Thrifty Girl: Save Money on Skincare

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Skincare can cost a pretty penny, especially if you are using the good stuff. A little secret that not-too-many people know about skincare is that after puberty, everyone can benefit from anti-aging creams. This is because our cellular reproduction and collagen and ellastin levels start to lower after ​puberty. Good anti-aging creams are the most expensive form of skincare on the market. So, what is a girl who loves her skin and her wallet to do? These quick tips will help keep your skin stay healthy and your budget stay in check!

Use the Good Stuff at Night

Our skin does all of its maintenance and regeneration during the night. ​Since night is the time when our skin is doing the most work, it makes sense to use your best products at then. Products with collagen and elastin will go to better use at night since that is when the collagen and elastin will be used.

Both collagen and elastin are proteins that are used in the generation of youthful skin. These two wonders are responsible for keeping skin wrinkle free and reproducing at a higher rate. If you have to choose between using your good stuff during the day or night, choose night. You will see faster results and reduce puffy skin, fine lines, and clogged pores.

Use a Toner

Using a toner may seem counter-intuitive since it is one more thing for our budgets to fit in, but, it will help reduce clogged pores and keep our face wash around for longer. To truly get a clean face, we should be washing it for at least five minutes. This is a large hunk of time and most everyone opts for the quicker thirty second wash. Toner comes in handy because it removes all of the dirt and gunk that our face wash may leave behind. Toners will also help calm the skin and reduce pore size. The best part is that most toners will last two months or more and also reduce the amount of face wash we use!

Use Retinal at Night

Retinal is a wonder product that is great for people fighting acne and for those fighting wrinkles. It is no wonder then than that this wonder product is also wonderfully expensive. Save your wallet a bit of pain and only use your retinal products at night. The reasons for this night procedure are two-fold. First off is the already discussed reason of our skin regenerating at night. It is best to use an expensive product when that product will get the most bang for your buck. ​

Secondly, UV rays decrease the efficacy of retinal almost completely. Most products that have retinal in them have a very small amount, by wearing it during the day, we are reducing it's potency to almost nothing. This is the greatest reason to only use retinal at night. Not only will the product last twice as long, but you will see twice the results with half the expense!

Use a Good Face Wash and Face Lotion

If you are going to splurge on any skincare products, splurge on the face wash and anti-aging lotion. These two products are the ones that will effect your skin the most and the two that will lead to healthier skin. A good face wash is vital. It may seem like more out of the gate, but you should only need a miniscule amount compared to the drug store brands that call for quite a bit more. Higher quality face washes will reduce clogged pores and are made to keep nutrients in your skin. Most should last anywhere from six weeks to three months depending on the size. 

Just like face wash, a good anti-wrinkle cream will go way further than the $10 dollar counterpart. It is the age-old saying, you get what you pay for. There are some great Prestige anti-wrinkle creams that will last six weeks and cost as little as $50. Use these at night only and you will be so much happier for the $50 investment that really helps your skin, over the $10 that does not live up to any expectations.

Following these quick tips should keep your budget in check and get higher results from our skincare regimen! We only have one chance with our skin, better to treat it right and not break the bank doing it. If you have a tight budget, spend what are are able to on a good lotion and face wash, then use it sparingly and only at night. The best of everything is what we usually want, but if that is not feasible, skimp on the toner. By following these simple rules, you could be spending as little as $25 a month on high quality, skin changing, anti-wrinkle skincare products. 

Thrifty Girl: 5 Ways to Exercise and Save

Being healthy can be pricy, thank goodness there are some easy ways to save on our healthcare. Yep, you can have your kale and eat it too! Here are five quick and simple tips to save money and stay fit! 

Compare and Save

If you are loving your new gym but crying over the fees, shop around. Many gyms will match the price of their competitors if you bring proof of the discounted amount. There are even some gyms that will match promotions happening at the nearby competitor. The worst that could happen is they refuse and you can choose to stay or switch.. 

Go Digital

Personal trainers can be the best things for our bodies, but tough on our budgets. If your personal trainer is leaving your wallet more sore than your muscles, opt for a digital version instead. There are some great video game options for personal training that are actually good! My favorite has become the Nike Kinect because it tracks your movements so you know what is right and wrong. The Kinect also does fitness evaluations so your workouts are geared towards what results you want and what you need a bit more work on. No, it is not quite as good as your crazy awesome trainer, but trading out trainers a few days a month could give you enough spare change for a night on the town. 

Workout Close to Home... or Work

This tip has two winning features. By working out closer to home/work, we are able to save a massive amount on gas money over the year, but we are also more likely to continue our workout plan. Research has shown that when a gym or fitness area is more than five minutes away, we are 20% less likely to go. Even worse, every five minutes on top of that reduces our chances even more! We can save money by jogging around the neighborhood or going to the nearby gym and be more likely to keep it up. I do like win-win's, especially when it comes to shedding weight and saving money!

Coupons and Such

When we think of sites like groupon.com and plasticjungle.com, we do not usually think of workouts. Mistake. Groupon has deals on group fitness classes that can be up to 70% off, and good. Sites like plasticjungle will give discounts on gift cards to places like Nike and Sports Authority. Check these sites next time you are in the mood for some zumba or that cute pair of running shoes and save up to 70%!

Get Insured to Workout

This little known secret is something that I recently discovered and think most gym members would enjoy knowing... There are many health insurance companies in the great yonder that will give discounts on your monthly bill if you have a gym membership. For real! Contact your insurance provider to see if they are one of these stellar companies. In some cases, the insurance company will actually give a discount equal to the price of your membership. Whoa! Finally, something about insurance that we can smile about!

