A Year Of Free Haircuts = $250 Saved
I noticed it’s been almost exactly a year since my first post about letting my wife cutting my hair. Since then, I haven’t seen the inside of a barber shop. So let’s see, I used to cut my hair about once every 3 weeks, at about $15 including tip. 52 weeks/3 x $15 = $260. Subtract $10 for buying the clipper kit, and we’re $250 ahead!
In addition, I actually prefer my home haircut to a barber now. Practice makes perfect! And the convenience factor is great, no appointments necessary.
Since we’re on the topic of haircare, have you seen how much yuppie shampoo costs these days?! $25 for a small bottle of shampoo? Another $25 for conditioner? Certified organic babassu? What a scam. Let’s do a price comparison with what I use:
Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo+Cond.- $48 / 2×8.5 fl oz.
Pert Plus Shampoo+Cond.(Retail) - $3.49 / 13.5 fl oz.
I think this is best shown graphically:
I could wash my hair for half a decade before I spent fifty bucks on shampoo…
Find more in Frugal Living | 3/22/06, 10:00pm | Trackback
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Think how much you could save if your wife let you cut her hair.
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:42 pm
I get those Suave kinds from Target/Walmart. They’re dirt cheap… I definitely miss the days of free haircuts.
I should get married so I can save money on haircut expenses too!
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:11 pm
Anon - Yeah, but think of how much I’d have to pay in doctor bills after my wife maims me
Cap - You should! Think of the great romantic stories you could tell your kids… “So I was walking along, asking every girl I met if they owned hair clippers…”
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:16 pm
That’s great! I cut my own hair at home w/ my $20 hair clipper. I’ve been doing it since the beginning of highschool…roughly 10 years now!
One haircut every three weeks = 173.3 haircuts (over 10 years)
$15 per haircut = $2,600
Minus $20 for my hair clippers (same set for the whole decade) = $2,580 saved
That’s not entirely accurate though because in basic training they make you pay to get your head shaved…$8/week for 9 weeks = $72.
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:21 pm
I wish I could shave my head. But I trade keeping hair for my wife not wearing too much makeup (I hate makeup). That way, I wouldn’t have to pay for hair gel or shampoo at all! Less morning prep time as well. Ah well.
March 23rd, 2006 at 1:41 am
do what i do…get a haricut for $13 every six months. i get to see the insides of a barbershop occasionally and also save over $200 a year (since I used to go every 2.5 weeks). I just bought an ipod to celebrate my savings!
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:29 am
This is what a high and tight is for. Looks great and no gel required, and you use less shampoo. Finding someone to cut it is hard to to, easy haircut, but make sure you do not end up with lines where it should be blended.
March 23rd, 2006 at 5:46 am
I gave in to the cutting my own hair too before my son was born… I paid about $20 for a set of clippers. My hair grows so fast that I was getting it cut every two weeks.. $20 a pop was adding up…
I figure I have saved about $5000 in hair cuts…
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:02 am
My wife cuts my hair too :). That’s cool. She’s been doing it for the past year, year and a half. When I was in college, my fraternity brothers would do it for me as well, so it’s been almost 6 years until I’ve been in a barbershop.
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:04 am
I notice no picture has been posted to verify that the amateur haircut looks as good as the professional!
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:23 am
I don’t know if I should admit this in public, but I’ve been cutting my hair for over 10 years with that old standby of the infomercial age, the Flowbee. It doesn’t work well with every type of hair style (I tried it on my son once and it looked awful), but it does great for me.
The kids think it’s funny when I vacuum my hair.
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:31 am
Funny that you wrote this, I was just about to post almost the exact same thing since I have now gone about 2 months just buzzing my own hair (ok, ok, my wife does it for me). I decided to do it because the place I was getting it cut at raised their prices, so I was up to about $17 every 3 weeks. It just isn’t worth it to me since it only takes about 10-15 minutes to cut my hair anyway.
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:48 am
Thank you! Cant wait to show this post to my wife. I have been cutting my own hair for the past 7 years ( got a wahl’s cutting machine from Walmart for $11 and got 100% return on investment with just the first 2 haricuts that cost $10 + $2 tips each), there are times when the wife refuses to go out with me if the haircut is really clumpy! Lately she has even let me cut her hair..so I guess my handiwork is getting better.
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:59 am
8 on the top, 4 on the sides, a little 6 to blend it in.
Vacuum, call the wife in to fix the back. 10 mintes and I’m done.
