While there are lots of programs out there to help you with your budget, there are very few designed with the specific needs of women in mind. Here are some money-saving tips that we have found to be helpful in saving money in a woman’s world.
Hair Cuts: While that $50 haircut looks great and makes you feel like a $1000 bucks, the credit card receipt puts a damper on things. Try changing every other cut from your regular salon to a simple hair cut studio and save yourself up to $30 per cut. This could amount to an extra $120 a year in your pocket.
Manicures/Pedicures: While they feel great and look great they don’t last forever. Buy yourself a cheap pumice stone and keep it in the shower for weekly exfoliation. Purchase yourself a nice clear coat polish and recover your manicure the second week to help keep it from chipping. This will make the polish last longer reducing your visits to the salon, saving you anywhere from $30 to $50 a year.
Hair Shampoo’s/Conditioners: High priced products smell great but regularly result in feelings of guilt upon their purchase. Make that high-price shampoo last longer by purchasing a lower priced product at your local retail store and use it every other wash to stretch out the bottles of higher priced products. There are also many great products in your cupboard that are little known but just as effective: beer makes a great shampoo and the barley and hops will soften your hair, olive oil or mayonnaise make very effective moisturizing conditioners, and eggs work well for conditioner on oily hair. Rinse well to remove the smell.
Investments: Due to the male dominated society that most of us grew up, family investment tips were usually passed from father to son and the daughters may not have been taught the same ideas. Learning to pay yourself first and make decisions about your investments are strategies that need to be learned and practiced. Check out investment magazines or websites for saving tips and ideas.
Debt management: If you have already bought too many bottles of that great smelling shampoo, or had a few too many manicures put on your credit cards, consider consulting a debt management company to get back on track. Most companies will help you learn how to lower your current credit card interest rates which will assist you in paying off that debt years faster while giving you tips to help you in the future.
Managing your money does not have to be complicated. Decide what is most important to you and cut out the little unnecessary items that you spend money on. Creating a budget that suits your needs while still allowing you some splurges will help you keep on track. Money isn’t everything in life, but not managing it can cause unneeded stress and worries, making it seem like a bigger problem than it is. Save wisely, spend wisely and you will live better.
Everyone likes money, at least a little bit, and finding ways to make more of it with little effort seems to be the American way. While buying that weekly lotto ticket could be your chance to win a quick $10 million, saving that $52 a year in a CD or high interest savings account could help you more in the long run. While I still look for the end of the rainbow after it rains, I can’t help but see the bills and receipts that are piling up daily by my computer at home. Earning money slowly isn’t as exciting as winning big at the casino, but it’s a more practical way to ensure my financial security in the future.