Dollar is soaring, rupee is
falling, pay checks are coming but some figures are missing = My life at this
exact moment. Recession has hit hard, rather harder than I predicted, expected
or hoped. Nonetheless there are things in our regular lives which can’t be
compromised and likewise there are things in our lives which can do with some
adjustments. Trust me, adjustments are smaller but they can make big differences,
economically.
Couple of months back I was
regular to beauty parlours for manicure-pedicure, hair spa, body massage, face
clean-up and many more things. But since I have spotted ONE missing figure from
my pay check, I had to convince myself to spend wisely and save nicely. Last
month I had decided to give a miss to professional beauty treatments and gave myself
head-toe beauty treatment at home at minimal prices and to be honest I saved an
amount of money which seemed quite a lot and which I was spending without much
consideration before this recession phase.
Let’s have a
glance at my before and after beauty expenditure.
Before Recession My Spending
On Grooming Treatments:
- Hair Spa (Twice a month)- INR 2000 ($32)
- Manicure (Twice a month)- INR 1000 ($16)
- Body Massage (Twice a month)- INR 3000 (Approx. $49)
- Face Clean Up (Twice a month) INR 1500 (Approx. $25)
Total spending= INR 8500 ( $138)
Current Spending On
Grooming Treatments:
- Instead of going to hair spa, I have
decided to use homemade egg white head mask twice a month and hair massage with
Luke warm almond oil which followed by covering the hair with hot towel and
leaving it for 5 minutes (repeat the same 3 more times) for twice a month.
Cost= Total of 6 egg whites = INR 42 (Less than a dollar)
Bottle of
Almond Oil = INR 500 ($8)
Total cost= INR 542 (Less than $9)
- Instead of going to the Parlour
for Manicure-Pedicure, I bought a mani-pedi kit, a bottle of shampoo, packet of
Epsom salt, pumice stone and a scrubber. Fill the bucket with bearably hot
water mix a dollop of shampoo and half a spoon of Epsom salt and stir it well.
Remove any previously applied nail-polish, dip your feet in the water for 10
minutes and then work on one feet at a time. First use pumice stone and then
scrubber to get rid of all the dead skin. Clipped and shape your nails, apply
some cream (any cream) on your cuticles and push them backward. Clean your feet
and apply any nail-polish of your choice. For manicure, fill a deep dish or
small tub (something like popcorn tub) with a bearably hot water, mix a dollop
of shampoo and half a spoon of Epsom salt and repeat the same procedure as you
had previously done on your feet.
Cost: Mani-pedi kit = INR 500 ($8)
Pumice
Stone = INR 25 (50 cents)
Scrubber =
INR 200 ( $3)
Shampoo
=INR 165 ($2, 50 cents)
Epsom Salt
INR 350 (Approx $6)
Total Cost= INR 1240 ($21)
- Nothing can beat a professional
body massage but still you can attain a certain level of relaxation and satisfaction
with an alternative. I bought a bottle of body scrub and used the Epsom salt
from the packet which I used for mani-pedi. Take a generous amount of body scrub
on your palm and scrub yourself lavishly and then take a bath with lukewarm water
and mix a spoon of Epsom salt in the water. You will feel positively relaxed.
Cost= Body Scrub= INR 600 (Approx $10)
Epsom Salt
= Used from the same packet.
- For face clean-up I bought a pot
of face scrub and a pot of face pack. First wash your face and pat it dry. Take
some face scrub on your palm, mix few drops of water and apply on your face. Massage
your face in circular motions. Clean your face and fill the steamer with water
(if you don’t have steamer than boil water in a pan) and take the steam for 3-4
minutes. Then use the black head remover tool on your nose, forehead and chin
area. Then take an Ice cube from your freezer and rub it on your face. Pat your
face dry and apply the face pack and wash your face after 20 minutes. Later apply
some moisturiser.
Cost= Face Scrub= INR 300 (Approx. $5)
Face Pack=
INR 350 (Approx $6)
Total Cost= INR 650 (Approx $11)
Grand Total = INR 3032 ( Approx $50)
All in all I saved= INR 5468 ($85)
If you are like me, struggling to maintain your life and
style in this ever falling economy than I would strongly advice, spend wisely,
save nicely.
