Why I Stopped Shaving

Call me a hippie.  Call me gross.  I am a mammal.  And mammals are supposed to have hair.  So, I guess the question is: Why did I ever START shaving in the first place?

I stopped shaving more than a decade ago, and have saved thousands of dollars in the process.  When you consider the cost of water, shaving gels, razors, razor burn creams, and the like, hair removal is clearly an extremely costly practice with few benefits.

When I was a young teenager, I could hardly wait to start shaving my legs.  Not necessarily because I wanted smoother, prettier legs, but more because it was something that grown up ladies did.  At first, I did not mind shaving, and I certainly enjoyed the benefits.  One of my favorite things about shaving was the way it felt when I got into bed.  My legs felt so smooth and silky against the soft linens.

It wasn't long before I realized that these so-called benefits of shaving were extremely short lived.  As soon as I got cold and got goosebumps on my legs, there would be stubble.  All of the careful work of shaving my very long legs was made pointless in mere seconds if the bathroom was too chilly when I got out of the shower.  And even without any external environmental stimuli, my legs didn't stay smooth for very long before the hair grew out enough to make stubble.

And then there was the issue of ingrown hairs.  As a person with naturally curly hair, I am constantly dealing with ingrown hairs.  Shaving only makes it worse. 

It was sometime toward the end of high school when I cut my shaving down to once a week, usually a day when my legs would be seen by the general public.  I was a cheerleader and played varsity softball, so I had to wear a short skirt or short shorts at least once a week for most of the school year.  But when I went to college, shaving became an even rarer occurrence.  This can be directly attributed to two things.  First, I was suddenly financially responsible for myself and everything I needed, including razors.  Second, my wardrobe changed drastically when I went to college; I stopped wearing short skirts and shorts, except on rare occasions.

I suppose there was a certain amount of laziness involved when making the decision not to shave.  I am almost 5'11"  That's 71 inches.  My legs are 35 inches long.  They are like tree trunks and it takes at least 40 minutes to shave them completely (and carefully).  A simple cost/benefit analysis easily concluded that shaving was not a necessity in my life.

My husband has never had a problem with my hairiness.  And I trust him, because he is always very honest about things he doesn't like.  Unfortunately, he is a minority in this respect.  Most men would be shocked and disgusted if their partners did not engage in regular hair removal.  Though, if body hair on a woman had been a sexual deal-breaker for men throughout history, we wouldn't exist as a species.

I hate to say it, but men expecting women to shave is completely sexist!  UNLESS, the man is willing to shave the same things he expects a woman to shave.  I understand that a shaved leg or armpit looks better and feels better, but the same would be true of a smooth man, right?!? 

Regarding the removal of body hair around your pubic area, I refer you back to my opening statement.  We are mammals.  We are supposed to have hair.  The hair down there is part of a beautifully designed self-cleaning system.  Please read the monologue Hair from Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. 





















I will admit that shaving one's pits does help control odor, but if that was reason enough to shave, why don't men do it?  I will tell you why!  I have often wondered when and why women began shaving their legs and pits.  Recently, I did some research and found a few answers.  The jazz age ushered in new fashions that included sleeveless dresses.  In 1915 an ad in Harper's Bazaar featured a woman with her arms over her head revealing shaved armpits.  The ad claimed that new fashions combined with modern dancing made it necessary to remove underarm hair.  Later, as skirts got shorter, women were told by fashion magazines that they now needed to remove their leg hair as well.

Don't get me wrong, I shave on occasion.  My legs get shaved 4-6 times a year and my pits get shaved 1-4 times a month depending on how hot it is.  Every time I shave my legs, I put my best sheet set on my bed and enjoy that fabulous feeling of freshly shaved legs against 800 count Egyptian Cotton.  I'm not advocating for everyone to stop all hair removal.  But for those of you ladies out their who think they HAVE to shave, maybe this will make you think again.

