How $7 Press-On Nails Can Save You Thousands (Financial Wholeness Talk)

In this episode, we talk about how something as simple as press‑on nails can reveal a powerful financial lesson. Candice breaks down how she gets salon‑quality nails that would normally cost $200+ for only about $7 and shows exactly how to apply them so they actually last.

But this conversation goes deeper than beauty. We talk about impulsive spending, learning to pause before buying, and how small decisions can help you save more money and build better financial habits.

You’ll also hear about multiple streams of income, side hustles, investing, day trading, and the importance of financial education for building generational wealth. If you want practical ways to save money while still enjoying life, this episode will give you both the mindset and the method.

Follow Us for More Inspiration:

📸 Instagram: @erica.rawls
🎥 YouTube: Erica Rawls
📧 For inquiries and collaborations: customercare@ericarawls.com

✨ Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes! 

Transcript

Nails Meet Money Mindset

Erica Rawls 0:00

Okay, so y'all remember when we had the post about um the press on nails, and then we actually tagged Candace, who's actually here with us today. One of the things I was hearing was, I would do it if I knew how. They only stay on for a couple weeks. You know, I've tried it over and over again, it just doesn't work. And then I started thinking how that actually relates to our money. Think about it. I started a budget, but I didn't stick with it. Saved up money, but I ended up spending it. So I tried to save money, but it just doesn't work. So I had to have Candace come in here and teach us how to put on some pretzel and nail. And we're gonna have a conversation about money at the same time. You ready? Absolutely. And just so everyone knows, because we're all about transparency. Yes. Candace said that she was very nervous about doing this podcast episode with me, so I'm happy that you are here. So what makes you so nervous?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

That's just me in general. I'm very much so, I'm a behind-the-scenes person, not really on camera a lot. That's all. That's it. That's just who I am.

Erica Rawls 1:00

You are so creative, though. You're such a creative person. So I haven't seen you do approach something when it comes to arts or just creativity that you do not accomplish. Like you just follow through and you get it done. So and I actually admire those type of people. Yeah, I do. Yeah, I like to think I'm a little creative, but not as creative as you or some other people that I know, right? Yeah, just enough to be dangerous. That's right. There you go. Yeah. So let's get into it. So we're gonna talk about the um the press on nails, okay? Absolutely. So um I do have a question that I wanted to to start up with um when it comes to um money. Like, how would you describe how you are right now financially? Not not financially, emotionally.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Emotionally? Emotionally around finances? Yeah, finances. Are you concerned?

Erica Rawls 1:47

Are you confident?

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Are you I'm in between, I'm in the growing stages.

Erica Rawls 1:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

So I would say right now I know what it is I need to do. There are certain things I am putting in place, certain things I am doing. It's just kind of tying it all together and making sure that my goals will be able to be achieved for the long term. So it's just uh it's a work in progress.

Buying Better Press-On Nails

Erica Rawls 2:10

It is, but isn't it always? Always. It doesn't matter where you are, right? And where how you start, it's about how you actually finish. Absolutely. Yeah, that's how I see it. So, um, but first you gotta, before we go any further, can you tell us about the nails?

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Absolutely. So, so fun fact, I started getting, I used to get my nails professionally done every two weeks, would not miss a day. Right. How much did that cost you? Would you think? Oh my goodness. So well, it technically didn't cost me anything, it cost him uh because he it was so funny. So, real quick story. So when we first started dating um 10 years ago, uh-huh, um, I remember I had my nails were painted, but I had like a chip nail, you know, and he picked up on it. He was like, Let me see your nails. And he looked and he was like, Oh, that's disrespectful. We need to do something about that. So I was like, oh, okay. So it was his job then, right? From that point on to get my nails done. So over, I think up until I think last year, maybe last year or 2024 is when I came across, I knew about press-on nails. Of course, like back in the day, they were like the lead press-on nails that as soon as you like kind of type or watch the they just like immediately just pop off. And so um, I had seen it a lot during the pandemic because of course people weren't able to get their nails done. Um, I had played around with it a little bit then, but didn't really know like what I know now. So you're at about six years ago? Yeah, started about, but like really got into it just about two years ago. Um, what I did first, so I know a lot of you may see like the pack where it's like the 24 pack.

