Items the advertisers try to convince us are essential

FatVonD

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

LOL where to start!

The basic rule is, if it’s advertised on TV, then you don’t need it!

I laugh at all the weird new methods to ‘fragrance your home’ (I hate this on so many levels...the use of ‘fragrance’ as a verb...I don’t even much like it as a noun, what’s wrong with ‘scent’? ) all the daft gizmos like fans, touch sensors etc they use, which are all changed every couple of years or so so that you have to buy new ones...and all the stupid artificial scents like ‘ocean breeze’, ‘april meadows’ etc when they’re all just chemicals from a factory in Peking!

All car adverts. They always show somebody driving their new tin heap on a completely empty road on the Riviera or somewhere, blissfully enjoying the sun and scenery...instead of sitting in a traffic jam on the A309 Smethwick bypass trying to get to an office park on a wet Monday morning, which is where most of them will actually end up. I also hate all the ‘safety’ stuff about how you need to drive a 4x4 tank to protect your little darlings from...er...other 4x4 tanks!

Shower gel and Shampoo adverts and all that BS about science with diagrams that make Crick and Watson’s DNA model look simple. It’s just liquid soap, you idiots!

Razors: every week they come out with a new type of blade. I know...this week let’s make a razor with SIX blades instead of FIVE! Etc. Razor blades haven’t improved in any way since the GII blade came out in the eighties. Just keep it going for years by hand-stropping or buy a cutthroat razor that will last for ever – or just grow a beard! Similarly with shaving foam in a can – ultimate example of how a poor quality wasteful item is promoted over a better one (a brush and soap) as being more modern, convenient etc.

Hilarious post, the Old Stylers are on good form today!

I confess I AM that person that buys all the scented things, I must have a really smelly house (I blame the cats ) I've not been totally bamboozled by the marketing though as we generally refer to our favourite one as 'Thai brothel'

GreyQueen wrote: »

He he, we're approximately the same vintage and I do soap and water and am wrinkle-free too but I'm starting to find the jawline descending a touch. Gravity is rubbish sometimes.;) Shall we elevate our chins together to hide the dreaded jowls.....:rotfl:

I was hoping a bulldog clip on either side just below the ear might do the trick!

rosie383 wrote: »

Can I join in? I made the mistake of looking into a mirror which was lying flat on a dressing table. :eek:Never again!!!!!! Mind you, it's made me realise why my 4 yr old told me the other day, when I was leaning over her tickling her, that I had a scary face.:o

That adds a whole new dimension to your signature!

Austin_Allegro

quintwins wrote: »

whats hand-stropping?


no matter how much soap i use i get a rash if i don't use shaving foam, i also get a rash if i use shaving gel or really smelly foam, so i buy the cheapest one

You just stroke the razor firmly against your palm or inner forearm a dozen or so times before using it (make sure you stroke AWAY from the direction of the blade, obviously, or you might end up in casualty). It keeps the razor keen. I've kept a Mach3 blade going for over two years this way, but it did wear out eventually as there's only so many times you can sharpen a blade.

I agree about soap in cakes - I've had rashes from those. I find the cream in tubes to best. Ingram's is very good and cheap too.

rosie383

FatVonD wrote: »

That adds a whole new dimension to your signature!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I had to whizz up the page quickly to look at my signature as I was flummoxed for a mo. Thank you. Nearly wet myself laughing at that. Needed a good laugh.

quintwins

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

You just stroke the razor firmly against your palm or inner forearm a dozen or so times before using it (make sure you stroke AWAY from the direction of the blade, obviously, or you might end up in casualty). It keeps the razor keen. I've kept a Mach3 blade going for over two years this way, but it did wear out eventually as there's only so many times you can sharpen a blade.

I agree about soap in cakes - I've had rashes from those. I find the cream in tubes to best. Ingram's is very good and cheap too.

wow really? we use loads of razor blades, my oh uses them for maybe 3-4 shaves then i use them for my legs for a month or 2 but even then there still expensive, might try this now

ALIBOBSY

Just been making the kids lunches, they love cheese and ham toasties and i admit to having an all singing all dancing 4 slice toaster. i know i could use the grill, but surely it is less energy to use the toaster rather than heating up a grill every time the kids want toast? plus it is used probably 5-10 times a day easily as 6 of us eat alot of toast lol. the great thing about toasters is it is one snack that the kids can do themselves (after being shown how to be careful)-no way my 8 yr old would be let loose on a grill. After years of buying cheap toaster after cheap toaster (they work hard in our house), we treated ourselves to a fancy delongi 4 slice (in my defence it is really good,looks cool in the kitchen and was on offer).

