While I am not one to spend a lot of money, I still live by the slogan "we are too poor to buy cheap." This motto holds true for a lot of things. While spending more money for fruits and vegetables versus the cheaper junk food versions may double the grocery bill, a healthy family will spend less in a doctor's office and will miss less work.
Along the same line of thought, I have really been getting into Aveda products lately. The company started locally in Minnesota, and I know they make a big effort to be "green". For example, they collect the tops of bottles (think bottled water, milk caps, etc) and recycle them to make their product bottles. This may seem like a little thing, but since I've started collecting caps for their efforts you would be amazed at how many amass on a daily basis! To my knowledge, this is the only recycling system currently in place that recycles bottle tops.
Aside from the environmental qualities of the company, I love the quality of the products. The scents are very earthy and clean, they smell like essential oils were added - instead of some flowery concoctions that smell cheap. They also leave your skin feeling soft and your hair shining. =) It is hard to find Aveda products on sale, however, so I was very fortunate to be able to cash in on a few local deals. For starters, a local spa was offering with every $100 gift card purchased an additional $10 gift card. Then, they are having a special sale day with 20% off the products. So, for $100, I'll be able to get $137.50 worth of product (which is a savings of 27%). Sometimes it takes some creative planning such as this to be able to afford otherwise "luxury" products, but it is definitely worth investing in a great company like Aveda. Oh, yeah, and I also applied to the "pure privilege" program and since your first purchase points double, for the $200 I spent I was able to qualify for tier 4 (their mid tier) and will soon be receiving a $50 gift card off of a spa service (so that means a 50 min massage = free!). I sure love a great deal!
