Frugal Pedicures

With the arrival of warmer weather (finally!), it is time to think about our toes. What mom is not on her feet all day long? My feet are often quite tired and sore at the end of the day. Even if you do not wear open-toe sandals, a good old fashioned pedicure always revives the spirits. But paying for a pedicure can take a bite out of the budget.

I'm on the left, my sisters on the right, my baby in the middle

The cheapest professional pedicure in our town still costs $25 (the local beauty school charges $17). While my sisters were visiting, I thought it would be fun to take them out for a pedicure. Unfortunately, some unexpected big bills came calling, and I didn't have the money right now to spend $75 plus tip for a fun sister-time treat.

Yet, that did not mean we had to forgo the pedicures--just not at the salon.

One of my friends has her cosmetology license and took us with her to the beauty supply store, where all the salon products are sold. We picked up a travel pedicure kit for $11 and a new OPI polish each at half the price they are in the salons. Then, enjoying the sunshine, nice music, and iced coffees/waters, we did our pedicures at home. We still had fun--perhaps even more fun, and saved a bunch of money.

Being frugal does not mean missing out on fun experiences; it just means getting creative at how you can have the experience for less.

You could even do a pedicure more frugally than we did. You can soak in a few drops of tea tree oil, or even baby wash (a suggestion from my cosmetologist-friend). Instead of buying a scrub, you can make your own out of salt. Plain old regular salt, with a bit of water to make a paste. And I'm sure we all have tons of extra lotions lying around.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to give yourself a pedicure asap. You could even get some friends together and show them that frugal really is cool!

Linked to Frugal Friday.