Give Your Old Clothes a Refreshing New Look!

Trends keep changing with seasons, but the purse hardly fills up in concert. However, the clichéd question of “What to wear” keeps puzzling you daily. In an age ruled by frequent clicks and posts, repeating the same old clothes can seem like a tragedy. No matter how many stacks of clothes there are around the home, nothing can match the novelty of a fresh dress. Sadly, too many adult necessities of more pressing importance like the electric bill, food, rent, and such are there as well. The conscience is also overactive in reminding one that not much is getting saved for the dreary days of old age. Prospects of being the trendsetter might look gloomy, but there is still hope. The good news is that you can reinvent or refashion your boring old garbs into the latest in women’s fashion trends with some easy to perform DIY tricks. Trust us! The clothes you have been planning to throw out as trash will be well beyond recognizable—even for you. Following are the top 10 simple ways to show you how to give your old clothes a refreshing new look:

1.Embellish the Drab Denim

Tired of wearing the same old jeans? But, you purchased it for a steep price, and giving up on it is like incurring a loss. One idea that can work like magic is an embellishment. Any pair of denim can look like new if they are adorned with cleverly selected add-ons. Studs are your best friend in this. Get a strip of studs, cut, and attach to the folded edge of your denim and voila it's trendier and helps you look more stylish. Beads, metal stars, coins, and pearls can also be chosen adornments for your favorite old jeans. Pom-pom ribbons are quite hip these days and give your denim a care-free Boho look. If you are good at sewing then why not give a unique touch to everyday jeans with fine embroidery work? Pair of lovebirds, roses, or cute black cats are just a few ideas that may work.

2. Let Lace Spell Some Magic

Probably from the time, it was invented, lace has been in demand for its allure. Give your feminine charm a dose of intrigue by adding lace to your old clothing. That black mid-length skirt will enjoy a new lease of life with black lace trimmings. Add red or white lace at the cuffs and neckline of your blouse for adding that Tagorian charm to your look. Cut the edge of jeans and sew in white lace for a feminine yet classy appearance.

3. Save the Dreary Dress with Some Polka Dots

Gone are the days when LBD aka little black dresses was all the rage. Do you have one in stock that you do not feel like wearing much? Give it a quick face-lift with the help of polka dots. All you will need is fabric color. For tiny polka dots, you can use a pencil eraser. Dip it in the color and print dots on the dress. This trick also works well on tops and shirts. The back of the bottle lids is perfect for bigger polkas.

4.Transform Dresses into Skirts

Several times we buy a dress on a whim. We go with it to the trial room, and the fit is just about perfect. You know at that point in time that if you put on a few kilos of weight, the dress will no more fit you. You wear it once and years pass before you get it out again. It is now too small for you. But it looks just like new. Throwing it away or handing it to a thinner cousin hurts. Don’t ache. Turn the dress into a skirt by chopping off the upper half. If it is a maxi dress, then transform it into a wraparound skirt. Shorter dresses can be used for making pencil skirts or miniskirts depending on the amount of fabric and hem style.

5. Do Some Net Practice

Nothing is swifter in giving old dresses and tops a makeover than a net. Is there a cut out at the back of your red dress? Give it a trendy new look by covering with a black net. Get some net fabric, cut it in the required shape, and sew it on the inside of the dress for this. Net sleeves can make your sleeveless tops a charmingly demure look.

6.Revamp with Tie-and-Dye and Bleaching Methods

A burst of fresh pop colors might be the kind of makeover your old clothes need. Bored of solids and neutrals? Try tie-and-dye techniques for giving the clothing a touch of a rainbow. You can easily find a cost-effective tie-and-dye kit online. Place the tee-shirt, shirt or jeans on a table. Fold it to form a swirl like a shape. Next, tie it with threads, so the swirl is divided into many triangles. Mix the dyes with water to dissolve them. Pour different colored dyes on each triangular section. Keep it wrapped in plastic for few hours before rinsing well under a running tap. Air dry or use a dryer, and your brand new piece of clothing is ready to be worn.

