Usually when people hear about my commitment to our frugal lifestyle they assume that we have to make changes and compromises in order to keep our financial goals within our reach. Most of the time those people are right. But I thought it worth mentioning that there are, in fact, a few ways you can save some money without sacrificing anything.
Here it is 5 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY WITHOUT SACRIFICING ANYTHING:
1. Invest in a foundation brush
Ladies, you can keep using whatever liquid make up you're comfortable with but get rid of your make up sponges! What is a sponge designed to do? Absorb! So guess what happens to all your expensive make-up....it winds up not on your skin but inside the sponge. A foundation brush will beautifully apply your make-up without absorbing it. To be clear, make-up will still become trapped between the bristles so of course the brush will require cleaning every so often, as you would any of your other make-up brushes.
You will notice your foundation lasts three to four times longer this way.
Oh! For those of you using your fingers to apply your liquid foundation, just cut it out. Really. Nothing good will come of it unless you're a particular fan of pimples and streaky make-up.
2. Leave-in conditioner
So you think the only hair conditioner that works for you is the stuff you shell out $38/bottle for? Well I'm not even going to have that argument with you right now. Instead I will tell you how to get more for your money. Get a spray bottle from the dollar store. Fill with one part conditioner and three parts water. Shake.
While in the shower wash and rinse your hair. When you get out of the shower shake the bottle and lightly spritz the ends of your hair. You will still get all the benefits of your conditioner but you get four times the life span. The great part is, the savings are two fold since you're not in the shower spending money on the heated water during that conditioning step.
3. Going to the movies
You might think I'm about to go on about only seeing movies on discount nights, or bypassing the concession stands. But this post isn't about that. Its about doing what you want, just for less. So go to the movies, see the one you want to see and even grab some popcorn while you're there. Just hit Costco first. You can buy movie passes there, they come as a night out for two, so your cost includes admission for two adults, a popcorn and two fountain drinks- for the price of two admissions! So simply by stopping at Costco first you effectively get free drinks and popcorn!
4. Toilet paper
You can use your regular brand of toilet paper, and I wont even tell you to go single ply. But before you put the roll on the holder, step on it, creasing the cardboard roll in the center. Now you will notice that the roll doesn't spin freely or as smoothly. If you have kids this is one of the best defenses against the whole roll ending up in the toilet bowl at once because they got mesmerized by the spinning, Even without children, anyone in your home will use less paper if its just that much harder to get lots of. You might think this wont make a big difference, But check it out over a year, you'll be surprised.
5. Liquid soap
Bar soap is cheaper, works just as well, lasts longer and usually encourages people to wash their hands longer and better. But you knew I was going to say that. You still want to use liquid soap because it doesn't get slimy in the dish, or crack as it dries. *sigh* Fine. Have it your way, use your liquid soap. But at least cut a small section from a straw and wrap it around the post of the pump. This will limit the amount of soap dispensed at each pump. And I promise you don't need that much soap to get your hands clean. Its about washing well, not washing with lots of soap and suds.
So there it is, gentle readers, a little bit of money left in the bank for you every month while you still get to do everything you're doing now. It's my holiday gift to you.
Stay tuned for my 5 ways to save money with minimal changes.
some fantastic hints here! Thanks!
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