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Do-It-Yourself Gift Ideas Your BFF Would Love

As Samuel Butler once said: “Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.”

This is why it is so special to have a best friend whom is there with you for the longest time. What better message of gratitude can you convey when you pour your heart on handmade gifts? The good news is that you do not have to spend loads of cash since you can just use the materials you already have at home!

1. FOR YOUR BOOKWORM BFF

If you have beautiful earrings but you lost the other piece, do not throw it away. You can still use it as vintage looking bookmarks. Simply follow these instructions by Jewelry designer, Andrea Singarella. You can buy a meter of ribbons for only S$1.50-3 at any Spotlight or Daiso store.

Image Credits: www.countryliving.com

2. FOR YOUR JEWELS LOVING BFF

So you bought an inexpensive and simple gloves in the Flea Market or in the online shops such as Zalora and Forever 21 but you realize that it is so plain. You can make a DIY present by adding jewel embellishments that you can buy in Daiso for S$2.

Image Credits: www.clonesnclowns.com

3. FOR YOUR WORKAHOLIC BFF

The best way to reward your workaholic BFF is by giving the present of an enjoyable bath time filled with relaxing fragrance. Achieve that by making bath bombs that are similar to the ones sold at Lush Singapore.

Image Credits: www.lushsg.com

Here are four ways you can make different types of bath bombs from basic to herbal type.

4. FOR YOUR FORGETFUL BFF

Does your friend misplace his or her keys a lot? Well, you can make a special keychain for her that is easy to find. Turn your printed fabric extras or used clothing into fabric keychains. To personalize these keychains even more, you can add some finish touches such as the first letter of your BFF’s name or assorted buttons and sequins.

Image Credits: www.craftinessisnotoptional.com

Full instructions are available here.

5. FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY-JUNKIE BFF

Bring your wonderful memories to life by turning photos into very personal greeting cards. Print his or her favorite Instagram photos in JPEG format using glossy or matte photo papers available for as low as S$2 at Popular bookstores.

Image Credits: www.sayyes.com

Have fun crafting!

9 Clever Uses For A S$2 Bottle of White Vinegar

Who would have thought that S$2-3 bottle of white vinegar can lighten your teeth, clean up your toilet, and soften your feet? This all-purpose kitchen spice can do so much more to help you save time, effort, and money.

1. GET THE SHINY SMILE

Lighten your teeth by brushing it once a week with distilled white vinegar. Also, it helps to fight bad breath.

2. AVOID CRACKED EGGS

Cooking hard-boiled eggs with your Kaya Toast? Try adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to the water. The eggs and its shells will stay in place.

3. CLEAN UP YOUR BATHROOM

To clean the toilet, pour a cup of distilled white vinegar into the bowl and let it stay there for 5 hours or overnight. Then, scrub it well and flush. To clean your tub and kill the germs, spray white vinegar around the tub. Then, wipe it with wet cloth to clean.

4. STOP ITCHING FROM INSECT BITES

Treat your mosquito or insect bites with a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar. This helps disinfect the area and stop itching sensations.

5. GET SHINY COFFEE CUPS AND TEA CUPS

Easter is coming up! Showcase bright cups to your guests by scrubbing stains with ½ white vinegar and ½ salt solution.

6. RESTORE PAINT BRUSHES

Repainting your flat? There is no need to buy new paintbrushes because the old one has paint stuck on them. Simply place the brushes in a pot or vessel with white vinegar. Let it soak there for an hour then, turn the stove on and let the white vinegar simmer. Rinse the brushes to clean.

7. REMOVE CRAYON MARKS

Sometimes, children get too excited that they draw on the wall with crayons. Believe me, it is hard to remove crayon marks. For an inexpensive and non-toxic route, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and gently scrub the surface.

Image Credits: Brandie Heinel via Flickr

8. UNSTICK OLD SCREWS

Loosen up some old screws easily by pouring white vinegar on it.

9. GET SOFT AND SMOOTH FEET

What to go to the Siloso Beach but afraid of your callused feet touching the sand? Say goodbye to calluses and cracked heels by soaking your feet in one part white vinegar and two parts lukewarm water at least 20 minutes a day. It works as the vinegar removes your dead skin.

White vinegar, you are a life saver!

Source: AllYou

6 Ways To Slash Your Costly Mobile Phone Bills

Prevent exceeding your monthly budget by taking control over your mobile or hand phone bills. May these tips help you save some of your hard earned money…

1. IDENTIFY YOUR MONTHLY USAGE

Look onto your carrier’s usage information or last month’s billing statement and check your monthly usage. Identify what you really need in terms of number of texts, call minutes, and Internet data each month. Then, start comparing the telecommunication plans available to get the best and cheapest deal.

2. CONTEMPLATE ON YOUR MOBILE PLAN

Examine your plan carefully. What is your telecommunication’s limit for your local and overseas calls, texts, and data usage per month? Does it harmonize with your actual usage? The truth is, majority of people do not maximize the use of their plans. Most under consume and over paying for the phone service they are using. So, consider switching to a lower plan or going on prepaid to save more money and to actually stretch your dollar’s worth.