7.Upgrade Your Dresses with Peppy Pockets

Almost everyone loves pockets, and they are trending too! Sewing some pockets on the dull denim dress will reincarnate it in style. Even denim look swankier with some kitschy pockets sewed on. Let your imagination soar high and pick fabric pieces that are out of the ordinary. Quirky prints and patterns will look great picks as pocket fabrics.

8. Do a Little Pasting a Day to Keep Spending at Bay

Have a sweatshirt that is two seasons old yet quite sturdy? Get some floral fabric, cut it in an unusual shape, and paste it on the sweatshirt. Anything from cartoon figures to logos can renew your worn clothes. When recycling old clothes one thing that is highly useful is hot glue. You can use this to attach sequins to your mundane striped tee shirt. What’s more—you can write something quirky using sequins on your dresses.

9. Turn Your Sari into a Glam Dress

Dying to wear a princess-like gown? Yet, have little spare money to buy one? You can turn your sari into a dress and no one will be able to guess. All you need to learn is a few draping tricks. Any old chiffon sari is your perfect dress material. Make pleats in the middle and tie the ends to make sleeves. Use a thin belt to hold the sari together so that it gives good coverage to the upper part of your body.

10.Slit Old Kurta for a Chic Shrug

Dozens of kurtas gather dust in our wardrobes for years. They are either too old-fashioned or too tight on the bosom to be worn. Cut the front of the pitiful kurta open in a straight line. You can add some wooden buttons for that extra glamour boost. And, your new Desi shrug is perfect to be paired with jeans and tee shirts.

Top 10 foods to try in Sweden!

Swedish food is about more than just meatballs. Read our insider tips on what star dishes to try when visiting this stunning Scandinavian destination...

The world has embraced all things Swedish, from furniture and crime fiction to cars and pop music. And in recent years, as several restaurants affiliated with the New Nordic Cuisine movement have gained wider recognition, food has also joined the list. With a diet high in whole grains, protein, and omega-3, the Swedish diet has been hailed for its health benefits. But for those who want to experience Swedish cuisine without the eye-watering prices of a Michelin-starred restaurant or the restrictions of a low GI diet, here’s a round-up of the most essential foods to try when visiting the heart of Scandinavia... 

Don’t leave Sweden without trying…

1. Kanelbulle 

If Sweden had a national food, it would, without doubt, be the cinnamon bun. It’s hard to avoid these delicious spiced rolls, which can be found in every café, bakery and food shop around the country –simply follow the scent of them baking. Made from lightly sweetened, leavened bread dough known as vetebröd (wheat bread), they can also be flavored with cardamom, saffron, and vanilla. These spices are a common feature in Swedish baking and are said to have been brought back when Vikings first traded in Istanbul. A kanelbulle is best served for a fika – the daily practice of sitting down with a coffee and something sweet.

2. Filmjölk

Navigating Swedish dairy products can be confusing to visitors, with a baffling array of similar-looking cartons on offer at breakfast. There’s minimjölk, which has almost no fat content; old-fashioned gammaldags mjölk, which is creamy and unhomogenized; and latte art milk, which as the name suggests is specifically for hot, frothy drinks. But the product that causes the most contention is undoubtedly filmjölk. This 'love it or hate it' fermented dairy product has a slightly acidic, yogurty taste, and is made from soured milk, a bit like buttermilk or kefir. It’s packed full of healthy bacteria and is perfect with cereal, sweetened with a little sugar or even as an ingredient in pieces of bread and cakes.

3. Oat milk latte

Many Swedes are extremely health-conscious. Should you strike up a conversation with a local, it probably won’t be long before they're regaling you with tales of their latest fitness or outdoor pursuits. In terms of nutrition, Paleo, 5:2 and LCHF (low carb, high fat) diets are popular. This, combined with the increase of food intolerances and allergies, has seen many restaurants offer alternatives and substitutes to cater to the country’s increasingly health-aware and lactose- and gluten-intolerant population. Why not try a latte made with oat milk, which has a slightly sweet, nutty taste. Discover which milk is right for you with our guide to lactose substitutes. 

