Money Management

Look beyond department store makeup counters to save money on high-end beauty products. Learn four tricks for getting beauty products for less. 

Beauty isn’t cheap — a fact you’re no doubt painfully aware of if you frequently buy skincare, hair, and beauty products. In fact, the average American adult spends $722 each year on their appearance, according to a survey by Advanced Dermatology.

Buying beauty products doesn’t have to break the bank, though. Follow these four tips to get high-end products for less.

1. Sign up for a beauty box

If you want to score samples of high-end beauty products, consider a beauty box subscription, like Ipsy (starts at $14 a month for five personalized “deluxe-size” samples) or the Allure Beauty Box (starts around $18 a month for at least six products, including three full-size items).

You can check out new products without shelling out full price. Each box usually includes special promotions for the items featured, so if you find something you like, you can get it for a generous discount.

2. Buy hair extensions from Amazon

Hair extensions and wigs are growing in popularity, both among people who want a quick way to update their look and those who have hair loss due to a medical condition. But buying and installing hair can be expensive. Even buying clip-in or tape-in extensions (typically the cheapest options) directly from your salon will set you back between $100 to $200.

But Amazon has a pretty good selection of clip-in and tape-in extensions in a variety of colors, hair textures, and lengths that are far less expensive than you’d get at a salon. For example, I pay about $64 for two packs of extensions, which is about $100 less than I paid when I bought them directly from the salon, and no one has ever noticed the difference. It’s still a luxury, as I pay my hairdresser around $150 to install them, but I save substantial money by buying them online.

3. Hit up T.J. Maxx and discount stores

Discount retailers T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, and Nordstrom Rack frequently have steep discounts on high-end hair and makeup brands. I’ve found normally expensive brands like Clinique, Milk Makeup, Giorgio Armani, and Stila at T.J. Maxx for a fraction of what I’d pay at a beauty counter.

Stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls typically buy high-end products when department stores order too much of a certain item, though occasionally, cosmetics manufacturers will design products specifically for these retailers to test whether customers like them.

These stores aren’t ideal if you’re seeking a specific shade, so they aren’t great for finding the perfect foundation or concealer. But you can find plenty of steeply discounted lipsticks, eyeshadows, mascaras, and skin creams. I’ve also had good luck finding hair-styling tools, like straightening irons and hair dryers, often for less than 50% of the regular price.

4. Use shopping apps and browser extensions

When I’m shopping for anything online, I always use a few shopping tools to make sure I’m getting the best price. Here are a few that have helped me score good deals on cosmetics recently.

Ibotta: Use the Ibotta app to find mostly store-specific offers, then scan your receipt to earn cash back. I recently earned $5 cash back on the $25 moisturizer I regularly use by clicking on an offer for Publix supermarket and scanning my receipt.Rakuten: The Rakuten browser extension and app lets you earn cash back when you shop online at more than 3,500 retailers, including several cosmetics giants. For example, as of this writing, you can get 4% cash back at Ulta Beauty.Capital One Shopping: The Capital One Shopping browser and app will search thousands of coupon codes to ensure you’re getting the best deal on purchases and also offers anywhere from 1% to 10% cash back at a host of retailers. You can’t use both Capital One Shopping and Rakuten at the same time, but it’s worth adding both extensions to your browser to see which one gives you the best deal.

One thing I avoid when shopping for beauty products

When you make a purchase at a department or beauty store, it’s practically inevitable that you’ll be asked to open a store credit card. Though it’s occasionally tempting, I always decline because store credit cards — even ones with a Visa or Mastercard label that you can use practically anywhere — tend to have limited rewards on purchases that you don’t make through the issuing retailer.

Consider using a rewards credit card that offers a higher overall cash back rate on all purchases, even if that means earning a lower rewards rate on beauty purchases.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Robin Hartill, CFP® has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2025 $370 calls on Mastercard and short January 2025 $380 calls on Mastercard. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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You can still score great deals throughout the year. Find out when you should look for the best prices. 

A few years ago, a lady yelled at me the day after Thanksgiving as we both sat in a sea of traffic in a mall parking lot. She wanted to move forward and was mad I didn’t move my car. She didn’t know or care to see that I wasn’t moving because I was letting other cars go in front of me.

I wasn’t even looking for a good deal that day. I just wanted to get out of the house for a bit. At the end of her horn-blowing and various comments in my direction, the woman sarcastically yelled out to me, “Merry Christmas!!”

What a beautiful time of the year the Christmas season is.

When I say that I understand if you want to avoid shopping during Black Friday, I really understand. Fortunately, there are a few other times during the year when you can score great deals and keep your personal finances on track. Sarcastic seasons greetings not required.

