... for the BC government now to permit public servants to use Facebook, Twitter and other social media, but still not permit them to use email to communicate with members of the public seeking their help.
I have written extensively about the problems for people of low income who must choose between having phone service - landline and cell - and having access to the Internet. For such households, the choice is almost always Internet, given it delivers more bang for the buck. With an Internet-connected computer, headphones and a service like Skype, one can still make outgoing calls to other computers and to phones.
Alas, in Canada - but not in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Mexico ... and just about every other advanced country in the world - you still cannot obtain an online number. If you had an online number, then people with a phone could call you at your computer. But without benefit of a phone OR an online number, people wanting to call you by phone - and in the case of the BC government, having to call you by phone, since that's the only way public servants are permitted to communicate with you - you cannot be reached.
The only option for someone without a phone but with an Internet-enabled computer is email. And the BC government won't permit public servants to use email to communicate with clients, consumers, or whatever the hell we want to call those seeking service or information from the government.
The BC government has even cut off the ability of public servants to use email in special cases, or so I was told when I was trying to communicate with the people at SAFER. Had the public servant processing my application required clarification, he/she would have had to use snail mail, thus delaying my application's approval by at least two weeks. The ability to send emails, other than in-house, was disabled.
It's so damn frustrating. A simple fix by the CRTC, that it lift its silly 911 restriction, so that VOIP providers could issue online numbers with Canadian area codes, would make the problem go away in an instant. And this fix, in aid of greater access for low income households, wouldn't cost the government a damn thing.
I've SkypeOUT. I'd have SkypeIN if it was permitted in Canada. But with SkypeOUT I have listed in my contacts all the emergency numbers one might need. So what if 911 isn't accessible?!
Lift the damn restriction, CRTC! It's obvious the only reason you have it there is to protect Canada's big telecommunications companies.
[Cross-posted at Challenging the Commonplace]
Showing posts with label Necessities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Necessities. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
On Being Happy
Am back from having gone to the food bank, and am now eating a pickle sandwich and some almonds and feeling happy for the first time in several years. Not just content, but happy.
Several factors have contributed to this turnaround, from chronic depression and chronic pain, to episodes of happiness and substantial reduction of pain.
Foremost is having finally qualified, now at age 60, for rental assistance from the BC government in the form of the Supplementary Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER). Effective August, I began receiving a monthly payment geared to income that substantially contributes to my rent. Payments from the Canada Pension Plan also began in August. These two payments, one provincial and one federal, plus my small income from savings, have combined to increase my income by a whopping 40 percent - to $10,100 annually.
Regardless of what measure one uses, I am still several thousand dollars below the poverty line. However, the 40 percent increase has made a huge difference to me, not least because I've been able to buy items I've desperately needed. More important, however, is the considerable lessening of stress due to daily financial worry.
As to pain, my financial situation has finally been reflected in my BC Pharmacare coverage. Since July 1st, I've not been required to contribute anything to the one prescription medication I take (Synthroid). Prior to that, I'd had to pay at least 30 percent of the cost, plus a deductible. (I don't know why it took so long, given my income has been sub-$8,000 for several years.)
I avoided the doctor because, what was the point? It was shut up and put up, to hell with the pain.
With so many things having changed, including my Pharmacare coverage, a few days ago I visited the doctor to ask for her help with pain management. She prescribed Gabapentin and I'm on a schedule to gradually increase the dose. (From one/day, to two/day, to three/day. Am up to two/day now and shall be glad when I reach the full dose. The pain returns in full force just around the time pill number 3 is due.) Already, there has been a difference, though. At night, there's less pain, so I sleep better. In the mornings, I'm able to walk, climb stairs, do light housework and pull my shopping cart with considerably less pain. The result is greater mobility and better quality of life.
Am also grateful to our local food bank and the businesses, organizations and people who contribute to it. I've only been getting bread there, but today, for the second time since I've been going to the food bank, I stopped for some coffee and a bran muffin; and met and chatted with some people while there.
Perhaps I appeared more approachable. I know I was smiling.
Several factors have contributed to this turnaround, from chronic depression and chronic pain, to episodes of happiness and substantial reduction of pain.
Foremost is having finally qualified, now at age 60, for rental assistance from the BC government in the form of the Supplementary Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER). Effective August, I began receiving a monthly payment geared to income that substantially contributes to my rent. Payments from the Canada Pension Plan also began in August. These two payments, one provincial and one federal, plus my small income from savings, have combined to increase my income by a whopping 40 percent - to $10,100 annually.
