Buying all the best brands? Not so frugal. Picking through your neighbor's trash? Not so fabulous.
With the country's economic health on the line, how can you save money without suffering style? Here are some ideas to live the fabulous life while still being frugal:
Do your own darn toenails. The only people who might look at your feet closely enough to know the difference between a DIY pedicure and a fancy spa treatment won't judge you for it anyway, suggests Megan O. Steintrager, 35, an editor in New York. Use pale colors; a bright red coat might show if it's out of the lines.
It's all in the packaging. Refill fancy-brand soap dispensers with generic liquid soap, says Jeanne-Marie Hudson, 36, a marketing director for a publishing company. Or buy a heavy ceramic or sleek metal pump you can use again and again. Few can tell the difference, and you give guests the illusion of luxury without having to pay for it.
Eco-shredding. New York writer Lexi Dwyer, 31, saves shreddings from her paper shredder to use as packaging for fragile gifts. And if it's colored paper, it might even look cool inside a gift bag. It's green and frugal all at once.
Cloves over candles. Instead of expensive scented candles, stick some cloves into an orange and simmer in water on your stove before guests arrive.
Bring dessert. Going to a potluck? Score double points with dessert, says Kelly Anderson, 26, from Northfield, Minn. Flour and sugar are way cheaper ingredients than salad fixings, vegetables or meat. Also, people love the dessert-bringer.
Tailor big sizes. Often, the sizes left on the biggest sale racks are tiny and huge, and only fit tiny or huge people. If your size is average, buy a bigger size with a major discount and take it to a tailor who can customize it to your body (or better yet, learn to sew and tailor yourself).
Go high-tech to lower costs. Learn to love the DVR. Don't buy expensive DVDs for your kids, just set the DVR to record every episode of whatever show you approve.(You can play the same trick on yourself.)
