Weird or Frugal?

We all do weird things, right?

One of my weird habits involves my make-up. One day a long, long time ago (probably early college) I ran out of foundation. I had been squeezing out the last bit for days, and I finally squeezed it dry. Or so I thought.

I couldn't get to the store to buy any more (I think I was mid application, actually), so I decided to cut off the top of the foundation tube to see if there was a little bit left inside. Guess what I found? TONS of foundation. Like, enough to last me a couple months. I was shocked. So now, I cut up my foundation tube until I actually use all the foundation inside. As you can see in the photo below, I have learned to cut my foundation tube in increments. I cut close to the top, use the foundation stuck to the sides of the top, and then cut a little further down, etc.

Yes, this is weird. And yes, I look like a pauper when I whip out my sandwich bag that holds the cut up tube (can't let it dry out!). But I save so much money by using all the foundation. I only go through about 2-3 tubes a year, as opposed to the 5-6 I went through previously.

Look at how much foundation is still in the bottom! I have been cutting this tube for about two months now. Granted, I don't use this foundation every day (I have a heavier foundation I use when my face needs some extra coverage and some days I don't use any foundation), but I use it probably 20 days a month.

Does anyone else do this? Please tell me I'm not alone here.

Great Finds!

I've come across some really great products recently and thought I would share the finds with all of you!

I follow a few of the "frugal blogs" (Money Saving Mom, Fantabulously Frugal, Frugal in Virgina) for the deals info and advice on different ways to save money. One of my favorite types of posts are the ones alerting everyone to free samples. The samples make great travel items and often introduce me to various products I normally would not buy.

Photo from Burt's Bees

A couple weeks ago I received a sample of Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment and I am OBSESSED. I was worried that my skin might break out after going off the pill, so when I saw this free sample I signed up right away. My skin isn't bad, but I definitely get a few ginormous pimples every now and then. The spot treatment is a liquid that you rub anywhere that you have a pimple and it literally works like magic in just a couple of days. The bottle says the active ingredient is salicylic acid, but the website lists a bunch of other inactive ingredients (in case you are interested). It retails for $10 on the website and I will definitely be ordering a bottle when my sample runs out!

Switching gears....

I recently ordered a tea set and a coffee set from Yedi Houseware via One Kings Lane (let me know if you want an invite!) and am very impressed with their products, so I wanted to share these finds with you too!

My mom's family draws names for Christmas because there are so many of us (I think there are 40 people?) and we can't buy gifts for everyone. This year we drew my 3 and a half year old cousin. While browsing One Kings Lane I stumbled upon the Yedi sale and knew that the Polka Dot Tea Set would be perfect for her. Here she is last May at my bridal tea:


Yes, she is squeezing her tea bag with her hand. Hehe.

The set is great quality, cute as can be, and comes in really nice packaging. I can't wait to see her open it on Christmas day. I remember I was her age when I received my first tea set and hope she enjoys hers as much as I enjoyed mine. When I was looking at the website just now I saw that the tea set was featured in Oprah at Home magazine!


I also ordered the Birch Coffee Set from One Kings Lane for AJ's parents. These colors fit perfectly with their style and I know they will get great use out of them. They are so hard to buy for and I thought this was a practical gift that will hopefully last a long time. This set was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine!


You can't really see the details in this picture (I love how the inside is a different color) so here is a photo from the Yedi website too.


Hopefully this was a useful post. I have a tendency to only call out companies or products that suck, so I wanted to spotlight a few things that have made me happy lately!

De-Stress Me

I have the craziest week ahead so my posting may be few and far between. Or I may post a bunch as a way of procrastinating.

Either way, my stress levels are likely to be through the roof by the end of the week because I have tons and tons of stuff on my to do list. For starters, I have to go to North Carolina on Thursday for an internship meeting, so that is always stressful just because of the 5 hour drive there and back in a 24 hour period. It doesn't help that I have to have the ultimate final draft of my thesis ready by Thursday either. And my portfolio, so I can graduate. Plus all the reports I need to write this week. Okay, enough complaining.

After this week I am hoping to de-stress by doing something relaxing and/or good for my mental health. In my past (pre-internship/law school/bread winner) life I would have splurged for a massage or even a mani-pedi, but since we are on a tight budget and my mom isn't here to go with me (ahem...indulge her only daughter), I need some low cost ideas.

What do you do when you are stressed and need to unravel? Or do any DC gals know of some low cost places I may be able to hit up?

Frugal Family

One of the perks of having a hypoallergenic puppy is no shedding. Because Kona doesn't shed, we are supposed to get her hair cut every couple of months. We used to be very vigilant about her haircuts because she will pull out chunks of hair that are matted. It was easy to be vigilant in North Carolina when her haircuts were only $30 - $40. Here in DC they are much more expensive, and we just can't rationalize spending $100+ to have it done.

So what is a frugal family to do? DIY dog grooming! Alson went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought a $30 clipper set with a leftover wedding gift card. We set to work (2 hours of work to be exact) and the results were not too shabby!

We started in the (windowless) bathroom with the door closed, but the day we decided to cut her hair was also the date DC Tenant Law requires that heat be available. Thus, no air conditioning on an 80 degree day (Hellooo, global warming! Push the date into November!) required that we leave doors and windows open for optimal air circulation. Slowly Kona moved farther and farther from the bathroom...

Don't worry, we weren't hurting her!

I think she actually liked it!
Hair from the first go 'round (we had to go back a second time to get it the right length)

My turn to cut (now I am in the bathroom...haha). Sorry about Alson's photography skills!
All finished! (Poor quality cell phone pic...)


We still plan to get her professionally groomed every once in a while, just because they do things we can't; perhaps when we are back in NY for Thanksgiving or Christmas and then when we are in NC for my graduation in May. After that, I will have a real salary and we may be able to budget in DC grooming every once in a while. For now, the clippers work wonders!