If you’ve been a longtime reader, you probably know that I’ve been writing for this ‘magazine’ steadily for over 20 years (yikes — that makes me sound so old!!) The only time I’ve taken off was when I was sick.
With my hubby at a party on a yacht, overlooking our apartment in Monaco, during the F1 Grand Prix (May 2019)
I’ve decided to slow things at Urbanette down a little so I have more time to travel, enjoy life, paint (I’ve been an artist since I was young), and work on a few research-intensive articles. I’ll be keeping you updated on my journey via my Instagram stories. From now on, instead of publishing on a regular schedule, I’m going to be publishing articles only when I really feel compelled to do so.
As I work on my next article, I decided to make an ongoing list of the best and most helpful things I’ve learned along the way. The list is a bit all over the place / random, I know! I’ll keep adding to this list, so bookmark it and keep checking back.
In front of the Oceanographic Museum, heading to the X Prize Gala
Find a spouse that is kind, respects you, treats you as an equal partner in your life together, and really listens to you. Don’t waste time with people who don’t.
Find a cause you’re passionate about and get involved. It’ll give you more purpose and fulfillment, and you’ll meet great people along the way. This is mine.
Stop going to the salon. Hair dye (read more) and nail polish (read more) are both super toxic and cause cancer, among other serious health issues. The fumes in salons are super harmful to breathe. Stop wearing polish, and if you must dye your hair then opt for a natural-ish at-home dye and cut your own hair (I do, and it’s super easy!)
Baking soda (get the kind for cleaning, not cooking) and white vinegar can clean anything (including removing stains on clothing, getting grime off your shower, and unclogging your drain). Seriously. Try mixing the two together. It bubbles up like a 5th grade science experiment and washes away any kind of yuckiness. Stop dry cleaning and using toxic chemicals and google how to clean it all the natural way.
Look into the best American credit cards. Cancel your AMEX (since they force you to redeem your points through their website with inflated prices)! Learn to travel-hack using points and track them in Award Wallet. I have three cards that I use for specific purchases, to maximize the points I accumulate (I get 3 points per $ or 3% cash back on pretty much everything now). This works out to a lot of free travel, and I can book it on any website I want and just get reimbursed via my points. Check out my other travel hacks here.
A high percentage of dentists, doctors and veterinarians try to sell you procedures, tests and prescriptions that are totally unnecessary just to line their own pockets (read more).
If your dentist, doc or vet wants to do a procedure, get a second and third opinion (but don’t tell them what the other dentist/doc/vet said).
You don’t need a dental x-ray (yes, they cause cancer!!) unless you are feeling pain. Dentists tell you that you need them because they want to make more money.
Cavities can fix themselves (yes, really!) if you brush and floss. They often don’t need to be drilled and will go away on their own.
Before filling a prescription, do your own research online about the side effects. Doctors are basically educated by Big Pharma, so take what they say with a BIG grain of salt. What I do to lessen the load on my liver is I try taking half the dose and then see how I feel, or better yet, I research natural herbal alternatives (obviously, only if the condition isn’t life-threatening).
Find an ‘integrative’/’functional medicine’ doctor to replace your GP. Here’s why. Oh, and learn about your microbiome. It’s important — trust me.
Don’t assume that just because someone is nice-seeming, or because you treat them well, that they will treat you well in return, are honest, or have your best interest at heart. Don’t be closed, but proceed with caution.
Rid your home of toxins, for the sake of your future health and the sake of your loved ones and pets. Start here.
Automatically backup your phone’s photos using the ‘Google Photos’ app (download it and play around with the settings – set it to automatically save at original size). You can also make shared albums. When I go on vacation with my family, we all upload our best photos to a group album. Oh, and backup your computer using Sync.com (unlike Dropbox, it’s encrypted, so it’s actually really 100% private). And while we’re talking about digital privacy, here are more tips about that.
The Down Dog app is a great way to get into yoga. You’ll feel better if you do this a few times a week.
Headspace is a great way to get into meditation. Like yoga, it requires dedication but pays off bigtime.
If you don’t want to go to the gym, a rowing machine is relatively cheap and takes up little space, yet is a great full-body workout. We have one on our terrace.
