FROM THE KITCHEN TO THE BATHROOM
Have you ever used a product for something other than its intended purpose? A family friend uses 7-Up or Sprite as water substitute for tahong shell (mussels) soup. Just add garlic and you get one sweet tasting broth. An office mate uses the same softdrinks to make hotdogs sweeter and juicier. In the barrios girls uses beer as a cheap and readily available setting lotion to perm their hair for a gala. My uncle, a chemist, dilutes his beer with water, and sprays them on his lovely orchids.
At home and in my college dorm we gals use toothpaste to clean our gold jewelry. A co-worker discovered toothpaste brings out the shine in his belt buckles. He learned this handy tip during his ROTC days. And it comes handy for treating minor burns. Soaking your toes in shampoo will soften the cuticle without drying the skin. Mentholated vapor rubs like Vicks and Efficascent Oil soothe insect bites.
The list goes on. Used motor oil is very effective in treating dog and cat skin infections. We don't know why but we have done this for years and it always works. Once I bought a small can of motorcyle oil to treat my cat's "nuka-nuka"(pus and scabbies) because used oil seemed so messy and unhygienic and we all know cats like to lick themselves clean. A fellow feline lover was duly impressed when this remedy worked after several trips and prescription drugs from the vet didn't produce results with her pet. My cat also prefers dog food (pellets for puppies) for breakfast although I was warned that cats need nutrients not found in commercial dog food.
Condoms as party balloons. Yours truly was a three-time champion in many a Christmas party "balloon" blowing contest. (I had lots of practice, Mom used to bring home boxes of free rubber from her work with the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines.) Perla was not only good as facial wash for acne-prone oily skin, its thicky cream froth was often used to make fake cakes and fake snow for Christmas trees during my grade school days. Flowers like roses last longer when placed in a vase with aspirin dissolved in the water. No safety pins? A stapler will do to keep that broken blouse strap together.
Newspapers make better glass cleaners than soft tissues or cloth because the paper does not leave a white trail on the wet glass. That is if you don't have a rubber squeegee yet. Similarly, a strip of bondpaper and alcohol can clean the tape head of your VCR in a zip.
To rid your kettle, thermos, and bathroom fixtures of that white stain from the mineral deposits of Cebu's hardwater add some vinegar and baking soda on boiling water and use that mixture for cleaning and polishing.
The only limits, I guess, are our innovation and ingenuity. Combine that with practicality and you'll save yourself that extra trip to the shopping mall.
Mountaineering teaches one to be extra resourceful. "Wet Ones" and other alcohol-soaked moist tissues are excellent for wiping grimy hands and faces, especially when water is hard to come by. But did you know that you can also use the used tissue to wipe our dishes and utensils clean? The alcohol wipes away the grease, leaving you with dry and clean stuff 'till the next meal.
I'm a cross between a smart shopper and compulsive buyer. When shopping for groceries I scrutinize the quantity and do mental mathematics if this milk product is really cheaper per gram than the other brand. I buy soy sauce and vinegar in glass bottles so I can resell the empty containers. I am loyal to specific brands of tomato sauce and cooking oil which are packaged in biodegradable tetra briks.
More often than not though, I also purchase certain products or brands for trivial reasons. This usually happens when I'm shopping on an empty stomach. I try new products because the advertisement was cute, the packaging more colorful, or they come with freebies like coin purses and plastic cups. I go for a certain brand of deodorant because it has the biggest roll-on ball. This brand of facial wash because the flip top saves me the trouble of opening and closing the plastic cap with wet and soapy hands. Or that panty shield because it has wings. If I have extra money I also patronize the more expensive Scotch Brite because 3M, the company manufacturing it, put in so much money and research in innovation, waste minimization and environment-friendly practices. From the mababaw (superficial) to lofty reasons.
How about you?