Shamphree - Thanks to How To Hair Girl

HEY! This blog has moved. Loads more Shamphree info at CAREFUL KIM.


My friend Jill and I are really cheap. Like, really, really cheap. I'm in the process of saving for my trip to South America and Jill did the same thing last year for her trip to the same place. We've both experienced intensive money saving and frugal living. Regardless of what you have planned, everyone can do with saving money and usually the key is trying something a little different! Also it helps if you shun convention and have no shame (which suits me fine).

Living on the cheap, budgeting and home made frugality are really popular right now. There's nothing as satisfying as a hobby that saves you money! We both get excited at the prospect of a previously unheard tip, a cheapo blog or a marathon of SuperScrimpers on TV. I wanted to document a few of things I employ to save money, things which seemed hard work before I'd tried them, but now I couldn't live without. I also wanted to keep track of some of things I've never tried, but wanted to.

So here's the first.... going Shamphree.

I haven't yet tried this, but I read about it from How To Hair Girl. She's a hairdresser who blogs tips and style advice. She's started shunning conventional shampoo and conditioner for something cheaper, more natural and kinder to the world. It's a concept that instantly grabbed my attention.... homemade, cheap, possibly gives you incredible hair. So today I'm off out to get my bits. Here are the things you'll need...

Baking Soda (or more commonly, Bicarbonate of Soda in the UK)

Apple Cider vinegar (available from health food shops), or else lemon juice or regular vinegar

Spray bottle (x 2)

Paddle Brush

Boar Bristle Brush

Essential Oils (so you don't smell like vinegar)

Funnel (for adding ingredients to your spray bottle)

Just click here for the full list and further links to Shamphree information from How To Hair Girl.

I have 2 weeks off from work as a long overdue holiday, so the perfect opportunity to try out some intriguing frugal trials. If I have a clogged up, bicarbonate of soda scalp for two days nobody will notice but my housemates and Oliver. Perfect.

I will endeavour to keep track of my progress, the ups and downs of my Shamphfree experience. If you're curious, try out this quick video showing the method involved from How To Hair Girl herself!

PS. I have taken all this information from How To Hair Girl, and her blog. I totally recommend her as the Queen of this stuff, there is so much information on her blog and I encourage you to visit HERE.

Read More

Mum and Angie come to visit... part 2

These are a few more pictures from my Saturday afternoon wandering the Manchester city streets, Mother and Auntie in tow. Fascinator shopping got old, and I got carried away. There was a lot happening in the Northern Quarter it seemed... wedding parties, guitarists and trumpeters, good smells and busy streets.

Read More

Mum and Angie come to visit... part 1

Last weekend (I'm really behind schedule) my Mum and her sister Angie came to visit in the middle of the Mancunian heatwave. They arrived late Friday and I managed to get the Saturday off work to spend a lovely 2 full days with them.

I always enjoy a day or a weekend tour of places in Manchester, my favourite places, for the benefit of visitors. This weekend was North Star Deli in Chorlton and a tram ride to town on a never ending search for a fascinator. My Mother tried on every hair decoration in the city and bought nothing. She better have something spectacular in her hair come Lee and Dani's wedding in August.

We ate at Simple, NQ for lunch and Bar San Juan on Beech Road, Chorlton for a tapas dinner. All the food was spectacular. 

Here are the highlights from Saturday morning....

Read More

Pop!

This is moody, summery, riding your bike in the heat pop music, your very best sunglasses pop music, passenger seat in a car abroad pop music. Passenger seat because that's all I know. I'm sure it'd work if you were driving too.

The Neighbourhood - "Sweater Weather"

Posted with Blogsy

Read More

Iced Coffee in this Manchester heat.

In addition to cold beer and home made cocktails, we've been guzzling iced coffee. Oliver has decided he's not crazy about this recipe, but I am. We used this one here, from the effortlessly creative A Beautiful Mess blog. We halved the recipe and it fills a litre glass bottle that we keep in the fridge. It's good with cream, because I'm always after an excuse to consume cream. It's good with or without sugar/syrup/condensed milk.

Forgive my shoddy pictures, nowhere near as glam as the Beautiful Mess girls.

Posted with Blogsy

Read More

Curry in the park. Obviously.

The weather has been so beautiful recently. This isn't normal for England. It's rare and it's so wonderful. It makes everyday feel like an opportunity, which is something that passes me by when it rains. I want to wake up in the morning, I love not drawing my blinds because the sun bursts in everyday and I'm so glad for it.

Last Sunday I finished work at 7pm. I don't usually work a Sunday, I'm usually cooking or reading or napping. I cycled home and Oliver and I spent a little on a curry and took it to the park. We ate a tasty lamb karahi, saag paneer (spinach and cheese) and rice and naans and poppadoms. My favourite place in Chorlton is Asian Fusion. Their interior is a little old school so we decided Chorlton Park was a better setting. It was a peaceful evening, aside from the gangs of kids lining Barlow Moor Road, but we left that behind.

Read More

Mojitos!

Sunshine and a day off calls for homemade cocktails. Thursday, I perfected these mojitos by myself and drank them at my doorstep. Then when Camille arrived, we made them in Chorlton park and got very sticky in the process. The original recipe is here, and here's what we did...

You need, per glass...

1 1/2 capfuls White Rum (I like CHEAP!)

1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar

6 Mint Leaves

Quarter of a Lime

150ml Water, still or sparkling

A few ice cubes.

Muddle the sugar, mint leaves and lime wedge in a sturdy glass or a mug. It's kind of easier to squeeze the lime juice in, mash up the juice, mint leaves and sugar with the end of a rolling pin and then add the remainder of the lime wedge back in afterwards. Add the rum; swill. In a fancy tall glass, or whatever is clean, put in your ice, add the rummy, lime, mint, sugar mash up and fill to taste with the water.

A mint leave to garnish is fancy, but probably a waste. Add more sugar/rum/water to taste.

Couple of notes: granulated sugar is best because it helps to release the minty flavour when you're muddling with the rolling pin, anything finer will dissolve too quickly. You can up end your fancy glass if you're feeling plush, dip the rim in lime juice or honey and then in sugar. Looks pretty, tastes good, makes up for the cheap rum.

Read More