Things I Swear By

     My friend once told me that her grandmother considered Vaseline (she pronounced it "Basaleen") a cure all for everything.  If you got scratched, put some "Basaleen" on it.  Chapped lips, "Basaleen."  From what I heard, she probably smeared Vaseline on her forehead for a headache.  I think Vaseline is good stuff.  I go through tubs of it.  Of course, it's good for moisturizing dry skin and getting a tight ring over a swollen knuckle.  I've used Vaseline to clean dirt off of shoes and give them a quick shoe shine.  I also coated my forehead, ears, and neckline with Vaseline when giving myself a home perm during the 1980's and '90's big hair days.  Check out some other alternative uses for Vaseline -
http://www.wackyuses.com/vaseline.html
     There are other things that I swear by.  They are not as cool as Oprah's favorite things, but they make more sense for regular gals like us.  I love Shop Rite's store brand merchandise.  Almost all of it is just as good as a name brand.  The plain and vanilla yogurt in the large 32 ounce container is just as good as Dannon.  Shop Rite's canned vegetables are as good as Del Monte.  I stock up for the whole year during the Can Can Sale.  Shop Rite facial tissues are cheap compared to other brands even if the boxes aren't as pretty.  You might want Puffs with aloe when you have a snotty nosed cold, but for the occasional blow and throw, Shop Rite brand is just fine.
     Remember Herb Denenberg, the consumer advocate?  He reported, in one of his segments about cosmetics, that we should buy the cheapest shampoo available since the main ingredient of all shampoo is ammonium lauryl sulfate, a common detergent.  Herb advised spending a little extra money on a good conditioner.  I always buy Suave and White Rain on sale and usually pay about 79 cents for a bottle.
     The latest wonderful thing that I have discovered is Valspar paint with the primer in it.  The coverage is terrific.  If you apply it with those itty-bitty rollers that the HGTV people use, there is rarely a lap mark.
     These are some of the things I swear by.  Maybe I'll write about the things I swear at in another blog entry.