shopping

Life Changing Finds of 2022

/ Srishty / 6 Comments

I am seriously going to dive right into it at this point. This one day I was using one of the below mentioned things and realised how much I am thankful to have discovered these things. Hence, this post.

Facial Razors: Of course, I’ve known about these since forever. However, I was scared to try them, just like i am scared to try eyelash curlers. Let me tell you – facial razors are a breeze to use, and as far as I am concerned, the perfect way to get rid of some facial hair (provided you care about them). Prior to this, I have not gotten my facial hair removed ever, except forehead, eyebrows and upper lips but I always knew that I’ll kind of enjoy doing some removal from my cheeks too. I definitely like that, now I am not going to compare it to the likes of LASER because I haven’t got that done and I don’t have a lot of facial hair to begin with.

Brown Rice: Late find but good. I like everything in a nuttier texture. So, I wasn’t surprised when I discovered that i like it’s taste. I don’t know why i took so long to try it though, i actually only tried it on a friend’s recommendation. My only concern with brown rice is that i have yet not figured how to make it separated (like biryani) and retain its structure without being undercooked.

Rolled Oats & Quinoa: One thing led to another and I tried multiple recipes for these two as well. I have had oats in the past, but they were mostly ready to eat. I really like building my own recipes of oats with loads of veggies now and I am still experimenting with Quinoa. I am fond of the taste of both of these, hence, very happy to include them in my meals. The only sad bit is that Quinoa is not a local ingredient.

Cracking Walnuts: I love all dry fruits and it’s quite common in my family to give each other dry fruits during visits. I used to get irritated when people gave me whole walnuts, as I always used to go to a door hinge to crack them up. It used to be messy and I got lazy to do it. However, I took the plunge and tried cracking them with my teeth for the first time ever. Remember those toothpaste ads where healthy gums and teeth are proven by people’s ability to crack walnuts with their teeth? 😃 I used to feel so intimidated by these ads. Finally, i can say it’s not at all difficult, it only looks intimidating from afar. Also, it makes eating walnuts 100 times easier!😃

The importance of Tupperware 😃: For those of you who don’t know India’s obsession with Tupperware, you are definitely in a bubble. It’s basically a kitchen storage boxes solution made of plastic that got widely popular in India in the early 2000s I would say. Most of us millennials never got the deal with it – it was so expensive in those days for a mere lunch box and that too made of plastic. Eventually, sustainable and stylish lunch boxes started coming back and Tupperware had started losing its sheen. But recently I got to know that if you store kneaded dough in a Tupperware box, it stays fresh for longer. I have tested this and this was quite a revelation to me. I totally sound like a middle aged woman now, but it is what it is. 😃

Tell me some of your life changing finds!

4 Things I’ll Never Buy | Blogmas 11

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Remember this post? I talked about things I love collecting. An antithesis of this post is here now, primarily due to the motivation to consume less and not collect stuff. I don’t know which of the two posts i thought of first but here it is for you to enjoy:

Well, never say never but you get the gist, right? I am vary of buying these things:

1. Vases: i do buy other things that serve as vases. Like ceramic pots that can also serve as water jugs? You know what i mean? However, I desperately steer clear of buying actual vases from a shop. In my head, that’s just too basic a decor item. Why not use unexpected things as vases that set your house part? I love the idea of using alcohol bottles as is for home decor too.

2. Balloons: i have loved balloons for as long as I can remember. My mom tells me I used to be scared of them as a toddler, that’s why I said for as long as I remember. 🙂 But, but, they are non biodegradable and create a lot of unnecessary waste. Just beware if you were to put me in charge of planning a party, i can assure you though that I’ll get a mean party setup without them!

3. Dusting clothes: i dont understand why people feel the need to buy these. Maybe i am missing something here? How come people don’t have clothes that are discarded and can be used as dusting clothes? Or its not good to use them?

4. Storage boxes: unless they are furniture. I don’t like the idea of ‘buying’ boxes that you would use for storage. In all likeliness, I’ll figure something out from existing boxes like delivery packages. But this may lead to piling up a lot of stuff, again something i truly despise. But it’s just lesser of the two evils. I cannot even begin to tell you just how hard I cringe when movers & packers come over and insist on using their own fresh new boxes, instead of the boxes you already have handy.