Regardless of what measure one uses, I am still several thousand dollars below the poverty line. However, the 40 percent increase has made a huge difference to me, not least because I've been able to buy items I've desperately needed. More important, however, is the considerable lessening of stress due to daily financial worry.
As to pain, my financial situation has finally been reflected in my BC Pharmacare coverage. Since July 1st, I've not been required to contribute anything to the one prescription medication I take (Synthroid). Prior to that, I'd had to pay at least 30 percent of the cost, plus a deductible. (I don't know why it took so long, given my income has been sub-$8,000 for several years.)
I avoided the doctor because, what was the point? It was shut up and put up, to hell with the pain.
With so many things having changed, including my Pharmacare coverage, a few days ago I visited the doctor to ask for her help with pain management. She prescribed Gabapentin and I'm on a schedule to gradually increase the dose. (From one/day, to two/day, to three/day. Am up to two/day now and shall be glad when I reach the full dose. The pain returns in full force just around the time pill number 3 is due.) Already, there has been a difference, though. At night, there's less pain, so I sleep better. In the mornings, I'm able to walk, climb stairs, do light housework and pull my shopping cart with considerably less pain. The result is greater mobility and better quality of life.
Am also grateful to our local food bank and the businesses, organizations and people who contribute to it. I've only been getting bread there, but today, for the second time since I've been going to the food bank, I stopped for some coffee and a bran muffin; and met and chatted with some people while there.
Perhaps I appeared more approachable. I know I was smiling.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Necessities: Housecleaning
One advantage to having a near-empty place is not having so much to keep clean.
I've actually got more stuff in this closet of a computer room than I do in the big room. There's the telephone table in the corner to the right of me, with (disconnected) fax machine; in front is my little computer cart, with Mac mini, monitor, speakers and printer; and behind me is a two-drawer file cabinet. Then there's this chair (one of Kiltie's scratching posts) and two plastic-fabric cat houses - acquired free from my local ReUseIt place. All this in a space less than 30 square feet.
It works though and I never feel closed in. From here I can look out through the three foot high window that runs across most of the main room. Today, the sun is shining and I can see the tree opposite starting to bud.
In the main room is a daybed, one round wooden table, a bookcase and an old wooden rocking chair. My friend Ronnie gave me the wooden table, and the bookcase and rocker were picked up for free. The last was left behind by a former tenant of this building.
The bachelor units in this building have counter-table tops that run between the kitchen and the main room. Above are hutch-style shelves which back onto cupboards on the other (kitchen) side. The counter-table top is the largest surface to keep dust-free.
It's not a big deal, therefore, to keep my furniture, such as it is, and counter surfaces clean. Most require only a damp cloth. The wooden table, bookcase, computer cart and telephone table need better treatment. Fortunately, I received a coupon for a free can of Pledge not that long ago. That will last me quite a long time.
For the bathroom, I tend to clean up as I use it. After each shower, I wipe down the shower curtain, walls, tub, etc. Then each time I clean up the cats' commode, I do a more thorough job with a proper cleanser. The sink, mirror and countertop I wipe down everyday, after my daily wash; again, I do a more thorough job when it's time to clean the tub.
My major housecleaning concern and biggest challenge is the floors. I sweep the bare floors everyday with a regular broom. The broom isn't very good and tends to repel fluff and dust rather than attract it.
There are two places where there's wall-to-wall carpeting: in this computer closet and the entryway. I've a Bissell carpet sweeper I use for the carpets. It actually works for bare floors too, but sweeping with a broom is better, even the broom I have.
Cleaning the floors isn't so easy, not with the condition of my back. I can get down on my hands and knees to clean, but moving once I'm down there and getting back up again is difficult, not to mention very painful. Crawling to clean the bathroom and kitchen floors I've done and can still do - although even that I do as little as I can get away with, because regardless of their small size there's still the problem of getting back up again.
Cleaning the floor of the big room is the greatest challenge and, frankly, something I've been unable to do for some time. Instead, all I can manage is spot clean, as and when I see that something has spilled or a certain furry critter has up-chucked a hair ball.
Back in the fall 2009, I got a free Swiffer WetJet, thanks to a reader. It came with two pads. I cheerfully used them to clean the floor of the main room. I imagine I looked as happy as that woman in the ads. It was so nice to have a clean, shining floor and the fresh scent that went with it.
I wish I could get more wetjet pads, but my budget won't allow it. In the meantime, I've been wracking my brain for alternatives.
Nothing so far. So am back to spot cleaning.
