Fresh from my new free word-processing program. Thank you OpenOffice,and while I don't exactly wish a pox on Bill Gates, I wouldn't mind if he got a bad rash.
Poverty Personal Hygiene
First off, if you're not poor yet, go out and stock up on toothpaste and toilet paper. Buy a lot. You can't really have too much, but boy, is it easy to not have enough when you're poor. Collect soap. Make it clear to your friends and family that you like nothing better than exotic bars of soap in your xmas stocking, and start collecting young (if you're old and suddenly poor, I guess you could learn to make your own). Soap doesn't go bad. You can go Martha Stewartish and keep decorative baskets full of soaps in your bathroom, but don't use them until you're in dire straits! I'm currently using soap I got in the 80s, and I have a stash from the 70s I'm keeping for really hard times. I need not remind you to sweep up all hotel toiletries, if you are still well enough off to frequent these establishments. Those tiny shampoo bottles are annoying, but someday you may be happy to have them (although Vo5 at a dollar a bottle is my particular preference these days).
Next, lower your obsessive modern standards about daily showers and wardrobe changes. This notion probably works better in the northern part of the northern hemisphere,where winter lasts seven or eight months. But imagine what you can save if you only bathe and change once a week, and not just money! Wear the same clothes to bed, and getting up in the morning is so much simpler! And you'll be saving on hot water, soap, shampoo, electricity for the hair dryer, deodorant, and laundry costs! It's win/win. Okay, if you have a job, your co-workers may object, but if you have a job, you may not be at the lowest end of the poverty spectrum, so adjust the schedule to what you can afford. There were a couple of winters when I only bathed and changed clothes every three weeks. I try to stick to weekly now, as at some point even I can't stand being around me, regardless of how cold it is. Summer, I've reverted to almost daily (but not the hair!), depending on the temperature. Mileage will vary.
And about hair – forget hair cuts. Male or female - you need to make some decisions – ponytail or mane? I haven't had my hair cut since 2007, and since I live alone, I cannot manage anything but a ponytail on my own (I can't do a single back-braid that doesn't look like I've been attacked by a flock of crows), but I've been sliding into eccentric side braids , because they reduce snarls and I'm old and who cares anyway? For the guys - how long a beard can you live with? If you have a pair of scissors, you can always adjust the hair situation. Just forget about being stylish. Style isn't really worth what it costs.
But you have to brush your teeth. If you're poor, chances are you haven't been able to afford to go to the dentist in years, so you have to brush your teeth. You'll have to give up your favorite Tom's of Maine stuff and go to one of the ridiculous dozens of varieties of mainstream toothpaste, unless you can stand the baking powder method. I can't, so I stick to Crest. Being poor is bad enough, but being toothlessly poor is worse, because then you have to think about dentures and denture cream and really, it's better to keep brushing your teeth, even if you're reduced to baking powder and birch twigs.
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Comments
She also hung her soap in old nylons and used for a skin scrub.
They say washing your hair everyday is not even good for your hair. Once you skip all the product that costs a fortune anyway, hair doesn't get so dirty, usually.
I did stay in a hotel this summer, our one splurge in ages! I found myself making friends with the maid and she gave us extra fancy soaps to take home...as per soap instructions above, we should be using them in 2013. : )
I like the baking soda solution, my teeth feel so polished! but a warning to any who use it: since I grew up using baking soda for toothpaste, my tooth enamel is too thin now and I also can't tolerate baking soda at all anymore!
Not even in baked goods...
We'll all be needing these tips I have a feeling....
Just Thinking - my mother did that, too. I still have some of her soaps, so they're pretty hard. That's most unfortunate about the baking soda, but good warning. Maybe plain birch twigs are the final solution. Although I have no idea how to use them. Thank you for the compliment, but I think the post is more about not being clean when poor. Adjusting one's expectations and standards, as it were. Anyone in a warm/hot climate should disregard everything I say, though. Except the teeth part.
You can do yourself a big favour if you just rub your teeth with a soft cloth than rinse with a saline solution a couple of times a day. Most toothpastes and mouth washes have chemicals in them to kill “odour causing” bacteria. Hah! There is very little “odour causing bacteria" in the mouth. There is however, much very good bacteria that helps to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Toothpastes and mouthwashes kill all the good bacteria too!!
Most odour is caused by decaying food. A good rub (a toothpick can be of help) and faithful rinsing fairly often takes care of that. So why does your dentist recommend brushing with toothpaste, flossing, and commercial mouthwashes? Look at his fees for the answer to that. (Did you know that dentists, on average, earn more than doctors?)
PS
To make a super saline solution boil 1 tblsp of salt in a quart of water for 3 minutes. Let cool and use. Has an indefinite shelf life.
An empty small mouthwash bottle can be used to carry your home made saline solution with you to work or wherever.
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Some people also use the saline solution as a nasal spray and even as an eyewash. (I haven’t tried either one) They say to filter the saline solution using a coffee filter, first.
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Sarah - lard and lye. Not the most wonderful combination, but I guess it works.
Just Thinking - we are on the same wave length, obviously.
Unless you or your weather conditions are extreme wash and rinse your smelly parts daily to avoid any need for deodorant.
My friend the periodontist & family used to brush w/o toothpaste but for a long time, gently, with a very soft brush. 10 minutes comes to mind, while reading or watching tv.
My current student dentist says it's now ok to use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash (opinion cycles) even full strength. I dilute it about 50%. (I disagree with skypixie about floss but don't want to look for documentation.)
Before a dental appointment I brush with a paste of baking soda & hydrogen peroxide 1 time a day for about 2 weeks. My cleanings are much easier when I do this and I don't think it's enough to wear off your enamel. (Mine's fine.) You get used to the taste. I don't think it's any worse than some toothpastes.
Distilled white vinegar & baking soda separately or in various combinations will clean just about anything. Buy them in large quantities at the dollar store &/or during canning season.
When your bar soap gets down to little, inconvenient slivers you can dump it into a jar of water to make liquid soap. You can grate it first, too, but I have no idea why you would.
Use the liquid soap for shampoo and add some vinegar to the final rinse water.
Why in god's name do you have to re-type thousands of words? OO won't open your MSW docs? I think that happens sometimes. If so, upload the MSW into google docs. Then OO should open them just fine. Or open them in google, copy all and paste into an OO doc. Or just use google docs. It has the added advantage of free cloud storage which you can use for backup.
I'm way too good at poverty.
For soap, every three years, I buy a big bottle of Dr. Bonner's, the quart I think, dilute it 1-3 with water in separate bottles, and that's what I use to wash my dishes, my face, my bod, my hair, the countertops, laundry, everything. I loved Dr. B when I was a tipi dwelling hippie chick, and I loves him still!
nerd cred - that's most interesting about hydrogen peroxide. I have a large supply of it, but it's for disinfecting cuts, encounters with skunks, and inducing vomiting, none of which I associate with dental care. So this is new and intriguing. I have to retype thousands of words because my eight-year-old computer crashed and burned, and I had never backed up my files. My very bad. I have print-outs of most of two books, but I lost a lot I will never get back. C'est la vie when you're stupid. Being good at poverty is a valuable skill. Unfortunately, most of my learning comes from making terrible mistakes.
Bellwether - I bought underwear this summer for the first time in years (five, actually), and it was thrilling. I love having underwear again. It's kind of pathetic. They are NOT paying me to say this, but on-line Hanes and Jiffy Shirts are pretty great. If you're feeling flush, the Vermont Country Store is wonderful. Paper towels - I cannot figure out the solution to the paper towel problem. It requires a washing machine.
that sounds promisingly book length, my dear mumbletypeg.....(??) :)