According to the story "Beauty Recessities" on more.com (More magazine's Web site), one stay-at-home mom in Edwardsville, Ill. turned a childhood pastime into a money-saving alternative. Rather than driving her car, she bought a basket for her bicycle and started to peddle around town to do errands. "With the cash I'm saving on gas, I'm able to splurge on pedicures," she says.
Photo 8/8
Reinvent your closet
The tough times urged one client of Chicago's Marianne Strokirk salon to interpret "spring cleaning" in a whole new light. Instead of replacing last season's wardrobe, she repurposed her outfits and paired them with different accessories to get more mileage out of her clothes. This way, she could use the money she saved from not shopping to maintain her current hairstyle. "My hair is my best accessory," she says.
In a down economy (no, it doesn't seem to be over -- yet) it is surprising to learn the lengths women will go to in order to maintain their beauty. It shows just how powerful appearance truly is. When we look great, we feel great, right? Well, this is the main reason why many women have opted to do things like ... take on a second job, create payment plans with doctors' offices for cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures and even ... strip, so that they can still get regular facials, Botox, hair straightening treatments -- you name it!
If you don't believe that these things are actually happening (or even if you do), you must check out these stories. We heard them from experts in various beauty businesses (beauty salons, spas, dermatology and plastic surgery offices), and directly from women who were willing to divulge their secrets (anonymously, of course).
What do you think? Would you or are you taking similar measures in order to keep up regular hair cut or color appointments? Or indulge in massages or luxurious manicures and pedicures? Or do you think this is all crazy talk? We'd love to know, so please share by commenting on this story.