I want to hear from you!  Are there other non-shavers out there?  Are you completely disgusted at the idea of NOT shaving?  Feel free to comment anonymously!  I want to know what you think!

Living Simply Magic: Making Something Out Of Virtually Nothing

Sundays at the Living Simply home are the one day when we can spend an entire uninterrupted day together.  We love going to the farmers market in the village and then Fresh & Easy to do our grocery shopping for the week.  I usually try to plan our meals for the week, so we know what groceries to get.  But I never plan for Sundays.  Sunday is the day when we make sure we have finished all of our food from the previous week, so nothing gets wasted.

This morning, I looked to see what we had left.  I was greeted by slim pickings:  no leftovers, just 1lb ground beef, carrot & celery sticks, an onion, eggs, bacon, a small piece of angel food cake and 4 slices of stale bread.  We always keep staples in the pantry, like rice, pasta, pasta sauce, flour, sugar, cereal, etc.  But we were still left with very limited resources.  I momentarily ignored the need to plan our meals for the day, french-pressed my morning coffee, and turned on PBS for our Sunday morning cooking shows!

Lidia was in the middle of making something when I tuned in.  She was putting carrots, celery and onions in a food processor.  Then she added pancetta, and I thought, I wonder if she's making bolognese?  Bolognese!!!  Of course!!!  It turns out she was making stuffing, but the seed had been planted.  I had almost all the ingredients I need to make a kick-ass bolognese sauce! 

I have never attempted to make bolognese, but I know what the basic ingredients are, and decided I would take on the challenge.  We picked up the few remaining necessary ingredients (basil, garlic, cream) when we went shopping.  We found artisan rosemary bread & organic berries on clearance at Fresh & Easy.  (FYI-  Fresh & Easy reduces the price on food items that are about to expire.  If you are planning on using the item the same day, it can be a wonderful way to save money.)

When we returned home from shopping we made a simple yet tasty brunch of eggs and bacon.  Then we started to prepare dinner!  As usual we used bread leftover from the previous week, to make croutons for the next week.  If you have never made your own croutons, you are missing out.  They are so easy and delicious.  Just cut bread into small cubes, pour about 1 tablespoon of melted butter per slice of bread over the cubes and toss.  Sprinkle salt and garlic powder to taste and toss again.  Put the bread cubes on a cookie sheet and place in oven preheated to 400.  You will know when they are done, usually 10-15 minutes.  They get darker and your house starts to smell wonderful.


Homemade Croutons, Before & After Baking

 The base of the sauce is pretty easy and can be made in bulk, so you can freeze some for those busy days when you just don't feel like cooking.

Bolognese Base

1 lb ground beef (crumbled, browned & drained)

4oz Italian sausage (crumbled, browned & drained)

4-6 strips of regular bacon or 4 oz of Pancetta (crumbled & cooked, SAVE THE FAT)

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery (peel strings off for best results)

1 cup diced onion (sauteed til soft in 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat)

3-5 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely diced

6-10 basil leaves, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE, the cream is the glue that holds the sauce together)

All of the above ingredients (except cream) need to be put through a food processor or blender.  I processed the meat first, set it aside, then processed the veg.  Then I mixed them together.  You can process the ingredients however you want, but I found the way I did it to be ideal.  After you have mixed the meat & veg in a large bowl, add the cream and stir it in.  The base is now complete!  It is not the most visually appealing concoction (Mr. LS lovingly called it meat paste), but it is a necessary part of the journey to an amazing bolognese. 



Bolognese Base

Once you have the base completed, you may freeze it and use it at a later date.  Or you can finish making this sauce and enjoy it right away!  To complete this sauce, all you need to do is dump the base in a large skillet and add some basic pasta sauce (pomodoro or marinara). 

