The Frugal Free Gal

Have you ever noticed how expensive it can be to get pretty? Cosmetics are getting so pricey these days, as retailers cash in on women’s desire to look their best. A simple mascara or lipstick can cost you as much as $15 at a local drugstore, while department store cosmetic prices continue to soar into the hundreds of dollars. So what is the solution if you want to look your best for less? Below, you will find out exactly how to get pretty for pennies and how to save on cosmetics. Whether you love drugstore varieties or the department store brands, follow these tips and get a lovely look for less.

How to Save Money on Beauty Products:

1. Stack your savings.
When you shop at stores like Target and Walgreens, you can stack your manufacturer coupons (go to “Categories: Personal Care” to find beauty product coupons) with store coupons. When you do this, you are really stacking your savings. Use your coupons on top of a sale price, and you can often grab items like lip gloss and nail polish for less than a few bucks or even FREE!

2. Look for tied on freebies.
Many times when a company has a new product out, they will offer a full size sample along side one of their best sellers. For example, when Revlon had a new mascara out, they attached a full size sample to the packaging of their foundation. Look for attached freebies such as this and give a new product a try for free.

3. Visit the companies website.
Visit the website of your favorite cosmetic companies and print whatever online coupons they may have available. Don’t see any? Email them! Tell them how much you adore their products and see what savings they may have available for you. They could very well send you samples, savings, and who knows what else!

4. “Like” your favorite cosmetic brands.
When you “like” your favorite cosmetic company on Facebook, you will be the first to know about special sales, contests, coupons, sample offerings and more. Be sure to “like” all of your favorite companies and see what sort of savings you can score.

5. Take advantage of department store perks.
Peruse your local department store cosmetics counter for generous sized samples of some of your favorite (and more expensive) products. You can also keep your eyes peeled for free mini makeovers that include sample giveaways at the conclusion. Also, look for free with purchase sales, where you can score a make up bag full of goodies for free when you buy $20 worth of products.

6. Scour for coupons high and low.
Check out the Sunday paper as well as in store fliers for cosmetic coupons. Check out packaging for peel off coupons that may be available as well. You may have some luck finding blinkie coupons in your grocery store, or even coupons from company reps as they stock the shelves. Don’t be afraid to ask for them! Keep your coupons on you at all times, that way when you find a clearance bin of cosmetics, you have your coupons to score an even sweeter deal! You can even find coupons for beauty products online at Amazon!

When you give these tips a try, you will be able to get pretty for pennies and really save. If you are tired of paying full price for all of your favorites, give these tips on how to save on cosmetics a try and get more of what you love for less.

HOW to WRITE TO COMPANIES for COUPONS!

Do you want to receive FREE coupons in your mailbox? Did you know that groceries are one of the biggest expenses in most households today? Coupons are a great way to save money on groceries. You can find printable coupons online, digital coupons, and even Amazon coupons!

Get $10 at Ibotta when you sign up through my referral link!

You can also request coupons from companies and ask companies to send you coupons in the mail!

Keep reading below to see how YOU can request coupons from companies!

I have been writing to companies online asking them to send money saving coupons and/or free samples of my favorite products to me in the mail. So far, 6 out of 7 have sent me coupons. I received 4 letters in the mail from companies and 2 emails back with coupons. Only 1 company did not send coupons. I have written to several other companies as well and plan to continue doing this so that I can save money this year!

While you are here, see how you can get freebies in your mailbox, too!

The results:

• Luna Clif Bars: 2 coupons/Free Luna Bars, 2 coupons/50 cents off
• Haagan Dazs: 1/$1.00 off coupon, 2/50 cents off coupons
• Meow Mix: Buy 2 get 1 free wet cat food, $1.00 off dry cat food
• Lindsay Olives: 1/50 cents off coupon
• Drano: coupon offer through their newsletter
• Hain Celestial Group: 3/55 cents off coupons
• Nabisco 100 Cal Packs: Nothing

Go here to see how many other coupons I scored from companies!

How to write your favorite companies for coupons:

1. Go here to find a HUGE list of companies and stores to contact. Click on your favorite companies and find the box on the right side. At the bottom of the box, you’ll find the company website. Click to go to the website.

2. Find the “Contact Us” link on the homepage.
3. Fill out your information. In the comment section, tell them about the product you like and why you like it.
4. In that section, ask them if they could send money saving coupons and/or free samples for you and your friends. Submit.
5. Repeat this process for the other companies.
6. Check your mail box or email in the next few days and weeks to see what the company will send you.
7. Leave a comment here if you have any luck!

GET COUPONS NOW!

Don’t want to wait for coupons? Print coupons now!

Related: Best Places to Find Online Printable Coupons

Does this take a lot of time?

Not at all! It is easy and well worth the time. Start slowly, writing to about 2-3 a day. Then add more once you get used to it. It can be fun to because you never know what they will send you. Sometimes you will get free items–Luna sent coupons for 2 free bars!

What companies do you plan to write to for money saving coupons?

COUPONS and FREEBIES GALORE!

Another great way to save money this year is through the use of coupons. You can print coupons, take advantage of digital coupons, find coupons in your local newspapers, and most of the freebies that arrive in my mailbox include high value coupons. Check out all of my past mailbox freebies. If you are interested in receiving freebies with coupons, then read this article on how YOU can sign up and receive freebies, too!

