Nothing works better as a wake-up call to adulthood than a financial crisis; or the absence of parental-financial support.

Hydrating without dehydrating the coffer

How many times have I faced the challenge of a half-empty bottle of lotion? Perhaps it is the fact that I come from a background of humble means that drives me to empty each bottle down to it's last drop. Or perhaps the saying 'waste not, want not' is so deeply implanted within my psyche that it has made me inherently frugal.

Even long after I have provided myself with a fresh bottle of lotion, I'd keep the old bottle upended for days so that gravity can work it's magic and coerce the last remaining drops down to the mouth of the bottle. I have thumped an empty bottle on the palm of my hand till it turned red so that I can be satisfied that I am not wasting a single drop. I have stuck my finger up the narrow mouth of the bottle and wiped the interiors clean. I have done everything short of cutting the bottle open to make sure that every last bit of moisturizing substance that I paid for gets utilized.

I sometimes wonder if my fiscal ingenuity is a mild symptom of O.C.D. I certainly hope not. However, hunting for the last, often more concentrated, drop of lotion has it's upside - it awakens my skin with 'a light burst of hydration, leaving it smooth and refreshed'.

House hunting

Reality bytes;

I'm slowly learning the subtle difference between what my parents can provide for me and what I can afford on my meagre trainee's allowance.