Seasonal sales in August and February

Savvy shoppers know that there are almost always good deals when one season is winding down and another is ramping up. That’s why August and February can be great times to find retail deals.

In August, retailers switch their inventory to fall items, selling off any leftover summer items. There will likely be less inventory to choose from, but what is available will likely be a good deal. Keep an eye out for back-to-school deals during this time as well.

Additionally, February can be a great time to find great deals as the winter season ends. You can usually find bargains on winter clothes this time of the year, as well as President’s Day sales for furniture, appliances, and even electronics, like laptops.

After Christmas sales

If you don’t want to wait until August or February for your next big shopping excursion, consider hitting the retail stores right after Christmas. Many stores offer discounts on items they didn’t sell during the holidays, and many are looking to lure in shoppers who received gift cards for Christmas.

I once bought a Christmas tree floor model during this time. It didn’t have a box, but all the lights worked. We already had a real tree decorated in our living room, and I had to convince my wife that two Christmas trees were better than one, but I saved 60% off the original price by shopping during this time.

Save on shopping any time of the year

I needed a suit a few weeks ago, and just by luck, the first store I went into had them for 50% off. I don’t buy suits often (I think once per decade is my current cadence), so it was nice to stumble upon the deal.

But there are better ways to shop than just running across random sales. Here are a few tips if you’re looking to snag the best deals all year long.

Set a budget: Deciding ahead of time how much you want to spend on any given item is the best way to get a bargain. Set a budget for your purchase and wait until you’ve saved enough money to buy the item.Wait for the right time: There’s almost always a sale on something. That doesn’t mean you should be retail shopping constantly, but it does mean that if you make a list of things you need — and wait for them to go on sale — you’ll eventually come across a good deal.Comparison shop: I’m a naturally skeptical shopper, so I immediately check the competitor’s price online when I see a discount. Some discounts aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, so do a little research before buying.

If you brave the crowds this Black Friday, Godspeed. You’ll likely find some great deals out there; just remember to be nice to the guy in the car ahead of you.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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There was a point when I’d written off the idea of saving money. Read on to see how I got back to a better place. 

Being a homeowner isn’t for the faint of heart. In addition to having to make a mortgage payment every month, you also have to pay for expenses like property taxes and homeowners insurance. And you have to do what you can to keep your home well-maintained.

The average U.S. household spends $2,335 on home maintenance each year. But when you run into a series of expensive repairs, your costs might soar well beyond that point.

That’s pretty much what happened to me during a three-year stretch not so long ago. In about 36 months, my husband and I had to replace two air conditioning units and our entire deck. And those were just the major repairs. We also faced some minor ones whose cost added up in a pretty big way.

Those repairs really got to me. There was one night when I actually cried after transferring money out of my savings account and into my checking account to pay one of the contractors who’d worked on my house.

That string of unfortunate repairs in short order also changed my mindset about saving money — and caused me to give up on it for a period. Thankfully, though, I was able to work my way back to a better place.

When you don’t see the point in small savings measures

I’ve always been a pretty frugal person. Even if I can afford to spend $30 five nights a week on takeout when I’m too busy to cook, I’ll usually limit myself to once or twice a week because I know that takeout is such a big expense compared to the cost of buying groceries.

But after facing so many large home repairs, I stopped being mindful of smaller expenses and allowed myself to make those purchases. That meant I started ordering takeout four times a week instead of once or twice because the way I saw it, I was spending so much on home repairs that it made saving $20 here or $30 there seem pointless.

This went on for a period before I realized how financially unhealthy it was. So I started to remind myself that when I was first building savings, $20 here and $30 there made a big difference — and so too could it make a big difference over time at this stage of the game.

I also reminded myself that saving $50 a week (roughly the cost of two takeout meals) actually meant saving $2,600 a year — enough to cover a big home repair. And that, more so than anything else, drove me to cut back on those small purchases and focus again on boosting my emergency fund.

It’s frustrating, but don’t give up

Owning a home can be an extremely frustrating experience. And you might reach the point where you’re ready to give up on saving money because your unexpected costs are so darn high.

I get it. I’ve been there.

But believe it or not, those smaller expenses do matter. While it’s hard to push yourself to not splurge for a $30 takeout meal knowing full well that you might end up writing a $3,000 check later in the month to fix your house when something breaks, try to make a sound decision nonetheless.

Losing money to home repairs is even harder when you’re starting with less. And while a $20 or $30 expense might seem negligible compared to a big home repair, remember that over time, everything you put in the bank adds up.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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A Costco membership upgrade could make a lot of sense right now. Read on to see why. 