I've actually got more stuff in this closet of a computer room than I do in the big room. There's the telephone table in the corner to the right of me, with (disconnected) fax machine; in front is my little computer cart, with Mac mini, monitor, speakers and printer; and behind me is a two-drawer file cabinet. Then there's this chair (one of Kiltie's scratching posts) and two plastic-fabric cat houses - acquired free from my local ReUseIt place. All this in a space less than 30 square feet.
It works though and I never feel closed in. From here I can look out through the three foot high window that runs across most of the main room. Today, the sun is shining and I can see the tree opposite starting to bud.
In the main room is a daybed, one round wooden table, a bookcase and an old wooden rocking chair. My friend Ronnie gave me the wooden table, and the bookcase and rocker were picked up for free. The last was left behind by a former tenant of this building.
The bachelor units in this building have counter-table tops that run between the kitchen and the main room. Above are hutch-style shelves which back onto cupboards on the other (kitchen) side. The counter-table top is the largest surface to keep dust-free.
It's not a big deal, therefore, to keep my furniture, such as it is, and counter surfaces clean. Most require only a damp cloth. The wooden table, bookcase, computer cart and telephone table need better treatment. Fortunately, I received a coupon for a free can of Pledge not that long ago. That will last me quite a long time.
For the bathroom, I tend to clean up as I use it. After each shower, I wipe down the shower curtain, walls, tub, etc. Then each time I clean up the cats' commode, I do a more thorough job with a proper cleanser. The sink, mirror and countertop I wipe down everyday, after my daily wash; again, I do a more thorough job when it's time to clean the tub.
My major housecleaning concern and biggest challenge is the floors. I sweep the bare floors everyday with a regular broom. The broom isn't very good and tends to repel fluff and dust rather than attract it.
There are two places where there's wall-to-wall carpeting: in this computer closet and the entryway. I've a Bissell carpet sweeper I use for the carpets. It actually works for bare floors too, but sweeping with a broom is better, even the broom I have.
Cleaning the floors isn't so easy, not with the condition of my back. I can get down on my hands and knees to clean, but moving once I'm down there and getting back up again is difficult, not to mention very painful. Crawling to clean the bathroom and kitchen floors I've done and can still do - although even that I do as little as I can get away with, because regardless of their small size there's still the problem of getting back up again.
Cleaning the floor of the big room is the greatest challenge and, frankly, something I've been unable to do for some time. Instead, all I can manage is spot clean, as and when I see that something has spilled or a certain furry critter has up-chucked a hair ball.
Back in the fall 2009, I got a free Swiffer WetJet, thanks to a reader. It came with two pads. I cheerfully used them to clean the floor of the main room. I imagine I looked as happy as that woman in the ads. It was so nice to have a clean, shining floor and the fresh scent that went with it.
I wish I could get more wetjet pads, but my budget won't allow it. In the meantime, I've been wracking my brain for alternatives.
Nothing so far. So am back to spot cleaning.
Necessities: Animal Companions
Recall the number of times you've seen people living on the streets who have animals with them.
Look at the photo section of websites like that for the tent city Dignity Village.
What do you notice, with more frequency than you might expect?
What I notice are the animal companions. For quite awhile, Dignity Village had only photos of people with pets; only later did they start adding pictures of dwellings, gardens, and so on.
For some of us, having an animal companion is as necessary to our survival as food and water. Yet few mental health professionals acknowledge the link, which is more prevalent for women, or argue on behalf of those who would be denied an animal companion for the sake of property rights, as though such purported rights should outweigh the right to survival.
The vast majority of landlords in British Columbia, including government-run BC Housing and private subsidized housing projects, would deny us that necessity. Rare is it to find in this province a dwelling that will accommodate someone who has an animal companion; as rare, is it to find government or private subsidized housing developments that allow pets.
Therefore, people who are already challenged to manage with so little money, and who also may have health challenges, are challenged further to find places to live. Such people are expected to choose between having housing they can afford, are actually DENIED housing they can afford, and staying with their animal companions who they need as much as they need air to breathe.
The rationale for denying tenants animal companions is always this: "Some people don't look after their pets properly." In landlord-speak that means: "I've a right to protect my property from damage; since pet owners are more likely to leave the place in a mess than people who don't have pets, I don't rent to them."
Hogwash. Owners are as likely to get their places trashed by non pet owners as they are by people who have pets.
You needn't take my word for it.
A couple of years ago, I heard of a property owner who rents ONLY to pet owners. Said she'd found them to be more reliable, considerate and clean, compared to tenants to whom she'd rented who hadn't pets. She'd been renting various properties to people for decades - unfortunately, all out of my budget's reach.
