This article is part of a brand partnership.
It seems like every time a brand comes out with a new product, all of us scramble to get our hands on it. A new Fenty Beauty product launch? Yes, please! Selena Gomez adds new lipsticks to Rare Beauty? Must have it!
Well, that may be true, but it’s probably not something your wallet wants to hear. If you find spending more money on beauty items than you can afford, it might be time to come up with a budget. Here are a few tips we all need to follow.
1. Do the Math — Add Beauty to Your Budget
Oddly, you won’t often see ‘Beauty’ as a category on most free budgeting templates. However, you will see a Miscellaneous column on most, if not all. This takes into account such things as travel, entertainment, dining out, and so forth. All those items which you “could” live without if need be.
However, is beauty really something we can do without? You might want to make a separate entry for beauty products and services but remember, it will still fall within that recommended 10% of your budget for miscellaneous expenses. You may need to take some of the budget away from miscellaneous, but in the end, you will need to budget for beauty. That’s a must!
2. Look for Coupon Deals
Something you might want to do is look for coupon deals online. If you are close to your budget but not yet over, these coupons might just give you the savings you need. There are sites that list literally hundreds of coupons from all sorts of manufacturers, designers, and distributors you can find. You might find BOGO (buy one get one) deals or coupons that can save you as much as 50% off in some cases. Sites like Upgraded Reviews list them by category, and you just might find the coupon you’ll need to get that new mascara you want. It’s always worth a quick look, isn’t it?
3. Take Stock of What You Have
One of the issues most of us face when trying to stick to a budget is being able to refrain from buying that new makeup or perfume we see being advertised. It always pays to start with an honest inventory, if you will, of the items we already have at our dressing table. Do you really need a new lash-lengthening mascara when you already have one that adds fullness as well as length? Do you really need another tube of lipstick, even if it’s a shade you still don’t have? The only problem you might encounter is making a realistic assessment of what you have vs. what you “need.” If you’ve already maxed out your budget this month, add it to your list of wants for next month. Waiting a few weeks isn’t all that painful, now is it?
4. Do Some Research First
How many times have you fallen for advertising hype only to find out that a product doesn’t do what it purports to do? We have all fallen prey to that but if you take the time to do a bit of research first, you check out customer reviews if you can find them.
Also, when trying to decide between ordering online or shopping local, make sure you check out the cost of shipping. While you might get free shipping when spending over a certain dollar amount, sometimes the cost of shipping outweighs the coupon savings so be very careful there.
Sadly, there are very few of us who don’t need to budget our money carefully but that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying life just a little, should it? If you learn how to budget properly, you can have those new false lashes or trending hair colors you’d like to try. It just means that you have to set a budget and do your very best to stay within it. You can do that, can’t you?
