Rituals: At-home manis and pedis, $1 root kits
I do these by choice, not necessity. And you can, too! Here's how to save money on DIY nails, toes, and hair colour
Are we entering a recession?
Fearmongering mainstream American media will do its best to preemptively scare the living shit out of you…
Because such storylines are entertainment and strike an emotion, preferably fear.
I know this because I worked in a newsroom. Here’s positive jobs news, at least.
A calmer approach would be to gird your loins and be ready for it, if and when it comes.
Here’s a little financial advice with which I mostly agree (with a focus on retirement, but the basics are there).
Remember, no one knows what’s best for one’s own personal financial circumstances, except you.
If you're fortunate enough to be a contrarian, then embrace it.
Be the person who:
Buys red, sells green
Shorts before calamitous selloffs and buys the dip
Buys when Bitcoin and the S&P 500 “suffer their worst declines since X…” because that’s when such things are on sale and present the biggest purchase opportunities
Invests in real estate when housing markets go soft
Avoids the noise and stays the course (if you have more than a decade before retirement)
Content entrepreneur | Agency Founder & CEO | Bestselling author Featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Bankrate, Cheddar TV, and HuffPost | Join more than 6,480 people on the internet who follow me for discerning lifestyle, travel, and money content:
How do you find yourself on the right side of a recession?
In the short term, you’ll want to be mindful of your cold hard cash because Americans’ savings rates are effectively zero.
Keep what you can, protect what you have, and invest in assets that might have been out of reach before—but are now available for less.
While tariffs on goods and day-to-day things like technology, electronics, coffee, and other groceries, will make them cost more and soon…
Your liquidity enables you to take advantage of big picture items for long term wealth, like real estate, stocks, and alternatives.
So how do you get more cash?
Simple! ⬆️ income, ⬇️ costs
Only two ways I know to get more cash:
Grow inputs: Increase your income, and,
Decrease outputs: Cut your costs
Note that these two aren’t mutually exclusive. You can grow your income and cut expenses at the same time.
It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
First, you can increase your income
Ask for a raise at your job and/or,
Make money from an investment or side hustle, or
Start a business and sell products and services that people or companies want to buy
Second, you can cut costs
In most cases, it’s harder and takes longer to create new income.
It’s way faster and easier in the short term to cut costs.
In a recent thread among readers of Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me newsletter, she asked people what things they would cut first in a recession.
With a New York-centric audience, gym memberships, Ubers, booze, expensive dinners, and nights out were on the chopping block.
But foregoing of nail salons for at-home manicures and pedicures also came up.
Of course, we all have certain non-negotiables.
For me, my house cleaners would be the last thing I give up.
Streaming TV would go before I cut my cleaners, because they give me hours of life back every month to create new things (income) instead of scrubbing, mopping, and dusting.
Rituals: At-home manis, pedis, and hair color
You can save anywhere from $35 to $500+ per month by doing your own manis, pedis, and hair color, in the comfort of your own home.
For all my male readers, I know this letter might be more for the ladies, but you can likely benefit from grooming tips, too.
Guess what? Women love a man who makes an effort, from knowing how to do your hair and keeping your nosehairs in check, to keeping your hands and feet neat and tidy.
Don’t get me started on keeping your clothes and shoes laundered, tailored, and not frumpy, either.
For the ladies, I know some of you may want acrylics or gel or even nail art, but guess what? You don’t need any of it.
I’ve done all that before, and you can also just accept that your natural nails are beautiful.
I cannot type or play guitar or type with long nails (and apparently neither can Taylor Swift) so I often opt for something shorter.
My wealthy girlfriends tell me they also apply their own nail lacquer.
I used to run to the nail salon because I thought it saved time, or they could do a better job than me.
But it takes less time to block an hour or two at home than to sit anxiously and uncomfortably for hours, breathe fumes in a confined space, and then also subject myself to skin ageing UV drying lamps.
Also be subjected to interrogation and yelling: You married? Why no husband? PICK A COLOR!
We spend so much money on our faces to look younger, but other telltale signs of ageing are in our necks, décolleté area, and hands.
Also I just love the comfort in knowing I’m not sharing my nail tools with anyone else.