4. Toast Skagen 

Sweden’s more luxurious version of a prawn cocktail is made from peeled prawns mixed with mayonnaise, dill, and lemon, topped with fish roe and served on crisp, sautéed bread. Despite slightly retro connotations, the dish has retained popularity at dinner parties and on restaurant menus. Skagen is a fishing port in northern Denmark, although the dish isn't a Danish creation. It was invented by chef Tore Wretman, who ran some of Stockholm’s top restaurants. The story goes that Wretman was sailing in 1956 when he created this classic starter from leftovers in a bid to cheer up the crew during a windless strait. When asked what the dish was called, Tore is said to have looked out of the window at the distant Danish coast and exclaimed, "it’s a classic Toast Skagen!" Try more sensational seafood recipes with our ultimate prawn collection. 

5. Foraged berries

Swedes love spending time in the wild and, thanks to allemänsrätten (the right to roam), they can wander freely through the country’s vast forests and planes and along coastlines. Extreme poverty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries turned Swedes into thrifty foragers, making the most of the abundant free produce when it was available. These days, picking berries, mushrooms and herbs is a rite of passage for every Swedish child and a favorite way to spend a family day out. Cutting-edge restaurants like Fäviken in Åre and Frantzén in Stockholm have now got in on the act, but it’s also easy to find foraged loot in shops, markets and even on stalls along country roads. Try delicate wild strawberries, earthy chanterelle mushrooms or bright purple bilberries.   

6. Herring

The Baltic Sea and North Atlantic Ocean are awash with shoals of herring, and Swedes are pros at cooking, pickling and smoking these small, flavorsome fish. There are two names for the fish in Swedish: sill, for the slightly larger fish, found off the west coast, and strömming, for Baltic herring. Strömming is often enjoyed breaded and fried, while sil is frequently pickled in a variety of marinades and sauces. Matjes (soused herring) is popular but sour cream, mustard, and even curry are also popular marinades. Or why not try an SOS? Smör, Ost och Sill (‘butter, cheese and herring’) is best served with crisp bread and washed down with a glass of aquavit, a traditional Scandinavian spirit.  

7. Godis (pick 'n' mix)

Go into any supermarket, corner shop or newsagent in Sweden and you’ll see a whole aisle devoted to picking 'n' mix. Sweets are a national obsession for young and old, and Saturdays are a dedicated day for indulging thanks to the tradition of lördagsgodis (‘Saturday sweets’), which is derived from a 1950s dental health campaign aimed at helping curb the nation’s sweet tooth. Favorites to try include bilar (pastel-colored cars), dumle (gooey chocolate-covered caramels) and saltlakrits (salty liquorice). 

8. Husmanskost

Husmanskost is a style of cooking, roughly translated as 'house owner’s fare', comprising the peasant-style cooking that was meant to sustain you through a long day of manual labour. These days, the food is made up of many of the dishes Sweden is most famous for, including meatballs, Jansson's temptation (a potato gratin with cream and sprats) and gravadlax. Every Swede will swear that their granny makes the best meatballs or Jansson's, but this comfort food can also be found as daily lunch specials at local restaurants. Two of the most famous places to try husmanskost include Kometen in Gothenburg and Den Gyldene Freden in Stockholm. 

9. Prinsesstårta

This bright green cake has become a lot more familiar in the UK after playing a starring role in The Great British Bake Off. Prinsesstårta is a domed, layered sponge cake covered in near-fluorescent marzipan and is usually the cake of choice at celebrations such as graduations, retirements and birthdays. You could also try a slice of the rich treat at most Swedish konditori (bakeries). The cake was first created in the 1920s by Jenny Åkerström, who taught three of the Swedish princesses to cook. The cake was apparently so loved by the young royals that it was named in their honor.  

10. Lingonberries

These tart berries look a little bit like red blueberries and, due to their high acid content, are great for using in preserves like jam or cordial. The Swedes love them in a rårörda or raw-blended jam, simply mixed with sugar before pouring into jars. The berries are most famously served as a condiment with meatballs but are also a traditional accompaniment to raggmunk (fried potato pancakes). You can also find lingonberries served with game, liver and blood pudding, but they really come into their own in desserts like cheesecake, ice cream, and mousse. Try our lingonberry & ginger cheesecake pots for a zesty Swedish dessert. 

