10 SIMPLE JEWELRY CARE TIPS...

1. Wipe your gold ornaments with a piece of chamois leather regularly to keep it gleaming.

2.After use,wipe your jewelry with a drop of Eau de cologne to remove  invisible  hints of sweat and make up from it.

3.To  remove grease and grime from diamond jewels,immerse them in a jar of talcum powder for a while and wipe with a piece of chamois leather.

4. Pearls should always be stored in a satin or silk lined box to maintain its sheen-never in a steel or plastic box.

5. Always wear the earrings,necklace etc.after applying  your make up.

6. Always sit it a clutter free place when wearing your stone  studded earrings/studs.

 Even if the slip off your hand it will be easy to locate them.

7.To disentangle chains just dust some talc on it and gently seperate it's tangles.

8. To make a simple and easy bangle holder,just roll a magazine to the desired size and slip in the bangles.

9. Air your corals and pearls regularly -they tend to lose sheen and sometimes even disintegrate if kept in humid and damp lockers for too long a period.

10. Always check the clasps and hooks before wearing any jewel-

an ill fitted clasp or a loose hook is responsible for many a jewel loss.

Make eating out healthier...

Regular eating out has become the practice of the day.

Eating out is fun

Eating out is enjoyable

Eating out is therapeutic

Eating out is fashionable

Eating out is unavoidable

Eating out is a necessity!!!!!

But-

Eating out-

Is it healthy??????

Lets come out with our ideas to make eating out

HEALTHIER!

# Never skip salads

#always have a clear soup. most of the cream style soups

have maida and lots of butter/cream to make it calorie dense.

#If it is breakfast stick, to steamed foods like idlis, idiappams etc

It has no oil and hence healthier.

#cut the coconut rich chutneys-have extra helpings of sambar,

green chutney, tomato chutney etc.

#Avoid oil rich puris, vadas, Dosas etc or have them sparingly-

going heavy on oil rich foods early in the morning makes your

system dull and lethargic.

#if you want bread, choose multigrain or wheat bread over white bread.

#If you are having eggs- have boiled or poached ones.

# always have fresh fruit helpings

# avoid fizzy drinks - stick to fresh juice.

#If you are going in for a dessert, choose a dessert which has a lot of fresh fruits.

#Make sure you avoid cream or butter laden gravies.

#Stick on to stir fried dishes as they are lower in fat when compared to deep fried ones.

#Avoid buffet spreads-It is hard to resist over eating

10 SIMPLE FABRIC CARE TIPS...

1.  While starching dark colored clothes,add some diluted tea or coffee extract  to your starch solution before you soak the clothes into it. You will not get light ,starch patches.


2.While washing colored fabrics for the first time,soak them in salt solution for a few hours to prevent the color from running.


3. If you are drying the clothes in direct sunlight,turn the garment
 inside out  to prevent fading of colors.


4.When washing woolen garments,do not squeeze or wring them.
  Just let it drip and dry or else they will lose shape.


5.While storing white silks in the wardrobe for a long period,wrap          
  in a light blue paper to prevent it from becoming dull and 
  off white.


6.Always iron silks dresses/saris in the wrong side to avoid fading due to heat exposure.It prevents the gold lace  from losing the sheen.


7.Air your silks regularly and refold them to avoid wearing 
out in  the folds.


8.folding and stacking heavy silks is better than hanging them in
 a clothes hanger because the weight of the gold lace (zari) puts stress on the fabric damage it.


9.Ironing starched fabrics is easier if done  when the fabric is slightly damp .


10.While embroidering on a white/light colored  fabric,use yellow carbon paper .Also dust your palms with a little talc to prevent grime or sweat stains from dirtying your fabric.

10 SIMPLE CLUTTER MANAGEMENT IDEAS...

1.Do not store old newspapers, magazines etc. for more than a week.

2.Get rid of old /outgrown dresses -send them to needy orphanages,old homes etc.

3.Get rid of carry bags which you accumulate after every shopping spree.

4.Donate old text books immediately after your child completes a year in school.

5.Dont buy dvds.Rent them or exchange them ...

6. Keep minimum utensils in the kitchen.Use multifunctional crockery and cutlery.

7.Do not stock your larder and fridge -you tend to waste most of them.

8.Dont buy things impulsively if it is not absolutely necessary.

9.Go in for sleek multifunctional furniture than heavy ,massive ornate ones which steals space

and make the room appear messy and over stuffed.

