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We women want to look as good as we can for as long as we can. I think it's pretty much a universal goal for most of us and yet with the very difficult economy we're all trying to wade through, it is making that goal ever harder to reach. For many, the days of getting bi-monthly pedicures and manicures are a thing of the past. Millions of Americans are finding that there just is not money for the things that are not absolute necessities.

Trying to look attractive may not be an absolute necessity but it's pretty darn important for a lot of people. This fact is evidenced by the amount of money (in the billions) that is spent each year on beauty products and procedures. Very likely these years' numbers will be down a great deal due to the reduced disposable income many are dealing with.

Perhaps we can not continue to spend as much money on beauty maintenance and improvement as we have in the past but that does not mean we have to give it up entirely. Maybe we'll just have to go about it in a different way. For instance, many of the treatments that we pay good money for can just as well be given by a family member or a good friend or sometimes we can do them ourselves. Many of us love having a regular manicure and that is something that would not be all that easy to do for ourselves. We'd be fine working with our dominant hand but when it came time to use the weaker one we'd be out of luck. For this reason it would a good (and fun) idea to get together with a friend for the purpose of giving each other a manicure. Beside an end result of having our hands and nails look good, it would also give us time to spend with a good friend, which by the way is just as important as trying to maintain our beauty rituals.

Many of us enjoy getting our hair trimmed and styled at a salon on a regular schedule and while that is definitely a pleasure it has also become a luxury that many have had to give up. Because most of us are not trained to cut hair, we will still have to find a way to get the occasional professional cut, but we can spread those visits out and in the meantime we can either make or we can trim it a bit ourselves or have a friend help with a minor trim.

As for hair coloring, products have become available at local drugstores and supermarkets that make it relatively easy to get the job done without the service of a professional. Many women already tend to their own hair coloring and some enlist the aid of a family member of friend. Again, this is something that could have been a trade off with a friend. One week you could arrange to do the coloring for a friend and the next week she could do yours for you. Many times you can get by with just a root touch up which will allow you to be able to go for a much longer time before needing a full color session.

Facials are a special treat but they are also rather pricey, so again, this is something that one can handle on their own at their own home. There are wonderful products available that will provide results that you'll be pleased with. Even though we may be a cash crunch now, we can still accomplish the things that are important to us. We just need to look for ingenious and inexpensive ways to achieve our goals.

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Source by Nancy Kelsey Smith