theposhshopper.com

First let me say sorry about being off the blogosphere for a quick minute. I have been substitute teaching (gag) during the week to fill up the time when I am not at tradeshows. I am also finishing my alternative teaching certificate so if I want to mold the minds of the youth I can do so legally....lol. Time has been flying by but I’m here now and ready to blog away. I am going to continue to feature stories about all things frugal and fabulous. Today’s blog is exactly that, an ode to frugality. Enjoy.....

When I was younger (ala~college age) my dear friend Kali and I would joke about how nice it would be when we graduated college, got rich, and could graduate from living our “Equate Lifestyle.” Equate referring to the budget brand alternative we had to buy at Wal-Mart in lieu of name-brand anything and everything. Well eight years later I have definitely graduated college, not become rich, and now more than ever embracing my “Equate Lifestyle.

” 

The current economic issues are very real and most babes are feeling the pinch. I didn’t necessarily lose bags of cash in investments when everything came crashing down because hello....I didn’t have any invested, yikes. “If ya ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” But...most of my clients did lose and so inadvertently I was effected by this economic crunch. As many of you know I own a retail business that specializes in jewelry and accessories called The Posh Spot. (insert shameless plug for www.theposhspot.net here) The ladies quit spending as much and so I haven’t been selling as much. I began to see a real difference last December at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Sales and attendance were down 30% across the board and that was the first sign of trouble. When people aren’t even drunk and happy spending in Vegas then something is way wrong. Many business owners agree that 2009 continues to showcase a consumer who is cautious and holding on to their cash. I know I am. So in the spirit of frugality, I want to dedicate this blog to the “Equate Lifestyle” and compare some products to show you we frugalistas do get a good bang for the buck. 

Today I’m going to focus on beauty and personal care products because that is what I have bought the past few trips to Wally World. I’ll break it down into the savings per ounce on the liquids since that really is what showed me how much I was saving. Now remember peeps- I’m not a scientist, mathematician, or a certified guru on personal care products (not yet anyway) so this is all my opinion and statistics that my math abilities allow. 

Hand Soap:

All of us probably have a pump bottle of liquid soap by our sinks throughout the house. Liquid soap is really the norm in hand cleaner now. Bar soaps are not usually seen unless you are in prison, a Motel 6, or a mechanic’s garage....hello scratchy Lava bar. In our homes we love the convenience and scent of easy cheesy liquid soap. Even in public all we have to do is just put our hands out and the automatic dispenser will shoot some out. I like easy. Everyone does. But suds at home can get expensive.

My indulgent side would love to scamper over to Bath and Body Works every month and buy all the hot new scents to have by my sink but the reality is that I have to watch every penny and the mall is not where I need to buy my soap! The best place to buy my liquid soap is Wal-Mart and money is saved by opting for bulk. You probably already have a near empty bottle waiting to be replaced so try refilling it instead. I’m not suggesting a Sam’s Wholesale bulk fall-out shelter amount purchase but Wal-Mart sells Equate Liquid Handsoap in a 64oz jug of fun and you can refill your kitchen and bathroom bottles for a fraction of the cost. 

Here is the break down: If you buy even the small individual 7.5oz bottles of Equate brand soap for $.98. I’ve been buying those lately because I thought it was the cheapest way to secure suds. Today I saw the big refill jug and decided to do the math. The small 7.5oz bottles cost you $.13 per ounce.  An Equate 64oz bottle is $3.68 so that breaks down to only $.06 per ounce.  So you basically get alteast 50% off by buying in bulk. 

That is a great deal considering when you go to Bath and Body Works and purchase a normal bottle of their 8 oz anti-bacterial hand soap it will cost you $4.50 and that my friend breaks down to $.56 per ounce!!!!! Yikes, goodbye Sweat Pea and Exotic Coconut, hello Equate Refill Jugs! It’s hand soap people, who cares the brand or scent. With all the H1N1 scare we need to be diligent about clean hands at home so as long as it kills germs I’m fine with economic Equate. 

Beauty products can seriously break the bank so I was relieved to see all the Equate options when it came to skin and hair care. Here are some of the comparisons of cost.

Hair Care:

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo 13oz bottle $3.99= $.31 per oz.

We all love Sarah Jessica’s favorite brand but that can add up so I opted for:

Equate Fortifying Shampoo 13oz bottle $1.97= only $.15 per oz. 

