A little goes a long way… let’s talk hair & nails!

Today's post written by Kara-Noel of Eli's Lids

Cut. Color. $150.

Even if you don’t go to a cutting edge salon (you know where they serve champagne during your cut and everyone wears designer black) personal grooming can add up!

Let’s look at what my family’s hair could cost…

Me – cut/trim & color, $175 (tip included) every 8 weeks = $1050

Hubby – cut, $25 (tip included) every 5 weeks = $250

Eli – cut, $20 (tip included) every 6 weeks = $160

Cora – trim, $20 (tip included) every 3 months = $80

Added up that’s $1540 per year!

What would you do with 1,500 bucks right now? Vacation? College fund? Student loans? Credit card debt?

It’s easy to get the hair bill down. REALLY!

Here are some tips, from simple to drastic, to get that money building your bank account or getting rid of debt:

• Work out a deal. If you have a “hair gal” that you LOVE, tell her your $ circumstances and see if she can do something. Some salons are flexible and she may be able to work with your budget. Chances are she’ll want to keep you and take a cut.
• Spread out your cuts. If you wait twice as long you’ll bill will be cut in half.
• Downgrade your salon. Instead of the posh salon and the super kid friendly place check out a walk-in place or your local beauty school. The prices are great at beauty schools and there is always a teacher looking over the student’s shoulder to make sure your hair isn’t ruined.
• Home care. We have clippers and I bought haircutting scissors at the Swapper   for $10. I trim up and buzz the boys here at home. Box color is very inexpensive but is rough on your hair. Condition!
• No color! Go green.

Nails…

This mama loves a relaxing pedicure… but this mama also wants to buy a home someday! My husband and I tease each other that I only get a pedicure before I have a baby so that’s why I have had 3 kiddos in less then 4 years! I do get pedicures a little more often than that, but we aren’t in the red.

In college I had fake nails and went for a fill and pedicure every 2 weeks. At $30 (including tip) a session I was spending $780 a year on nails! WOW!! Wish I could have that money back.

If you are in the red fake nails should go (GONE!!) and pedicures should be VERY rare. I budget a pedicure every 3-4 months. Sad for my feet happy for the House Fund!

Remember sacrificing a little (even for a short period of time) has huge long term effects on reducing your debt!

Remember: Enter to win a lot of cool stuff at MOMday Morning including cash , a Nesting Pillow & commissioned Art work "May your nest be warm and blessed" Click here to enter MOMday Morning!

 

 

A little goes a long way… Easter Baskets

Today's post by Kara- Noel

It’s easy to use holidays as an excuse to splurge. But if you are in the red, you can’t. Well… you can, but you shouldn’t! Holidays can still be memorable without spending loads of dough. I bet when your kiddos grow up, they will remember the fun traditions more than what was filling their baskets!

I only spend $2-6 total on awesome Easter baskets.

Kind of. I’ll be more specific…

I only spend $2-6 on “extra” stuff for awesome Easter baskets.

Let me break down this year’s Easter Baskets for you:

• My biggest trick is to use holidays as a way to give your kiddos something they were already going to get. Spring/Easter marks the beginning of swimsuit season so the kiddos get new bathing suits in their Easter baskets. I would have had to get them new suits anyway so why not make it into a giftie AND a tradition I can use all the way into their teen years? We also just transitioned from sippy cups to big boy/girl cups. The kiddos needed a reusable water bottle for car trips. I picked up some adorable ones at Old Navy for only $5!
• Save hand-me-downs and gifts for Easter baskets. Last year Eli was given swim trunks that were too big and Cora has a hand me down suit for her new size so this year’s bathing suits are FREE! Also my friend Soni from the Stringbean Company gave the kiddos some adorable super hero capes.  I saved those suckers for some free Easter basket fun!

• The extras should be minimal & cheap. I do pick up 2 or 3 little things to put in each basket. This year they are getting pool noodles from The Dollar Tree. Dollar stores are great for little things like this. Remember to be picky, just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you should get 20 things! Go in with the goal to only get 3 items maximum and pass on toys that will fall apart in seconds.
• Buy at the after Easter clearance sales. This tip is easier said than done! You have to be organized. I pack anything I get from the clearance sales in my Easter decorations box so it won’t get lost in the garage or in some random bag under the bed. This tip is great if you want to get something Easter specific like a book or DVD about the holiday. If you got something last year for this year, don’t be tempted to buy more!
• We use the same Easter baskets and plastic eggs every year. No cost there! (I’m sure I’ll have to cycle out eggs as the years pass but I’ll pick them up at after Easter clearance sales for cheap) Our tradition is to leave the empty baskets and eggs out the night before for the Easter Bunny to fill up.
• We fill the eggs with candy (which I most likely saved from St Patty’s Day!) and money. Yes folks, money!! An egg might have a quarter or 3 pennies (if your kiddos are older you should up the $$ a bit). They will get to save a bit and donate some to our sponsored children in Africa.  We are teaching the kiddos young about saving and giving money to charity. I’m sure they will figure out how to spend it on their own!
• Use the family! If family members give Easter baskets, don’t be afraid to let them know things you need. I gave my mom a call 2 weeks ago to tell her the kiddos needed Band-Aids and beach towels. Two fun things for the kiddos to get in their baskets and two things we are saving money by NOT having to buy!
• Focus on the meaning of the holiday! Easter isn’t about baskets…

Yep, we are a Easter matching family  … this year we’ll be in blue!!

Find Kara-Noel at Eli's Lids.com

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