Category: House and Home

Menstrual cups are gaining in popularity every day.

It’s no surprise. The best menstrual cup is environmentally friendly and it doesn’t drain your wallet.

The constant waste produced by using the usual tampons or pads is staggering. On average, a woman will use around 11,000 tampons during her lifetime. That’s a lot of waste to dump into a landfill.

Especially when taken into account that those tampons will need decades before they will completely degrade.

The idea of creating a vast amount of expensive waste like that is not at all comforting if you’re the type of person who wants to live a green and frugal lifestyle.

Luckily, menstrual cups are an easy and cheap solution to all of these problems.

Why Choose Menstrual Cups?

They Last A Long Time

Menstrual cups are made of soft silicone or latex that can be rinsed and reused many times, rather than the single-time use of other products.

With proper care, they can be reused between 5 to 10 years. Whereas with the more conventional tampons or pads, a big package of these products will only last you a couple months at most.

With these two numbers side by side, it’s easy to see what difference this would make on both the environment and your wallet.

They Are A Healthier Option

There are certain risks that come with using tampons and pads. Because they are so absorbent, they can create uncomfortable dryness or mess with the delicate balance of the vagina.

With a menstrual cup being made out of silicone or latex rather than an absorbent material, all of these potential health risks are effectively gone.

They Are Leak-Proof

The menstrual cup creates a kind of seal within the vagina and because of this, leaks are incredibly rare. Unlike with tampons or pads where one bad movement might make them leak and stain your clothes.

They Come In Many Types To Suit Your Needs

Menstrual cups come in many different shapes and sizes with varying firmness and handles. This means that, with a little experimentation, you’ll be able to find the one that suits you best.

And once you find the best menstrual cup for you, you won’t have to replace it for a long, long time.

The Best Menstrual Cup

With so many options available, it can be a little daunting trying to sift through all of the information.

A menstrual cup comparison chart is the perfect way to figure out all the little details at an easy glance.

You’ll be able to see the capacity of the cup, the overall size, where they are made, the diameter of the cup, the material it is made out of, and more. This chart even gives you a recommendation for who the cup would be best suited for.

Take a good look at the different brands and see how they compare with one another. With all of this information collected in a chart like this, you’ll have no trouble at all figuring out which menstrual cup you should use.

Keep in mind that, even with all of this information, it might take a couple of tries with different styles of menstrual cups before you’ll find the one that feels the best to you.

And Finally…

Menstrual cups can seem a little scary at first, especially if you’ve never even heard of it before. However, don’t let this stop you from giving them a try.

With their cost-effective allure and their environmentally friendly appeal, what have you got to lose?

Much like the different types of wine glasses that are specially designed to enhance one’s enjoyment of that drink, there are several varieties of whiskey glasses. Each has its merits, and the one you choose depends on what type of whiskey you enjoy, and how you like to drink it.

The Five Most Common Whiskey Glasses

Tumbler

Unless you’re already acquainted with the more specialized types, the tumbler is the one you probably associate with drinking whiskey. This is the short, squat glass that Don Draper reached for whenever times got tough on Madison Avenue.

The tumbler is a perfect all-purpose whiskey glass. Its heft and the way it fits solidly in your hand make it a versatile addition to your cabinet. Also known as a rocks glass, the tumbler has plenty of room for a few ice cubes and/or mixers, if you enjoy a whiskey-based cocktail like an Old Fashioned or Sidecar.

Tumblers also make for great personalized whiskey glasses.

Snifter

Sure, snifters are for brandy (and for men wearing smoking jackets in leather-filled libraries), but they’re also useful for tasting whiskey. They fulfill the same purpose with either alcohol: concentrating the aromas in order to allow for better “nosing” (that’s the whiskey aficionado’s term for, well, “smelling” — and evaluating the aromas).

Snifters often lack the satisfying weight of a tumbler, but you can find ones with heavier bases.

Glencairn

The Glencairn glass combines the best qualities of the snifter and the tumbler. Developed in 2001, this short, tulip-shaped glass does for whiskey lovers what the pilsener glass does for beer drinkers. It allows them to fully appreciate all the nuances of their drink.

In the case of the Glencairn glass, the rounded shape of the bowl serves as a lens through which to evaluate the Scotch’s texture and color. It also reveals any impurities. The narrowed opening helps collect aromas and prevent contact with the skin, for a purer tasting experience. Lastly, the heft of the Glencairn lends gravitas, much as a heavy crystal tumbler does — but no one would ever mistake it for a rocks or lowball glass.

Copita

Hardcore whiskey fans may know this as a “dock glass,” since the copita’s history dates back to days when merchants would nose samples from a spirits shipment right upon their arrival to a port.

