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Creatively Frugal
Frou-frou
Is there anything elaborate or even frivolous that you enjoy? If so, how do you
enjoy that treat inexpensively?
"I have a few tricks.
I work in the court system and need to dress nicely.
I’ve found a couple of great consignment stores that I
cruise through occasionally. I recently bought a $145
dress with the tags still on it for $2. (That’s NOT a
typo nor was it a totally unusual find.) I have tried
lots of different moisturizers for my face, including
some of the more expensive wrinkle preventers and
smoothers, etc. None work as well as a plain old $1 jar
of Vaseline. My grandmother told me about it years
ago and I recently read that Tyra Banks uses Vaseline as
her best beauty secret. Eyes, lips, elbows, heels –
it’s great stuff and tons cheaper than Oil of Olay. My
last frou-frou is a bubble bath and good smelling soap
and lotion. My friends and family know I love them so
that’s what I get for Christmas and birthdays and
Mother’s Day most of the time. I haven’t bought a
bottle of lotion in years and I use the good stuff from
the specialty stores! Life is good!" ~ Cindy
"When I need a
girly pick-me-up but don’t want to spend the obscene
dollars for a regular mani-, pedi, hairdo, etc., I head
to our local beauty school. I can get a pedicure for $8
and a manicure for $5 + tip from a student who is
closely supervised by instructors who make sure I’m
satisfied. The ambience is a little lacking, but it's
nice to know I’m helping a young woman learn her
trade. Plus, for special occasions I can get a shampoo,
new updo, style or blow-out for about $8." ~ Cara
from Centennial, CO
"As
a lot of us get older, we start seeing those stray grays
in our hair. I colored my own hair for a very long time,
but I really got tired of doing it myself. I hated the
mess and the time it took. Then, when I had a baby at
41, I knew I HAD to keep up the hair coloring so I
wouldn’t look like ‘grandma’. (I have a 20 yr old
daughter too) One day when I was getting my hair
trimmed by a friend, a hairdresser who knew how frugal I
was trying to be, told me she would be willing to do my
hair color once a month for free in exchange for
watching her darling little boy just one day a month for
about six hours. So I came out great on this deal…my
two year old has a playmate she adores and I don’t
have to look like ‘grandma’." ~ Angie from
Alabama
"I am a very simple, not-frou-frou kind of girl,
( I don't color my hair, wear much makeup or do my
nails) BUT there is one thing I do for myself
every 4 weeks and that is to get my hair cut at the
salon. I have very thick heavy hair and I like
to keep it short so that is my frou frou indulgence!"
~ Sandy
"I
treat myself a couple of times each year to a
couple of nights at one of many local Bed and
Breakfast Inns. As a homeschooling mom with
two kids, two dogs, three cats and we often foster
kittens, I use this time by myself to just veg out
and walk (I am a hiker). The B&B hosts are
always so accommodating and of course they feed me
wonderful breakfast. I eat enough at breakfast so
that I only need to eat one more meal during the
day. I eat that meal early enough in the evening,
so that I am hungry again at breakfast. I tend to
stay at inns where there are enough guests, so
that even though I am by myself I can socialize
easily (chit chatting for a couple of hours) while
I eat breakfast. The hosts often provide night
time snacks as well. I do this off-season
when a lot of inns reduce their rates and recently
I have participated in a special offer through www.stashtea.com/
With this offer, you buy 3 boxes of their tea at
the store (on sale of course) and send the proofs
of purchase in with a form you print out at the
website. This gets you a directory of all the inns
participating and a coupon for one free night when
you pay for a night at any of the inns. There is
no limit on how often you can make use of this
special. After not having to care for any one else
for 3 days, I am always eager to get back to my
real life." ~ Diana
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"My indulgence is getting a
pedicure about every 3 months! I go to a nail salon that
has wonderful massage chairs, one in which you receive the
pedicure, another that massages your legs while your polish
dries. It's not the classiest of locations, but it is
clean and reasonable. It costs $20 per visit, but the
polish with the overcoat will last about 2 months and I can
touch up the polish prior to my next visit!" ~ Norma in KY
"Our local high school has a cosmetology department where
the public can call for an appointment and receive manicures and
pedicures for $5 each. All work is performed by senior students
under the guidance of their instructors. It really is a shame
when 'good students' graduate each year." ~ Colleen
"One difficulty in being on a tight budget is maintaining
a wardrobe. Sizes change, fashions change, and clothing just
wears out more quickly than I would like. I have
discovered several local thrift stores that I can depend on to
have good- looking clothing. I may have to search the racks a
little, but it's worth it, especially during the once a month
99-cent clothing sale. Another thing that helps me to look
good, and feel good, is to have a couple of good bras. This is
one thing that I kept putting off purchasing, but finally made
it to a local discount store, and was able to find two nice
ones on their clearance rack. Having a good bra makes the
clothes look better on me, and makes me feel better about
wearing them." ~ Lynnette, Nebraska
"I now buy most of my
jewelry and Christmas ornaments as souvenirs on vacations. So
they are dual-purpose trinkets that we get to enjoy. And because
they are not laid out year-round, we seem to really focus and
appreciate their beauty when they make their appearance." ~
Jacqueline
"For one of those special times where I truly feel
indulged, my daughter and I do a 'nails' night. Sometimes, it's
our finger nails, sometimes, it's a pedicure. We set aside
time to give the manicure or pedicure to each other.
This includes sanding the heels as well. She does mine, and I
do hers. Not only is it a time to 'indulge' and have great
looking results, it's also a time where we can share and talk
about a lot of things. Then when we're done, we can sit back
and enjoy the finished results!" ~ Kathy P.
"I love getting pedicures
at the salon, but at a cost of $35-$40 not including the tip,
I only get to go once a year. I asked my children to buy
me the foot bath that has the massager in it, and now I get to
do my own feet. I don't necessarily do the whole
manicure bit every time I use it, but it's just great for
tired and dirty (in the summer) feet. I fill it (I use
Johnson's foot bath) and watch my favorite TV show. The
only thing I miss is the person massaging my feet and ankles,
and since I have very ticklish feet, I really don't miss it
that much!" ~ Jan
Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers for taking time to share
their ideas!
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