When it comes to your Costco membership, you have choices. For $60 a year, you can maintain a basic membership that gives you access to Costco’s everyday low prices in stores and online. But if you’re willing to spend an extra $60, or $120 in total, then you can get an Executive membership instead. And the primary benefit there is being able to score 2% cash back on your Costco purchases, whether you make them at your local warehouse club store or online.

If you’ve been on the fence about a Costco membership upgrade, then you may be thinking you’ll just wait until the new year to make that change. But if you expect to do a lot of holiday shopping at Costco, then it pays to move forward with that upgrade ASAP.

You might as well upgrade before you do a load of shopping

Costco really has the potential to be your one-stop shop for holiday purchases. After all, you’ll find everything from food for your holiday party to gifts to wrapping paper to decor. You might free up cash to add to your savings account by buying these items at Costco, thanks to the warehouse club giant’s competitive prices.

If you expect to do a lot of holiday shopping at Costco, then it pays to upgrade to the Executive membership now rather than wait. That way, all of those extra purchases will count toward your cash back total.

Plus, a lot of people tend to take advantage of retailers’ Black Friday specials — and Costco is going to have plenty of those. It’s already released some of its Black Friday deals, so customers can get a preview.

Meanwhile, let’s say you’re planning to treat yourself to a new TV from Costco during its Black Friday event. That might easily be a $700 or $800 purchase — or more. Wouldn’t you want to earn cash back on it?

There’s really no risk in upgrading your Costco membership

It takes $3,000 in annual Costco spending to break even on the cost of a membership upgrade. That’s because 2% back on $3,000 is $60, which is the difference between the basic membership and the Executive one.

Having that upgraded membership in place during the holiday shopping season could make it more likely that you’re able to surpass that $3,000 threshold, which is when you really get to benefit financially from an Executive membership. But if you don’t end up spending $3,000 at Costco over 12 months, worry not.

Costco wants its members to be happy at all times. So if your Executive membership upgrade doesn’t end up paying off, all you need to do is go to customer service and ask to go back to a basic membership.

From there, Costco will see how much cash back you’ve accumulated on your Executive membership. If it’s less than $60 — the cost of the upgrade — Costco will actually give you back the difference. This means that if your total spending only puts $50 back in your pocket, Costco will give you $10 when it downgrades your membership to a basic one.

So all told, upgrading to an Executive membership is a no-risk proposition. And if you do so during the holidays, you might benefit big time.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Small Business Saturday will be here soon. Read on for tips on maximizing your revenue that day. 

Black Friday is arguably the most important day of the year for businesses of all sizes. But if you run a small business, there’s another important event to focus on that weekend — Small Business Saturday.

A good 36% of Americans intend to shop on Small Business Saturday, according to recent data from Drive Research. But unfortunately, 78% of shoppers expect to spend less than usual due to the ever-rising cost of living.

As a small business owner, it’s important to do what you can to make the most of Small Business Saturday. Here’s how.

1. Think outside the box

On Small Business Saturday, companies everywhere will be offering promotions and discounted products. But if you’re able to come up with a more creative hook, it might really bring more customers to your door.

Rather than just hold a 30% off sale, consider something fun like “free cookies with every purchase.” An idea like that could drum up business because customers are apt to be curious and engaged at the very least.

2. Partner with other businesses for cross-promotion

Maybe you run an apparel shop, and there’s a nearby brewery that’s been looking to drum up business. Why not work together on marketing to drive customers back and forth on Small Business Saturday?

Partner with that brewery so your shared patrons get a free beer with a minimum in-store purchase at your shop. And offer customers 10% off of their credit card tab if they show a same-day receipt from the brewery.

3. Use social media to your benefit

Social media can be an effective means of driving customers to your door. Talk up your business in the days leading up to Small Business Saturday. Also, talk about who you are. If you have ties to the community — say, you grew up in town — open up about that.

Customers are often eager to support people whose stories they can relate to. If you explain that you launched your business so you could support your young kids and do something you’re passionate about, that might resonate with locals. And it might inspire them to show up with cash in hand the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

4. Incentivize existing customers to pay you a visit

You may have certain regulars who help keep your business afloat. Encourage them to support your company on Small Business Saturday by offering up special incentives — consider options like discounts on specific products (perhaps the ones you’ve overstocked) or fun coupons they can redeem during the day.

If you let it be known that these perks are for existing, loyal customers only, those on the receiving end may be more inspired to show up. Better yet, come up with some sort of incentive that motivates them to bring a friend along — perhaps a courtesy friends-and-family discount.

Small Business Saturday only happens once a year, so it pays to try to make the most of it. But the reality is that you can use these tips outside of that event to drum up business all year-round. And that could be even more beneficial to your company.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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