Pinching pennies for fun and profit

(see? it's easy)

I'm cheap. I'll admit it. The good news is, with today's economy people now appreciate the benefits of being cheap. So I'm no longer weird. I am now frugal, simplistic and environmentally conscious. In fact, I am so far ahead of the times I already know who will win the 2012 election. But I can't tell you without violating the rules of time travel. I also can't be in the same room with myself.

Anyway. Want some tips on how you can be ahead of the times like me? Here you go:

Tip# 1: Enjoy your old clothes. Sooner or later they will come back in style.

(my favorite sandals ... sure they are ugly, but who really looks at my feet anyway?)

Tip # 2: Re-use things whenever possible. For example, I re-use those annoying plastic grocery bags. In fact, I bought some re-usable fabric grocery bags which I would re-use much more often if I could only remember to take them out of my trunk at the grocery store.

(here is my fancy bathroom trash can, with my re-used bag from tramlaW)

Tip # 3, 4, and 5: Skip the expensive cosmetics. Instead, make your own!

First, make your own concealer. Take a cheap-o bottle of foundation, and smear some in the lid. (see the picture below) In a day or so, it will thicken up. Presto change-o! You now have concealer, in your perfect foundation-matching shade.

(yes, i honestly do this. ok, maybe i am weird after all)

Next, make your own tinted moisturizer. Take some cheap-o moisturizer, mix in a drop of your cheap-o foundation and voila! It even has sunscreen.

(do you know how much the department stores charge for tinted moisturizer? me neither, but i am sure it is a lot)

And finally, make your own fancy-schmancy mascara. All you need is a tube of cheap-o mascara and one square of toilet paper. Swirl the applicator in the tube, pull it out, and wipe off the clumps with your toilet paper. There ya go! Beautiful, clump-free mascara.

(works every time)

Now, most of you have never seen my face, other than the very small and deliberately blurry picture I put in my profile, which could be my high school graduation picture for all you know. So you will have to take my word for it. These penny-pinching cosmetics work just as well as the expensive stuff.

Stay tuned for helpful tips on recycling your chewing gum (hang pictures, fix your eyeglasses or plug that pesky leak in your tire) and making milk shakes from grass clippings (you will "go green" for days!).

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