Erica Rawls 3:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

And I had saw those and they were like a dollar. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna get all of these. A dollar for 25 nails or 24 nails? Exactly. I shouldn't have known a little bit better. But so I had got them and like they look great on the, and this is a tip.

Erica Rawls 3:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

When you're shopping for them, if you see like it's a 24 pack, yeah, and it's showing the person's hand, okay. That's probably not what's the nails that you're gonna get. So it's like a like they see a picture and then they may like 3D print or something, or like screen print the design, so it's not really the design that you're seeing. Uh-and the type, the quality of the nail is not as thick. Okay, it's very like it's bendy, like the leaf press only that'll break really.

Erica Rawls 4:24

So don't get the the multi-pack.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

No, okay, don't get the multi-pack for when you're shopping. So get the ones, they come in sizes. So that was the one thing that I learned early on. Okay. So, but they're again, they're not ex they're not expensive, they're not a dollar, but they're not, they're range from like you have some for three, five, ten dollars, some are a little more, depending on where you're getting them from.

Erica Rawls 4:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Um, you also, if you're like going on Etsy, you may see some that may be$30.

Erica Rawls 4:49

I'm gonna stop you there because what I heard you say, because we're talking about, you know, financial wholeness. Hey Luxie, guess what, y'all? If you haven't realized I sell real estate, I help buyers and sellers purchase their home. So if you're looking to buy or to sell, reach out to your girl. Now back to the show. Um, you said, okay, so the multi-pack, the 24-pack, right? It looks all good. Yes. Right? And they have the screen pit thing. Make it look all like well, like, oh, this is nice. I want to get this. But then when you actually get it, you're defeated. Yeah. Feel defeated or depleted, right? And that's the same thing when we actually spend impulsively if you think about it, too. Yeah, absolutely. Right, right? Ding ding ding. Yeah, right. When we spend impulsively, we're like, okay, well, I'm gonna get this because I want it. Okay, this looks like um something that I really need. I need to have it right now. So when we don't take the time to stop, yeah, and then we purchase it and it comes, and then the bank statement comes in, we're feeling deflated.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Yep. And then it's like, yes, it may have only cost a couple dollars, but if you did like me and decided to buy, oh, because they're a dollar, I'm gonna buy a hundred of them. Right, right.

Erica Rawls 5:51

They're worth crap. Hey, hey, what are you? So if we would have just paused for a second, right? Or did more research, right? Then we would be able to buy in confidence. Absolutely. So okay, I'm done. Okay, go ahead. Yes. Go on with the press on.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

So with the press on, so we have I have several different designs here. Some of them, like I have right now, they are very short. So I also on the side I do nursing. So if I'm knowing that I'm gonna pick up a shift, I'll put on the short pair so that way it's easy to work with. You're not scratching patients. So that's a pair like the ones here. And then, of course, if you want to be more extravagant, you have your extravagant, you have your long designs. And so if you will go to the nail shop and get your nails done, like with some of these designs, at least that would at least be a 200, 250 set.

Erica Rawls 6:40

Okay, do y'all see this?

SPEAKER_00 6:41

At least 200.

Erica Rawls 6:43

This could be a 200, but how much did this cost you?

SPEAKER_00 6:46

That cost me, I think that was seven dollars.

Prep And Apply Nails That Stick

Erica Rawls 6:48

Okay, Luxies. Did y'all hear that? You can have$200 nails that only cost$7. Absolutely. You can't beat that. Like you really cannot beat that at all. That's really good. Okay, so yeah, that's all fine and good when we get them, right? I'm just gonna stare at them. It's the application. How many of y'all would get these nails and be like, okay, now what? What are we doing next?