As for my place, a 400-square foot bachelor apartment, you'd never know there were two cats here. There's no smell, no damage to floor or carpet, no sign of them anywhere. I brush my cats daily, which helps reduce cat hair from getting everywhere. I dust and sweep the place regularly and keep the litter box spotless.
I keep the litter box in the tub, near the faucet end and pull the shower curtain almost completely across. This requires the cats to walk to the end of the tub to enter or exit. The commode sits on an upside down rubber mat with the grippers facing upward. As the cats exit their commode, the mat's grippers pick up litter bits from between their furry toes. The litter box I keep clean by removing any solid waste immediately. For litter, I use pine wood pellets, which have a nice natural scent and happen to be the least expensive and most natural litter to use. (The SPCA uses it too.) When wet, the pellets expand into sawdust.
My one guilt is sometimes I forget to remove Kiltie's scent marking, the black streaking one finds at shin level at the corners of walls. When I do remember, the streaks are gone in a single swipe. Don't know why, but only Kiltie marks her territory, never Brodie.
Both cats are well-behaved and never spray. For scratching, they've a cat condo and (sigh) this upholstered computer chair.
Look at the photo section of websites like that for the tent city Dignity Village.
What do you notice, with more frequency than you might expect?
What I notice are the animal companions. For quite awhile, Dignity Village had only photos of people with pets; only later did they start adding pictures of dwellings, gardens, and so on.
For some of us, having an animal companion is as necessary to our survival as food and water. Yet few mental health professionals acknowledge the link, which is more prevalent for women, or argue on behalf of those who would be denied an animal companion for the sake of property rights, as though such purported rights should outweigh the right to survival.
The vast majority of landlords in British Columbia, including government-run BC Housing and private subsidized housing projects, would deny us that necessity. Rare is it to find in this province a dwelling that will accommodate someone who has an animal companion; as rare, is it to find government or private subsidized housing developments that allow pets.
Therefore, people who are already challenged to manage with so little money, and who also may have health challenges, are challenged further to find places to live. Such people are expected to choose between having housing they can afford, are actually DENIED housing they can afford, and staying with their animal companions who they need as much as they need air to breathe.
The rationale for denying tenants animal companions is always this: "Some people don't look after their pets properly." In landlord-speak that means: "I've a right to protect my property from damage; since pet owners are more likely to leave the place in a mess than people who don't have pets, I don't rent to them."
Hogwash. Owners are as likely to get their places trashed by non pet owners as they are by people who have pets.
You needn't take my word for it.
A couple of years ago, I heard of a property owner who rents ONLY to pet owners. Said she'd found them to be more reliable, considerate and clean, compared to tenants to whom she'd rented who hadn't pets. She'd been renting various properties to people for decades - unfortunately, all out of my budget's reach.
As for my place, a 400-square foot bachelor apartment, you'd never know there were two cats here. There's no smell, no damage to floor or carpet, no sign of them anywhere. I brush my cats daily, which helps reduce cat hair from getting everywhere. I dust and sweep the place regularly and keep the litter box spotless.
I keep the litter box in the tub, near the faucet end and pull the shower curtain almost completely across. This requires the cats to walk to the end of the tub to enter or exit. The commode sits on an upside down rubber mat with the grippers facing upward. As the cats exit their commode, the mat's grippers pick up litter bits from between their furry toes. The litter box I keep clean by removing any solid waste immediately. For litter, I use pine wood pellets, which have a nice natural scent and happen to be the least expensive and most natural litter to use. (The SPCA uses it too.) When wet, the pellets expand into sawdust.
My one guilt is sometimes I forget to remove Kiltie's scent marking, the black streaking one finds at shin level at the corners of walls. When I do remember, the streaks are gone in a single swipe. Don't know why, but only Kiltie marks her territory, never Brodie.
Both cats are well-behaved and never spray. For scratching, they've a cat condo and (sigh) this upholstered computer chair.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Necessities: Housing
I moved into this 400-square foot bachelor apartment on October 19, 2002. It suits me just fine and is quite a nice, bright bachelor apartment, as such units go. It's also in a neighbourhood and community I've become used to. So I'd choose to stay here, except for three considerations.
First, it's on the third floor of a three-floor walk-up.
Pulling my shopping cart up 36 stairs, having already pulled it up a steep hill on the way home from getting groceries, is increasingly harder to do given my hip and back problems.