I used about half of a 25oz. jar, but you could use more or less, depending on your tastes.  Stir over medium high heat until it bubbles.  At this point, I added more cream, but you don't have to.  Once the sauce is heated through and bubbling, remove it from the heat.  There is very little water left in this sauce and it will reduce down to a very thick mix, too thick to be a good pasta sauce.  It's finished!  toss with your favorite pasta and then spoon a little more on top for good measure!  If you want to get fancy you can garnish with fresh basil and parmesan.

If you have any room left in your tummy after this delicious meal, I suggest something light for dessert.  We shared a fresh and cheery springtime treat thanks to those berries that were on clearance. 

Spaghetti Bolognese has been a favorite of ours for many years, and I am so upset that I waited so long to try to make it myself at home.  Don't make the same mistake I did, try it this week!

Get Out Of The Car & Into Simple Living

Los Angeles Union Station
Photo by Living Simply

Rapidly Rising Gas Prices Give Public Transit Riders Highest Savings in Two Years
"Using public transportation is the quickest way people can beat high gasoline prices,” states William Millar, president American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  Los Angelinos can save more than $10,000/year when a two-person household lives with one less car. 

While most people in Los Angeles will tell you that it is impossible to live here without owning an automobile, I am here to tell you otherwise. 

First, let me be clear: owning an automobile is NOT a necessity.  It is a convenience-providing luxury.  Besides being stupidly expensive to purchase, use and maintain, autos add to the pollution stew that we have been cooking for the past century here in LA.  And they make you lazy. I know people who will drive less than a mile to buy a quart of milk.  It just doesn’t occur to them that there are options beyond driving.  I call these people Auto Addicts. 

Why not combine things you have to do with things you want to do?  For example, if exercise is important to you, save some money on transportation AND the gym membership by walking or cycling to the market to do your grocery shopping.  Walking, jogging, cycling and taking public transport are great ways to save money and improve the health and economy of our community.  The fewer cars we have on the road, the less traffic and pollution there will be, and isn’t that better for everybody? 

Utilizing public transport requires just a little bit more thought and time budgeting than using a car, and therefore many people don’t even consider it as an option.  But in this age of technology, utilizing public transport has never been easier!  Smartphones have made it possible to have bus and train schedules available to you in an instant.  Google Maps has increased the ease of surface travel in general, but it has completely revolutionized travel by public transport. 

In addition to driving directions, Google Maps offers detailed walking, cycling and transit directions to one’s destination with options for departure/arrival times, mode of transit, and routes with the least walking or transfers.  You simply click on the icon above Point A that applies to the type of directions you want.
(See Photo)

The most common argument I hear by Auto Addicts against public transport is that it takes too long.  I could not disagree more!!  At rush hour, trains are always faster than freeways!  Most commuter or express buses get you where you need to be in approximately the same amount of time as if you had driven.  For this reason, these routes are usually a little pricier (but still cheaper than driving).  Local routes can take a little longer to get from point A to point B, due to the increased bus stops and street traffic.  However, this is not lost time! 

Whenever you are on a bus or train, you can do so many things to conserve your time (things that are virtually impossible if you're driving).  For instance, you can catch up on your emails or blogs, check your Twitter and Facebook feeds, read a book, do your homework, watch TV on your smartphone or close your eyes for a quick cat nap.  (Just don’t forget to set an alarm, so you don’t miss your stop!)



Just another empty bus on this rainy Sunday!
Foothill Transit Line 492
Photo By Living Simply

I understand that very few people will voluntarily opt not to own a car.  But, even if you do own a car, it doesn’t mean you can’t set one day a week aside to utilize public transport.  Spice up your family “staycation” by charting a map with your kids and exploring your city by rail! 

And lastly, if you must drive, please be responsible about it.  First of all, yield to cyclists and pedestrians!  Second, please carpool!  It breaks my heart when I am on a nearly empty train, riding down the middle of the freeway (which actually resembles a parking lot).  I see so many cars, trucks and SUVs with only ONE person inside (and these are the people who have the nerve to complain about traffic).  For the sake of everyone’s lungs and your pocketbook, please carpool!