frugal on a friday

It ain't a secret that I'm cheap. Or, ermmm....  Frugal, I should say. Paying retail for just about anything drives me nuts, as I know there are so many ways around it.  My goal is usually 50% retail, but I still get a kick out of anything less than 75%. My latest endeavor? Arbonne.

I told ya I went to an Arbonne party last week and thought there stuff was just amazing. I'm in dire need of new makeup (teenager-ish pink sparkles from Le Bodyshop probably shouldn't be my look for much longer) but Arbonne prices are just nuts. Plus, the consultant at the party last week didn't have much of the cosmetic line and I was simply unwilling to invest in guess-from-a-catalogue decisions. So I went home on a mission: To get the stuff, but at a better price and try the colour-specific items before committing. And with how often I wear makeup (maaaaaybe once a week) this will last like a decade.

Well, well, well... Wadddaknow? Within a few day I found a lady on Kijiji that was selling off her Arbonne products at liquidation prices because she was no longer a consultant. Snagged me some full, unopened, unused items at 45% of retail. Not bad, eh? But I still had the colour-specific stuff to grab (example: grabbed a mascara at 45% retail, but unwilling to risk picking the wrong foundation)... So I put out an ad for an Arbonne consultant with the full make-up kit and knowledge to contact me if she was willing to come over an evening this week to do a one-on-one. I said straight up I wasn't interested in hosting a party or becoming a consultant or whatever... I just need your cosmetic kit and your skills to come to my kitchen, sit with a cup of tea and teach me how to put what where. And be okay with me only buying a few items.

The number of responses was overwhelming!

So tonight I sat with a wonderful mother of 8, who was also totally up for missing bed-time duty, had a cup of tea and learned how to put on my face like a big girl. There were sales and discount and a free item (there usually are, right?) and I snagged my colour-specific stuff at 70% retail.

Booya!