Health & Beauty Stuff
the Discount Diva
Health & Beauty Stuff
On My Soap Box
A reader recently wrote to share a unique cost-cutting technique that I'm, in turn, sharing with you.
She buys shampoo based not just on its cleansing strengths, but its scent as well. The reason being: After her hair is all sudsy from shampoo, she gathers handfuls of the foam and uses it to wash the rest of her!
Okay, I admit that I was skeptical at first. How could anything compare to my Cherry Almond Body Wash? Seriously. But, I decided to give this quirky technique a shot.
"Maybe I've taken thrifty too far," wrote the reader. "But soap is soap, isn't it?"
It sure is! The shampoo left my skin squeaky clean and smelly sweet, too!
The Nose Knows a Bargain When it Smells One
The most embarrassing thing just happened to me.
I wanted to surprise a friend with her favorite fragrance -- White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. Instead of sucking it up and paying full price at a department store, I had the not-so-smart idea to buy a bottle from a street vendor (they're all over the place in New York City) who hawks eau de parfums at rock bottom prices.
About a week later, I asked my friend how she liked her just-because-you're-awesome gift, and this was her response: "It smells different than I remembered." She said it in the nicest way possible, but I know what she meant -- "it stinks!" Turns out, the fragrance I bought from the street vendor was half water...or alcohol, or orange juice, or who-knows-what.
I had to right this fragrance travesty immediately, and I didn't even care if I had to pay full price this time.
Lucky me, I STILL didn't have to pay full price because I stumbled upon FragranceNet.com, a website that insures 100% genuine fragrance brands at discounts of up to 70% off. Elizabeth Taylor retails for $60; Fragrance net was selling it for $35!
The website also gives unique ratings on things like "scent life." Elizabeth Taylor's scent life is 6-10 hours...No wonder my friend is so addicted.
And now I'M addicted to Fragrancenet.com.
Save on Softener
Why didn't they think of this sooner?
Arm and Hammer Plus a Touch of Softener
I'm so addicted to this stuff. Not only does it save me a few bucks on fabric softener, but it also lightens my laundry load when I have to trek to the corner Laundromat on a stormy Saturday morning...tired...sopping wet...cold... Yep, it's happened before.
Relax: Spa Saving Tips
Ahhh! At the spa, my worries melt away while I am rubbed and scrubbed into a state of total relaxation -- that is until I get the bill. Yikes!
But since I am a total spa nut and would miss deep tissue massages way too much to quit 'em, I've found a few ways to save a some cash.
1.Choose packages. In most cases the discounts are much deeper on packages (where services are lumped together for a single rate) than they are if you choose services a la carte.
2.Check out the spa's website before booking. They may have online coupons and specials posted.
3.Go to school -- a massage therapy school, that is. Estheticians-in-training typically provide far cheaper services than established estheticians because they are working for a grade, not for cash.
4.Don't believe the product hype. Some estheticians conveniently pitch spa products (some of which are VERY expensive) to you right after your service, while you're still lying on the treatment bed. Sure, it's their job, but c'mon, when you are in a state of total relaxation you're bound to say "yes" to anything. Remember that the estheticians may be receiving a commission from the products they hawk and they could be trying to sell you items that they didn't even use!
about the blogger
Ayren
Ayren Jackson-Cannady has yet to find a bargain or sale she didn’t like. It’s a good relationship for her wallet, but not so much for the dwindling closet space in the apartment that she shares with her husband, John and her cat, Shiny in Brooklyn, NY.
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