I would choose and have requested to move one floor down. Moving to the second floor would be almost as good as moving to the first floor. The latter doesn't have bachelor apartments anyway and I can't afford more than I'm paying now (which is already 80% of my income). The first floor is sub-basement, so you still have to navigate stairs. To reach the front door of the building, you walk up nine stairs. The first or second floor is another nine stairs, down or up. The advantage of the first floor is the back entrance; it has only five shallow stairs going down to the sub-basement entry.
All this is moot. My landlord won't allow me to move to another unit while keeping my rent the same. I'm currently paying $486 per month; new renters are paying $575 per month for bachelor units. That's what he insists I pay if I should move. It doesn't matter that I've been an ideal tenant, never late with my payments and so quiet people have said they didn't know my unit was occupied. In fact, the clear message from my landlord is that he'd rather take his chances on a troublesome, higher-paying tenant than keep tenants known to be reliable and trouble-free.
That brings up the second concern. How secure is this place for me, in terms of continued occupancy? Might my landlord try to jack up the rent anyway? What might he do otherwise to 'persuade' me to move out?
A third consideration is the absence of a place to keep an electric bicycle or scooter, two-wheeled or four-wheeled. There's nothing outside or on the ground floor, secure or otherwise, or with plug-in access. I anticipate needing something like that in the future in order to get around.
I'd not be so anxious to find a subsidized unit in a more accessible, secure building - not with SAFER, in another few months, starting to help me with the rent here - if the extra stairs weren't causing me problems and this building offered secure, ground-floor storage and plug-in options.
I don't really want to move. Regardless, I may have no choice but to stay. Private subsidized or public housing projects in BC are rare, which is another housing issue for people with special needs. Since I'll always need an animal companion, my housing options are thus even further limited.
Two subsidized housing places that allow pets came to my notice over the past year; one, thanks to a reader. I've applied to both but have heard back from only one of them, confirming receipt of my application and advising I'm on their list. Both would be nice places to live, so that's where my hopes lie now.
First, it's on the third floor of a three-floor walk-up.
Pulling my shopping cart up 36 stairs, having already pulled it up a steep hill on the way home from getting groceries, is increasingly harder to do given my hip and back problems.
I would choose and have requested to move one floor down. Moving to the second floor would be almost as good as moving to the first floor. The latter doesn't have bachelor apartments anyway and I can't afford more than I'm paying now (which is already 80% of my income). The first floor is sub-basement, so you still have to navigate stairs. To reach the front door of the building, you walk up nine stairs. The first or second floor is another nine stairs, down or up. The advantage of the first floor is the back entrance; it has only five shallow stairs going down to the sub-basement entry.
All this is moot. My landlord won't allow me to move to another unit while keeping my rent the same. I'm currently paying $486 per month; new renters are paying $575 per month for bachelor units. That's what he insists I pay if I should move. It doesn't matter that I've been an ideal tenant, never late with my payments and so quiet people have said they didn't know my unit was occupied. In fact, the clear message from my landlord is that he'd rather take his chances on a troublesome, higher-paying tenant than keep tenants known to be reliable and trouble-free.
That brings up the second concern. How secure is this place for me, in terms of continued occupancy? Might my landlord try to jack up the rent anyway? What might he do otherwise to 'persuade' me to move out?
A third consideration is the absence of a place to keep an electric bicycle or scooter, two-wheeled or four-wheeled. There's nothing outside or on the ground floor, secure or otherwise, or with plug-in access. I anticipate needing something like that in the future in order to get around.
I'd not be so anxious to find a subsidized unit in a more accessible, secure building - not with SAFER, in another few months, starting to help me with the rent here - if the extra stairs weren't causing me problems and this building offered secure, ground-floor storage and plug-in options.
I don't really want to move. Regardless, I may have no choice but to stay. Private subsidized or public housing projects in BC are rare, which is another housing issue for people with special needs. Since I'll always need an animal companion, my housing options are thus even further limited.
Two subsidized housing places that allow pets came to my notice over the past year; one, thanks to a reader. I've applied to both but have heard back from only one of them, confirming receipt of my application and advising I'm on their list. Both would be nice places to live, so that's where my hopes lie now.
Necessities: Laundry
I've two challenges to keeping my clothes, linen and towels clean: affordability and back pain from scoliosis that developed from a childhood injury. Regarding affordability, recall that I've $783.24 left, annually, to pay for everything else after shelter costs.
To save the most amount of money, hand washing my laundry would be the obvious, ideal choice. It would save the $1.50 for the automatic washer that is three floors below me. If I could hand wash my clothes daily, then the fact I've little room for drying things - one drying rack and a shower rail - would also save the $1.50 for the dryer.
