Here's What 5 Local Women Spend Each Month on Beauty, Health and Wellness

How do your maintenance costs compare?

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. But for many women, you can catch a glimpse into the most intimate part of their lives by studying the products that adorn their vanity, medicine cabinet or even the foods within their refrigerator. SkinStore, a beauty e-retailer, recently surveyed 3,000 women between the ages of 16 and 75 and discovered that women in the U.S. spend roughly $300,000 just on their face during their lifetime. According to the survey, women in Delaware spend more money on lipstick (a minimum of $30) than any other state.

Here, five Delaware women spill their monthly beauty, health and wellness budgets, revealing what they spend on everything from manicures and pedicures to food, produce and smoothies. Do any of their results surprise you, and how does your monthly spending add up?

Bridget Buckaloo, a busy mom of 13-year-old triplets, aims for 10,000 steps a day to stay in shape.//Courtesy of Beebe Healthcare

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Bridget Buckaloo, 53

Resides in: Rehoboth Beach
Career: Executive director, Women’s and Children’s Services at Beebe Healthcare
Family status: Single mother to 13-year-old triplets
Monthly spending: Approximately $870

Beauty:

$60 on a haircut and $160 (quarterly) on partial highlights at Indigo Opal
$30–$45 on pedicure at Bling Salon & Spa
$35 on bikini wax at Bling Salon & Spa

Mind/body:

Chiropractor: $55 at Sussex Chiropractic Center
Massage: $75 at In Touch by Cindi Spencer
Gym membership: No membership. “I walk with a goal of over 10,000 steps a day. I have been sidelined from running since sustaining a hip injury in 2016. I enjoy spending time in nature—biking the trails, watching a sunset and kayaking on Rehoboth Bay.”
Groceries: $150/week (includes food for three kids)
Diet: “I try to follow the whole foods approach which means no artificial ingredients, no preservatives or food dyes. I follow a Weight Watchers-based approach by counting points/calories. Water is my drink of choice—I drink one to two liters each day.”
Vitamins and supplements: None. “I don’t believe in them—you just need to follow a balanced diet.”
Healthy tip: I believe health is a mindset—if you believe you are healthy, you are.”

Jen Farina makes time to get her haircut and colored every six weeks by Kelly Hughes at Avenue Cuts.//Jim Coarse of Moonloop Photography

Jennifer Farina, 47

Resides in: Wilmington
Career: Registered nurse
Family status: Married with three children
Monthly spending: Approximately $1,155

Beauty:

$50 on makeup from Ulta, Target and Arbonne. “I started using Arbonne last fall; the moisturizer and neck cream are amazing. I also use the eye serum and the CC foundation.”
$100 on a haircut and color every six weeks at Avenue Cuts
$50 on a gel manicure and pedicure at Perfect Nails
$75 on bikini, brow and lip wax at Fabrizio Salon & Spa
$80 on Crest White Strips
$100 on an occasional facial at Fabrizio Salon & Spa

Mind/body:

Gym membership: Free through employer (Christiana Care Health System).
Groceries: $800; “I like Giant and Costco and occasionally go to Acme or Whole Foods.”
Diet: About $250 (quarterly). “I did Arbonne’s 28-day cleanse last November. I love their protein shakes and energy fizz sticks, too. I’ve tried a lot of things in the past but I find everything I use from Arbonne works well.”
Healthy tip: “In the last year I have been religiously taking care of my skin and watching my diet and noticed a difference in how I feel and how my skin looks. I am careful to limit my dairy and gluten when possible.”

Adrianna White and her fiancé often rely on New Vision, a healthy food delivery service.//Jim Coarse of Moonloop Photography

Adrianna White, 29

Resides in: Greenville
Career: Pediatric nurse
Family status: Engaged; stepson
Monthly spending: Approximately $990

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Beauty:

$300 for hair color (not every month) at Salon By Dominic
$25 on Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial from Costco; “I love Aveeno’s face wash and moisturizer, too.”
$80 on facials. “I splurge on facials once in a while. Dermaplaning is the best.”
$85 on bi-monthly gel manicures and a pedicure at Nail Bar & Spa
$7 on eyebrow wax at Nail Bar & Spa
$62 (every other month) on Too Faced foundation and mascara from Ulta.

Mind/body:

Gym membership: $55 for gym membership at the YMCA. “I usually work out three or four days a week, which includes 45 minutes of cardio and then weights three days a week. I do legs one day, biceps and back another day, then triceps and shoulders. I use cables and free weights.”
Groceries: “I’m a horrible grocery shopper and planner and easily spend $350–$400 a month at Wegmans, Acme and ShopRite. My fiancé and I will splurge on Costco filets ($30–$40) every other month.
Vitamins: Around $20 every other month. “Costco has great deals on vitamins.”
Diet: “We use New Vision, a healthy food delivery service, and depending on the month, we can spend $300 a month. It’s great for two people on the run.”
Healthy tip: “I have a major sweet tooth but try to balance it by eating in moderation and working out as much as possible.”

Jennifer Dailey, 31

Resides in: Newark
Career: Marketing specialist and adjunct instructor
Family status: In a relationship
Monthly spending: Approximately $430

Beauty:

$50 (quarterly) on makeup from Target or Walgreens. “I buy Garnier Skinactive’s Clearly Brighter Dark Spot Corrector several times a year. It’s $13–$15 and it helps clear up acne and sun damage. I also use a tinted moisturizer with SPF in it instead of foundation from either CoverGirl or Maybelline.”
$25 on a haircut every two months at Hair Concepts in Smyrna
Nails: “I do them myself because of lack of time and because I’ve heard too many horror stories of people getting infections from manicures and pedicures.”

Mind/body:

Gym membership: “I used to do boot camp several days a week, but now, I don’t have the time to work out.”
Groceries: About $400. “We buy a lot of fruit and veggies and get organic milk and yogurt for my boyfriend’s son.”
Vitamins and supplements: $20 every three months. “I take a Women’s One A Day vitamin and B-Complex with Vitamin C every day. I think it’s important to take vitamins. They really do make a difference in how I feel. I can’t always tell they’re working, but if I miss a couple of days, I instantly feel sluggish.”
Getting back on track: “Cosmetics aren’t important to me, but my health is. There was a time when I was going to boot camp three to four times a week and eating well. But between spraining my ankle last year and teaching on top of my regular job, it fell to the wayside. Like many women, I put myself last and I’m not entirely sure how to break that cycle. I’m taking a break from teaching in the fall and I hope I can find the energy to get back to a healthy lifestyle.”

Joan Wallace, 66

Resides in: Rehoboth Beach
Career: Realtor
Family status: Single
Monthly spending: Approximately $750

Beauty:

$50 on cosmetics from the drugstore. “I also go to Merle Norman for foundation and mascara.”
$24 on brows at NT Nails & Spa
$57 on manicure and pedicure at NT Nails & Spa
$110 on a haircut and color at Indigo Opal

Mind/body:

Gym membership: $50 for gym membership at the YMCA in Rehoboth Beach. “I try and go three times a week and alternate between cardio, free weights and machines.”
Workout clothes: $40 at Marshalls and Tanger Outlets
Massage: $120 at Made Ya Look Salon & Day Spa
Groceries: About $200. “I tend to eat out four or five nights a week.”
Vitamins and supplements: $30, usually from CVS.
Product I can’t live without: The newspaper delivery of The Washington Post, which costs $68.
Healthy tip: “I make sure I order healthy when I eat out. I also try not to eat anything past 7 p.m.”