Are your good looks costing you?

Showing up to work looking professional is important for veterinary team members. But are some women taking it too far? A new report from the nonprofit YWCA says that women may be risking their financial well-being in their quest to look good.

The report, called Beauty at Any Cost, says that U.S. women spend about $7 billion a year on cosmetics and beauty products. That's an average of $100 a month for every woman. If a woman saved and invested that money every month, after five years she'd have collected enough to pay for a year's worth of tuition and fees at an in-state public college, the report calculated.

Thinking about retirement? If you skip your monthly manicure and pedicure and put that $50 into your retirement account every month for 10 years, the report says you'll amass almost $10,000 in that time period.

The bottom line: Balance is key. It's OK to spend a little at the beauty counter as long as you save a little-and remember that your practice and patients value you regardless of whether you moisturized last night.