The condition of my back makes that most economical choice unfeasible. Washing underwear might be done at the bathroom sink, in small stints so the pain in my back from standing could be avoided. Alternatively, I might wash my underwear in the tub when I take my baths.
That is precisely what I used to do. Alas, I don't take baths anymore because I can't afford the smelly, water-softening, skin-softening stuff I used to use. Baths without that lovely stuff (which soothed my starved senses too) dry out my already dry skin. Ergo, it's nix on baths and nix on washing my underwear when I bathe.
Larger clothing and other items would have to be washed in the tub. Nix on that too.
Leaning over for any length of time, not to mention scrubbing while in that position, is extremely painful and to be avoided. (It's bad enough when I clean the tub.) The same can be said for folding laundry, of all the silly things. When folding laundry, one leans slightly forward. For the average load, folding can take several minutes. For me, that translates into a lot of pain.
Next choice after hand washing is reducing the number of times I use the washing machine and dryer. My mother used to do laundry once a week and there were three of us. Back then, one wasn't expected to change one's outer clothing or linen or towels everyday, just one's underwear. (I was taught to wear the same bra for one week.) So conceivably, I could go three weeks if I had enough clothes, etc. to last me that long.
It took me awhile but now I've enough underwear and towels (not bed linen) to do that and I continue the tradition of wearing the same outer clothing for several days.
That still isn't good enough, though. I can't afford to spend $3.00 every three weeks for the machines, plus the cost of detergent, not unless I cut back on my food intake even more, which I'm not willing to do.
So what choices are left to me?
Shall update this post should the latter happen. As for bed linen, I've begun to entertain the possibility of eliminating it entirely. I simply can't keep up.
To save the most amount of money, hand washing my laundry would be the obvious, ideal choice. It would save the $1.50 for the automatic washer that is three floors below me. If I could hand wash my clothes daily, then the fact I've little room for drying things - one drying rack and a shower rail - would also save the $1.50 for the dryer.
The condition of my back makes that most economical choice unfeasible. Washing underwear might be done at the bathroom sink, in small stints so the pain in my back from standing could be avoided. Alternatively, I might wash my underwear in the tub when I take my baths.
That is precisely what I used to do. Alas, I don't take baths anymore because I can't afford the smelly, water-softening, skin-softening stuff I used to use. Baths without that lovely stuff (which soothed my starved senses too) dry out my already dry skin. Ergo, it's nix on baths and nix on washing my underwear when I bathe.
Larger clothing and other items would have to be washed in the tub. Nix on that too.
Leaning over for any length of time, not to mention scrubbing while in that position, is extremely painful and to be avoided. (It's bad enough when I clean the tub.) The same can be said for folding laundry, of all the silly things. When folding laundry, one leans slightly forward. For the average load, folding can take several minutes. For me, that translates into a lot of pain.
Next choice after hand washing is reducing the number of times I use the washing machine and dryer. My mother used to do laundry once a week and there were three of us. Back then, one wasn't expected to change one's outer clothing or linen or towels everyday, just one's underwear. (I was taught to wear the same bra for one week.) So conceivably, I could go three weeks if I had enough clothes, etc. to last me that long.
It took me awhile but now I've enough underwear and towels (not bed linen) to do that and I continue the tradition of wearing the same outer clothing for several days.
That still isn't good enough, though. I can't afford to spend $3.00 every three weeks for the machines, plus the cost of detergent, not unless I cut back on my food intake even more, which I'm not willing to do.
So what choices are left to me?
- hand wash underwear everyday in the bathroom sink;
- wear the same outer clothing and use the same towels and linen until they fail the sniff test;
- do one washing load - whites or colours - no more than once every six weeks;
- use my shower rail and drying rack whenever possible to avoid having to use the dryer;
- 'order' a new-old drying rack from my local ReUseIt and hope to get one or more positive responses so I can eliminate the dryer altogether.
Shall update this post should the latter happen. As for bed linen, I've begun to entertain the possibility of eliminating it entirely. I simply can't keep up.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Necessities: Personal grooming
What were once deemed necessities are no more.
The changes described below originally occurred because my finances forced them. The original adjustment to cutting back on modern grooming and hygiene techniques, together with their associated over-hyped products, was painful. However, having finally adapted I doubt I'd return to my previous habits, even if money did come my way... At least... I think so... There is that issue of changing values I've mentioned before, a phenomenon that can be essential to personal survival.
