The cost of beauty and fitness can really add up. If you’d like to reduce household expenses, here’s how to save money on beauty and fitness while still looking great.
Do you ever feel like it’s expensive to look your best? You’re not alone!
The average Australian woman spends $3,600 a year on personal beauty products and services, and a further $1,024 on fitness. That’s an average of $4,624 a year, which could potentially be useful elsewhere in your budget if you’re looking for ways to save money.
As part of my budgeting series, here are my top tips on ways to save money on beauty and fitness.
fitness
When you’re looking at your household costs, think about the costs of gym memberships and fitness apps. Can you try and find an alternative way to keep fit?
- Cancel gym and fitness memberships you’re not using, or consider replacing with a cheaper alternative. We often sign up to programs that sometimes don’t end up being suitable for our needs. If the gym is too far away or the class times don’t suit, don’t feel guilty if you decide to opt out. There are other options that can fit with your lifestyle, including free and low cost options.
- Try free and subsidised fitness programs – Check your local council website for details on their active and healthy programs. There are often classes available in your local park or community centre that are offered at a low cost or even free.
- Do YouTube classes – If you love yoga, pilates or other types of class-based fitness, there are plenty of free workout classes available on YouTube. Just make sure to read their disclaimers and keep your activity within your comfort level to avoid injury.
- Get walking – Who says you have to pay to exercise at all? Walking is one of the best exercises you can do and it’s free! If you’re short on time, a walk or run around your local neighbourhood is great. If you have a little more time, go for a walk at the beach, park or do a local bush walk to mix it up.
- Take the dog – Need accountability? What better incentive to keep your exercise date than an excited pup? Get into a routine and take your dog (or your neighbours’ dog) with you – a commitment to a furry friend is a great way to stay on track.
- Swim – If you’re lucky enough to have your own swimming pool or live near the beach, take advantage of warm weather and get your exercise fix in water. You can also do laps at your local pool – not only is this a great workout but it’s also a gentler way to exercise if you have any discomfort from impact exercise.
beauty
The cost of beauty appointments can really add up. Whether you book nails, hair, skin treatments, hair removal, tanning, lashes or anything else, it can be pricey to keep up! However, there are ways to reduce that cost and keep yourself looking and feeling fabulous.
- Try at-home hairdressers and beauticians – They are often cheaper than salon-based services. If you don’t know of one, try asking friends for recommendations for a therapist or hairdresser who works from home.
- Take advantage of trainee specials at your hairdresser or beautician. If the service you need isn’t too complicated, consider trialling the trainee at your hairdresser for a lower price. They work under supervision and often deliver a great result.
- Reuseable products – Reusable beauty products such as these reuseable makeup wipes are fantastic because you’re not having to buy disposable products all the time.
- Switch from waxing to laser – Laser hair removal is much more affordable now and once you’ve completed your course of treatments, you’ll never have to pay for waxing again. Look out for half price and package specials.
- Consider which beauty appointments you really need – If you’re regularly getting lashes, tanning, nails or other beauty treatments, think about what you could live without or perhaps do yourself instead. There are some great self tanning products on the market, which you can often buy on sale.
- Buy products on sale – Websites such as this one offer discounts on everyday and specialist beauty and makeup products that are really worth exploring!
- Make your own body scrub – As you probably know, I love DIY recipes! Although I haven’t made my own beauty products, this recipe looks fantastic – you can make your own body scrub from natural ingredients at home.
- Use up old products. Have you got a stash of skincare and makeup products in the cupboard? Many of us keep products that we have barely used. Go though your pile and try to use these up before buying more. If there’s a reason you’re not using it, such as a face moisturiser is too thick or the makeup colour isn’t right, see if you can use it for something else (eg. a thick face moisturiser might be ideal for your neck or hands) or otherwise, pass on to a friend or clear out.
- Buy value packs – Multi-buys and value packs with several products sometimes offer great value for money. Check out these value packs to see what’s on offer in a multi-buy.
- Multi-use products. There are some beauty products that have a double or triple use, such as a face moisturiser that is also a sunscreen and foundation. Makeup is often multi-use without being promoted that way. Highlighters, blushes and bronzers can generally double as eyeshadows, while eye pencils and eyebrow pencils can often be the same thing.
- Embrace your inner beauty – You don’t need to wear makeup everyday! Go for a natural look sometimes and use less product, saving you money in the long term.
I hope these tips help you save money on your beauty and fitness expenses, so you can look and feel your best without breaking the bank.