SPEAKER_00 7:12

What are we gonna do next? It's all about the preparation. So just like in finance, it's about the preparation, it's about the foundations. So the first thing you're gonna do, and I do apologize because my nails are already done, but I am gonna walk you through the steps when you get your nails. Yeah, you're gonna need a couple things. You're gonna need first your nail glue, it's very important. I normally use the Kiss nail glue. Again, that's only about a dollar or two, right on Amazon. They have the fast 30-second drying one or even the regular one. Either one is fine. Um, so you're gonna need your nail glue. You're gonna need, like, if you want a cuticle to push your cuticles back, and some of the packs actually come with like a stick to like push your cuticles back, and it comes with a um buffer as well for your nails. So you want to make sure, of course, your nails are free and clear of any type of polishes or anything, any gels. Um, you're going to prep your nail by just, you know, pushing back your cuticle. If you also have like one of the little cuticle cutters that you just go around just to clean it up a little bit, and then just take your file or your buffer and just a slight buff. You don't want to do too much because you don't want to thin the nail out just to take the shininess off of it, because that's how the glue is going to um be adhesive to the nail. Okay.

Erica Rawls 8:23

Hey Luxis, if you're looking for a construction company, I have just the one for you. They are great at everything. You want to know I know? Because I use them personally. Top construction. Check them out. They are reasonable and they get the job done. Now back to the show. So you literally take your file and just go back and look.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Just really, just a little quick okay. That, yep. And then you can take either like an alcohol wipe or some acetone and just wipe it off just to take the moisture out of the nail. Because a lot of times if you have, like if your nails are shiny or if you have that moisture, when you're putting the nail on, it's not gonna stick. So that's what gets it to hold to where you can tight all the time.

Erica Rawls 9:03

For the ladies that said mine never stick. It's because there's too much oil on the nails.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

There's too much oil on your nails, or either you there was no, you didn't buff it a little bit to make sure that shininess is off, and it's it's definitely it's all about the prep. Okay. So after we do all of that, our nails are ready. Again, like, you know, shape it to how you want it, even it out. Then you're going to take the glue and you're just gonna put a little bit of glue around your natural nail. You're gonna take the nail. I'm gonna pop one of these off. Let's see. It's gonna pop one off. You're gonna take the nail and you're gonna do like a 45-degree angle. So you're gonna start here and just press down. And then you're just gonna hold it for 30 seconds.

Erica Rawls 9:44

Oh, okay. So you take the end, you put it on your cuticle.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Put it on your cuticle, match it up, yeah, and just press it down. Just hold it for 30 seconds, and then after that, it's on. Okay. Again, repeat. Do you have to wait so many seconds?

Erica Rawls 9:57

That's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Oh, you said 30. You just say, you just wait like about 30 seconds, that's what you make sure it's on just applying pressure. And then again, you do all your nails. Literally takes me maybe 10 minutes, 10-15 minutes max. And that's with like really paying attention, like cutting my cuticles and all that stuff.

Erica Rawls 10:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

And then I would suggest probably waiting like an hour just to put any oils or lotions on your hands. And then at the end, you can just use some cuticle oil around your oils and rub them together. I mean, they look like they're manicured.

Erica Rawls 10:28

Yeah, so can we get a close-up of her nails? Yeah, they look like they're like man well manicured. Yes. Yeah, and you did them all yourself, all myself. Yeah, okay.

Save The Difference Challenge

SPEAKER_00 10:38

It's so it's fun because now you can like match it with outfits. It's like, oh, I have this event, and then, and there's so many different designs out there. Like, and they're like, yeah. It's oh, I love it. Yes.

Side Income And Backup Plans

Erica Rawls 10:49

So this is what I want us to do, just to have some fun. Now that you heard how to do them, right? I would love to get pictures of all the Luxis in the community um to send us so that we can start posting them. Say, yeah, look at me, I save, and tell us how much you save because each each um a nail tech or um salon has this different prices, right? They do. I would love to know how much money you're actually saving. And the money that you save, put it in your savings, okay? And then um we could talk about in next episodes, like how you can chip away at your debt if you have debt, right? And how you can actually save for what really matters. You can talk about that too. Okay, so so what are some things that you're doing, right? Okay to to start saving.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

To start saving, well, I like I said, ever since I was 18 years old, I've always had more than one job. Even when people say, Well, why do you work so many jobs? You don't need you don't need all those jobs. Yeah, I've always been one to, you know, how people say, Oh, seven streams of income. I really didn't think of it like that. I just always wanted to make sure that no if something was to happen with my nine to five, that I always had a backup plan. And so um So why was that? I don't know. I'm not sure exactly where that came from, but like I said, ever since I became an adult, like went to college, I've always like I worked at Subway, I worked at Reese's, I did everyone's hair in the community back then, and still, and it was like, yeah, it's always been in me.