Professional hair cut: Last time I went to a hair salon was in 2001. Ever since, I've cut my own hair - evidence of which you can see here. At first, it was a difficult adjustment - I'd bought into the notion of professional hair cutting as a basic need -, but one does get used to it. I just grab chunks of hair in my fingers, usually with a twist; then cut. I go by the principle that as long as there's enough hair to grab, it's too long. (My hair IS very forgiving.)
I apply the same technique to the back of my head: simply grab chunks of hair and cut. I don't bother trying to see what I'm doing back there. I'd need three hands; one to hold the mirror, one to grab, the other to do the cutting. My cutting implements are the scissors I formerly used to cut fabric to make dance costumes. (I'd be thrilled to have proper hair scissors!)
It also helps in the adjustment that I no longer care what I look like - part of the new lesson being the not caring itself. There have been times this has been a most needful thing. Like those occasions when I've given myself a lopsided haircut and, in trying to fix it, have ended up shorn to within half an inch of my scalp.
I adore the feeling of someone washing and massaging my scalp. Alas, I can't afford it and am on my own here in this wee abode.
Shaving: No more razors, no more shaving cream, no wax or other goop. And no visits to a beauty salon to have the hair removal done for me.
The adjustment was difficult, particularly exposing my hairy legs during the warm months. I like to wear summer dresses (unfortunately, I've only one). My legs do appear to be less hairy than before I stopped shaving, or perhaps the hair has turned grey, like it has almost everywhere else. The hair is also less coarse, therefore again perhaps less visible for that reason.
Hairy armpits was an easier adjustment, especially since I no longer wear anything sleeveless. Again, the hair is more fine since I stopped shaving it.
Oral hygiene: I brush my teeth at least twice a day.
Long ago, I had one of those electric toothbrushes. Forget the brand, but the instructions for the device advised not to use toothpaste, that the brushing and one's own saliva were all that are needed for proper cleaning.
Still, it's nice to have toothpaste, so I do try to have it around. I use it very sparingly, though, a tiny bead on my toothbrush. When my supply gets low, there's no room in the budget to buy more and no free samples are handy, I've gone without toothpaste.
Toothbrushes I buy only when on sale.
I do floss - and rinse and reuse the floss over and over again. (We use our toothbrushes for ages. Why not floss?)
I have a strong, store brand, antibacterial mouthwash on standby. It's not for daily use or to freshen my breath. Every few applications I will dip my floss into it, but its primary purpose is for when I suspect there's something starting to go wrong in my mouth, like a burgeoning abscess or other sores. Then I swish that burning stuff around my mouth for 30 seconds every two hours. I do this at the first sign of trouble. The mouthwash trick does the job every time.
Washing: I spot clean - face, underarms, feet and nether regions - everyday at the bathroom sink and shower every third day.
I use soap only for underarms and - more sparingly - for my feet. The skin on my feet is very dry, hence why I use less soap on them. For some unaccountable reason, I've LOADS of soap. Can't imagine having to buy it ever again.
I've a skin condition that affects only my face. To avoid painful red spots appearing, I wash it using SpectroJel or the equivalent store brand and must apply, sparingly, a medicated cream. I also use the SpectroJel for my nether regions because I find soap to be too harsh.
In the shower, I use a scrubber for my entire body. And I do one heck of a job, too, scrubbing over and over again. Rather than coating my skin with a soapy film, the scrubbing removes dead skin cells and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth as a baby's bottom.
I wash my hair every third day, when I shower. I use shampoo sparingly and never buy conditioner or other hair treatments. However, if I've conditioner on hand - say, a sample - I'll use a wee bit maybe once a month.
Lotions & Potions: No lotions. For dry skin I use what was recommended to a friend by her dermatologist: petroleum jelly. Either the Vaseline or store brand will do. (Not the lotion Vaseline Intensive Care; it's totally ineffective.) For extra stubborn areas, such as elbows or feet, apply the jelly liberally before bedtime, cover with something - like a tensor bandage or socks. In the morning you'll notice a substantial difference.
I use unscented deodorant, but sparingly.
No perfume.
No scented or unscented bath oils, beads or foam.
I miss those the most. My senses are keener than those of the average person and my mood is very responsive to colour, texture, scent and sound. My yearning for varied and exotic tastes I've learned to ignore. But I still pine to have candlelit baths in water softened and scented with natural oils, and for this place to be coloured 'me'.
The changes described below originally occurred because my finances forced them. The original adjustment to cutting back on modern grooming and hygiene techniques, together with their associated over-hyped products, was painful. However, having finally adapted I doubt I'd return to my previous habits, even if money did come my way... At least... I think so... There is that issue of changing values I've mentioned before, a phenomenon that can be essential to personal survival.
