They've been around for decades but have only recently become the talk of the town in terms of period products, and there's a good reason for that. 5 actually. Here are the benefits of using a menstrual cup!

1. They're a whole lot cheaper than pads and tampons
One cup can last up to 10 years. A WHOLE DECADE. So while a cup can set you back $50-$60 up front, that works out to be $6 a year or $0.50 a month. Compare that to the monthly cost of pads and/or tampons (at least 10 times that amount) and your savings are huge.

2. They're a zero-waste alternative 
Menstrual cups transform your period into a waste-free event. No more toilet paper-wrapped used pads and tampons in the trash, and no more packaging!

3. They're so much more convenient. 
Depending on your flow, pads and tampons need to be changed every couple of hours. In contrast, menstrual cups can stay inside ya for up to 12 hours. Wash it out morning and night and that. is. it. You don't have to think about it ALL DAY. The best part? You can sleep with it in. How many times have you gotten comfortable in bed only to remember you still have a tampon in? Never again!

4. Never worry about a tampon string again. 
Periods at the beach are a real bitch - constant paranoia about a loose string and having to change your tampon in a crusty-ass beach bathroom as soon as you're out of the water. Switch to a menstrual cup and hard pass on that crap.

5. There's a menstrual cup for everyone, and you'll probably be a convert. 
Whether you've got a light or heavy flow, there's a menstrual cup for you thanks to the dozens of brands now on the market which differ in size, shape, and price point. Chances are you're going to love it once you get used to it, too: a 2011 Canadian study found that around 91% of women in the menstrual cup group indicated that they'd not only continue to use a menstrual cup, but recommend them to others.

They take a bit of getting used to (my first cycle I was basically clawing around inside my vagina to get the damn thing out) but honestly now that I've got insertion and removal methods sorted, I'm telling everyone I know about how life-changing they are.

Have you tried a menstrual cup? Loved it? Hated it? Leave a comment!

xoxo E.M.

I've been working from home for a few days and I'm already bored out of my mind. So to help us both, here's a list of 69 things *yes I'm a child* you can do at home to, with any luck, prevent stir craziness while in self-isolation or practicing social distancing. We've got everything from getting drunk to cleaning out your toaster so get ready for a wild ride.

1. Send messages to friends you haven't spoken to in a while 
2. Clean out your fridge
3. Write a bucket list 
4. Organise the junk drawer I know you have
5. Do some online crossword puzzles like a modern senior citizen
6. Clean out your pantry
7. Build Pinterest boards full of things you're never going to actually do or have! Woo. 
8. Get some paints and paper/canvas and hold your very own sip and paint event at home
9. Clean the inside and outside of all your kitchen cupboards and drawers
10. Colour code your bookshelf 
11. Create a budget/savings plan (check out our guide to saving $5k extra this year)
12. Grab some sugar soap and a bucket and wash all your walls. It sounds boring as fuck but it's actually very satisfying, especially if you have white walls. This kept me entertained for a solid 2 hours.
13. Play 100 shots in 100 minutes with your housemates
14. Polish the grout in your kitchen and bathrooms with baking soda, vinegar, and a toothbrush. Cinderella mode activated. 
15. Wash all the windows in your house
16. Vacuum your upholstery and lamp shades
17. Sweep outdoor areas 
18. Join some random Facebook groups. My current favourite? A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony. It's pure wholesome gold.
19. Weed your garden 
20. Clean your vacuum cleaner
21. Polish all your cutlery
22. Wash your makeup brushes
23. Make a throwback playlist with all the emo shit you used to listen to in high school
24. Clean out your wardrobe: fold and organise, colour code that shit
25. Get stuck into Reddit - there are discussions for EVERYONE. And also memes. 
26. Go through the stack of random papers and digitise/shred & recycle what is no longer needed
27. Laptop organisation - clean up your wild ass desktop and create a digital filing system like a god damned adult
28. Meal prep
29. Phone organisation - delete apps you don't use, arrange them by colour or usage or type. Get rid of all those screenshots you don't need. Back it up for the first time in 6 months (guilty)
30. Clean out your makeup/skincare and reorganise
31. Read about how eco-friendly your favourite recreational drugs are and then go do some
32. Clean your oven 
33. Make your way through IMDB's list of 40 movies you must see before you die
34. Clean your toaster. It's a crumby job but it's gotta be done. Hahaha. Help me. 
35. Home workout. YouTube some yoga or HIIT sessions. Or just run up and down your stairs a bunch of times. You do you. 
36. Learn a language
37. Get flexible: take advantage of having no commute to add stretching to your morning and evening routines
38. Hair mask, face mask, mani/pedi, the whole nine yards. 
39. Download a mindfulness/meditation app (and use it)
40. Take cute selfies
41. Iron all your clothes now instead of 10 minutes before you need to leave the house wearing them. 
42. Cook fancy ass meals, maybe even ones out of those recipe books you have and never use? 
43. Reread your favourite books
44. Clean your room
45. Watch documentaries on YouTube/Netflix instead of binge watching mindless crap
46. Listen to some podcasts 
47. Jump on Wikipedia and choose the 'Random Article' link over and over again
48. Buzzfeed quizzes. Obv. 
49. Play board and card games (Solitaire if ur sad and alone)
50. Build a Rube Goldberg machine
51. Scroll through all the photos on your phone/laptop from beginning to end, reminiscing on simpler times when social interaction and travel were possible. Sigh. 
52. Press the Bored Button
53. Log onto old games you used to play and let extreme nostalgia wash over you - Neopets, Runescape, etc etc. 
54. Hunt down your old social media accounts and have a cringe party! MySpace, Tumblr, Bebo, whatever you can find. 
55. Make like me and my housemate and spend 20 minutes trying to throw practice golf balls into a mug (....this is more entertaining than it sounds ok)
56. Get really drunk
57. Do a puzzle
58. Get on Hinge and message some hot people of your choice
59. Cry in the shower 
60. Learn a new skill - thanks to the internet this is easy. This Buzzfeed article has some ideas. 
61. Get onto TripAdvisor and make lists for all the places you want to visit. Eventually. 
62. Make an obstacle course in your home and see which of your housemates can do it the fastest. 
63. Leave a comment on this post with your other ideas for home entertainment
64. Read some books on OpenLibrary.org which has hundreds of books you can read online for free!
65. Take apart your fan and clean all the dust off of it
66. Clean the tops of things - the top of your fridge, cupboards, all those places you never see or touch and normally pretend don't exist :]
67. Browse the ABS website and learn some interesting stats about Australia
68. Marie-Kondo your entire house
69. I hate to say it, but if you get REALLY REALLY BORED, download TikTok? I haven't done it yet coz I'm too scared to feel old and Gen Z seem INCREDIBLY cringey. 

And that's the lot! As always, if you have more suggestions, leave them below. Lord knows I'll need them. 

xoxo E.M.

Wondering how to save more money? Get an extra $5k in your pocket this year with our best tips for saving money and cutting costs in 2020. Whether you have a new years resolution to be smarter with your money or are saving for a holiday or other goal, these easy ideas will help you accelerate that bank balance without a second job.