say that others should be able to achieve this level of output. I am a professional writer, this is my main job and only source of income. And also, I was forged in the fires of understaffed editing hell where we would be expected to churn out 100k+ a week in edits and revisions to keep on track. I have the time and a learned skillset I have spent years amassing to be able to do this and am working towards a rigid deadline. I simply have not been healthy enough in a long time to manage it, and am finally working my way back up to speed after years of illness. Don’t look at this and think, “I’m not achieving enough”, every victory no matter how small is worth celebrating. And I say that with the utmost sincerity, as someone who spent most of the last 2-3 years unable to get out of bed.)

I’ve also started using it to help keep track of bills and chores around the home. So every time something gets done/done on time, whoever completed the task gets a star on the calendar. This includes Oppy the Not-A-Roomba, who does a very good job of taking care of the house on a daily basis:

ID: an image of a chore calendar denoting various tasks that have been marked off with a holographic silver star sticker, including our robot vacuum who does an excellent job and deserves all the stars. (Our names got blurred out cause ETD doesn’t want his real name out there in the world, so that’s what is blurry.)

This system is useful for several reasons, the primary one being a sense of achievement and continued motivation, and the second, to allow you to review each month to see where you are doing well, and where you might otherwise be struggling.

For example, if I have a bad day for writing or decide to take a day off, I write that down in the calendar rather than leaving it blank, so that I have a record of what went wrong (or right, if I am electing to self care that day and take a day off) and how my overall progress is doing.

In terms of house stuff, this has been especially useful for ETD and myself, as it shows us where we are managing to do a good job with the house, and where our executive dysnfunction issues really trip us up and where we need to make improvements. And I don’t just mean in an “I should try harder way”, I mean you have to actively sit down and be like “hey! What is preventing me from completing this thing” and trying to figure out effective ways to either get around it or resolve a larger issue at hand.

So for us, the biggest thing we tend to miss is doing dishes after dinner, meaning we get left with a pile-up of dishes to deal with first thing in the morning, and my ADHD can’t handle that. It won’t let me eat until I’ve cleared all the mess, but I usually don’t have the energy to clean up if I haven’t eaten, so it’s this awful cycle of ineptitude. We’re doing better with the star reward system, cause it’s showing us our progress loud and clear on the fridge door, but we are both usually so fatigued and exhausted by the end of dinner that doing dishes is just one thing too many for our mutual disorders. So, the solution for this would, of course, be a dishwasher, cause if we had one of those, we could load stuff in, turn it on, and let those dishes get done while we go to bed then put them away in the morning. We can’t afford to do that right now, and we have other appliances we need to buy/replace before we can do that (still don’t have a tumble dryer, or a washer I can access, rip) but it does give us a tangible goal to work toward, and also, the motivation to keep on top of things because it goes from “an endless task with no end in sight” to “there’s a solution for this, we can manage a while longer.”

Now you could be saying, but Joy, I’m an adult! Surely I shouldn’t expect rewards for completing every day tasks that I should be able to do?!

To which I say, neurotypical people get rewards all the time and get an unconscious dose of dopamine/serotonin from their brains every time they complete a task. They’re playing the game of life on easy mode, the gold star is your achievement for completing it daily on Nintendo 99 hard mode. IF THE STICKER WORKS, TAKE THE STICKER

YOU’VE EARNED IT.

#kaitokenji37 #adhd #adult adhd #adhd reward system #life hacks #adhd hacks #personal #okay to reblog

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lionsthunder · 6 years

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Happy (American) New Year!

As the end of 2018 approached, for the whole month of December, I was feeling reflective. This is my year in review:

January 2018: We visited one of the motherlands. For about 3 weeks, the bf got to experience my side of the family and we spent a lot of time eating traditional Vietnamese food & drinking coffees at gorgeous cafes. We also got food poisoning that wrecked me & has had consequences to this day.

February & March 2018: We started to seriously look at homes and on the bf’s birthday, we had an accepted offer for a house!

April 2018: We closed on our house on the 24th. We are officially first-time homeowners! 🏡 I also took a look at the sheet that was in our closing packet of how much interest we’d be paying over the next 30 years and vowed to pay off the house within the next 8 instead.

May 2018: We get to work on the house. We pour in a lot of money to buy a new dishwasher, water heater, washer & dryer, re-finish our bathtubs, and to replace our garage door with a completely new & automated one. 💸💸

June 2018: It’s my first year work anniversary. We also go on a trip to Austin with the MIMU crew. First work trip! We had fun and got marginally closer (at this period in time).

July 2018: We have the birthday bashes in the form of a pool party. Kathleen pulls through and gains respect when she basically forces her family to come to a family function (that's not drinking related). Kim comes to visit us during this time! And in Houston, we were super domestic but we did end up visiting some bars & eating out.

August 2018: We head up to Virginia for Anne’s wedding!!! It was wonderful hanging out with Anne & her family. We went to bars, we helped cook for her wedding, overall, it was just a lovely experience. After the wedding, we hung out with Garland & Anne and her friend Marie at this speakeasy. Honestly, I wish we could just fly them down here so we could go through life together lol.

September 2018: Courtney & I started BBG 💪🏽💪🏽in September and towards the end of the month, Courtney becomes our first official roommate in our home. Matt comes to visit from Baton Rouge and we basically eat our way through Houston and grocery shopped 😂 Tiffany from CT also makes an appearance as she was down in Houston for a conference; she was able to crash a random spring roll party I was hosting for the cousins & friends.

October 2018: 😱👻I continue to work overtime because I anticipate needing a new roof for the house within the next 2 years. I attended a Beto O’Rourke rally. I vote. I applied for a passport renewal.

November 2018: The bf becomes the fiance :D I had planned the Friendsgiving & the bf hijacked it with a proposal in the backyard. I was pretty drunk by the time it happened (John came & we started taking spaced-out shots since 1200 lolol). Then he makes me ugly cry when I turn around and see Marina & MC and some of his really close friends behind us. During that weekend, I felt so damn loved. I was overwhelmed because I didn’t have anything planned for them for the next 2 days but the love, the goodness, from the friends we’ve accumulated so far was just incredibly inspiring.

December 2018: I fly my parents in for Christmas and I got stressed, broke out, and actually experienced a combination of a mild cold/fatigue/psychosomatic symptoms. Overall, I learned more about Mo Tu & Cau Tu, listened to the kids more (mostly George & Brian), and definitely set the bar low for Vietnamese child expectations (oops lol). But Christmas day/the 34-person family party was LIT. Anthony was game master and he killed it. We had 5 teams of 3 each and the moms (my mom, Mo Nam, and Chi Ngoc) freaking killed it and won the ultimate prize. Hilarity was def had by all. I might have failed at being a traditional Vietnamese host, but I think I won most entertaining party of the year lol.

Wow. When I go through it month by month, I realize that I’ve done a lot. I just hope I’ve grown as much as I’ve done. Ok, that was fun, but now I must go fill out my homestead application form 😂😂💚

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