If there is one thing all we shopaholics have in common, it is the constant search for that little pick me up. But if the state of your wallet is cramping your style, you need to give a little more thought to those impulse purchases. Of course, it is always easy to be spoon fed those items that give you an instant hit, they sit at the checkout, they are endorsed by your favorite celeb. But if you find yourself at a loss to think of a great replacement for these cashed up hits, I’ve made a little list to get you started. These pick me up’s are so cheap they are almost a steal!
Tea - You may not be a tea drinker, you may already have your favorite, but tea is a great pick me up in a tiny package. I’m not just talking about its anti oxidant value here, but its aroma. From dark and smoky to light and floral, tea is perfume for your tongue. With one small package you can transport your imagination to colonial India, to the wilds of Brazil, or the parlor of Lady Grey. It costs less than a movie ticket to take this journey, and you can even do it in your pyjamas. One of my favorite Tea adventures is visiting a fabulous little Taiwanese Tea house near me and spending over an hour at a time sitting with the proprietor as she prepares different blends to share with me, telling me the story of each one before I make my selection. As far as pick me ups go, that is a two for one!
Lipstick – that old pearl. As Wallstreet goes down, the sales of lipstick go up. Yes it is true, but for many even the price of a new lippy might be the difference between having an internet connection or not (oh the horror!) With medium prices of lipstick here retailing around $22, it is a shot in the arm that you may not need. So here is my lipstick secret. AVON. You’ve got to love the Avon lady, even if she doesn’t dress in 1960′s pastel suits ( a’la Edward Scissor Hands). She comes to your house, and even better, she brings samples! These days it is like getting blood from a stone to prize samples from a cosmetic rep, but it makes all the difference to the end sale. Make friends with your local Avon lady. She can give you samples of everything from face cream, lipstick to fragrance. When you do decide to buy that new lippy, you won’t be breaking the bank either. Some of my all time favorite shades and formulations are from AVON and they cost me no more than $9.99 a piece. Bargain.
Flowers – A fresh bouquet every week is a fabulous pick me up, but also an expensive one. I’ve tried replacing them with those little “potted color” plants, but inevitably they die within the month and then I’m left to fork out for a new one. I had to come up with a new strategy. With my sporadic care and watering habits, I needed something that would love me even when I couldn’t love it back. So I turned to those marvelous plants, succulents. Yes, they do remind me of my Nana’s garden(so there is added points for nostalgia), but they are also hard to kill. They come in the most stunning varieties with flowers that run from the daily bloomers, to the waxy type that last weeks on end. Not only do these get points for being cheap and cheerful pick me ups, but they are a pleasure easily shared. You can break off a piece of your favorite one, shove it in some soil (nothing fancy) et viola! A gift for a friend that just about tends itself.
Music – If you are auditorially aroused, then music is high on the agenda for pick me ups. But the cost of a new album each week could kill you. I’m not going to suggest anything illegal here, as just as you wouldn’t knock off a lippy from Chanel, I’m hoping you wouldn’t knock off some artists music. Instead, get creative. Get together with your friends and their ipods. Create a special playlist just for them, then swap ipods for a day, a week, whatever you can part with. Given, if your music is on your phone, this makes the plan more difficult, but there are similar ways to share the experience. Try out Muxtape. A place to create “mixtapes” to share with your friends online, just like we did in the olden days..well some of us anyway.
So put your purse away this week and enjoy some of life’s little luxuries!
It’s just perfect. Dark, spiced and a...
I’m a big fan of the music pick me up–especially from iTunes. Your favorite songs at only $.99! How can you not love that?
Yes! I completely agree about the Avon lipstick! Their mascara is excellent also-one of my all time favorites.
Brilliant suggestions!
Tea and lipstick are definitely my favorite little splurges of late. Although with the makeup, I might suggest NYX lipstick is pretty nice both in the quality and price (around $4USD, I believe). I picked up one a couple weeks ago and have been loving it!
This is a lovely, and refreshing list! While some other blogs focus on buying items for under a price point… you’re buying cheap products. Here you get something of value, that can change your well-being (the side effects of tea are enormous, and who doesn’t feel better from music and flowers?), and have a better impact on the world than poor quality consumption.
Yes, Avon! I’m usually not a fan of cheap cosmetics, but I’ve used Avon eyeliner for years now.