Professional hair cut: Last time I went to a hair salon was in 2001. Ever since, I've cut my own hair - evidence of which you can see here. At first, it was a difficult adjustment - I'd bought into the notion of professional hair cutting as a basic need -, but one does get used to it. I just grab chunks of hair in my fingers, usually with a twist; then cut. I go by the principle that as long as there's enough hair to grab, it's too long. (My hair IS very forgiving.)
I apply the same technique to the back of my head: simply grab chunks of hair and cut. I don't bother trying to see what I'm doing back there. I'd need three hands; one to hold the mirror, one to grab, the other to do the cutting. My cutting implements are the scissors I formerly used to cut fabric to make dance costumes. (I'd be thrilled to have proper hair scissors!)
It also helps in the adjustment that I no longer care what I look like - part of the new lesson being the not caring itself. There have been times this has been a most needful thing. Like those occasions when I've given myself a lopsided haircut and, in trying to fix it, have ended up shorn to within half an inch of my scalp.
I adore the feeling of someone washing and massaging my scalp. Alas, I can't afford it and am on my own here in this wee abode.
Shaving: No more razors, no more shaving cream, no wax or other goop. And no visits to a beauty salon to have the hair removal done for me.
The adjustment was difficult, particularly exposing my hairy legs during the warm months. I like to wear summer dresses (unfortunately, I've only one). My legs do appear to be less hairy than before I stopped shaving, or perhaps the hair has turned grey, like it has almost everywhere else. The hair is also less coarse, therefore again perhaps less visible for that reason.
Hairy armpits was an easier adjustment, especially since I no longer wear anything sleeveless. Again, the hair is more fine since I stopped shaving it.
Oral hygiene: I brush my teeth at least twice a day.
Long ago, I had one of those electric toothbrushes. Forget the brand, but the instructions for the device advised not to use toothpaste, that the brushing and one's own saliva were all that are needed for proper cleaning.
Still, it's nice to have toothpaste, so I do try to have it around. I use it very sparingly, though, a tiny bead on my toothbrush. When my supply gets low, there's no room in the budget to buy more and no free samples are handy, I've gone without toothpaste.
Toothbrushes I buy only when on sale.
I do floss - and rinse and reuse the floss over and over again. (We use our toothbrushes for ages. Why not floss?)
I have a strong, store brand, antibacterial mouthwash on standby. It's not for daily use or to freshen my breath. Every few applications I will dip my floss into it, but its primary purpose is for when I suspect there's something starting to go wrong in my mouth, like a burgeoning abscess or other sores. Then I swish that burning stuff around my mouth for 30 seconds every two hours. I do this at the first sign of trouble. The mouthwash trick does the job every time.
Washing: I spot clean - face, underarms, feet and nether regions - everyday at the bathroom sink and shower every third day.
I use soap only for underarms and - more sparingly - for my feet. The skin on my feet is very dry, hence why I use less soap on them. For some unaccountable reason, I've LOADS of soap. Can't imagine having to buy it ever again.
I've a skin condition that affects only my face. To avoid painful red spots appearing, I wash it using SpectroJel or the equivalent store brand and must apply, sparingly, a medicated cream. I also use the SpectroJel for my nether regions because I find soap to be too harsh.
In the shower, I use a scrubber for my entire body. And I do one heck of a job, too, scrubbing over and over again. Rather than coating my skin with a soapy film, the scrubbing removes dead skin cells and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth as a baby's bottom.
I wash my hair every third day, when I shower. I use shampoo sparingly and never buy conditioner or other hair treatments. However, if I've conditioner on hand - say, a sample - I'll use a wee bit maybe once a month.
Lotions & Potions: No lotions. For dry skin I use what was recommended to a friend by her dermatologist: petroleum jelly. Either the Vaseline or store brand will do. (Not the lotion Vaseline Intensive Care; it's totally ineffective.) For extra stubborn areas, such as elbows or feet, apply the jelly liberally before bedtime, cover with something - like a tensor bandage or socks. In the morning you'll notice a substantial difference.
I use unscented deodorant, but sparingly.
No perfume.
No scented or unscented bath oils, beads or foam.
I miss those the most. My senses are keener than those of the average person and my mood is very responsive to colour, texture, scent and sound. My yearning for varied and exotic tastes I've learned to ignore. But I still pine to have candlelit baths in water softened and scented with natural oils, and for this place to be coloured 'me'.
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