When my fiancée told me that he wanted us to try and save money, I thought of the things that I could do to try to cut down unnecessary expenses. Two things that he himself brought up as ideas were my bi-weekly manicures, and getting my hair professionally colored. I believed that, without these things, I was going to look terrible! How could I ever be taken seriously if I didn’t have myself groomed just right? But then I got to thinking! I realized that saving money doesn’t mean having to do without, it just means having to do things yourself.

I’m a natural blonde, but I’ve been highlighting my hair since I was 14 years old. It can get really bad when my roots start coming back in!! I’m so glad that I learned that boxed dyes can work, at least for me, just as well as going to the salon. The most important part of dying your hair by yourself is to remember to match your shade exactly! And if you can have someone there to help, that’s even better! I used to get my hair cut at a professional salon, which is just not necessary I get my hair cut at Ulta Beauty’s salon now, and with a $35 hair cut, that’s hard to beat in New York! But the haircuts come out fabulously! You obviously just have to know what you want specifically (1/2 inch off the bottom, angled, etc.), which is easy to find off of Pinterest or Instagram!

Getting a salon quality manicure/pedicure doesn’t have to involve going and spending $20 every 2 weeks! It’s super simple to buy a manicure kit online, and look up on YouTube how to use it. One like this one would be perfect to start out with! I would definitely also recommend getting some cuticle cream, because that’s the first part of your hands that will show a need to be manicured. I’ve collected over 20 nail polishes over my life (which is TOTALLY ridiculous!!!), and I always find myself gravitating toward the same colors. So it’s really simple to find a few (maybe 2 or 3) colors you really like, and stocking up on those.

All in all, my point is that you don’t have to necessarily put a lot of money into your appearance to seem polished! All you really need is the time and the effort.