No matter whether you are a simple facewash-and-go type of person or you have the most meticulous of 10-step routines, you need to make sure that you are accurately budgeting for everything that goes into your needs. We might be excellent at budgeting the bigger payments in our lives, whereas this is one that we might not always account for as accurately as we should. Here are some of the things you can consider when trying to budget for your health and beauty needs.

Write Down Everything You Use

The first step in budgeting is always to see what you actually use. Write down everything that you use for your health and beauty routines. No matter how big or small an item might be, you should make sure that you include it on the list so you don’t lose track of anything. Something like dental floss might not seem like too big of a cost, but it is going to make its own mark on your overall costs. 

Whether it is something like soap or shampoo that you use to wash yourself, cosmetics that you like to use such as foundation or lipstick, or even something that you use for your health such as a retainer or vitamins, it all needs to go on the list. Make sure that you include everything, and find out the prices of each item so you can see how much you spend on your health and beauty needs.

Look for Places You Can Cut Down

Once you have your full list and the cost of those items, you can begin to look for areas where you can cut things down if need be. Sometimes this might not be possible. Though you could switch from separate shampoo and conditioners to a 2-in-1, there is a strong chance that it is not going to be as good for your hair, making it more difficult to tame and style.

Therefore, it is better to look for places where you can reasonably cut down. For example, if you are a makeup lover then you might be treating yourself to a new lipstick or eyeshadow palette a bit more often than you really should be. Trying to undertake a no-spend challenge for a certain period of time and committing to a project pan (where you try to empty or use up every pan within a palette) can be a great way for you to assess what you actually have in your collection and begin to use it in fresh and interesting ways.

The point of creating a list of everything you spend is so that you will be able to see where you are potentially overspending. Though it can be difficult to pull back in certain areas, your bank balance could certainly thank you in the long run.

Look for Cheaper Alternatives

Once you have your core list of products, you should think about looking for cheaper alternatives on the market. Price is not always an indicator of quality, so you might be able to pick up a brilliant option for one of your favourite items for a fraction of what you might usually pay for the more expensive one. There are entire blogs dedicated to finding you the best dupes, so ensure that you are able to track them down where you can. 

Finding a good price doesn’t just apply to cosmetics that you might indulge in. Let’s take the example here of braces or a retainer that you might have to fix an issue with your teeth alignment. These can be quite pricey, but looking for a different type of braces could save you a little money here.

For cases like these, you need to make sure that you are doing your research properly. By asking how much do braces cost UK buyers, and comparing it to what you currently spend, you might be able to find a solution that will give you the results you need without you having to pay the cost that you currently do. The brace cost UK customers currently pay can vary from brand to brand, so you need to ensure that you find one that best works for you.

Learn to DIY

Sometimes, we do not always need an expensive remedy flown made from the finest in organic ingredients to deliver great results. There are many amazing home remedies that could deliver some fantastic results for you. 

Of course, these need to be carefully researched to ensure that these are not actually going to harm you, or that they are going to actually have an effect. For example, it is likely that many of us tried to put toothpaste on our acne as a remedy when we were teenagers. This is not advisable – not only will it do very little to treat acne but it can actually cause further damage to your skin.

There are simple remedies out there that could prove to be very effective. For example, washing your hair with beer will give it a lovely shine (though you do have to deal with the smell) while you can make a very good facemask out of egg whites. By choosing to branch out and learn a little more about how to create your own health and beauty products, you could end up saving a fortune as you spend less on single-use items.

Be Realistic

You always need to be realistic when trying to work out how much you are spending on certain items. It can be far too easy to sit there and think “I spend too much on this item, so I am going to cut it out and not use it at all”. However, in practice, this might not be possible.

Our bodies are made up of hundreds of chemical balances and we should always be trying to keep these levels where we can. Upsetting them by trying something new can take quite a while to correct. Switching to a cheaper shampoo might be better for your budget overall, but it might not wash your hair as effectively as the more expensive one. Therefore, in the long run, is such a switch actually going to be that good?

You do not have to cut the expensive items out of your health and beauty routine just because you are trying to bring it down to a certain budget. Instead, you just need to make sure that you are thinking realistically about what you can and cannot afford. Remember that you can also always spread your payments out. Buying a full face of makeup each time is going to be expensive, even if you use more affordable brands, but you could instead choose to buy a foundation here and a mascara there – staggering the purchases and making them easier to manage.

Budgeting your health and beauty needs is crucial for everyone. Take the time to properly manage your finances for this area of spending. Making that first list can be shocking, as you are probably underestimating what you spend on health and beauty, but once you know what you are working with you can begin to buy in this area with ease!