8 products you can buy that will save you money
Here at Fearless Girl Finance, we´re all about maintaining an exciting, fun-filled lifestyle while saving and investing for our financial futures (click here for our top 10 tips to starting your investment journey). Cutting out your daily latte or scrimping to the point that you can´t get a blow-dry for an event? That’s so not us.
That’s why we’ve come up with a list of 8 home, health and beauty products you can buy that will save you money in the long run and allow you to continue your best life while pinching those pennies. These are all tried and tested, getting the Fearless Girl seal of approval – so you know they’ll contribute to your financial well-being without sacrificing quality or convenience.
Health and beauty products you can buy that will save you money
Health and beauty is one of the easiest areas to make quick and easy swaps that will still leave you feeling fabulous without disrupting your financial goals.
An at-home nail kit that leaves you looking salon fresh
I honestly find the noise of my nails clicking on the keyboard the most energising sound. A fresh set of gel nails turns me into a boss bitch. Cursed with King Charles-style sausage fingers, having my nails done makes me more eloquent, more elegant and all-round more confident. But regular gel mani-pedis add up, especially if you’re like me and can’t refuse the add-on hand massage or callus treatment.
This at-home dip nail kit is a lifesaver if you are addicted to glossy gel nails. This kit contains everything you need to get started, in a range of beautiful nude tones and there are tons of tutorials online to ensure you get a salon finish from the first use. As a bonus, it’s healthier for your nails as you forgo the damaging UV lights.
A bar soap and a loofah
This is one of the easiest swaps you will make, and I promise you will never go back. Research shows that typically we use about 6-7 times more liquid shower gel than when using a bar soap, so this is a fantastic way to save money and cut down on plastic waste. A single Dove Beauty Bar can last you over a month and lathers really nicely when paired with a loofah. This shea butter one is the Fearless Girl favourite as it has gentle ingredients that leave your skin soft and supple and uses no plastic packaging at all.
A water flosser to give your teeth that hygienist squeaky-clean feel every day
I bought my Waterpik on a pure whim (which is not the Fearless Girl recommended method of spending), as I am a sporadic flosser at best and I had heard that this was easier. I am a true convert, and I am now anxiously attached to my Waterpik.
This model is cheaper than the traditional Waterpik, and I actually prefer it as it more portable and easily chargeable. Your Waterpik will not only save you money on dental floss, but money in the dentist as it is fantastic for getting into those hard-to-reach areas where food can lurk and cause cavities. I would compare it more closely to a daily hygienist cleaning than using basic floss – good for your health and good for your wallet.
Waterpik Cordless Water Flosser
Re-usable period products
The Pink Tax refers to the tax placed on single use period supplies like tampons and sanitary pads. In many countries, these items are still considered ‘luxury’ items and are subject to a high tax which, coupled with the fact that they need to be replenished regularly, results in women losing income.
Although at Fearless Girl Finance, we think all period supplies should be freely available, in the meantime, re-usable products can be a good way to cut down on this unfair expense. In happier news, while you should absolutely use whichever product is most comfortable for you, re-usable items also benefit the environment.
There are two common options for re-usable period products. The first is the traditional period cup, which is a soft cup made out of medical grade silicone. It can be sterilised and re-used for up to 20 years, making it an extremely cost-effective option to save your money for more pleasurable expenses.
The major downside to the cup is that you need to be comfortable with your bodily functions, as you will need to empty the cup and clean it regularly. If you prefer to avoid mess, period knickers may be a better option. These are available in different absorbencies and can be machine-washed – they claim to absorb 4 times more than a regular tampon, so they are a more secure option.
I have used both and prefer to change them based on my activity levels – period knickers for work and chill (the hip-huggers are INSANELY comfortable) and the cup for exercise and travel.
Home products you can buy that will save you money
TikTok has us thinking we need a gadget for everything and it’s simply untrue. The things I have seen in Sunday re-set videos have left me thinking I live a life of homely deprivation! While you don’t need to feel bad about yourself because you don’t have a skincare fridge or a vacuum cleaner purely for your kitchen bin, there are a few products you can buy that will save you money in the long run.
A dehumidifier to keep your lungs healthy and your laundry fresh
If you live in the Middle East, you’re no stranger to the damp humid haze that characterises the summer months. This weather doesn’t just leave you breathless and sweating, but the humidity can wreak havoc on your home as well. Your clothes and handbags, books and even furniture can all suffer from an excess of moisture in the air. Using a dehumidifier will reduce your chances of mould, finding nasty insects and even respiratory issues. Damp British and Irish winters can benefit from this as well.
This ProBreeze dehumidifier is perfect for apartments as it is not too bulky and can hold up to 1.8 litres of water in the tank. It even has an automatic shut-off when full, so your electricity bills won’t suffer unnecessarily.
An air fryer for perfect crispy fries on a budget
Having an air fryer is going to level up your cooking game and cut down on bills. Crispy sweet potato fries, juicy roast chicken, even the perfect tuna melt can all be done in a compact air fryer. Air fryers are mini convection ovens, which use air instead of oil to crisp up your meals, making them a healthy option for making your favourite snacks. And a study by USwitch found that air fryers cost approximately half of what it takes to run a traditional oven, so it saves your waistline and your wallet.
An easy-to-use at home coffee set up
Look, I can’t lie. I’m not a coffee purist. My favourite coffee is one that has lots of ice and vanilla syrup. I’m also not a huge fan of anything that requires a lot of maintenance or labour just to make a drink. So, this capsule-based coffee machine is perfect for my weekend iced latte or a movie night with hot chocolate. It’s easy to clean, foams the coffee perfectly and doesn’t require a degree in chemistry to make a cappuccino. With the average barista coffee costing upward of 20 AED a pop, this machine soon pays for itself. Make it luxurious with glass straws, your favourite on-the-go mug and your choice of barista milk.
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker
A clothes brush, bucket and colander
Ok, bear with me on this one. Last summer I did a volunteering project in Uganda and for the first time I was in the position of having to wash my clothes in a bucket. For a Dubai girl like me, this was genuinely horrifying. However, 6 months later I am a convert to hand washing as much as possible and at the end of each day, you will find me popping my OOTD into my trusty plastic bucket.
For one thing, machine washing your clothes can cause microtears in delicate fabrics, so you will need to replace them more frequently. For another, running your washing machine for anything less than a full load is both environmentally and financially unsustainable as hand washing saves on both electricity and washing liquid/powder. Obviously, it’s not practical to wash all of your clothes by hand but it can be quicker than a machine wash if you do it properly.
The easiest technique is to soak your clothes in a bucket of hot water with a capful of washing liquid, then give any marks a gentle scrub with a soft clothes brush and rinse it off thoroughly in a colander. I truly am one of the most domestically lazy people I know, so you have my word that this is easy and not at all time consuming.
Although there are hundreds of products you can buy that will save you money, these tried and tested items are a good way to start making smart swaps that free up your income – and that leads to greater freedom for you.
Would you try any of these products? Let us know in the comments or tag us on Instagram @fearlessgirlfinance_
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