Erica Rawls 12:19

Wow. So you're an entrepreneur at heart.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Yes. Yes.

Erica Rawls 12:24

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

And so even to this day, um, I have multiple outside of my nine to five, like I said, I still um one thing that I told myself I would never let go of is my CNA certification that I got when I was 19. Wow. Yep. So I am able to, if ever like, oh, I want extra money for a trip or extra money to save to the side, I'm just able to go in my little app and book a shift and just go to work and get paid instantly.

Erica Rawls 12:49

Hey Luxis, All-State Insurance, Robert Shaw. He's the guy you need to call when you need insurance for your home, for your car, for your flood insurance. He's the guy, Robert Shaw, All-State Insurance. Now, back to the show.

Day Trading Education And Risk

SPEAKER_00 13:01

So just Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, so that, and then now I'm moving into the area of where I'm looking to take all of those, you know, those streams of income and how to now invest it. So I just recently, within the past year, um started doing day trading to be able to take that, take what I'm making and to make it. Do you like it? It's a roll, it's a roller. It's a roller coaster. It is. Um, I would say shout out to Justin Coleman. He had one of his um stock classes that I had um participated in, and majority of the class was focused around long-term investing, but he had a short snippet that was about day trading. And I was like, mm, what is this? So I did a lot, like I dug in, did some more research, um, and then I came across um this young lady on Instagram. She was at the she was 18 years old, had took her um her$1,400, the COVID check that she had received, had never worked a day in her life. She was in college, took her$1,400 check, learned, had learned from someone else how to do day trading, and is now, because of that$1,400, like a multimillionaire. But now she teaches other individuals. She has a free Discord, she has all kind of information on YouTube on how to start and learn how to do day trading. And then um, if you would like to progress and then go on to the paid version, you're able to do that.

Erica Rawls 14:26

But okay, so then not getting too um far into the weeds with the day trading, but from what I see, because I don't day trade, right? From what I see, it seems like it's very risky.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

It is, but it's about the education piece. So a lot if you're just if you don't know what you're doing, and if you're just you know going in and just saying, oh, because I went and bought something on Amazon, I'm gonna put my money on Amazon. Yeah, yeah, no. It's very much like gambling. If you're if you it's very much, you have to be educated. Yeah, you have to learn exactly, you know, the basis of it, first of all, like what is you know, um buying and selling, and because people look at the chart and like, well, what are these red and green, you know, lines and what are they doing and what makes it move? Right. Um, so learning the basis of that first, and then you also have the option to do a paper trading account where you're not trading with your real money initially. So you're able to learn with paper money, and they give you like an unlimited amount. You can put it to where, okay, I want to start with a thousand dollars of paper money, or you can say, Oh, I want to start with a million dollars of paper money. Right. So you really want to make it more realistic to where you want to what like you would be looking to put in first, and then once you, you know, work that muscle and you're able because you're work you're doing it in the real stock market in real time.

Erica Rawls 15:43

Yeah.

Financial Wholeness And Family Legacy

SPEAKER_00 15:43

But with paper money. Daily, right? Yeah, it's daily. So you have options, which are from, of course, Eastern Standard Time, 9:30 to 4, and then you have futures trading, which is 23 hours of the day, um, five days a week. Oh, wow. So okay. So for those who may have nine to fives, you can do you can look more into the future side, yeah, which is open along the time of the day.

Erica Rawls 16:06

Yeah. So then when it comes to your um, so financial wholeness, I so for just a little education, a lot of people think it's just financial, right? But it's not. You have emotional or you have generational, right? And then you have relational.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Yes.

Erica Rawls 16:22

So um when it comes to um looking at financial wholeness, where do you think that your focus is going to be this year? Have you thought about it at all?