Spending money is easy. After all, there are opportunities to spend money all around us. But just as it’s easy to spend your hard-earned cash, it’s also easy to save it – on dinner, on lunches, on beauty products, on magazines. Here are five ways to save on each of those things … and it’s a lot easier than you might think.

Double Up On Dinner – Leftovers aren’t that bad and it doesn’t cost that much to double your recipes, so do exactly that and you’ll start saving lots of money. What will you do with those leftovers? That’s your decision, but most leftovers make nice lunches. Speaking of lunch…

Get Smart About Dining At Work – Dining on the job starts with lunch. As in, stop going out to lunch and start packing your lunch. Five lunches in a restaurant can cost around $50 (and that’s the low end). Five lunches packed from home and purchased at the grocery store will cost only $10 or $15. Here’s another workplace food tip: Step away from the vending machine and bring your own snacks. They’re cheaper and, in most cases, healthier.

Get Frugal With Your Beauty Routine – Beauty isn’t cheap. Face creams and other products can cost $20, $30, sometimes $40 or more. The good news is, natural options – at a fraction of the cost – are just a Google search away. If you’re still in the money-saving mood (which is all the time, right?), cut out the trip to the salon for a professional coloring and do it yourself. Read my article about how you can save on cosmetics.

Eat In, Not Out – Yes, cutting back on dining out is a great way to save money. But even delivery items like pizza can be costly. Instead or spending $20 on delivery pizza, try some deluxe frozen pizzas for half the price (or less). While you’re at it, skip the trip to the local ice cream shop – where four cones will cost you $20 – and scoop your own at home for around $5.

Skip the Newsstand – At $5 each, the cost of buying individual copies of magazines can add up – fast. Buying three magazines a month will total $180 in a year. Instead, subscribe to your favorite magazines at a rate that’s often 75 percent or more less than the newsstand price.

Should I Buy a Starter House or a House I Want to Live in Forever?

If you’ve saved diligently and have enough money to cover a down payment, now may be one of the best times to buy a house that you’ll see in your lifetime. As you probably know, interest rates are low, and in most areas, prices are down quite a bit from their peak approximately five years ago.

If this is your first house and you’re looking ahead to potentially starting a family in the next few years, you may be debating whether you should buy a starter house or one that you plan to stay in indefinitely, even after you’ve added to your brood. There are pros and cons to both decisions, so here are some things to consider as you weigh your options:

Buy a Starter House

A bigger house means bigger expenses. Typically, the bigger your house and property, the higher your taxes and maintenance will be and if you don’t have the need for those extra bedrooms or that big backyard. You may be better off delaying these added expenses until a few years down the road. Your taxes may be especially high if your neighborhood has good public schools, so you’ll be footing education costs for your kids before you really need to.

Keep your budget flexible. Lower housing payments mean you’ll have more room in your budget to make decisions for your family about things like home improvements, eating out, vacations, having one parent stay at home, etc.

Buy a House for the Long Haul

Interest rates will probably rise. If you have a chance to lock in a mortgage at an incredibly low rate now, it’d be a shame to give that up in five to seven years when you’re in need of a home with more space.

Property values may start to rise again. This is highly speculative and will depend largely on the area in which you are looking to live, but if you think your property will appreciate over time, a larger house will typically see greater gains.

Moving costs money. Moving costs aren’t insignificant, and if you move twice in five to seven years, you’re going have to pay twice for things like broker fees, packing/moving costs, and furniture/redecorating expenses.

There’s no one right decision for everyone but make sure you think through all of your options before committing to such a big decision!

The information in this article is provided for education and informational purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose. The information in this article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial or any other advice. The information in this article is general in nature and is not specific to you the user or anyone else.

There are all sorts of ways to overspend when it comes to grocery shopping, which is kind of sad because groceries are expensive enough as it is. Luckily, there are plenty of tricks designed to help you beat the supermarket system and trim your weekly grocery budget. Below are five tips that will help you do exactly that!

Don’t Shop with the Kids – Kids aren’t easy to shop with – every mother knows that. But in addition to being a hassle to corral in a busy supermarket, kids can also add several dollars to your grocery bill. Take one trip down the cereal aisle with a five-year-old and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Don’t Shop Hungry – Most of us have heard this tip, but few of us actually follow this good advice. As you may know, shopping hungry means you end up buying bags of potato chips, cookies, and containers of deli potato salad that you never really needed (and calories you never needed!). To help, shop only after lunch or dinner and always shop with a list.

Don’t Buy Pre-Cut Foods – Pre-cut cheese, pre-cut sandwich meat, pre-cut lettuce, and pre-cut fruit aren’t really that expensive, but all that pre-cutting comes at a cost. Instead, buy your cheese and sandwich meat from the deli (they cut it for free!) and buy lettuce and fruit whole and cut it yourself.

Don’t Buy Prepared Deli Foods – It’s hard to pass up pasta salad or pre-made tuna salad, isn’t it? After all, they’re not only delicious, they’re also super convenient. But just like the pre-cut foods mentioned above, that convenience costs money. Instead, make it yourself for a lot less money and add your own spices to make it just as delicious!

Don’t Buy Toiletries – Of course, you should buy toiletries, just try to avoid buying them at the grocery store. Why? Because the grocery store has great deals on food, but they don’t always have the best deals on toiletries. Instead, buy your deodorants, soaps, shampoos and other toiletries from a stores that specialize in that type of stuff (like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, or CVS).