Tip of the Day #1: Cotton Balls

Welcome to your budget tip of the day, another new feature from yours truly. :) It won't exactly be daily, so I guess the title is a little misleading, but I'll put a new one up whenever I have something to share. My goal is to give readers simple, everyday tips to help keep wallets happy.

Tip of the Day #1: Cotton Balls

Have you noticed your liquid cosmetic products - toner, make-up remover, nail polish remover - being used up at a very fast rate? It might be because you're using cotton balls to apply your product.

Since cotton balls are very absorbent and round, you can't cover much area and too much product ends up where you can't use it, such as in the center and fluff of the ball.

Instead, switch to cotton pads or cosmetic rounds. Try Johnson & Johnson Cosmetic Rounds (80 for $2.49, drugstore.com). I suggest avoiding those made by Rite-Aid, which are thin and may fall apart very easily.

Cotton rounds may seem like the lesser value when compared to the quantity in a bag of cotton balls, but in the end, you'll be helping your products last much longer and be more efficient for you.