This isn’t just a normal “5 things I cannot live without”. This is a “5 things I cannot live without” - Finland editionnn.
Electric heater
Most apartments in Finland are heated by district heating, so the temperature indoors is usually 21°C. However, sometimes the building manager decides not to give you full heat, or if you just have a naturally low body temperature, you may feel cold even at home. My apartment building was built almost 80 years ago and it has a very old heating system. Therefore, I got an extra electric heater for my room to better control the heat. The cheapest one from Class Ohlson cost me 20€. It’s a game-changer. Now, I can heat up my room before showering so I’m not shivering after the shower. I can turn the heat down at night so I don’t wake up sweating. And more importantly, I can wear just shorts and T-shirts at home even when the temperature outside hits -25°C! Since electricity is already included in my rent, I don’t have to worry about paying electricity bills. If you have to pay electricity separately then maybe don’t go overboard with the heater as the electricity price gets very high on cold days :)
101 types of lip balm and lip gloss
I will add a picture to showcase my collection. The reason why I bought so many lip balms and glosses is that I’m trying to find the one that works best for me in the Finnish winter. Some too minty, some not hydrating enough, and some too grainy. I’m not alone, though. All of my friends at school have their own collection of lip products and that is like the law. Choosing a lip gloss to use is like choosing what to wear today. I recommend that, if you’re going to Finland, you should get Korean or Japanese lip balms. I brought an Innisfree one with me from Vietnam and it was the BEST lip balm I have ever used since. However, it ran out and I haven’t been able to repurchase it. Vaseline is the most popular one in Finland, but it acts more like an outer layer to lock in moisture than a hydrating product.
Hydrating products
Talking about hydration, your lips aren’t the only things that dry out during the winter. Every part of your body does. I could be a bit of a high-maintenance person as I use a lot of hydrating products. For my eyes, I use eye drops. My eyes are especially dry in the morning and after a hot shower, so eye drops come to the rescue. Eye drops also help refresh when my eyes get tired after a long day of studying on a laptop. For my nose, I use nasal sprays. Tmi: there is usually a bit of blood in my mucus when my nose is dry and nasal sprays help a lot with that by hydrating the nasal passage. For the throat, I use throat sprays and lozenges. They soothe my throat from breathing in the cold air and prevent me from catching a cold. I got all of the mentioned products in large amounts from Vietnam because they are cheaper and work better for me. Last but not least, my hands need hand cream as well, or else they will be super cracked and dry.
My cat balaclava
So recently I got into crocheting. The reason is that I saw a cat balaclava on the internet and couldn’t resist having one myself. When we think of balaclavas, we usually imagine those that make you look like bank robbers. A cat balaclava, on the other hand, makes you look very cute and stylish. It’s practical, too. It covers your head, neck, and nostrils. My friend crocheted mine, but I think it’s pretty easy to make one yourself with the patterns and instructions on the internet. Crocheting is a popular hobby in Finland (among middle-aged women) so yarns can be found even in normal supermarkets. You should opt for yarns that don’t contain plastic like polyester as they are higher quality and warmer.
Dried food
I love eating…and Finland took the yummiest foods away from me. Figuring out what to eat daily is a real struggle for me. I don’t like cooking, so I usually just have boring stuff such as noodles, bread, yogurt,...However, I found out one thing that would change my whole relationship with food: dried soup. Vietnamese soups are so delicious and nutritional, but imo complicated to cook. Dried soup is a cube of soup that is stored in separate packages that will turn into a real bowl of soup when added boiling water. Genius invention! I ordered a few flavors and they’re on their way to Finland, but I have watched some reviews and they should taste just like homemade soup. If you’re wondering what kinds of food to bring to Finland, definitely add dried soup to the list.
Those are the 5 things I live by. I hope that you had fun reading about me and also got some ideas for what to prepare for Finland.
how bout me? 🥰🥰🥰🥰