Thrifty Girl: Online Deals and Steals

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There are some great deals to be found online. Whether old, new, used, antique or refurbished, chances are you can find that piece you have been wanting for a great price online. Not only do most retail stores offer reduced pricing online, but online only sites can offer very competitive prices; if you know where and when to shop for online deals.

Flash Sale Sites

There is a somewhat new trend for online shopping called flash sales. Retail companies mark down there products- sometimes up to 70% off- and place them on a flash sale site. The company can get up to three months worth of profit from this one week sale and we can get ridiculously good prices on great things. Sites like One Kings Lane and The Foundary are great for home decor pieces, stationary, pet supplies, and furniture. OKL also has sale collaborations with designers where the designers sell things they have found and, even, some of their own pieces.

Fab is another great flash sale site. They have everything from clothing to to pet supplies to gadgets. There are some great deals to be found and shipping is quite cheap.

If you are a member of Amazon, you have their flash sale site, MyHabit, available to you. This site has everything that amazon has and a bit more. It is not uncommon to see designer purses and accessories on MyHabit, along with all the house decor pieces you desire. Membership for all these sites is free, all they need is e-mail and password, and possibly, an invitation from a friend... Friend.

Coupon Sites

Places like Groupon and Living Social have become so uber popular, especially in urban areas. I have a good portion of my family who check these sites daily for deals on restaurants, activities, and vacations. It is definitely worth a look, especially if you live in an urban area or are planning to visit one.

Product Stock Sites

For those of us who love places like Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Home Goods, there are the online equivalents. These sites are even great for those who do not like these stores. The deals are great and you get some really awesome stuff! I had never even given these sites a glance until we purchased our home and I realized just how expensive it is to fill it with pretty things. I happened upon Overstock one day and found almost the identical chandeliers I was looking at from Restoration Hardware here, and for almost a 10th the price. They were purchased and now hang happily in our living room for all to see.

One of the greatest perks of sites like Overstock is free shipping.  You may have realized by now that I bring up free shipping a lot, that is because I hate hate hate paying for shipping. The guessing game of knowing how much is in my cart but not knowing how much it will cost drives me insane. Sites with free shipping are already money savers and should be in every Thrifty Girl's arsenal.

Amazon Prime

I have already had a mini rant on shipping in this post, so we do not need to go there again. Let's just leave it at Amazon Prime is great if you order from them more than six times per year, or watch any paid for shows online, or have a kindle. Two day shipping is free for prime products (most the site), or you can get credit and take 5 day shipping for free as well.

Really, the credit thing is a nice thought for me and I may use it one day as a tool to gain more patience. We'll see.

Prime members also get free rentals on movies, books, and shows. Downton Abby Seasons 1 and 2, anyone? The membership is about $75 per year and so worth it in our house. You can try a two week membership for free, then decide if you would like to keep it. It is best to start the trial when you are going to be ordering a lot of products, that way you get your money's worth whether you keep the membership or not.

There are some great deals and steals to be found online. Just remember, if you were not going to buy it in the first place, it is not a deal. Things like buy one get one half off are only great if you were getting two anyway, otherwise, it is a just a waist of money.

To keep from doing those "it's on sale, I need it" purchases, I only go looking to these sites for a particular purpose. If I know that we will be buying a new rug or chair or wallet soon, that is what I look for at OKL or any other sale site. If I know we want to go to a few museums while in London, that is what I look for on Groupon. Going to a site with the knowledge that you want some new workout clothes or a cute new bag makes it much easier to find what you want and say "no" to everything else.

Thrifty Girl: Disney Money Saver

There are a few simple ways to save a buck at the Happiest Place on Earth. Since we will be going there twice in the Christmas season, there are a few budgeting tips that have been on the forefront of my mind. Thank goodness, they are not all boring, "know how much you are going to spend and keep a tally" tips- No one wants more of that around Christmas.

Disney Apps

There are some great, free, Disney apps out there. My favorite is Disney Parks. It has wait time information, parade and show schedules, and restaurant information. We used this app all the time when we were at Disney last and loved it. You can make reservations from the app and it tells you the price of each restaurant... That's why it is listed here. Every restaurant at Disney is priced differently. Find out what is in your budget before you get there to save a buck and a few headaches.

Parking

If you are not an Annual Pass Holder, Disney parking may be gouging your wallet before you even enter your first ride line. A little secret that very few know is that the parking is not all priced the same. Magic Kingdom parking is about $2 more per day than Animal Kingdom. So, if you have a Park Hopper pass, start at Animal Kingdom for two dollars less. The parking is a once per day fee no matter where you buy it, so going to another park will not be a problem. We used this little tip every time we went to the parks without an Annual Pass since Animal Kingdom is usually open first anyway.

Hotels

There is no need to stay at the Disney hotels to enjoy them. Whether you are going to Disney for a day or a month, there are some great perks at the hotels that Disney guests can enjoy. The Disney hotels have both free and non-free entertainment that is so fun to be a part of. Every hotel from the value to the Grand Floridian has a movie by the pool around dusk- it is such a great way to spend an evening after being in a park all day!

Hotels like the Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk also have camp fires with marshmallows and fun for kids. And, if you are already at the Boardwalk for the fire, stay for the great entertainment throughout the night! This hotel is one of my favorites to go to for dinner since you can walk to it from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and they have so much to offer. Suri rides around the lake, mimes, jugglers, and some killer rocking chairs to relax the night away are all little extras that the Boardwalk offers to anyone! Make sure to check out some of these freebies next time you want some Disney fun sans the lines.

If you are going to Disney during Christmas at all, I cannot recommend visiting a hotel our two any higher. The Christmas decorations they do at some of the hotels (Grand Floridian and Boardwalk) are as good as what you will see in the park!