This might be a little controversial, but it's totally related to what we're all about.

Absolootely teaches protection instead of abstinence.

Wait, what? Is this a Sex Ed class I just walked into?

No, this is a How-To-Illegally-Download-And-Not-Get-A-Virus class. Because I think some people need it. I had a conversation with my BFF the other day in which she said "There is nowhere on the internet to download Photoshop. And I'm sick of having to do all those surveys, you know, to unlock the site." I hear stuff like that a lot.

Sometimes, you simply won't be able to pay money for something you want. My favourite film is an obscure Israeli drama. I tried really hard to give Nadav Lapid my money in exchange for a dvd, I swear. I like to fund excellence. It isn't available to buy in my dvd region, so I just ended up torrenting it.

It's not your job to provide income to someone else. It's their job.

Right, now that we've excused ourselves, let's get into some downloading!


TORRENTS


The Pirate Bay is the first place I go when I'm looking to download something. TPB is a Torrent Site. A Torrent is something you download that is 'Seeded' by other people and 'Leeched' by you. The more 'Seeds' a torrent has, compared to Leechers, the faster it should download (relative to size, internet speed, etc).

To Torrent, you need a Torrent Program. UTorrent is the best one, get it here.

To download something using Torrenting, simply search The Pirate Bay. When you're an expert, you can Google and use other sites, but for now, we'll stick to the most popular site. When you've found the thing you're looking for, find the version with the most seeders. Check the comment section. The comment section will let you know if it's a fake, if it's good quality, some common issues, etc.

When you click 'Download Torrent', you'll want to open it straight into UTorrent. The .torrent file itself is just a set of instructions for UTorrent, telling it to download your file(s). In UTorrent, you'll pick the destination file, chose which files to download (if there are multiple) and watch the progress of your download.

Torrenting is the most reliable form of illegal downloading. It's the absolute best for large files, as you can pause it or restart your computer and the download won't be affected.

Once you've finished Leeching (downloading) the file, it will start to upload and you will become a Seeder of the file. This helps other people get the file, but it isn't compulsary. It's just nice.

Here's a useful article on avoiding fake torrents.


STRAIGHT DOWNLOADING

I don't know the official term for this, but this is how you usually download stuff. Depending on your Web Browser, it'll work differently. I use a site called FilesTube to find specific files, but you can always try Google.

As there isn't a space for user feedback, it's harder to weed out fakes than with Torrenting and it's much less stable. However, there are far more files available, and much more obscure stuff. If you're looking for your favourite indie band's first EP, this is the way to go. Your first stop should be to look for a Torrent, as a rule of thumb.


I totally turn into Roy from The IT Crowd when I talk about this stuff. But, like, I've been told that I'm totally like Jen? Whatever, let's just have a #relevant The IT Crowd break, shall we?



STREAMING

If you don't want a copy of a tv show or movie on your hard drive and you want to watch something right away, instead of waiting for it to download, then you can Stream it.

A common misconception is that Streaming doesn't use up Bandwidth. Well, it's the exact same as downloading, in terms of internet usage.

Finding a Streamed video can be hard. There are loads of fakes! Stick to trusted sites, such as Watch Series. Open a few options, because sometimes things get removed and some sites are better than others, in terms of quality and speed.

I use Streaming because it's generally safer. You're not downloading a physical file to your harddrive and it's just easier to work out if something's fake or not. 

Some sites I aim to use when watching online are GorillaVid, DaClips, PutLocker, SockShare, AllMyVideos, VidBull and ClickToView. There are some good ones and some terrible ones. You'll work it out.



Things to Avoid

-"Do a Survey to watch", as I told my aforementioned friend, is a scam.
-"Download this program to download this file", as I told another friend, is probably a virus.
-If you're looking to download a music file, for example, check the extension. '.exe' is not a music format. It's probably a virus.
-Get an AdBlocker. That's just good common sense, really.
-If a '.rar' or '.zip' file requires a password, that doesn't mean it's a fake. MikkiSays is a good music download site that uses passwords. If they give you the password, it's fine (MikkiSays is the password for MikkiSays btw). If they require you to download the password, it's probably a virus.
-Your Anti-Virus program will not like a lot of things, that aren't actually viruses. Torrents make mine really twitchy, but they're fine 99% of the time.
-The standard episode titles are S00E00 and 00x00. For Episode 13 of Season 5 of a show, the code would be S05E13 or 5x13. There are some variations.
-I once downloaded Moonrise Kingdom, only to end up with Machine Gun Preacher. 
-Use common sense! If something claims to be a DVDRip, yet is too new to have been released on DVD, well, you deserve a virus if you still download it.
-Check for things like subtitles, language, source (eg. CAM means it was recorded via a camera, and will be terrible quality).


I hope that wasn't too boring! I'm just a little tired of having to explain this stuff to people, over-and-over again. So, it's there. My years of experience, summarized in a post. Happy Piracy!

"Damn, I also need a photo for this post!"

I'm really into watching 'haul' videos about things people have bought of Aliexpress/eBay. Especially when people can compare originals to dupes, sometimes to amazing results.

Here are some good ones (note: if you're not into people rambling, you will not appreciate this):


1. $20 Triangl Swimwear Dupe Comparison by MsPinkaholic0405



Black Milk dupes are a big thing on Aliexpress. I've had good experiences (check out our leggings review here), and I totally believe that it's a waste of money to buy the original. Unless you're heinously wealthy.

