Splurge vs. Steal From Head to Toe
Beauty & Life on a Budget, by Rachel Harris

As a new contributor to mysweetconnection.com, I am kicking off my bi-monthly column with a local version of those splurge vs. steal magazine sections that are so fun to read. And what better time than now – yep, the holidays are upon us, ready or not! So, take a look at what I found below and either holiday shop until you drop (not your bank account balance) or treat yourself because you can. My husband doesn’t call me Rationalizing Rachel for nothing, so check out these must-haves that you can have after all...

	$plurge Tasha Two Open Row Rhinestone Headband sells for a very expensive $98 at Nordstrom. These are fun for the holidays and great for bad hair days, but do you really want to shell out one hundred bucks for a headband that you won’t wear that much?
	I didn’t think so, so skip the department store hair jewelry and head to your local Walgreens instead. Steal! Rhinestone Double Headband sells for under $6 at your local Walgreens
photo courtesy: In Style magazine	or visit www.rhinestonejewelry.com. And this one is similar to Eva’s. She paid $32 for her Lavender Girl’s Bond Girl II headband found at lavendergirl.com.
photo courtesy: bagborrowsteal.com	$plurge Valentino Braided Leather Handbags are a favorite among celebrities like Angelina Jolie who even had a smaller version exclusively made for her daughter, Zahara as seen in this picture. If you want this purse like the stars carry, you will have to shell out just under $1800. That is out of my reach and I want this purse, so I went on a handbag hunt and found an interesting rental option.  Check this out….
photo courtesy: bagborrowsteal.com	Sort of a Steal! If you like the way Netflix works for movies and you love designer handbags, then you will want to know about Bag Borrow or Steal. Top of the line purses of all types can be rented out at a fraction of the purchase price so you can temporarily have that highly desired Prada or gorgeous Gucci.

Lucky for me, my addiction is chocolate over a clutch, but I decided to give this site a test run so I could report back to you, my fellow dollar divas on what this site is all about. I paid $59.95 or about $5 a month for a year membership. That didn’t seem unreasonable, however be warned, once you start renting the purses, the fees can add up. I am on a waiting list for Angelina’s Valentino. Renting the Valentino bag will cost me $95 or week or $275 a month with an option to purchase the purse through the website at a discounted price that is decided by the rental company.