3. AVOID EXTRA FEE BY COMMITTING TO YOUR CONTRACT

Before you switch to a new telecom, honor your current contract term first. Most companies have a two-year contract. Doing your research on the terms and conditions can save you from paying additional fees.

4. SAVE ON INTERNET DATA USAGE

Avoid exceeding your monthly data allowance by regulating the phone’s settings. For Android users, go to settings then, click data usage to set a limit for a month. If you are using iOS, go to settings then, click cellular to track your cellular data usage every month.

5. USE WI-FI AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Using 3G or 4G does not only cost you more but it also decreases your battery life easily. Instead, use Wi-Fi whenever possible. Take advantage of the free Internet network services provided by your school or workplace and save money.

6. REDUCE YOUR CALLS AND TEXTS

Use Free Apps that provide call and text services without adding extra charges to your plan since you are using Wi-Fi connection anyway. These free online Apps are Line, Viber, Tango, and Facebook Messenger among others.

Image Credits: Sam Azgor via Flickr

5 Free Audiobooks Websites For The Savvy Bookworm

Living on the fast-paced millennia, audiobooks combined the best of two worlds namely: text of a good book and the convenience of listening to it. It certainly saves time, effort, and money. But audiobooks are not always inexpensive. Fortunately there are websites that offer the beauty of audiobooks for free. Here are some good ones…

1. LIBROVOX

Librovox asks a group of people to volunteer different parts of the books. This is why you can listen to diverse voices in just one book. But you can search for “solo” if you prefer a singular voice for the whole book. Authors, genres, titles, and languages sort the Audiobooks. The addition of various spoken languages increased the book selection.

2. LOYAL BOOKS (PREVIOUSLY BOOKS SHOULD BE FREE)

Loyal Books offers books for all ages especially to those who love the classics. Most of the books are free because they want the company values the importance of books in our lives. The website offers audiobooks in MP3 or MP4 format. Searching for books is easy as they are organized by top 100, genre, and language. You can also search for a specific book through their “Google search bar”. Good books are easy to separate from the not so good ones because they are all rated and reviewed.

3. OPEN CULTURE

Open Culture is a neat website for educational, cultural, and historical media. From Astronomy, to Economics, and Political Science – they have it all for free. Majorly devoting on the classics, the audiobooks are arranged by genre, and are alphabetically listed following the author’s last name. Also, it allows you to download free courses from various universities in MP3 format or podcasts.

4. LIT2GO

Lit2Go is a well-organized website that gives not just a selection of poems and novels but also its background information. Most of the classic selections, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Anne of Green Gables are available to download on iTunes. The audiobooks can easily be downloaded in PDF form too so that you can read along or have a guide for your homework’s.

5. PODIOBOOKS

Have you ever thought that Cyberpunk audiobook category is possible? Well it is. Podiobooks offer some of the unique books that are beyond the classics. Browse books by author, genre, new releases, title, and award-winning collections.

Image Credits: The Preiser Project via Flickr

Best of all? The Podiobooks is available to navigate on your Smartphone so you can download and listen simultaneously anytime and anywhere.

How Safe Are Online or Mobile Money Transfer Services?

Money Transfers that lets you send money in just the few clicks of the mouse or the few taps of your hand seemed unimaginable decades ago. But nowadays, online and mobile apps are sprouting everywhere. Its convenience to send money to your friend for instance, even if you live far away from each, keeps you tempted to use it.

However, when you allow doing the transactions online with your personal details, you are also vulnerable to identify theft, fraud, hackers, or worse. This is why it is important to ensure that you enable all the security features that the company offers. Here are some of them…

1. SQUARE CASH

Square, Inc. is a company that permits individuals and merchants in the United States, Canada, and Japan to accept offline debit and credit cards on their iOS or Android smartphone or other tablet devices.

Square has SSL to protect your identity and activity. Also, the company makes sure that your personal data and password are encrypted. However, they do not have two-factor authentication and notifications that tell you when your password has been changed or when you have added a new account.

2. PAYPAL

PayPal is one of the largest online money transfer services available worldwide. It is available on your laptop, smartphones, or tablet devices. Its international digital wallet allows business to make payments and transfer money fast without the traditional paper methods.

Unlike Square Cash, PayPal protects your account further by allowing two-factor authentication and notifications as soon as account changes have been made. They warn the users to watch their transactions and assist them through the help pages. They also offer SSL to protect your identity and activity. Lastly, your personal data and password are encrypted.

3. GOOGLE WALLET

Google Wallet, developed by Google, is an online money service that allows the users to store their debit cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards as well as redeeming sales promotions through the mobile application.

Google has a strong protection wall like PayPal. They offer a huge volume of information on how to be safe when using their services. Putting money in your Google Wallet account or paying online is a breeze however; getting your balance back is quite difficult. This may seem less convenient but it is good from a safety perspective.

Image Credits: www.google.com.sg/wallet/

In conclusion, older and tested money services such as PayPal and Google Wallet have set up a tougher protection wall. And, if you choose to use these services, be sure to enable all its security features and be vigilant about your cash flow at all times. Also see Mothers day in Argentina.

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