1o. Use a lending library to get your books / mags instead of  buying them.

10 SIMPLE COOKERY TIPS...

Here are some simple cookery tips to make your life easier...

1.To prevent green chutney sandwich  from becoming soggy,add some mashed potatoes and mix well with the chutney and spread it   to your buttered bread slice.

2.Add a piece of pumpkin to make richer and thicker tomato soup.

It is more nutritious too...

3.To brown onions in little oil,add a little sugar and fry it.

It gives onions a beautiful brown color.

4.Add some flaxseed powder to your Idli Chilly Powder 

(Idli Milagai Podi)...It is healthier and there is no taste difference too.

5.To make extra soft chappaties, knead the dough with warm water to which some cooking oil is added.

6.For a change,add a hand full of sour grapes while grinding the ingredients for your gravy.

It tastes great and is healthier too.(And it is a great way to use up sour grapes...)

7. While cooking spinach,add a teaspoon sugar to retain the bright green color.

8.If you forget to soak Kabuli channa(chick peas) ,overnight,don't worry.

Soak it in hot water and keep it airtight in a casserole  for 2 hours.

It will be ready to pressure cook now.

9.Add a teaspoon of sour curd while sauteeing ladies finger...It is less stickier and fries in lesser fat too.

10.Add a teaspoon of fried fenugreek(methi seeds) to enhance the taste and flavor of your sambar...

10 SIMPLE TIME SAVERS FOR YOUR KITCHEN...

Try these simple and easy to follow tips and you will be able to manage your household and other chores with greater ease...

1.Always have some chopped onions packed in an airtight container in your partial freezer.

This helps in reducing the cooking time effectively.

2.Grate coconuts once a week and store it in your freezer.

This reduces stress during the zero hour.

3.Soak Toor Dal for a while before pressure cooking.The cooking time is reduced by half.

4.Powder some sugar and cardamoms in a mixer and store the powder in an airtight jar.

This powder can be added to sweets,kheers etc. that needs powdered cardamom.

Saves a lot of last minute rush while preparing the sweet.

5.Store an airtight container with cooked and mashed potatoes. Keep it in the freezer and use for 10 days.

A real face saver in times of emergencies ...

You can whip up a snack,curry,gravy etc . effortlessly.

6.Multitask-Make your vegetable chopping time your T.V.

watching time too and relax while you work.

7.Make a paste of ginger,garlic ,salt and vinegar.(No water)

Refrigerate .You can use this paste in your curries ,kormas etc.

This keeps good for 3 + months.

8.Grind your weekly quota of  Idli/dosa batter .

Split and store it in smaller airtight  containers in the fridge.

Use up one container per session/meal.

The batter stays fresher  upto  10 days.

9.Make chappati dough. Divide into meal sized portions and refrigerate in airtight containers.Microwave for 30-40 seconds and it is as good and soft as freshly kneaded dough.

You save a lot of time and effort .

10.Use some easy to chop veggies like pumpkins,drumsticks,ladies fingers etc instead of time consuing veggies like beans,banana stems etc. when you are cooking up a meal in a hurry. 

Housekeeping ...Simplified!

I do not like to spend long hours cleaning the house -

Less than 20 mins is my take!

Ofcourse I have a maid who does the main washing,sweeping and washing vessels and weekly bathroom cleaning.

I keep a simple cleaning and dusting timetable .

Wiping dining table (5mins) Daily-twice

Wiping /dusting the hall(10 mins)-I do it just twice a week.
(sofas/tepoy/tv /showcase/curios/paintings etc.)

Bedroom dusting /doing beds etc.(10 mins for a room)

Changing bed sheets(15 mins for a room)

Dusting cobwebs-(10-12 mins) for a 3 bedroom house.(do it just once in 10 days and it is neat.

Fridge cleaning(10-15 mins) (empty first/discard unwanted stuff/wipe with a soapy sponge -then wipe dry and send the good stuff into it) and spray a good cleaner and wipe the outsides)

Do it once a week.

Changing kitchen shelf papers-once a month-(20 mins)

Decluttering -twice a week(throw out unwanteds like used covers ,magazines,papers etc)

Wiping window grills of one room-10 mins

wiping fans-5 mins per fan

cleaning cupboards-one shelf per 10 min session

I just balance the jobs and try to spend not more than 20 mins a day-that too not at one go- so I dont find house keeping a bother.