Sunday, March 18, 2012

What to Do With a QR Code?

QR Code
What is a QR Code?

You have seen a square code here and there for the past year or so on the billboards, coupons, flyers, magazines, business cards, etc. It's called a QR Code.  It's sort of like a bar code. But you can add a lot more information in it. In fact, I use it almost every day! This can be your best friend if you like to try the online recipes at home. I'll explain why and how later.

So, what do I do with a QR code?

Well, you scan it with your smartphone or iPad or tablet computer thingy, then it'll give you information like the website address or a map or a message or anything!

Then, how do I scan the QR code?  Ya, I know, they don't tell you how to do it!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Homemade Conditioner is NOT CHEAP

I've been Google-ing "homemade conditioner" for the past several months whenever I run out of my hair conditioner. But I haven't found anything cheap and practical so I haven't bookmarked any of the websites.

A lot of websites say homemade conditioner is cheaper than buying one because you can make it with stuff you already have at home... WRONG!  The stuff they are talking about are avocado, honey, olive oil, jojoba oil, etc. As far as my money is concerned, these are not cheap ingredients! In Los Angeles, one avocado costs from 88 cents to $1.50 unless you have a avocado tree in your backyard (if you live in westside of Los Angeles and have plenty of avocados that are going to waste on the ground, consider joining Westside Produce Exchange - bring your avocados and get other produce from others! It's free!). Jojoba oil costs $7.99 or $9.99 (can't remember) per 4 fl. oz. bottle at Trader Joe's and a little bit more at Whole Foods and Sprout, I think.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Price of Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent

We've just run out of laundry detergent. We tend to shop at Trader Joe's so we tend to buy Trader Joe's Landry Detergent which is reasonably priced if you buy the big bottle. However, I've been planning to make my own detergent or buy a big bottle from Whole Foods. Here's why:

If I make my own laundry detergent, it'll cost $3 to make 4 gallons according to Mike and Molly's House - 1 cup for each medium to large load  - so $3 for 128 loads = 2.34375 cents. But I think their washing machine is HE. So let's double that and say 5 cents per load.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Price of Organic Flour

The cheapest organic flour I find in my neighborhood is $4.99 for 5 pounds at Whole Foods Markets. It's their 365 Brand one. Both all purpose unbleached flour and whole wheat one. 


Their non-organic ones are $2.99 for 5 pounds. Trader Joe's non-organic flour is also $2.99 for 5 pounds but doesn't have organic ones. Both Whole Foods and TJ's non-organic flours are not GMO's I believe.


According to TJ's website, their TJ's brand products do not have GMOs. However, other brands may have GMO's in it. So I should stick to TJ's brand when I shop there.