Denmark tip shop

The Denmark Tip Shop and Re-Use Centre is committed to diverting the maximum quantity of materials from landfill as possible.

The Tip Shop achieves this by a variety of means.

• Collection and resale of usable items including furniture, bike parts, linen, fabric, clothes, building materials, kitchenware, outdoors goods and electrical household goods
• Degassing of fridges and air conditioners
• Non ferrous metal salvage
• Found object art workshops
• Innovative clothing restoration and sewing with scraps workshops
• Worm farms and composting
• Junk music, junk workshop re-imagining, junk art
• Repair and restoration of broken items
• Used battery drop-off
• Waste education
• Not Waste Festival and Waste throw-away separation management at festivals with the help of community Waste Faeries
• and those unexpected home maintenance items that you need at low cost or simply cant buy anymore!
• 
• Green Skills believes that reducing (and ultimately eliminating) waste provides a tremendous benefit in terms of energy saving and efficiency; the Denmark Tip Shop has gone from strength to strength. In 2014 a formal lease was signed with the Shire of Denmark Council and this now guides the operations of the Tip Shop.  Green Skills strives to develop this vibrant community hub in a way that strengthens its community services, financial viability, safety standards, policies and operating systems, and capacity to expand its sustainability and social function.
  GOAL:
  Green Skills strives to demonstrate best practice waste minimisation and sustainable living through excellence in re-use, recycling, community education and behavioural change.
  The Denmark Tip Shop is more than just a place to bring unwanted goods – it’s about a sustainable future.  Our goal is to give waste a new life through re-use and repair. With the help of our education centre we will guide the Denmark and South Coast community towards more informed, sustainable choices and behaviour.
  AIMS:
  Continue to develop and implement waste avoidance and minimisation solutions for drop-off waste
  • Continue to provide a best practice reuse facility/Tip Shop
  • Continue to expand recycling activities for drop-off waste that can be sold at the Tip Shop, thereby providing a local solution for local problems (e.g. Tagged/checked electrical items, sorted salvage materials)
  • Continue to expand recycling activities for drop-off waste that is forwarded externally/sold (e.g. non-ferrous scrap metal)
  • Implement a process of continuous improvement for all current operations
  • Investigate opportunities for Construction and Demolition recycling
  Continue to develop and implement waste avoidance and minimisation solutions for Green Waste
  • Continue to encourage community involvement including worm farms, home composting and source separation
  • Investigate opportunities and potential for Green Waste recycling (e.g. organics processing/composting, energy generation)
  Continue to develop and deliver education in sustainability and waste minimisation
  • Continue to run in-house workshops and linkages to community arts and school programs
  • Develop and maintain an onsite educational facility and resources
  • Continue to ensure that The Denmark Tip Shop and Recycling Education Centre delivers community and social benefits as components of its waste minimisation and sustainable living programs

8 Tips for Buying Furniture

Buying furniture for your log home should be fun and exciting, not a task you consider one step above a visit to the dentist. But for too many homeowners, that's exactly what happens as they face the prospect of buying sofas, chairs, tables and accent pieces.

I'm here to tell you what you want to hear: It doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning and forethought ? plus some research and soul-searching ? you can enjoy the furniture buying process as much as you enjoy snuggling up on that new sofa. Follow these 8 easy steps and your search for furniture will have a happy, stress-free ending.

What you can afford is the bottom line for any decorating project, and buying furniture is no exception. Budgeting becomes even more important during the furniture buying experience since large pieces--sofas, couches, chairs and tables--are often the most expensive part of any decorating project.

Obviously, setting a budget early in the process will help you focus on what you can afford. But once you learn how to judge quality (see #6 on page 59), it will also help you find the best values within your price range.

According to Gefen Productions, which monitors the action in High Point, North Carolina, home to the world's largest annual home furnishings market, the factors that affect cost include:

--Design: Original, reproduction or adaptation?
--Materials: Real wood, veneer or simulation?
--Manufacturing: Handcrafted or mass produced?
-- Detailing: Hand-carved or plastic-molded?
--Shipping & Storage: Pre-assembled or ready to be assembled at home?