The Absolootely's 101 series has thus far covered the basics of certain forms of shopping. We've covered Etsy, Aliexpress, eBay and Opshopping. Now, things take a bit of a turn and I'm going to focus on a more DIY approach.


Being able to make your own possessions is undoubtedly an awesome skill to have in your consumer toolkit. Everyone should learn the absolute basics of sewing, because sometimes you'll need to fix things and you'll probably want to make something at some point. It's ridiculously satisfying when people ask "Where did you buy that?" and you get to say "Well, I actually made it!" Also, having an individual item tailor-made for you is pretty stellar. And it's even better when you share that with someone else by gifting them a handsewn creation.


Here are Absolootely's top tips for learning to sew and doing it economically:

-First, you need a sewing machine. A basic, second-hand one shouldn't be too expensive, like, under $50. Ask around before buying, as you'll find that your Baby Boomer relatives may have one lying around that they're not using. My mum has three I only learned about recently. People just tend to have sewing machines, it's weird.

My old Bernina Nova.

-If you're not confident, attend a course or, better yet, ask a friend for help. I've started teaching two of my good friends to sew, and it's a really fun group activity. Picking fabrics together, working out how to fix tricky mistakes, planning new projects...

-Basic sewing kits are really easy to find, but be careful, as the cheaps ones tend to be diffuclt to use. Things you'll definitely need, for hand-sewing, are hand-sewing needles, thread, some spare buttons are always useful, an easy fabric such as cotton, fabric scissors, an unpicker and pins. For machine sewing, you'll also need spare needles for your machine, a couple of empty bobbin spools for using different threads, a good sturdy desk, a rubbish bin by your machine for useless cut offs and threads, your machine's manual (if it has one) and extra parts (such as additional presser feet).

-For tutorials, there's this thing called The Internet. I won't take you step-by-step through how to thread a sewing machine and do button holes in this post, because there are heaps of tutorials available online that would do a better job!

-The best place to find pattern pieces (which are the sets of instructions and templates used to make clothing, etc) is at your local Spotlight/fabric store or at opshops. Always check the Bust-Waist-Hip measurements on the packets, same with buying clothes. Pattern pieces will let you know how much fabric you'll need, plus the details of embellishments and fastenings, on the packaging. They're really easy to use!

On older pattern pieces, the sizing charts are totally different. Be careful!

-There are two really useful 'fabrics' you'll want to become acquinted with: Interfacing and Vliesofix. Interfacing is an Iron-On (it comes in other varieties, but stick with Iron-On) fabric used to add strength and structure to other fabrics. If you're following a pattern piece, it will almost certainly require you to use Interfacing. Vliesofix is like double-sided tape. You peel off a layer, iron it onto a piece of fabric, peel off another layer, then iron that fabric + adhered Vliesoflix to another piece of fabric. Bam, two pieces of fabric stuck together, with one piece of Vliesoflix inbetween. Vliesofix is almost always used for applique. It's really useful.

-80% of the time I commit to working on a sewing project is spent ironing and pinning/cutting fabric. Sewing without ironing is foolhardy, trust me, I used to do it. Never hem without ironing first. NEVER. And get prepared to wear out your fabric scissors.

So. Much. Cutting.

-The fastest way to ruin a sewing project and waste your time/energy/money is, ironically, to go too fast. I know, you want to get it done ASAP, but this ain't Project Runway. Take your time, have loads of breaks, make sure you're eating well, keep track of the time. Don't rush. Unless you're on Project Runway, or have a deadline. Then, you are excused.

-The best way to get into sewing is to start with little projects. I spent my summer holidays just making plushies when I was a young lass, both by hand and with a machine. It's best to learn by doing. Namely, you'll make a million mistakes and learn how to fix them, so you'll be ready when you're doing a project that has higher stakes. Plushies and pencil cases are where most people start sewing. They teach you about zips, buttons, buttonholes, hems, seams, patterning and many other basics.

-Before you throw out that ugly old dress, stop and check it over. Could you use the fabric for something else? Are there any zippers or buttons you could scavenge? Is there a way you could improve the garment?

I hope this helped get you into the spirit of sewing! It's a fantastic hobby that no one has ever regretted learning. If you're currently in the middle of a project or about to start one, let us know in the comment section!

I've seen these sunnies making their way around a few fashion blogs, usually courtesy of an online store called "Choies". Who are selling them for US$11, not including shipping. 


Surprise, surprise: they're far cheaper on AliExpress. I'd be extremely shocked if they weren't the exact same sunglasses, plus they come in lots of different colours.

The cheapest version of the product I found was under US$4, but the best option I found was this one. $4.04 per pair and loads of colour choices.

From Product Page

If you want to find a cheaper version, a different colour or the above link has expired, click here for a pre-made search and you'll find the best results!

I'll keep this short, because they're just hair ties.

I've had these for a few months, so the tie is starting to wear.

THESE ARE REALLY COOL. BUY THEM. 

Seriously, I get so many compliments on these beauties (they come in pairs). It's a really easy way to add some fun to a simple outfit, plus they're practical! Flintstones Chic, I call it.

Photo from Product Page

OMG, just remembered that they come in loads of different colours! YES! Add To Cart....

Ratings
Product Quality: 5/5
Accuracy of Description: 5/5
Similarity to Original: N/A