What do you get when you wear the hat of mother, father, nurse, teacher, employee, chef, and chauffer? One tired single mom is what you get. Picture an eight-armed; four-legged woman with a haggard face, furrowed brow, and drooping shoulders and you just might be looking at yourself. Too often single moms are so worn out from doing it all that they forget about caring for themselves. I have fallen into the super mom trap many times to count and I am sure you have too.
Finding the time to pamper yourself is difficult at times, not to mention expensive, but I am going to share a few great ways to get your needs met without breaking the bank. All it will take is a few clicks of your mouse, a phone call, and a minimum of an hour of your time.
So where can you get pampered at rock-bottom prices? Where can you get your hair and nails done for less than $20 bucks? Where can you get a 30 -60 minute massages or facials for under $45 dollars? Need a shampoo and cut for under $15? Well it is possible and likely right around the corner from your home or job. I love being pampered this way but I often don’t have a wad of money to plunk down for these services. I’m thinking technical colleges and universities.
I got turned on about these cheap, but quality services when I was a teenager. My mom attended cosmetology school and I would go and get my hair done for as little as $5. Getting services through a beauty school, technical college, or university is a wonder alternative to going to a regular and more expensive service provider.
To find schools in my area, I googled a service school I wanted including my city and state. For example I entered “beauty school Atlanta, Ga” and received several hits. I clicked on the links to the school and located the services page on the site. On this page I was able to find out the services they offered, prices, hours of operation, and a telephone number. It was very easy to do and now I am calling to book my first visit.
I couldn’t believe how reasonable the prices were. The best thing is that there are so many services you can get this way. You can get spa-type services like massages, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing body scrubs, etc at a fraction of upscale spa prices. Get you hair shampooed, cut, colored, or processed for next to nothing and you can feel comfortable because, though students perform the services, the experienced instructor is there to assist the entire time.
You can even get health services like dental exams and cleanings, optometry exams, and basically any service there is a school for. Visit your local and surrounding technical college and university website and see what programs of study they offer then contact then to see if they offer services to the public. This is the most affordable to get treated like a queen at pauper prices. Happy pampering!
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