After you have a budget, determine what you want to spend your money on. Odds are, your "wants" list will be pretty long. Pare it down by comparing it to a "needs" list. Replacing a broken chair is probably a need; buying that beautiful dining room set you saw in the sales flyer is probably a want.

The key to prioritizing is realizing you don't have to have it all at once. Think long and hard while making your list of priorities. Can you live with your old kitchen furniture while you give your great room a facelift? Would you rather turn your bedroom into an oasis before concentrating on public areas like the kitchen and dining room? Or are the rec room and other highly-used spaces more important?

Whatever you decide, just remember that furniture with classic lines and simple fabrics will never go out of style, and that means you'll be able to piece together your new room over the course of many months or even several years.


How you use your furniture is one of the most important considerations. If you have children or pets, you need sturdy construction and easy-to-clean fabrics. If you're furnishing a room used sparingly, such as a library or den, you can focus more on aesthetics.

Your lifestyle will also affect the colors you choose. The guidelines are pretty common sense: White is a no-no for kids and pets; mid- to dark-toned prints will hide a multitude of sins. Remember, however, that even the most durable furniture will wear out if it's abused.

You can only have so much furniture in a room before it starts to feel cramped and awkward. On the other hand, you want to be sure you have sufficient seating and table surfaces.

To ensure your new furniture fits your space, needs and personality, take the time to carefully plan (if you're still in that stage) or measure (if you're already building or living in your log home) each room in your house. Then sketch your room to scale on graph paper. Include doorways, windows, heating and cooling vents and other permanent features your furniture will have to "live" with.

This exercise may sound archaic in the days of computers and scanners, but it can really be helpful. Even more helpful is measuring your existing furniture, sizing it on graph paper at the same scale as your room drawing, and placing it on the sketch. This will allow you to envision furniture placement and see how all your space is being used.
With the current trend toward big, overstuffed furniture, this sketching exercise will also help you choose pieces that fit the scale of your room. The soaring ceilings, open lofts and spacious floor plans found in many log homes require special attention in this area.

Before you can buy anything, you have to figure out what you like. Just keep one thing in mind: A room full of carefully-combined furniture styles is much more interesting than a room full of matching, same-scale pieces. Don't be afraid to mix n' match styles to achieve the look you want. The five major furniture styles include:

Traditional. Features antiques and reproductions of antique styles, damask upholstery, cherry and mahogany.

Contemporary. Features bold colors, sharp lines, metal and/or glass accents.

Casual. Features earthy colors, overstuffed sofas/couches, wood accents in oak, pine, maple.

Country. Features soft cushions, floral prints, painted wood.
Eclectic. Features a mix of styles and periods.

The hard thing about choosing a style is that what we like is often out of our price range or isn't practical. When that's the case, you have to make a personal choice ? Which is more important: style or practicality--and then live with your decision.

If money is the issue, you have to be a little more patient about how quickly you can buy your new furniture. If durability is the issue, be realistic; you may love that white silk sofa, but if you have young children or pets, it doesn't make sense to buy it.

Whether you spend $100 or $1,000 on a piece of furniture, you want to know it will last. To make sure you don't get a lemon, educate yourself on quality standards before you head to the stores. There are plenty of books, Web sites and organizations that offer advice on furniture construction.

Once you're in the store, don't be bashful; open those dresser drawers, pull the dining table apart, tip over the reclining chair. No one will do it for you, and you may be surprised at what you see.

If you're shopping online, check with the manufacturer to find out if they have a retailer in your area that carries the piece or line you're interested in.

No matter how you're shopping, here's what you need to consider:
Materials. Is it solid wood, veneer or a simulated product? Does hardware match the piece and is it rust-proof and concealed?
Construction. Is the frame solid, the support adequate? Does it feature solid joinery (mortise and tenon, double dowel or tongue and groove) and dovetailed corners? Are screws tight, springs concealed and covered?

Finish: Should be even, rich and deep (unless it's purposefully aged or weathered, in which case it will exhibit the intended inconsistencies). Watch for bubbling, brush strokes and
splinters.

