Sensible Mode Living

Holiday seasons are the worst when you are on a budget. You see sales everywhere, people are constantly in shopping malls buying things all around you, all the time. There are also decorations everywhere putting you in the mood to celebrate and be festive. Everything around you is tempting you to participate and do the same as everyone else. But this year I have decided that I am not going to get into temptation and restrict myself from buying all the things I usually spend on right around the holidays. These are 8 such things I will not be spending my money on this season: Lending/Gifting money to friends/family Lending or gifting money to friends and family can be tricky, and here’s why it can be a waste of money: Lack of Repayment: Loans to family or friends often come with the unspoken expectation that they might not be repaid. This can lead to financial strain and strained relationships if the money isn’t returned. Resentment and Conflict: Money issues can cause significant tensio...

 We've been seeing inflation here in the Netherlands since October last year. It's just plain ridiculous to see something that I paid 5 euros for a few months back is now around 7 euros or maybe more. That doesn't sound like a lot but when you buy about 50 things (food, groceries, toiletries, etc.) for your house, it all adds up and overall you are paying 50 to 100 euros more than what you were paying previously. But unfortunately, not a lot of us have seen this increase in our pay and many people have even lost jobs during and after the covid crisis. So it's only natural for us to want to save our money wherever we can. But that said we also do not want to compromise on quality. And that is where the idea for this post comes from. Kruidvat is a drugstore that is similar to CVS/Walgreens in the US. Products sold here are mostly hygiene products, cleaning supplies, makeup, and over-the-counter medicines. I have been shopping here for hygiene products for years. By now I ...

When I moved to the US a few years back I was overwhelmed with the variety and the huge quantities of makeup sold at almost every store we went to. There were a lot of beauty products and it just felt insane to even look at let alone understand what is what and how to use what and when etc. So of course I turned to the Internet for help like any other person from my generation would do because people no longer talk to other people, we instead look to Google for everything including our health issues. Although the Internet does help sometimes it is not always quite resourceful about what information to consume and what to stay away from. So I decided to follow beauty influencers who I thought looked convincing enough and went by what they recommended. I bought a bunch of hyped drugstore makeup that was being recommended by many beauty gurus online. But unfortunately, I learned my lesson and when it comes to drugstore makeup it is always a mixed bag. You might find something good if you...