Tools for DIY manis and pedis
You need the right tools. But once you have them, it’s all good.
Manicures:
A bright lamp or solid lighting
Nail clipper
Nail file
Nail buffer
Cuticle pusher
Cuticle cutter
Cuticle oil
Alcohol
Nail polish remover
Nail polish base and top coat
Nail polish
Cotton swabs or tips
Pedicure:
In addition to the tools above, a great at-home pedicure starts with softening your feet in the shower or bath, along with:
Callous shaver: The kind with the razor or the kind that looks like a cheese grater. Use it to slough dead skin off your feet, then
A pumice stone + salt scrub to smooth and soften
Toe separators: I’ve never purchased these. I’ve saved them from nail salons
If you don’t know how to give yourself at-home manis or pedis, there are plenty of basic tutorials, but here are a couple:
The biggest differentiators are knowing how to safely trim your cuticles and file and shape your nails.
Men: a little filing of rough edges also goes a long way.
A little cuticle oil also refreshes everything.
Press-on nails: I love them
Like everything that has improved with time and technology, today’s press-on nails are not the ones you played around with when you were 10 years old.
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They fit better, look better, and stay on for the most part, if you prepped accordingly.
Many come with glue, but I’ve found that I only want them on temporarily for special occasions or events, so I’ll use adhesive tabs that are strong and last for a few days.
My faves are the ones from Glamnetic. They come with glue but you can purchase adhesive tabs. Also, peer and company creator/CEO Ann McFerran has a great founder story.
DIY Hair color
I understand that many women prefer and need salons to get their hair and highlights to exacting standards.
I, too, have paid upwards of $400+ to get my hair dyed, bleached, and lightened to the right color, because there’s no way I’d bleach my (naturally dark) hair at home.
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I’m lucky because I can easily buy drugstore haircolor, aka box hair color in a dark brown color, to cover up old salon bleach jobs.
I’m nowhere near comfortable with letting my greys out yet.
So I dye my roots every two to three weeks.
I used to use a Clairol root touch-up kit ($9 to $11), but then I ambled into a store called Pop Shelf where they have a $1 (not a typo) root kit.
Of course, I was skeptical.
I was like, “I’m not putting that shit on my head.”
But I swallowed my pride and decided to try it.
And you know what? It’s perfectly fine.
After several uses, I’ve discovered it may not last as long and you may not get as much product, but you can rotate and sub in a few Clairol root kits every third application or so.
“But I go to salons to relax and escape…”
I get it. Spas offer respite and relaxation.
But your home can offer that too.
Lock yourself away in your bedroom or bathroom, clear out your living room, light a candle, turn on a TV or iPad to a guilty pleasure show (like Love is Blind or some other trash), or listen to a podcast.
Do whatever you have to, to get away from everyone and everything outside.
Practice makes perfect
I didn’t just start this yesterday.
Again, I’ve had years of practice; I watched how these pros did my manis and pedis and emulated the steps at home.
Note that some nail colors are harder to apply than others. A little trial by fire will show you what’s what.
Never say never
Finally, I’m not saying to never get your nails or hair done, but even skipping the salons for intervals at a time will put a surprising amount of cash back in your pocket.
You can do the in-between maintenance at home.
Maybe you want cool nail art from time to time, or need a massive hair color overhaul. That’s fine!
There’s no reason to go into full penny-pinching, miserly mode—it’s about knowing the things you want for your “rich life” per Ramit Sethi, and spending money on those things that make you happy—like house cleaners, in my case.
But if you want to rein in a little of your spending, then ancillary services that are more wants than needs are a good place to start.
What about you?
What are you cutting if a recession comes? Tell me!
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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Your hair color is perfect!
Yes, I go the pop-on pre-glued ones too; then, I just toss them.
Lash extensions were a nightmare for me too!!! Then, she didn’t use hypoallergenic lash glue and broke out horribly. Never again, my lashes were falling out too.
I love the six pack Ardell 113 lashes from Amazon at nine bucks a box. They are stellar. Please tell me which your favorites are. 😎😎😎😎😎
You are so talented in sooooooooo many domains!!!!!!! Have you ever tried lashes at home? 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