It’s Frugal Friday! Each week, I’ll share tips, encouragement, and practical ideas for living a frugal lifestyle!
Sometimes we frugal gals are willing to make sacrifices on non-essential items to help make ends meet in the budget. But I’ll let you in on a little secret…using coupons and shopping strategically can allow you to enjoy some treats in the beauty department without breaking the bank.
Before I got serious about coupons, I’d try to cut costs by buying the least expensive makeup and hair products. I wasn’t always thrilled with the results, but at least I knew I was saving money, right?
Wrong! I’m pretty sure I spend less today than I did back then, and while I don’t use salon hair products or department store makeup, I use some of the nicer brands that can be purchased at the drug stores. How? By combining coupons, sales, rebates, Register Rewards, Plenti points, ECBs, and any other deal I could find. On any given week, you can find nice beauty products for rock-bottom prices in our drugstore coupon matchups. It’s not all on sale every week, but if you can snag some of your favorites when they’re at their lowest prices, you can stock your beauty supply with some great products without busting your budget.
Coupon deals are also a great chance to try something new–a different styling product, new lipstick color or trendy eye makeup–without the worry of spending a bunch on something you’re not sure about. I’ve found several new products that I love over the past few years by trying them out when they were a great deal. It’s exactly the reason why the beauty companies offer coupons and sale offers, in the hopes that they’ll gain your loyalty in the future. Have a little fun trying out something new, and you might find something that really works well for you. Then you can keep an eye out for another deal on it later.
You can also snag some great deals on personal care and beauty products on Amazon, especially when you use their Subscribe and Save deals. The prices will vary, but frequently you can do even better on Amazon than the drug store!
I’d love to hear your tips on how to look good on a budget. Have you found some favorite beauty products through sales and coupon deals? What beauty splurges do you enjoy treating yourself to? Share in the comments or join us on Facebook!
If you’re just joining the Frugal Friday series, check out these other posts:
- Tracking Your Spending
- Creating a Budget
- Making Frugal Choices
- Fighting Spending Envy
- Could You Cut the Cable?
- Saving on Food Expenses
- Schedule to Save (keeping track of due dates to avoid fees & penalties)
- Staying Organized with Holiday Shopping & Rebates
- Frugal Lovin’ (Love & money, plus date night on a Shoestring Budget)
- Waste Not, Want Not (buying what you’ll use, and using what you buy)
- Frugal Fashion
- Frugal Cooking tip: Prep Once, Eat Twice!
- Budget Check-Up
- Plan ahead for Christmas
- Creating an Emergency Fund
- Getting by on a Single Income
- Reducing Fixed Expenses
- Free Printable Frugal Living Resources (meal planners, expense trackers, and more!)
- Saving on Gasoline
- Tips for Tax Time
- Healthy Eating on a Budget
- Frugal Living with Kids
- Frugal Fitness
- Contentment
- Save with Second-Hand
Megan has been frugal most of her life, but has been really honing her frugal skills as the chief home economist for her family of six, surviving and thriving on a single (teacher’s!) income. If she can do it, you can too!