Oh you are so right! I love picking up a new box of tea. For everyday I usually only get kinds that are around $3-$4 a box, but it’s so fun to try out new flavors. And if I hate it, it doesn’t much matter. It was only $3! Plus, I can just have a tea party and someone is bound to drink away anything I don’t like!
And the lipstick too. I got a new shade of lipstick from the Easter Bunny and I cannot stop wearing it. Makes me smile every time I catch a glimpse of my lips in a mirror.
I totally agree with you on all accounts. And how about that old stand by – chic hand cream. There are so many variations of this at so many price points. High end stuff in a small enough bottle can still be very affordable.
Love the list, all those sound great! I will have to track down an Avon lady. I would add bath salts to the list, some epsom salts and essential oil and you can stir up a big batch of your own for a few dollars and it’s sooo good for your skin.
I just put in a make-up order with the Avon lady at work, although it was for other things, eyeliners and such…I am addicted to CoverGirl Outlast which goes on at 5am and is still there, usually at 8pm when I get ready for bed.
Am loving your MadMen series, please keep it going, so glad to have found your blog!
I got the cutest lipstick from Priceline the other day. It was a Playboy Cosmetics ‘Calendar Girl’ lipstick in ‘Miss Jukyl – a gorgeous fuschia shade- and best of all it was on clearance for $5. The packaging is so retro & cute I think I ended up buying about 5 in various shades.
I bought some simple but beautiful red roses from (of all places!) my local Coles last Friday, for the princely sum of $4 on clearance. They were perfect, no flaws, only reduced before the weekend. I used the included sachet of flower food and they lasted a whole week!
Another favourite pick-me-up is lighting a scented candle and reading a good book before bed. Target had some cute ranges of candles, mine were $7.50 reduced from $10, they are in gorgeous embossed boxes and come in a glass container, and the scents are fabulous! They remind me of MOR but at a fraction of the price!
What colors do you like from Avon. I actually sell Avon (and by sell I mean buy myself stuff with my discount and once in a blue moon sell to one other person) It’d be nice to tell people what color you like as a loyal reader.
*hillary
Hillary: I love Amythest, Sangria and Plush the best. They are all in different formulations I belive, but all creamy, matt finishes. And I swear by the Lip Plumper!
Traytable: Great rec’s there. I’ll have to check out those candles as I love creating a fragrant environment that way.
Maravonda: Oh there are loads more Mad Men special issues in the works. Just metering them all out.
Betty Boogie: Great Idea. I make my own salts too. Perhaps I will publish the receipie next time.
K-Line: Oh yes, delish!
Kelly: Do we get to see your fancy new lips on the blog?
Kayleigh: I think AVON are one of the good cheaper brands, as they remain cheap by keeping their overheads down, rather than lowering the standard of the product to fit into that price point.
Asche: Excellent point! just lowering your standard to buy poor quality rubbish from products produced in sub standard conditions, is certainly not the way to go.
Casey: I haven’t heard of that brand. Is it only available in the US?
Miss Red Lips: It IS great mascara. I’d forgotten about that one.
Emer: Music is one of the most powerful and inexpensive ways to change your mood. Just try and be grumpy listening to Doris Day.
NYX cosmetics: available in the Melbourne Central Groove (I think it’s called) store, opposite the Krispy Kreme outlet up near the barriers for the train station.
I got some wonderful glitter eyeliner from there for eight bucks a piece, and a rather nice black “Doll Eyes” mascara for $20. Totally recommended from this Melbournite!
Jess: Thanks for the tips, I must check them out.
Oops, I meant ‘Miss July’. And seeing as you’re from Melbourne, Cosmetics & Fragrances Direct in Spencer St DFO has MOR candles for $12.95 (Usually $39.95). Stumbled across them on a layover the other day. I Love the Cirque Tree one- gorgeous!
Love this post, thank you!
Lovely ideas. I need more tea and flowers in my life.
Oh, how I love this post. The graphics, the language, everything. I am a tea drinker at work (mainly because I was sick of wasting $2 a day on coffee that I could barely choke down), and have just begun indulging in mark (AVON’s little…sister? brother?).
[...] Super Kawaii Mama: Luxe & Less – Pick me up’s for next to nothing. [...]