#spoonhacks

[spoonhacks]

I Tried a Grocery Delivery Service and I Liked It

I have always assumed that a grocery delivery service would be prohibitively expensive for me, but like most things I assume without verifying, there eventually comes a day where I get curious enough to go check and see if I’ve been bullshitting myself. Enter Instacart. Grocery delivery is not to be confused with meal planning delivery services like Blue Apron that deliver pre-planned meal packages with a recipe. Grocery delivery is just straight up where someone else goes to the grocery store for you and drops off your groceries at your address (or carries them into your kitchen for you). If you sign up for the “Express” plan it’s $99 for the year. If you order over $35 per run (which I would easily do every time) the delivery fee is waived, which is otherwise $3.99. A 5% tip is built in and expected. I think if you don’t sign up there is a service fee with each order to incentivize you, I think it was around $5 for my $100 order before I decided to sign up and eliminate it. So here’s my math: I’m estimating our household makes about 6 grocery runs a month. At $99 a year that’s $8.25 a month for the service. We spend about $400 per month for the two of us, and groceries represent nearly all of our food budget as we both eat at home almost every night and pack our lunches for work. That comes to $20/month in tips at the 5% rate. So if I add up the monthly expenses, we get $28.25, divide by 6 to calculate the cost of each run and we land at $4.70. So for our household it only costs me $4.70 to send someone else to do the shopping. That means no drive, no grocery store, no carrying in the groceries and I can make my little list and order on my laptop from the couch. They show up in a few hours, usually only 2 if you order at a non-busy time and I think there is a paid option to rush delivery. $4.70!!! And I don’t have to spend the 1-1.5 hours traveling, shopping, and unloading. They let you try it for 2 weeks without paying the $99 so you can calculate the fees for yourself if it’s hard to picture here with just what I’ve written. Just make sure to unsubscribe before the trial is up or they will sign you up and charge your card for it. Or you can not sign up and just use as needed with the service charge on each order. Alternatively, you can just save this link for a rainy day. With it you get $10 off your first order and that knocks out all the fees and tip if your order is between $35 and $100, even if you don’t subscribe for the year or use the 14 day trial, so basically you can get one grocery delivery for free. I am stoked to share this with my fellow spoonies because I think we all have the “can’t go to store because of symptoms, need groceries” emergency at least once. Full disclosure: the referral link gets me $10 on my account also, but I would not recommend this if I wasn’t really impressed with it. I’ve only made one order, and I will update if something goes screwy but so far, a godsend.

[spoonhacks]

To do my laundry I have to carry my laundry basket out of my apartment and down the hall. There are three little stairs and a door. I usually carry two loads of laundry at once with the detergent balanced on top so it weighs a bit and it’s definitely an awkward carry. Yesterday, however, I noticed that it was easier than normal to lift and carry. I was confused at first. Did I not fill it enough? NO. I got stronger. I’ve only been working out for 6 weeks and it’s paying off already. I can feel that my biceps are bigger also. And guess what? It wasn’t just easier, it hurt less to carry.

[overexcitedneurons]

Spoonie cooking How to!: Egg Salad Sandwhich

Thanksgiving is coming and everyone is cooking, so let's do a little bit of cooking for ourselves, high protein edition, cause that's good for us spoonies.

Go to the kitchen and sit down. No seriously, sit. I have a stool at a good height for the counters. I know it feels weird cause we should be moving around in the kitchen and standing over our ingredients. Just don't, sit. And don't look in the window judging your ratchet bed hair.

Think about where are your ingredients and gather. Hopefully you had a bowl of hardboiled eggs prepared for the week. My husband puts half dozen in a pot to boil and sets it for me in the fridge.

2 Eggs, mayo, salt, onion powder, paprika. Adobe seasoning is easiest, it's got everything you need in 1 pour, including the salt. I like adding Cumin because it gives me appetite for whatever it's on. (Keep your water bottle near you, stay hydrated!)

Sit down again, lightly smack those eggs on the countertop and peel over a paper towel, so the shells are gathered and we're not dropping piece by piece into the garbage. If the eggs were cooked in a bit of vinegar, peeling is easier. Wash the eggs to make sure no pieces remain. (Worst experience ever is a shell in your salad!)

Big spoonful of mayo. This much is perfect for 2 eggs. I did 3 eggs this time cause I was hungry! Add in spices.

Use the same spoon and cut the eggs in half, keep cutting each piece in half until all pieces are tiny bite sizes. We're going chunky and don't overly dice those yellows.

And in one go, when everything's diced in the bowl, now mix with the mayo and spice already sitting beside those yummies.

We're gonna stand one last time, put the ingredients away and get 2 slices of bread. Don't waste that energy on standing twice.

Plop bread onto a papertowel, cause we don't want to do more dishes. Plop the salad onto some bread. My fav is potato bread. Spread the leftover mayo on your spoon on the other half of bread. Bread is flexible and can smooth into the curve of the spoon.

As we put the bowl in the sink, run some warm water and just let it rinse the bowl a little, then let it soak in some water. Ok, we've done enough. Dishes are for another day. Today's task is eating!

Now sandwhich that sandwhich in your paper towel and head over with your water back to bed. Eat while watching your favorite comedians eating. (I just find watching someone eat, a cooking or tasting show, makes me hungry, and feels less alone.) I also found the paper towel plate caught any spill of salad from the bread. No messes in bed!

