While we solemnly vow to get the bag by any means necessary (hustle, save, bargain, invest, and so on), a lot of other areas in your life can suffer in the process. In fact, if you're really after the bag, you'll know that getting money sometimes means adding the actual bag we've been coveting to a wishlist instead of to our shopping cart.

Unfortunately for many of us, that goes double to our routine Sephora hauls, hair appointments, and nail fill-ins. Trust me, playing the "Which One Can You Live Without?" game is only fun when it's hypothetical. Nonetheless, that's the big question that requires the big girl panties when being realistic about your money goals at times.

Although it might not seem like anything short of being a responsible adult, it actually is for a lot of us. I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't say that the way we carry ourselves has a great impact on our esteem, and hate it or love it, these luxuries (or what I prefer to see as "self-care habits") have the ability to make or break us if they aren't consistently taken care of -- ultimately leaving us feeling as though we're not our best selves.

But if there's one thing I've learned since joining the money budgeting/financial support group, "The Broke Black Girl," founded by Dasha Kennedy, it's that getting the bag doesn't have to mean sacrificing your beautification process... Not completely. And certainly not with a little creativity and resourcefulness.

That said, I'd like to believe that these 12 alternatives won't feel as sacrificial, allowing us to tend to our business with all our confidence intact to go out and get money. Click through the gallery below!

1. Prime Nails

pink, red, and white nail polish bottles Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

I'm sure you've heard time and time again to do your own nails instead of going to the salon. However, for those of us who prefer acrylics, it can be difficult or limiting trying to achieve that look at home. Difficult because the stick on nails that are typically recommended don't hold, and limiting because the colors and designs are minimal depending on your preferences.

However, through BBG, I unburied this hidden treasure--$8 press on nails that come in fabulous shapes (stiletto, ballerina, and coffin)! The ladies of BBG recommend taping the nails to popsicle sticks to paint them and then gluing them on.

Want more stories like this? Check out these xoNecole related reads:

I Tried 9 Budget-Friendly Drugstore Mascaras And Here's My Review

6 Life Hacks To Feel Like Money While You Save It

5 Drugstore Cleansers Your Skin Will Love You For

I Tried 10 Budget-Friendly Drugstore Lipsticks And Here's My Review

Featured image by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash