Cheap vs. Thrifty

The other day I was watching the show Extreme Cheapskate on TLC.  The show is about people who are extremely cheap and how they have found ways to save money.  One lady bought expired food and made her own reusable toilet paper.  Another lady looked for food in the garbage cans outside of upscale grocery stores and washed her clothes while she showered.  There were people peeing in jars, using yogurt cups as glasses to drink from, taking condiments from restaurants and digging through dumpsters for furniture.  I was sitting there watching this thinking, "that's beyond cheap, that's just weird".  These people think that they're saving so much money, but they're going about it all wrong.  I might be tight with money, but I'm not going to stop buying toilet paper to save a few bucks.

Lately, my husband and I have fallen under some criticism for the way we save money.  It recently happened because of our decision to get rid of our cable.  I never realized how much of a touchy subject this would be.  Personally, I am fine without cable.  It's been over a week and we are doing just fine.  We have an antenna for all the local channels and we are testing out Netflix and some other services to see which one we will go with.  Besides watching the latest episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I don't miss it at all.  I feel like our family and friends are treating us like we are "extreme cheapskate" or something like that, because of our financial decisions.

Here is the thing, people keep telling us, "you have to enjoy life and have fun".  Our responds to this is, we do.  I mean, this is why I created this blog.  I want to share with readers that you can live a fulfilling life and still save money.  My husband and I do all the things that other couples our age do to have fun.  We go out to eat, we buy clothes, we go to the movies, we go on vacation and yes, believe it or not, we still watch TV, even with out cable.  We are not going to be flushing our toilet once a week or taking ketchup packets from a restaurant to refill our bottle at home, to save a few bucks.

 So here are just a few examples of how we save on everyday activities.

Eating out- We go out to eat once or twice a week.  When we do, we look for local bars and restaurants with good specials.  We have one restaurant near us with a Wednesday night pizza special.  $5 Pizza and half off premium beer.  Our bill is usually around $10.  That's not a bad price for 2 people.  We also use coupons and reward programs at other restaurants.  And since we are thrifty, not cheap, we always still tip 20% on the original price of the food. 

Movies- I've never been that big on going to the movies, but my Kevin likes to go.  So, when there is something good out that we want to see, we make it a date and go.  What we do is go to a matinee and skip the popcorn.  There is no reason to spend money on concessions at the movies.  They are over priced and besides that, who needs to consume that many calories while watching a movie?  

Shopping- I think I touch on this topic enough in this blog, but basically, I try not to pay full price for anything.  I also try to limit my shopping.  I used to shop a lot more.  Having a full time job helps keep me out of stores.  I really don't have time to shop, but I still get it in when I can, because what girl doesn't love to shop?

Vacations- We try to go on 2 big vacations every year.  Yes, being married to an airline pilot is helpful with saving money on vacations.  The free airline travel is definitely a wonderful benefit, but even if my husband didn't work for an airline, we would still budget out a big vacation, because they are important to us.  We are planning a cruise to the Caribbean soon.  Cruises are nice, because you get to see a lot, there is great entertainment and your food is included.  We usually try to do all inclusive trips, because they help you plan out your expenses ahead of time.  Also, we have found that it's best to go during the off seasons.  Don't try to book a trip anywhere during Christmas, Easter or most of the summer.
  
 Having fun, should not mean spending tons of money and saving money, should not mean you can't enjoy life. You need to be thrifty with your money, not cheap!

The Quick at Home Manicure

I am always getting asked by people, where I get my nails done? I always have to tell them, I do them myself and they never believe me. I can't tell you the last time I had a manicure professionally done. If you are trying to live your life on a budget, one of the first things to go should be the mani/pedi's! Honestly, there is no reason to pay for something like that, when you can do it at home yourself for free!

  

I always try to keep my nail looking nice at all times. My nails and hands take quite a beating throughout the week, especially with the cold weather. Once a week, usually on Thursday night or Friday, I like to redo my nails, put on a fresh color and give my hands a quick renewal. It's easy and doesn't take very much time.

These are the products I use. 

I start of by removing the old polish with regular nail polish remover. Then, I like to touch up and shape my nails with a nail file and clippers. I like to keep my nails on the shorter side, because of my job. After, I put some cuticul oil on my nail beds and let it sit for a minute, then just wipe it off with a cotton ball. Then, I move on to a sugar scrub. I've been using the True Blue Just a Minute 60 second manicure scrub. I've had it for a while and I'm probably due for some more but, I really like how it leaves my hands so soft after. I've also used some homemade sugar scrubs as well, but I don't have any on hand right now. I will have to do some additional research to find some recipes to use in the future. Anyway, I rub that all over my hands for a minute, making sure I rub around my nail beds and knuckles really well, before I wash it off in warm water. Then, I use some lotion on my hands. My favorite brand is Lubruderm. That seems to work best when my hands are at their driest.  After, I start the polish. Sometimes, I spend more time with this step and use a top and bottom coat, but most of times I get lazy and just do the colored polish. Here is a little tip for putting polish on your nails... Paint your nails at night and let them dry. The next morning take a hot shower. This will help remove any of the polish that you might have got on your skin. After your shower your nails will look complete. 

A manicure at a salon is great, but I say, save it for a very special occasions. Try an at home manicure and save your money!