I admit as well to using toaster bags, makes toasties easily and cleanly and a quick rinse of a toaster bag is miles easier than cleaning the GF grill. Although i didn't buy those jML ones advertised i get aldi's cheepy version and wash them carefully. Mine have lasted well over a year (never mine the advertised 100 uses). one is starting to open at the top on one side and looks a bit tatty but still works. Again the 2 eldest can make a toastie snack themselves/for the younger ones to help out. Would rather the kids had toast/toasties/fruit/homemade cakes/chopped veggies as snacks than loads of prepacked processed rubbish and sweets.

BUT I can't believe people would buy those frozen toasties! come on.


ali x

Austin_Allegro

quintwins wrote: »

wow really? we use loads of razor blades, my oh uses them for maybe 3-4 shaves then i use them for my legs for a month or 2 but even then there still expensive, might try this now

3-4 shaves is definitely wasteful! You can get 14 shaves no problem from a Mach3 blade.

I've only tried it on Mach3 blades but it should work on any (not sure about cheapo disposables though). Bear in mind most blades have all this lubrastrip stuff. After a couple of week's usage this starts to break down and IMO is there solely to give the impression the blade is going blunt, when it's not. A friend claims he has kept his Mach3 going for over 3 years using the stropping method, but as I wrote earlier mine lasted 2 years before becoming too blunt to use.

In fact when I started using his method I didn't even buy a new blade - I just used one of the old ones I had put in the cartridge box to throw away.

alfiesmum

rosie383 wrote: »

As for proms for 16 yr olds????????? Schools here now have proms for 11yr olds leaving primary school. Honest!!!!! Thank God we were on holiday last year so my daughter 'missed' hers. Some of the parents hired limos for their little ones!

After a prom for leaving regular school, the same kids are now having a one for leaving 6th form where my daughter goes to. So we said if she didn't want to go, she could have the ticket/dress/travel money instead. We gave her the money yesterday and she gave it all to Help for Heroes this morning. She's my hero. (Ignoring the detritus that she calls a bedroom of course)

sparrer

quintwins wrote: »

wow really? we use loads of razor blades, my oh uses them for maybe 3-4 shaves then i use them for my legs for a month or 2 but even then there still expensive, might try this now

I really, really wouldn't recommend you try to sharpen a razor blade on your skin! A&E wouldn't be impessed, they see many accidents caused by ignorance and this would join the list. A basic hand strop is a length of oil-impregnated leather with a loop on one end which you link over something firm, pull the leather taught and run the blade at an angle up and down the length of the strop. A decent strop will cost about £20 and last a lifetime.

My McEnroe moment came some years ago when I saw frozen bubble and squeak :eek:, it's only left-overs fgs! It's since been joined by frozen mashed potoato....how desparate are people to look like they can cook, when it's easy to just learn?

Austin_Allegro

sparrer wrote: »

I really, really wouldn't recommend you try to sharpen a razor blade on your skin! A&E wouldn't be impessed, they see many accidents caused by ignorance and this would join the list. A basic hand strop is a length of oil-impregnated leather with a loop on one end which you link over something firm, pull the leather taught and run the blade at an angle up and down the length of the strop. A decent strop will cost about £20 and last a lifetime.

My McEnroe moment came some years ago when I saw frozen bubble and squeak :eek:, it's only left-overs fgs! It's since been joined by frozen mashed potoato....how desparate are people to look like they can cook, when it's easy to just learn?

Just to clarify, we are talking about stropping safety razors (of the cartridge type, not the old fashioned screw-in type) on your palm, which is harmless as long as you strop away from yourself, ie, in the opposite direction to which the blade cuts. It is no more dangerous than using one to shave with. If you are talking about a cutthroat razor then yes, it should not be stropped on your palm.

budgetboo

frozen cheese toasties is my all time fave - WHO buys these?

Prepared veg makes sense for anyone with mobility issues so I don't criticise but am so grateful I don't have arthritis so can chop up my own veg.

I loathe and despise most air fresheners as they make me sneeze badly. Love essential oils though - a few drops on a cotton wool ball tucked behind the radiator when it's too cold to open the windows is nice. Or on a cleaning cloth when doing a quick swish and swipe. Spraying the house with noxious fumes doesn't get rid of the stench of dog, smoke, teenage lads feet etc- it just seems like the house is dirty and you've tried to smother the stench. Same applies to strong perfumes and BO.

Cookery book !!!!!! - my friends that have the largest collections of celebrity chef books on display are the ones who live off ready meals. Basic books by the likes of Good Housekeeping etc are the preserve of those who actually cook the recipes within.

Cleaning products - you don't need 50 seperate cleaning products to have a clean home - even stardrops have succumbed to this fate & they no longer have the bitrex that stops kids drinking the stuff.

Baby toiletries - it's really bad for little uns skin to be smothered in lots of different artificial chemicals. Infacare , olive oil and a basic barrier cream are all that's needed. Baby products - how many bits of wierd and wonderful equipment that will be outgrown in 3 months does one bairn actually need?