Cushions: Are the corners and curves well-defined? Are details (welt, buttons, etc.) attached securely? Check the plumpness; sagging probably indicates insufficient stuffing.
When buying wood furniture, you have to make some special considerations. Check the following:

--Doors and drawers are carefully aligned and fit tight
--Drawers have glides and stops, plus dust panels (dust-proofing) between them
--Joinery at the drawer corners is secure
--Drawer interiors are smooth to prevent clothing snags
--The use of center supports for long shelves
--Doors do not squeak or rub
?--Hinges and other hardware are sturdy and sufficient for the size and weight of the door or drawer
--Table leaves match the finish and grain of the table and fit properly

 
Don't be afraid to try out the furniture samples you see on the showroom floor. Nothing is worse than investing a lot of money in a piece of furniture, only to discover it's hard as a rock, sags like a wet blanket or sits too high or low.

In the end, your opinion is what matters most. Don't let a salesperson or even a friend talk you into buying something you don't like.

Choosing Fabrics We are all driven by aesthetics. We don't just want a comfortable chair; we want it to be attractive as well. Still, there's no denying the durability factor. When choosing fabric for upholstered furniture, remember that you will get the best wear from tightly-woven fabrics. A common misconception is that the thickness of the yarn used determines durability; in truth, the number of threads per square inch will have a greater affect on the longevity of your upholstered furniture. The most common types of natural-fiber upholstery fabrics include: Cotton. Takes color well, is soft and pliable, blends with other fibers, is durable. May disintegrate in continuous exposure to sunlight. May mildew in damp climates. Flax/Linen. Strong, cool, crisp. One of the most durable fibers, though it has a tendency to resist color. Reflects heat better than cotton, but is still subject to disintegration in intense sunlight. Wool. Springy, resilient and extremely durable. Takes color softly. Offers good resistance to wear. Must be moth-proofed before using. Silk. Beautiful but fragile. Soft and lustrous, but strong light tends to discolor and disintegrate the fabric. Difficult to clean. Tends to mildew in damp climates. Rayon/Acetate. Made of processed cellulose. Can be woven to emulate silk or linen. Blends well with more expensive fibers. Reasonably colorfast and resistant to wear, but tends to rot under long exposure to sunlight. The most common types of synthetic-fiber upholstery fabrics include: Polyester. Takes colors well. Strong and durable; stands up under direct sunlight. Flame and wear resistant. Often blended with natural fibers. Olefin. Strong, with natural stain resistance. Bulky, coarse, does not hold up well in direct sunlight. Often used to create heavily-textured casual fabrics. Nylon. The strongest and most dirt resistant fiber. Often used in commercial applications. Typically high- luster; now available with a wool look and feel. Sensitive to sunlight.

How supermarkets work, 10 tricks to get you to buy more!

There’s nothing wrong with making customers feel at ease. As a buyer, the important thing is to know how supermarkets work: here are 10 essential supermarket tricks.

The art of suggestion and kindness draws on the science of layout, on the choice of music, on scents artfully sprayed onto strategically positioned bags of chips that we didn’t set out to buy (but on seeing them there, are already tempted). And so, the special art of science, psychology, and neurophysiology are all brought to life in the setting of a modern supermarket.

How supermarkets trick you

Today, shopping malls are bringing together and focusing on what used to be lots of individual shops and local stores. There has been a growing trend around the world for decades. In Italy, one goes to the supermarket to meet 70 percent of the family’s food needs, and that goes for several other countries too. And once you’re there, 60 percent of purchases are unplanned, impulse buys.

Of course, it goes without saying that major retail chains have really honed and polished their skills in improving the customer experience, and here we reveal some of the tricks of the trade. There’s nothing wrong with being tempted into buying a little more, but being aware is a way of choosing between resisting or yielding.

1. Deep, spacious baskets and trolleys

It may seem normal, but the mere fact of providing customers with shopping carts and baskets is one crucial way of making them feel comfortable. 75 percent of those who hold a basket for shopping always buys something, compared to just 34 percent of those not holding it. In some countries at the entrance to the supermarket, you’ll find a smiling employee holding out baskets for customers. These plastic containers with added wheels are as deep a wishing well: in 20 years the capacity of the US shopping trolley has doubled.