Don't forget to take your pills now that something is in your stomach!

...

So trying something new. Gonna work on those pics. Landscape ones are smaller and work better for this format. Let me know if y'all want more spoonie hack how tos. Just trying to document my little successes and ways I try to make my life easier.

[spoonhacks]

Task Splitting

(noun or verb) the spoon-saving technique of breaking up a chore into two or more parts so that you can recover your energy and ease your schedule I cooked dinner both before and after work today and it worked out well. I roasted green beans and sweet potatoes in the AM and put them away to be reheated later, then when I got home from work I made a fast chicken recipe and reheated the veggies to go with. I’m a big fan of breaking up tasks this way lately, not only for the benefit of my physical spoons, but it also helps with anxiety because it makes chores smaller and more approachable. It’s much easier to think “all I have to do is throw this chicken in a pan for 10 minutes when I get home and I’ll have a full, comforting meal” then “oh man I have to cook a whole dinner after this, I’m not sure I have the energy and my arms are going to be really sore by then...” It’s technically the same amount of work, but if you think of it like weight lifting, task splitting is like breaking up your chores into sets. You can rest in between.

[spoonhacks]

If you don’t have the spoons to wash your sheets, vacuum the bed instead. The brush style hose attachment works well. Obviously this won’t replace the chore completely, but it really freshens it up a lot until you can wash the sheets properly. I have a cat that I’m a little bit allergic to and she likes to lay in the bed and I would otherwise have to wash the linens very frequently to keep her fluff from bothering me.

[stylecrazenow-blog]

How To Use A Spoon To Become A Makeup Pro

[From www.StyleCraze.com - World’s Most Visited Women’s Health, Beauty and Wellness Website]

What would you say is the Holy Grail among your makeup tools? Your eyelash curler, your hair brush, or your prized blending brush? What if we told you that a multi-utility makeup tool lies in your kitchen drawer? Thanks to the wonderful makeup artists around the world, we have been introduced to the powers of using a spoon as a makeup tool. So, grab that spoon and be ready to get out of the door looking impeccable.

Here is how you can use a spoon to become a makeup pro:

1. For Tired And Puffy Eyes

Keep two metal spoons in the freezer for 30 minutes or, preferably, overnight. Place them on the eyes and under the eyes. This reduces puffiness, lightens dark circles, and tightens the skin around the eyes.

[ Recommended Read: 5 Effective Tips To Treat Tired Eyes At Home ]

2. For Arched Eyebrows

You will no longer struggle to neatly fill in your eyebrows and create that perfect arch. Hold the spoon along the brow line and use it as a guide to fill in your eyebrows. This is an easy technique to get those perfectly arched eyebrows.

3. For No Mess Mascara

If you always get mascara on your eyelids and under your eyes, your go-to solution is a spoon. Line the spoon along your eyelash line and hold it on top of your eyelid. This will act as a shield and protect from any mascara getting deposited on your eyelids. You could similarly hold the spoon under your lower lash line. No more mess while applying mascara!

Want to apply mascara without spreading it? Watch this video.

4. To Contour It Right

Place the spoon on the apple of your cheek and use the lower end on the spoon as a guide to contour. Blend as required. The shape of the spoon fits perfectly to accentuate and define your cheekbones. Apply a blush and highlighter to complete the look. Make sure you hold the spoon at the same angle on either side of your cheeks.

5. For The Perfect Winged Liner

Getting that perfect wing is every girl's dream. Worry no more, as we have the perfect hack for you. Use the flat end of the spoon and place it in such a way that it connects the end of your eye with the end of your eyebrows. Use this as a guide to apply the eyeliner. You can make the wing as dramatic as you want. You could also use the flat end to connect the end of your wing to two-thirds the length of your lash line. Fill this in and draw the eyeliner till the inner corner of the eye.

[ Recommended Read: How To Create Perfect Winged Eyeliner With A Spoon ]

Watch this video to know how to draw the perfect winged eyeliner in no time!

6. To Curl Eyelashes

When you cannot seem to find your eyelash curler, you could just use a spoon. Place the spoon on your eyelid, against the lash line, and gently press your lashes against the curve of the spoon. Apply mascara immediately to hold the curl. For better results, you could warm the edge of the spoon by rubbing it a couple of times against your palm.

[ Recommended Read: 27 DIY Beauty Hacks Every Girl Should Know ]

7. For Cut Crease Eyeshadow

Line the edge of the spoon along your eyelid crease and use it as a stencil to trace the line for your cut crease eyeshadow look. Remember to go from dark to light eyeshadow shades while using thin to thick complementary makeup brushes. Apply a contrasting color on your eyelid to enhance the effect of the cut crease.

Try this cut crease technique to give an intense look to your eyes.

8. Easy Foundation Application

As you grow older, more and more fine lines keep developing on your face. Applying foundation on such lines can be tricky, especially with the foundation getting stuck in between them. A simple solution to this is to take a chilled spoon and run it a few times along the fine lines, in the direction of the lines. This process will smoothen out your lines and help in the flawless application of foundation.

Who knew that a trip to your kitchen is all you need to become a makeup pro!

Image Credit: Shutterstock, YouTube, Instagram