haircuts
I DIY cut my own hair (and dh's too), I follow the tutorials on youtube and it looks nice, and I find that the more I do it the more confident I am with upkeep and figuring out what looks good on me and I can do small adjustments myself if needed. I have long hair with bangs, and honestly if you are gentle on your hair (no heat tools or coloring, letting it air dry, using leave in conditioner), the ends don't get split easily and you can leave it between trims for longer. Bangs I learned to maintain myself back in my teens. I also keep my hair up (braid, pony, etc) during the day to keep it from being damaged.
On a side note, I've also been working to increase the time needed between washes, which cuts down on shampoo and water usage. I went on a 3 week camping trip back in January (grease galore!) and since then I've been able to go a week+ between washes. This frees up a lot of my time too, so extra bonus! My hair and scalp feel much healthier now, actually, no more itchiness and its a lot shinier and full, but without looking like an oil slick.
shaving supplies
I'll be honest, I'm one of those hippies that doesn't shave her legs or pits. Mostly because I'm lazy and can't be bothered, but also because I find having a bit of hair helps cut down on chafing and I'm much more comfortable. But for special occasions when I need to appear socially acceptable I do shave with a men's razor from target and a glob of conditioner, actually. I don't use shaving cream. I've used conditioner for shaving for many years now and no ill effects and there's one less bottle in my shower.
cosmetics
Similarly, I don't wear cosmetics because I'm lazy and find the time putting on my face tedious and time consuming when I'd much rather be doing other things. I do have nice cosmetics that I purchased on sale online and use them for special occasions. I actually did my own makeup for my wedding (watched a bunch of youtube tutorials).
On a daily basis I just wash my face with gentle wash and use a moisturizer and if I'm feeling fancy, a swipe of dollar store mascara and I'm good to go.
tampons
I have a cup that I wish I could use more but I find I cramp more intensely with it in, unfortunately. I've tried it for the last year+ and no matter what I do or what techniques I use or where I position it it is still noticeably uncomfortable. I haven't given up on menstrual cups and I really want to make that work because tampon waste is frustrating to me and I like the no-landfill nature of a silicone cup. But currently I do spring for tampons because I'm weak :)
work clothes and shoes
About 90% of my wardrobe comes from prowling Goodwill since I was a teenager. I look for good quality construction, classic cuts and fabrics, and good brands. Each time I go I usually find at least one item that meets my requirements. I have spent more than $20 on a clothing item only like 5 times in my life and you would never know it based on my wardrobe.
My workplace is casual, my wardrobe most often consists of jeans and a non-dumpy shirt. I like button-downs with funky patterns or sweaters or on Fridays a fun t-shirt.
Shoes I do splurge a bit because if you have uncomfortable feet the rest of your body is uncomfortable. I generally wait for online sales and I prioritize functional footwear that is multi-use (running shoes, hiking shoes, boots) over fancy footwear (pumps, etc). If I'm going to pay a bunch of money I want to be comfortable and able to wear the shoes as often and in as many places without looking ridiculous as possible.
dry cleaning
I have never dry cleaned anything in my life. If something is delicate I usually end up washing it like normal anyway (because I spent $5 on it and don't really care if it disintegrates) and I think I have only ever ruined one sweater. But the saving in time and effort and brain power in just treating all my clothing the same is worth the possibility of one of my cheap clothing items potentially getting ruined.
Some other things off the top of my head:
for bras, I have relatively small breasts so I often go bra-less, which translates to less $ going toward buying undergarments. I have one "nice bra" and the rest of the time I wear sports bras because they are the most comfortable and cheaper.
I also avoid jewelry, I have a few necklaces that I rotate through and my wedding/engagement rings and a few earrings that I like. I find that I'm not too fussed about bracelets or clunky necklaces or things like that.
My husband and I share sticks of deodorant, I don't get the fancy lady deodorant.
lol reading back through this makes me sound like a hippie or something, I swear I'm mostly normal.