2. Loyalty cards

Do your shopping with us and get discounts and prizes. What do supermarkets get from this strategy? First, they can do sophisticated market research. Protocol studies are underway that can match our purchasing behavior in a store to ads on Facebook, and once we receive a loyalty card we tend to prefer the store that sent it. Finally, it seems that 42 percent of us, spend more money when we become a card owner, perhaps because it makes us think that the more we buy, the bigger the discounts and that therefore we’re spending less. It should be noted that discounts are generally made on products that we wouldn’t normally purchase anyway.

3. In-store jingles

Music deeply affects people’s mood and there are so many ways to use its influence. Cheerful music which we sing along to conditions us to buy because of our good mood and attitude; but even a slower song can make us buy more, getting our pace to about 90 steps per minute. Music with fewer than 90 beats per minute makes us slow down unconsciously, and makes us linger in the aisles.

4. Necessities are way down or hidden

The science of layout reaches unexpected sophistication in shelf arrangements. Every chain has its own well-coded areas, whether its the entrance area, the bakery or the frozen foods section. But the general rule that emerges is that all the necessities such as flour, sugar, salt and especially UHT milk sit on shelves that are concealed and distant from both the entrance and the exit, prolonging wandering among lanes, which increase the likelihood of buying things that weren’t wanted originally.

5. Things always cost .99

Items that cost 5.00 will be sold for 4.99 and the reason for is so that they’re easily remembered. Rounding up involves mental effort that is greater than the process of storing the first digit. Given the barrage of information that customers deal with, pricing needs to be transmitted quickly. The most convenient way of doing it, in terms of memory and attention, is to remember just the first digit. So we appear to spend less.

6. Buy two and get three

This classic offer has been proven to increase sales by more than 150 percent. In spite of saving 30 percent, operations like this lead us to consume far more than usual.

7. Bestsellers

Staple products, canned goods, butter, and milk attract people into supermarkets but almost everyone knows how much they cost on average by heart. To beat the competition and spread the idea of a convenient price point, best sellers at discounted prices are spread throughout the store. Supermarkets then compensate these by raising prices on other products.

8. Shuffle the cards

When we go shopping there’s always a dozen products we buy routinely. That’s why managers occasionally mix up goods between aisles and shelves. This means that when we go there to get the usual package of something and – lo and behold – in its place we find another item that is twice as expensive and we think, “OK, let’s try it”.

9. At eye level

Products displayed at eye level sell twice as much, so for this reason, often the most expensive items are placed there. Below them, you will almost always discover cheaper alternatives.

10. The most alluring items at the checkout

It’s inevitable. Waiting in line at the checkout, you’ll be tempted by a variety of irresistible, colorful sweets, the blandest of food accessories and the most alluring packaging. These hard-to-resist temptations for adults become simply irresistible for kids bored with shopping, and laid out at their eye level, within easy reach of little hands, parents will more often than not buy things not normally on their list – just to avoid a tantrum.

How To Save Money in Hong Kong (On Food)

Besides booking hotel, buying entrance tickets, paying transportation and going shopping, another thing that needs to spend lots of money during your trip is on food and drinks.

In Hong Kong, you can find almost everywhere convenient stores, mainly 7-11 and Circle K, where you can buy the daily-needed stuffs, such as water, instant noodles, bread, cigarettes and so on. Also you will find sun lotion and bandages here. If you need stamps to send out some postcards, just go to the counter to ask the staff (usually the stamps are put behind the counter). Generally speaking, the prices of these daily-needed items in the convenient stores are relatively higher (around 10-40%) than the normal market prices. Especially the beverages are much more expensive. However, the advantage of the convenient stores is that you can easily find one close to you and they usually open till late at night (after midnight) while most of other shops close at 9 or 10pm. It’s not a bad choice when you need some groceries, snacks, food or beer late at night or on your way of sightseeing trip. Instant food is another convenience of these stores. You are able to heat it up with the microwave in the store and consume immediately. In the bigger size stores, they will sometimes provide customers some sauces (soya sauce, ketchup or chili) and tables.

