A mani-pedi with a PediPaws saves money

I'd seen the TV commercials, gotten the spam e-mails. But when the PediPaws dog nail trimmer finally showed up at Bed, Bath & Beyond (the Beyond part), I finally bought one. Twenty bucks, no shipping and handling, no telephone up-sell.

I was going to go the cheapo route and use a Dremel on his nails because I had read that it worked just as well. But do you want to inhale a cloud of dog nail dust? (Didn't think so.)

We used the PediPaws today on Mr. Lucky and it worked great. The guard kept his nail dust corralled and kept us from mangling his tooties. And the $20 it would have cost for a nail trim at the vet paid for the gizmo.

Who needs a fancy-schmancy pedicure?

Things like pedicures get ditched when you're not working. But time spent in the laid-off gourmet's official shoe, the flip-flop, can take a toll on tootsies.

Here's what can work: Get yourself a PedEgg. I'd seen them advertised on TV but lately they've made their way to drugstores like Walgreens. So I got one for $10 and I was amazed at how well it works. Actually it did a better job on my heels than most professional pedicurists.

And guys, they just introduced one in a manly black color for your he-man feets.

Your weekend activity: DIY tooth whitening

Here's something freaky I read in my Vital Juice Daily e-mail -- do-it-yourself tooth whitening recipes. Among the concoctions:

• Leave crushed strawberries on your teeth for a few minutes; the malic acid in the berries helps whiten teeth.
• Mix your toothpaste with baking soda, apply the goo to aluminum foil strips and let it sit on your teeth for an hour before brushing.

In no time your teeth will be job-interview perfect. There are more whitening recipes plus many more healthy living tips at Vital Juice Daily.