If you must wear diamonds and designer stuff, poke around on DHgate first. (You can thank me later).
If you have a pet, remember that he or she will be much happier if you have two or more pets. The best way to do that is to foster (basically pet sitting for animal shelters) until you find another animal that gets along with your pet super well, then keep that one.
If you want to have better skin, more energy, and feel healthier, try a plant-based diet (cut out dairy, meat and seafood). Top athletes swear by it. It helps your body to detox, repair, and fights inflammation.
Make sure to check back as I add to this list. As always, I’d love to hear your comments in the discussion area below, and I’ll respond often. Have some great advice? Let me know below!
A writer, artist, and designer since she was young enough to put pencil to paper, Hilary taught herself code and created Urbanette when she was a teenager. Currently, she lives in Monte Carlo, but spent the past decade living in NYC, still considers herself a New Yorker, and visits regularly. She's always traveling, looking for hot new topics, destinations, and life hacks to bring to Urbanette readers.
You and Mike are so inspiring, I absolutely love both of your blogs. You’re so full of life and always smiling, I wish you both and awesome, safe and blessed life in Monaco.
A piece of advice that my grandmother always shared was “Eat to the left, drink to the right.” You always know which is your water when you are sitting down to dinner. Surprisingly useful.
Hilary with her positive energy can blog about anything and it would still be interesting to wread. She never complains and always finds beauty everywhere. Thank you, girl, for such inspiring posts ?
Don’t be afraid to half-ass it. If the choice is between half-assing it, or not doing it at all, half-ass it all the way. It changed my life, learning to pace myself and deal with things that I can’t just jump into.
“It doesn’t matter what job you are doing. Strive to be the best every day. It doesn’t matter if you are shoveling shit all day. Be the best shit shoveler you can be.” Dad told me that when I was getting my first job and I’ve taken that to every job I’ve had over the past years.
Not so much advice, but teaching myself that working hard for what I want and being supportive of those around me will make me feel more fulfilled with life
My mom has a high-pressure six figure job, a huge house, a husband with no common sense with money, several pets, and three kids. She’s told me a million times to simplify. She said to buy a small, easy-to-maintain house and to think well before adding any dependent so I don’t have to work a stressful job 50-60 hours a week every week to pay for everything. Basically she’s telling me not to make the same mistakes she did and I’m doing everything I can to make the sacrifices she made so I can live a decent/low stress life worth it.
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You and Mike are so inspiring, I absolutely love both of your blogs. You’re so full of life and always smiling, I wish you both and awesome, safe and blessed life in Monaco.
A piece of advice that my grandmother always shared was “Eat to the left, drink to the right.” You always know which is your water when you are sitting down to dinner. Surprisingly useful.
Hilary with her positive energy can blog about anything and it would still be interesting to wread. She never complains and always finds beauty everywhere. Thank you, girl, for such inspiring posts ?
Don’t be afraid to half-ass it. If the choice is between half-assing it, or not doing it at all, half-ass it all the way. It changed my life, learning to pace myself and deal with things that I can’t just jump into.
You are the most inspiring person ever! I love your posts!❤ Greetings from USA ?
“It doesn’t matter what job you are doing. Strive to be the best every day. It doesn’t matter if you are shoveling shit all day. Be the best shit shoveler you can be.” Dad told me that when I was getting my first job and I’ve taken that to every job I’ve had over the past years.
You’re so freaking beautiful and amazing ❤️❤️ Please don’t ever delete your website even if you never update it anymore.
Not so much advice, but teaching myself that working hard for what I want and being supportive of those around me will make me feel more fulfilled with life
To know who your true friends are, look for the ones who say good things behind your back and bad things to your face. ?
My mom has a high-pressure six figure job, a huge house, a husband with no common sense with money, several pets, and three kids. She’s told me a million times to simplify. She said to buy a small, easy-to-maintain house and to think well before adding any dependent so I don’t have to work a stressful job 50-60 hours a week every week to pay for everything. Basically she’s telling me not to make the same mistakes she did and I’m doing everything I can to make the sacrifices she made so I can live a decent/low stress life worth it.