When you walk on the street and see the logo like “Park n Shop”, “Wellcome”, “city’super” or “Taste”, you can consider having a look. These are big supermarkets, like “Wal-Mart” or “Carrefour”. You can find almost all that you need for daily life here and the price is fair. Usually “Park n Shop” and “Wellcome” are selling products made in Asia area while imported items are the mainly goods in “city’super” and “Taste. Especially for city’super, most of their products are coming from Japan. It is maybe interesting for you to go in and take a look.

Besides preparing food yourself, you also can choose to eat outside. If you are traveling on a tight budget and have to consider prices it might be worthwhile to consider those fast food chain restaurants, such as McDonald, Maxim, Fairwood, Café de Coral, Yoshinoya and etc.. In these chain restaurants, you need to order yourself from the counter and pay before consuming food. Then you need to either stand in line to pick up your food or wait until they call the number on your receipt. Since they usually call the numbers in Cantonese and the restaurants can be very noisy, if you cannot or have difficulty to understand, just pay attention to the big screens on the wall, which will show the number when your food is ready to pick up. These restaurants are also popular for the local Hong Kong people due to their fair price and ok quality food. You can expect to pay HK$20-50 each person in these restaurants.

Eating at the Food Courts in large shopping malls is another option for you. Normally the large shopping malls will arrange a place for the customers dining and resting. For example the 3rd floor of YATA (Sha Tin), the 7th floor of the Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong), the 4th floor of Langham Plaza (Mongkok), as well as the 3rd floor of the Harbour City (Tsim Sha Tsui). This is basically the collection of small chain restaurants and you need to buy food from the counters yourself and wait in-line. Instead of setting up their own tables and seats, these restaurants share the tables and seats provided by the shopping malls in public area. Thus, the price of food is relatively low it is usually very crowded during peak time. So we suggest you to look for a seat before ordering food.

Unless it is obviously stated, normally all the Hong Kong restaurants (dinning in) will charge you 10% service charge. Most Chinese restaurants will charge HK$3-15 per person for tea or water. There are also some restaurants that force customers to consume snacks such as peanuts or appetizers of average price HK$10-30 per table. Dining in restaurants is paid afterwards and they usually accept both cash and credit card. Most of the restaurants will place their menu in front of the door, listing the price of their food. Btw, in Hong Kong, the bowl of rice is not for free like in Mainland China and generally a small bowl of rice costs HK$6-10.

Besides all the choices above, there are also many small restaurants on the street. But please keep in mind that prices here will not essentially be much lower. Sometimes it might happen that you end up paying even higher prices than in the chain restaurants and worse quality of food. The big advantage is that you may have some different choices and normally these small restaurants are free of the above-mentioned 10% service charge. However pay attention that there are cases that some stores will cheat the tourists. When they find out that you are not a local citizen but tourist, the menu they provide to you will look similar with others but with higher prices inside. So be aware of these tricks and double-check the prices before you order.

4 spicy dumplings，price: HK$38

2 pan-fried dumplings and 2 small pork buns, price: HK$28

A small bowl of minced-pork rice with a mini Haagen-Dazs icecream cup, price: HK$82

If you want to visit theme parks such as the Ocean Park or the Disneyland, keep in mind that these two theme parks usually don’t allow you to bring your own food and beverage into their parks. Due to their park policies there is a chance that you will be required to open your bags for checking at the entrance. Be prepared that the price of food inside the parks is much higher than the average market price outside. For example, a normal BBQ pork rice which costs around HK$20 in Maxim is charged HK$98 in Panda Café of the Ocean Park. Of course, you can find some inexpensive fast food chain stores like McDonald inside the parks. But it will always be very crowded and in peak seasons they even run out of their food stocks.

The Bottomline: If you don’t know where and how to get food with your comfortable expense, we recommend you to take a look our article : Follow the Michelin Guide, Try the Best Food of Hong Kong. We provide you a list of Hong Kong Michelin restaurants and hotels with detailed address and average spending. We hope that we could help you to make the right decision easier.