6 C’s that I love collecting

/ Srishty / 3 Comments

I have shouted from the top of my lungs just how much I am against hoarding. Most of it has to do with the need of not wanting to increase my carbon footprint and nothing more which is why I am window shopping clothes etc anyway because I do find it fun nonetheless.

However, there are certain things that I never feel guilty hoarding because – one, I can easily justify more the merrier in their case, second, they are not that unfriendly to the environment.

6 of such things that I don’t feel guilty hoarding on actually start with the alphabet C. A happy coincidence! The moment I realized this I thought of blogging this some day. So here they are:

1. Cushions: I love the idea of filling up one’s home with cushions! Though if you see mine, there are hardly any that can qualify me as a hoarder. Instagram ads do keep suggesting pretty ones on a daily basis but, really, what is up with all these indie stores selling cushion covers at such exorbitant prices? Can anyone explain?

2. Candles: Now someone I follow since long on social media repeatedly talks about how fragrances of any sort are not good for our health. But a candle is a candle is a candle. Candles make me infinitely happier. When I went to my in-laws place on my current trip, I consciously didn’t carry any from my stash as all were bulky. I finally had to buy one there as I really wanted to light it. Best decision ever made because whenever I was in a stressful office call, I’ll just light the candle up and feel so much better.

3. Coasters: of course, this is more of a necessity. Then why not have pretty ones around the house? Again, I want to point out that I have super basic ones and really can do with some pretty or quirky ones. I just say that I like hoarding them buf I never actually end up hoarding. 😀 a coaster is something that I use a lot as well, I am very conscious of placing my tea cups or a drink on the rocks on a coaster, so much so that now I feel slightly cringe when others don’t do it! Total Monica from friends vibe here!

4. Ceramics: oh man! One of the most beautiful things in the world. I just need a little bit of more research to be super sure just how bad ceramics are for usage, or environment. For e.g., my dad says that this trend of using ceramic planters is absolutely worthless because plants don’t get enough breathing space in ceramics as it’s not porous. Need to validate these kind of things, but otherwise love, love, love ceramics.

5. Chips: of course. Shouldn’t have put it in a list of things that I love but are also environment friendly. A habit I truly should change because these come in single use plastic packs. I wish there was a way to go get your chips box filled at a lays station or something like that! Here, I am throwing a startup idea for anyone who wants to catch.

6. Coffee & teas: again something whose hoarding I would love but don’t actually end up doing because in the past 2 years, Rahul and I have lived so much like nomads, sometimes at my parents, other times at his and then some trips, that hoarding on any type of food that you expect to last for a long time is just pointless. But totally digging the idea of a well-stocked coffee station at home just like a well-stocked bar!

Any things that you would want to add to this list? What are some things you don’t mind collecting?

4 | A day full of shopping

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How’s that for a heading? The thing is I haven’t shopped in an unabashed manner from a physical store in quite some time. First of all, I mostly shop online because of the discounts. Second, if I am shopping in store, there’s mostly a target in mind. Today was nothing different. I did have a target in mind, but once that didn’t get fulfilled, I ended up liking few things in the ongoing sale that will be good for me to have.

I do love just taking my own time and decide after proper deliberating as to what I want to buy and whether I am getting a good deal or not. I really, really enjoyed it. And I’m a happy camper back home!

You see, as it was a Friday, I was thinking of doing a nice Friday’s list post today, but got tired and it totally slid off my mind.

Just for the record, I got some nice kurtas from this brand called Soch. I am very happy with the purchases today. 😀

New free marketplace in India: What are you missing out on?

/ Srishty / 1 Comment

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With so many shopping websites popping left, right and centre, apart from being spoilt for choice as a buyer, what comes to mind is how much easier it has become if you simply want to sell something.

This idea of setting up a small business, without any investment in building a physical store or even a website of your own, is very appealing. This is what ezebee.com gives you. It provides you with a platform to start a small shop on their website. 

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The best part is that the basic version of ezebee.com is free. As from the website itself – “Users are able to open an unlimited amount of Shops, add infinite products to their shops, and best of all, there are no commission fees for transactions completed through ezebee”. Other than this, they also have a premium version where you get priority as a seller.