The copita differs from other whiskey glasses in that it has a stem — the better to keep one’s hands (and their odors) away from one’s nose. In other respects it resembles a Glencairn or a very narrow snifter. Perfect for appreciating a fine single malt, the copita is still used by distillers in Scotland to test and taste their product.

Rocking

Rocking glasses are stemless tumblers with a rounded or curved bottom. They don’t sit flush on the table, but instead rock (or roll) gently side to side. It can be a slightly disconcerting experience to place one of these on a flat surface for the first time!

Some aficionados find these glasses gimmicky, while others like the comfortable way they fit in one’s hand — and the fact that they’re conversation starters.

Cheers!

We hope that this has been a helpful entry into the world of whiskey glasses. If you’re serious about tasting and enjoying Scotch and other whiskeys, collecting the perfect glassware can be an interesting hobby. Whatever you drink, and whatever you drink it out of, however, we hope you enjoy!

Today’s thrifty living tip is to use a bag as a paint tray liner. I don’t have any pictures, but basically use a plastic shopping bag or even a garbage bag as a liner for the paint tray. It’s much cheaper than buying those plastic throw away ones at the store. It is much easier to clean up when you are done. I just put the paint tray inside the bag and tie at the end. It stays in place, and all I have to do is untie and throw the mess away. Try it for your next painting project.

I finally finished moving to WordPress late last night. I still had lots of tweaks to do to the theme before I posted this update. I apologize for not being around much this past week, but between moving the blog and school, I was overwhelmed. I still have a few minor tweaks I want to make to the blog, but this is pretty much it for now. The tweaks now might be some color changes to a few fonts. Later I do plan to add a header and background, but I am burnt for the moment.

What does everyone think of the new blog?

I really loved the fun and bright colors. The header and background are transparent so I need to tweak it later in photoshop. I am just not in the mood to mess with it anymore this weekend. I have a small holiday coming up so I will work on it then. I get three days off from school and looking forward to that small break.

I have a fun giveaway starting soon so keep checking back! The giveaway will give me a chance to show off the new blog.

Keep checking back for more exciting giveaways and other news. I am so excited about being on WordPress, and I have plans to make Thrifty Momma Ramblings more exciting for all my readers. I really missed posting this past week.

Last May I posted about remodeling my house. We painted almost every room in the house, put down new vinyl floors, painted kitchen cabinets, fixed cracks above the door frames, and put in a new bathroom sink and toilet. I bought new furniture for our bedroom which I got on clearance. We only had nightstands, and we needed a dresser. I wanted a nice set of matching furniture for our bedroom. When it came time to redo our son’s bedroom, we didn’t want to buy him all new furniture. He has lots of shelving in his closet so he doesn’t need a dresser. He already had a couple of mismatched pieces of furniture in his room. He had an entertainment center and a nightstand. They were still in great condition but in dire need of a makeover.

We watch a lot of remodeling shows on DIY and HGTV channels. My husband had already completed the kitchen cabinet hardware project (you can read about it here). The obvious solution to our problem was to paint the furniture. It was going to be a lot of work with sanding, priming, and then painting. I already did that with the kitchen cabinets and was not in the mood to do another big painting project. My husband had a brilliant idea to solve our problem. He decided to spray paint the furniture. We already had the black satin spray paint from the kitchen hardware project. My son’s room was gray with diamond plated outlet covers. Hubby thought black furniture would compliment the room nicely. He was exactly correct. I told you we watch a lot of remodeling shows on tv.

The spray paint had primer already mixed in so no need for another step. He did rough up the nightstand with a 120 sanding block. Then he wiped it down thoroughly. He used a satin black finish which brought out beautiful details of the piece. He used two coats which dried very quickly outside. It was a very sunny day with little humidity which helps it to dry faster. The one mistake we made was not using a clear coat protector afterwards. The nightstand has a few chips as you can see in the pictures. I am going to wait until spring to add another light coat and then apply a clear protector coat. To further protect the top of the nightstand I had a glass top cut by the local glass shop. It cost me $12 plus tax. I think it adds a nice touch to the nightstand. I also did the same thing to my nightstands and my bathroom vanity. It’s a built-in vanity to the wall. I spent around $80 for all four items. It makes cleaning so much easier and protects the pieces more from water stains.

The project was very easy and inexpensive. I paid around $15 for two cans of spray paint to makeover the entertainment stand and nightstand. I didn’t take pictures of the entertainment stand, but it looks just as nice. Hubby also spray painted the drawer pull a nice silver which gives it a wow factor. It was just a plain brass color. We already had the silver spray paint color. I am planning to do the same thing for my living room end table and entertainment center. I promise to do more of a step by step with pictures for those pieces. This project extends the life of furniture you already own. Why spend more money when you can just give your furniture a makeover. Do you have any furniture you would like to makeover? I would love to read about it.