You are saving atleast 50% this way!!!! The bottles look almost identical but it’s the similarities in the ingredients that make me confident in this choice. Heck for under two bucks if I don’t like it and my hair is less than Sex in the City quality, I will spring for SJP’s Garnier next time. Today my hair feels great and has plenty of volume, so far so good. 

Pantene ProV Daily Moisture Conditioner 25.4oz for $7.99= $.31 per oz

I don’t use a lot of conditioner each time so this is a no-brainer. I’m going to try to save money on something that doesn’t effect my “do” all that much. I have been using this for months and it really is just as good as Pantene. The ingredients are almost the exact same. I highly recommend trying this product or rotate it in with your pricier brand of choice. At this price I don’t fret over slathering conditioner on my legs after I shave then rinse off for extra softness. Try that trick, you’ll love it. 

Equate Pro Vitamin Conditioner 25.4oz bottle $3.12= only $.12 per oz. That is freaking saving over 65% on conditioner.....Sold! 

Skin Care:

Although I am now a tender 31 years of age (haha) God seems to keep me in check with the fun of adult acne. I’m not always broken out but every few weeks I get a flash of hormonal-13-year-old-school-boy-skin and have some issues. Although Jessica Simpson and Vivica Fox would both love for me to continue my monthly purchases of Pro-Activ that expensive habit has been gone since my last corporate job (3 years ago). 

I need to blast blemishes but I can’t even afford the the Pro-Activ knock-off version at Wal-Mart so I explored my Equate options. At night I like to take the easy way out and use those towelettes that are pre-moistened to take my make-up off.

Neutrogena Facial Cleansing Cloths 25 count $7.99= $.32 each wipe....Daaauuuumn. 

I’ve used every brand of these wipes and honestly I’ve never really been able to tell a difference between any of them. The first time you buy wipes be sure you get a snap top box that keeps them moist so you can keep it and just buy the refills. 

Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes 60 count $3.94= $.07 each wipe. Now that is the way to wipe off the dirt of the day. Look how much you are saving by going the Equate route.

You can’t always use the easy wipes. You need to wash your face with cleanser atleast once a day to get your scrub on. For an actual face-wash I feel like I have tried them all. I have a beautiful friend named Skyler who has the most perfect skin ever. I always asked her in college what her secret was and she would just glow and say “Dove Bar Soap.” If I busted out a bar soap on my oily face I would not only break out in a fiery rash but the aftermath would include a peel-fest as if I wash freshly sunburned from partying Spring-break style ’99 in Daytona, Florida. 

Some things just work for some, not for others. Since a bar soap is not an option, I use liquid cleanser. Whether the cleanser is $2 or $20 the usual acne fighting ingredient is 2% Salicylic Acid. I’ve had pretty good luck with any cleansers with that magic additive. Beware, although it may say to use it 2x a day, I only suggest using it once a day or even every other day because the acne fighter can also dry you out big time. It will help with the break outs though. You may see some zits surface before they fade and I hate to repeat the line my dermatologist said but here it goes, “It will get worse before it gets better.”

Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash 6oz bottle $6.49=$1.00 per oz. No thanks Neutrogena.

Instead of paying that try the alternative:

Equate Acne Wash 6oz bottle $3.25= $.54 per oz. Now that is more my style. I like saving 50% on face wash. Especially face wash I use sparingly for fear of a major dry-out. But hey, gotta keep the zits at bay. 

These are just some of the items that I have enjoyed trying and hope you will give them a shot. Money is something you want to hold on to not blow on brand names. Think next time you roll into Wal-Mart and make some changes. 

You won’t be disappointed and you won’t be sacrificing quality when you chose Equate. Almost anything you need comes in an Equate version and saves you at least 50% when you break it down by ounce, serving, or piece. 

It has been a few years since college. I remember all to well counting change for lunch at Bueno and scrapping together enough gas money (gas was $.76 a gallon one semester) to go out to the Wolftrap. And now even though times are better in the earning department (no more cocktail waitressing at the Ramada) they are still tough and in this economy (gas is far from $.76) we can all benefit from saving some dough. 

So even though I could spring for name-brand goodies, I have learned that there is no shame in the Equate game. I’m getting what I need with the same ingredients that are in the name-brand products for 50% off. It makes perfect CENTS for me to keep living the “Equate Lifestyle.” 

If you love any great generic versions of a must-have product, email me at noel@theposhshopper.com  or leave a comment so everyone can see! I love knowing about new items and ways to save money. I’ll post your ideas with credit to you on my website. Thank you for visiting The Posh Shopper. Remeber today’s motto, “Go Ahead, Be Frugal and Fabulous!”