Being Frugal Made My Hair Fall Out..

Well, not all of it..Let me back up for a second..

In these dire economic times, it pays to be frugal, save money where you can and if you must invest, do so it wisely..Right, could someone please explain to me why folks do not act this way all the time? I clip coupons and shop sales, I try to never pay retail for anything and if I must, it is for something that will last me for a long long time..I was raised this way, my mom installed in us a sense of how important saving is. And why pay alot for something when you don't have to? After I graduated college, and money was tight, I was glad to know how to save and be frugal, it really is a great habit to get into. S and I play the "how much did we save this week" game at Price Chopper every week, I get giddy if the line on the bottom of my receipt that tells me how much I saved is over $20. Giddy, I mean all out acting like a little girl on her birthday because, hay, that $20 can be used toward our next vacation, furniture for our new house, or a couple of cocktails.

So anyhow, yes we are in hard economic times and now it is quite en vogue to be frugal. It has become America's obsession, stories on how to stretch your income grace the cover of magazines and newspapers. But guess what? All of this advice is common sense. Case in point, buy the generic or store brand when you can. I do this with ibuprofen, the only time I buy Advil is when it is on sale and I have a coupon that would make it less expensive that say the CVS brand, it does happen, but not very often.

Bottom line, save where you can. However, there are instances where paying alot for a product is worth it and it is very important to be aware of this. Let me explain. I came of age during the 1980's, that meant (among other fashion disasters) big hair. Remember it? Permed, teased, curling ironed, sprayed. We yanked, fried and dyed our locks until they were so frail, hair could be heard snapping off all over the city. So, with the abuse I used to put my hair thru, I figured it was time for some TLC. And I do this by splurging on salon products for my hair, pricey, yes, but really worth it. I may not perm and tease my hair anymore, but I color it, blow dry it and sometimes go at it with the flat iron. Taking care of my hair is important (to me anyhow)..

Ok, so I prefer the expensive salon products..I ran out of conditioner recently and thought I might try a regular brand that may be bought at the drugstore. So I did. BAD IDEA. My hair starting coming out in clumps in the shower, it was dry as straw and looked awful. After a week of that , I broke down and went back to my salon conditioner and I swear I heard my hair follicles thank me.

So, the point of this long and tedious blog entry is, be frugal where you can, but know when it is ok and sometimes necessary to splurge..Now that the track is open, maybe splurge on those $3 bets! :)