SPEAKER_00 16:32

I have, I think about it a lot. Um, my focus, um, one again is you know, growing the money that I am, you know, that I'm earning. And then my big thing is because I do, I have three sons. Yeah. My middle son is autistic. Okay. And I want to make sure that not only am I able to leave something to them, but then also be able to educate them on how to use it and how to grow it themselves too. Because oftentimes we're passing down money and the people who are receiving it, it's like, okay, I have this money. Right. Let me go. I just saw a matter of fact, I just saw a clip yesterday. It was from a financial advisor, and someone in their family had reached out to this person and was like, hey, this long-lost relative passed away. You just, you know, inherited$25 million. We take 5%. So here you go, you got$20 million. Good Lord. And the first thing they did was like, oh, I want to go buy a$10 million home. And they're like, no, like, wait a minute, I can't let you do that. Like, do you understand? Like, after you buy that home, how are you going to maintain that home?

Erica Rawls 17:35

Yeah, there's taxes.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Like, and the person, right. Like, and the person was like really upset at them, and they actually ended up like parting ways in their business relationship. But just because they wanted to educate them, like, okay, I understand you have this 20 now 20 million dollars, but you want to say 10 million, half of it? And they were saying, like, hey, this is a way that you can take this money and then grow it to where you can live off the interest for the rest of your life, and you know, wouldn't have to touch it, and it's still growing for you, but they weren't.

Start Small And Stay The Course

Erica Rawls 18:01

Yeah. They weren't. So that's why they say it's worth waiting for, yeah. Because I don't care who you are. If you're given a lump sum of money and you don't have the education behind it, you've never had it before, you're going to be reckless. That's why the people that win the lottery tickets, right? They only have it for like a year, right? Or two years. Um, there's stats out there that actually um indicate that that's exactly what happens. Like they don't keep it very long. Because they've never been trained or educated on HMD. Grow the money. So um, yeah. So for me this year, it is looking at different ways to actually grow the money that we have, right? Um, so I don't want you to think that we're going to just be talking about candles. Yeah, yeah. So um but yeah, I think it's really important to grow um the money because, like you said, we're not just now here for ourselves, we're here for our children and our children's children. And that's where generational wealth begins, right? So because it's easy to look like you're wealthy, right? But taking the time to get the education and actually um being disciplined enough to do the right things, yeah. That's true wealth. Yeah, that's true wealth. Okay, so to the luxi out there that feels as though she's not where she wants to be right right now, what would you say to her?

SPEAKER_00 19:23

I would say one, just take a step back and just look at how far you have come. Because a lot of times it's easy to see what we don't have, or especially with social media. And you see all these people, they're looking like they're just doing so much and they're so far, and they're doing so much more than you. And honestly, well, one, we all know like it's not a hundred percent, you know, what it is. Just to take a step back and see where you've come from and to talk to that inner child and see like, would she be proud of me right now?

Erica Rawls 19:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

And that's and just remind yourself because just looking within and just taking those small steps, like, okay, what is what is something I do want to accomplish this year? And just go for that once, even if something super small, and just go for it.

unknown 20:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Or if it's something big that you think that you can achieve, at least try. Right. And I feel like a lot of times, like where I would set goals for myself, and I'm like, I don't see this ever happening, but I'm gonna do, I'm gonna try it anyway. And I try it, and what happened? It actually happens. So just taking that first step and just trusting that with faith that you'll be able to, the next step will be there for you.

Erica Rawls 20:34

Yeah, just start.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

Yep, just start.

Erica Rawls 20:36

Just start, and it's gonna be okay. And like you said, with the social media, you're not behind, you're right where you're supposed to be. Social media will have you thinking that way, yeah. For sure. For sure. Yes. Well, thank you for spending time with me. Ms. Candy for having me. You're so welcome. You did great. Thank you. You did great. Yeah, so anyone that's part of the Luxie community, um, I like you to comment. You know, if you're ready to press on and do the right thing financially, then put that in the comments. And if you have a question for Candace, like, how did you do such and such? Please, I'll make sure that she gets the message for sure. Yeah. I need you to subscribe to our channel because we're growing something very special, and I cannot wait to meet you in the comments.