For more details about how both the versions work, how ezebee.com earns money or anything else, you can also check out the FAQ section of their website ezebee.com.

What I liked most about this website was that no matter which part of the world you are in, just type in the city in which you want to look for stuff and you will get city-specific results.

The other thing that sealed the deal for me was that there is no end to what all one can find here. Check for example this vintage chair that I came across while random browsing.

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Tell me, would you ever be able to find something like this in any of the regular brand shops? ezebee.com shops will take you to numerous such things because anybody can build anything (product or service) and sell it. 🙂 So, it is more likely to find unique things.

The site also has a good design and layout. A clean, white base with everything placed on it in tiles, kind of like Pinterest, one of my favorite ways of displaying things.

What also stands out is how ezebee is giving access to European market (where it was founded) to the small businesses that use its marketplace in India.

I think the idea of having such a marketplace, especially for both goods & services, is quite helpful for small businesses, as they cannot afford to invest a lot, take too many risks or build an elaborate strategy. On top of that, if they had opened a physical store, they would have had access to only their local market, unlike here where they get access to many foreign markets too.

So, if you are someone who is good at making handmade earrings or soaps, or even want to tell people about your cooking skills & have cooking classes, join ezebee right now and sell your forte.

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Oh, and, these are just examples. You can sell all kinds of diverse things on this free marketplace, so go and take a look 🙂

Rains and bargains | When LimeRoad meets monsoon

/ Srishty / 6 Comments

Okay, how psychic is this? I have mentioned on the blog about LimeRoad & had planned a post in my head long back about the online places I like to shop from, with LimeRoad in my mind. Finally, there is a blog festival organized by them and I am going to be a part of it. Some of you may remember that I mentioned them and I had a very good experience shopping with them. The fact that they are called ‘LimeRoad’ (I mean how cool is that!) and I received the product in a lime and grey colored compact packaging is only an added bonus.

I wanted to be a part of their first ever blog fest because I get to do a super fun thing to be a part of it! Pick some of my favorite monsoon-themed products from their website for this post! Yes, simply that. Now who doesn’t like window shipping? 😀

Before I begin, I should mention that mostly when I shop online, I try sticking to known brands because then you know what kind of quality to expect. However, since LimeRoad stocks up on some really fun things from lesser known brands, I am going to pick things that I love and are reasonable enough from even unknown brands!

Let the fun begin!

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1. My highlight of the rainy season has to be pakoras (Indian fried snacks), especially since I am not in love with monsoons otherwise. For most of us, the tea and pakoras combination spells heaven. Hence, a Moroccan-themed plate to serve your pakoras in and same theme cups to pour your tea! Why Moroccan theme? Simply because I love the Moroccan designs like these ones!

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2. While we are at the topic of tea & pakoras, why not pick a vintage, kitschy, beyond beautiful kettle for your tea? Of course, only if you can afford it, since this one ain’t cheap but look at that!!

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3. Most clichéd statement, but monsoons = flip-flops. Especially, if you can get your hands at such cute ones. Click on the picture and you will know that it’s not pricey as hell either.

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4. I am not very fond of anklets but I know for some of you, that and flip-flops together spell beauty. See if this delicate one floats your boat.

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5. I thought I have used way too many totes in my life to be bored with them but this one reminds me of the havelis in my paternal hometown, Churu, Rajasthan. They look exactly like this picture and hence, I feel very drawn to this bag!

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6. There are few things in this world that are as perfect as a midi skirt (at least as far as I am concerned). Midi skirts for monsoons? How perfect is that? They won’t get dirty as they don’t touch the ground and, oh my God, can we just stay put for a moment and appreciate this beauty? 🙂

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7. It’s a little too pricey for my liking but look at how comfortable, delicate and feminine this looks! Just the color of clouds. Dress in this during monsoons and look like one of ’em clouds!

So, anyone who wants to gift me anything from the above list is free to do so. 😀 Oh, and, I would love to know what all you liked from their website. Do share that in the comments, one of the most fun things for me is knowing what others are buying or want to buy. Did that creep you out? 😀

Also, more importantly, you can create scrapbooks on LimeRoad for different looks. Check the below one for example created by someone.

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That’s all. Thanks for giving this a read! 🙂

Disclaimer: All pictures are taken from Limeroad.com. I don’t claim ownership.