Show Us Your Life -- Money Saving Tips

This week's Show Us Your Life topic over at Kelly's Korner is Money Saving Tips. Being a single girl, it's hard to be fabulous on a single income, especially in this economy. So I am always looking for ways to save money, especially when it comes to fashion and beauty.

My biggest tip is that in order to save money, you have to shop smart, and sometimes you have to hold out for deals. I of course always want instant gratification, so it’s hard to hold out until things go on sale, but it’s totally worth it in the end.

Coupons – I am a big fan of coupons, and am always signing up for email and mailing lists where I can get great coupons. I don’t think I ever go shopping for clothes, crafts, or even beauty items without a coupon.

Store Cards/Reward Cards – Store credit cards are great because you can get awesome rewards and coupons. Also, I think the sales people tend to treat you better and help you out even more when you are using a store card or coupon. Does anyone else ever feel that way?? It’s like, oh you have our card! Now I will be your best friend and show you amazing deals!! They probably think you will or have spent a ton, which I typically have!! Just make sure you pay them off every month, because paying interest kind of defeats the purpose of saving money =)

DIY – One of the best ways to save money is to do it yourself. I know sometimes it’s quicker and easier to pay someone to do things, but in the end it’s always costlier. I have been doing my own pedicures and manicures for years. I actually taught myself to do a French manicure, and it actually looks pretty good (years later!). I bought a lot of the True Blue Spa products at Bath and Body Works to do all of this at home and they have some great products for your feet. It all probably cost me the same amount as one really good pedicure, and the products typically last me all year. I also think it’s important to buy good quality nail polish. I only use OPI, and it’s what they use in the salon anyway. It’s a little more expensive but the bottle lasts a long time and it tends to not chip so quickly. I can typically get a week or so of my nails looking pretty good before they start to chip.

Mix expensive with inexpensive – By mixing expensive items with inexpensive items, you can still feel like you are being pampered, but at the same time you won’t be broke. One example of this is that I always mix my expensive scented body lotion with some inexpensive scent-free body lotion (like the generic brand of Vaseline Intensive Care). I am very dry, especially in the winter, and if I just used the expensive scented kind, I would go through a bottle every other week! By mixing it with an inexpensive lotion (which I buy in the largest bottle possible!), I can stretch out the scented lotion, and it’s actually more moisturizing for me. And I still smell good!

Hopefully you can use some of these tips, and I actually have even more tips here. You can also head over to Kelly’s Korner for even more money saving tips.