Salon Quality Nails at a FRACTION of the cost

I had silk or gel wraps on my nails for about 10 years on and off and suddenly realized I was spending about $1200 a year on these things! After my wedding I had the wraps removed and I went on a supplement that I took about 4 years ago after I accidentally slammed my thumb in a car door. The doctor told me to take this to help my nail grow back. Not only did it grow back but my nails looked so good, they looked like wraps! I'm now taking this supplement and I'm putting $100 into savings every month instead of getting my nails done.

The supplement is called Knox for Nails, Gelatine Dietary Supplement. To purchase, click here. Most drug stores and supermarkets do carry it.

Winter Wedding Woes

I recently received a comment requesting advice on what to wear to a winter wedding. This was the reader's criteria:

1. Friendly to holiday poundage

2. Budget conscious

3. Warm

Here are some items I pulled for you to look at. Let me know what you think!

<- This dress is only $19.99 and it can be paired with some nice, classy knee length black boots and a colorful necklace. Not to mention the empire waist will allow you to eat as much wedding cake as you want! Click here if you are interested.

<-If you have a little more money to spend and prefer a brand name like Michael Kors click here to purchase this Matte Jersey Dress at Nordstrom for only $88.00!

Also check out designer Maggie London. This brand offers some practical winter dresses for a variety of body types and budgets. Click here to view Maggie London at Nordstrom.

Dieting on a budget - talk about a worst case scenerio.

Dieting after the holidays is probably inevitable for most people, but how do you do this while on a budget? If wanting to fit back into your normal clothes isn't motivation, I don't know what is. Suddenly my choices in jeans that I own went from about 6 pairs to one pair between December and January. So now it's time to cut the carbs, or go to the gym, or something... tomorrow.

Since I'm not a dietician, I can only suggest what has worked for me when wallets and pants get tight. Most of the time when you gain weight it's because of the choices you make when it's time to eat. I like to snack when I cook or clean up from dinner so right now I like to chew gum to prevent from over-eating during these times. I will also portion my food before I eat it to half of what I would typically eat; then after that is gone I will wait about 10 minutes before eating again because the chances are, I will be full. Not only am I cutting my portions, but I have saved enough for lunch the next day so I'm cutting my spending too! These are just some little tidbits of advice. If you are really looking for a solid plan to follow, google dieticians or nutritionists in your area. Most professionals do take health insurance and they will tell you the most efficient way to loose weight. If you don't have time to visit a professional try to pick up books like these:

"Your Diet on a Budget: Better Food Choices that are Easy on Your Waistline and Wallet"

by D. Johnson - for more information, or to purchase the book, click here.

Or my own personal favorite: "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" by Arthur Agatson- for more information or to purchase the book, click here.