On A Budget in USA & Buffalo Exchange

My girlfriend and I are on tight budgets on this US trip.

We're saving a bundle by eating at whole food places. It works for us because we want to eat healthy and low carb. Salads in NYC and Washington DC are delicious and it beats eating junk.

For fun my girlfriend bought a pair of hair cutting scissors and we cut our hair. It was surprisingly easy to DIY because I wanted to dust off my ends. My hair now feels much better, I hardly lost any length and saved the cost of going to the hairdresser. I will do it again! What frugal folk we are.

Shopping wise, here's what I've bought so far.

1) Ed Hardy canvas slip ons for $16 on sale at Century 21. They are super comfy and serve well with all the walking we're doing.

2) Vintage navy eelskin handbag. The leather is soft and silky. Wasn't really a thrift shop bargain in Brooklyn Heights but I couldn't resist it as a souvenir. It was $27.

3) Revlon Colorstay black retractable eyeliner. Cheaper in the US than anywhere else. ($7ish.) I thought this would be good in the humid weather but it still runs and doesn't apply as smoothly as I'd like. Hope it performs better in UK weather.

4) Suave Humectant Moisture Conditioner which is cheap and amazing. $2.69 for a big bottle. Makes dry hair feel moisturised. It contains dimethicone so I won't use it regularly.

5) Noxema Cream Cleanser. Just a small tub to see what the fuss is about. It has a herbal menthol smell and its like washing your face with shaving cream. It doesnt foam. Has a pleasant tingly feeling which dissipates when rinsed. My skin feels soft and glows. A nice cleanser but make sure to rinse with warm water otherwise a residue remains.

I've also discovered Buffalo Exchange. The staff at Washington DC are chirpy and friendly. I carried over a cheap Dorothy Perkins dress which is too warm to wear so I exchanged it for $7.25 store credit. I was pleased because I didn't like the dress anyway and used the credit to buy a BCBG mini skirt which I love.

Next time I'm going to the States, I'm bringing a bunch of clothes on a kamikaze mission to Buffalo Exchange.

One of the photos are of retro toys in Williamsburg Brooklyn. There are lots of hipsters there so vintage isn't exactly cheap but its still awesome to see the stuff.

Denman Shampoo Brush

I've laid off on shopping because in saving for my trip to The States. The one thing I've bought recently is a simple and not so new invention, the Denman shampoo brush.

It's basically a remarketed palm brush which I used as a kid. But you're meant to massage your scalp with it when you shampoo. For £2.40 from Amazon, it wouldn't hurt to try.

At first I thought this was a great way to really get my head clean but it never made it to the bathroom. I'd forget to use it and it would probably end up collecting limescale.

So now I keep it in my handbag. With the soft plastic bristles, it works as a Tangle Teezer. Just a cheaper version. It's really handy because as I'm growing my hair out, the ends are knotty and the brush sorts it out very easily. I even prefer it to my Mason Pearson!