Saves $15 bucks and takes about 30 minutes of my life I’d not get back sitting in a stinky hair salon.
Frankly, I think being able to avoid the stinky hair salon is worth it all by itself.
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:17 am
I’m with Cap. I use the cheap Suave shampoo.
I get my hair cut at a barber/salon, but that I can’t skimp on that too much. I had traumatic experiences as a child when my dad would cut my hair. He used one of those straight-razor-comb things. I need a competant professional to cut my hair. Granted, I don’t go to the expensive salons at the mall, but I go to the mid-range ($10-$15) places. I don’t go to the < $10 places where they have cosmetology students cutting hair. However, I let my hair grow until it is so long that it gets annoying, or I look like a hippy. Then I get it cut short into something more professional.
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:28 am
Guys, guys, guys! When your hair is about 4 feet long, Pert is OK. Aveda is ridiculous, but Suave is *nasty*. I only use it to wash my wool sweaters because it’s cheaper than fancy wool washes. I’ve wrecked my hair with certain brands of drugstore shampoos. So it’s not for everyone.
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:38 am
I like the first comment. It’s so true. It doesn’t save much when men don’t go to the barber compared to when women don’t go to their stylists.
Now, we just need a picture of your hair to see the results!
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:50 am
I agree, haircut prices are rediculous. I paid $22 the other day for a simple cut. I need to find someone that knows how to cut hair… it doesn’t look all that hard. Although my hair dresser… she is pretty good looking
March 23rd, 2006 at 8:19 am
C’mon…I can see sticking it to the banks, but sticking it to the barbers? I’m just glad I didn’t see the word “Flowbee”.
March 23rd, 2006 at 8:56 am
My wife uses the crazy expensive kerastase that you can only get at like 3 salons in Dallas (the hair capital of the world). It’s about $30/bottle, but gets it on ebay for less than half.
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:38 am
Woah! Fun topic
After a year of doing this, I can honestly say I would rather go to my wife than a barber. She gets it just right. Initially, it might be a little off but I didn’t have to shave my head or anything. It’s all good now.
My haircut is a #1 guard on the sides and about 1-2 inches on the top. Pretty simple overall, would take 5-10 minutes in a barber shop.
Flowbee!! They still make those? =D
I’m not interested in ’stickin-it’ to anyone, I’m only interested in sticking money in my pocket!
If you have to buy your shampoo on eBay, it’s too expensive
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:46 am
Wow. I thought only I was the only one cheap enough to let his wife cut his hairs. For me home hair cut results look better than the $10 salon that I used to go to. And because my appearance is revolting in other ways, nobody really notices my hairstyle anyway.
Jonathan, you are spoiled. Pert is for rich folks. For me its Kirkland ( costco brand ), $5 for two huge bottles that last me a whole year.
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:54 am
A friend of mine is hooked on your site. Today, I checked it out for the first time. I’ve been married for ten years, owned several businesses, real-estate and have taken some crazy financial risks. My husband is an accountant that can think outside the box…:). We’ve been tight with money over the years but I never had to give him “home cuts”. What we do is get hair cuts by Jr. Hair stylists? at the most expensive salons in the city. Most salons have training or technique nights and all I have do is make an appointment as a model. Therefore, I can get a $100-$180 dollar hair cuts (they do color too) absolutely free at some of the best Salons in NYC.
Please pass this information on to others and spare us to look at bad heads.
Next time, maybe I?ll have more time to write you on how to travel in style for free or very little money?..:)
March 23rd, 2006 at 10:13 am
I went to one of those comsmetology schools once, and they cut my ear! Never again…
I’ve tried a lot of cheap shampoos, but this is the best one by far:
Pert Plus with Light Conditioner for Fine/Oily Hair (*not* the regular one). Really, try it! Even my wife finds it acceptable for occasional use.
March 23rd, 2006 at 10:40 am
See, that’s the thing. If you offer me a $200 haircut for $20, I’d still pass. I’m a simple guy, and personally just don’t see the value. My haircuit would STILL take 10 minutes at a top salon.
My wife actually has done the Jr. Hairstylist thing here too at top salons, but that in itself is risky too. She’s had good and bad results. It’s not worth hearing her complain about a bad haircuit.
I would be interested in travelling on the cheap though =)
March 23rd, 2006 at 10:46 am
This is crazy!
You guys are concerned about hair cut savings!?
It’s just too much, life is to be enjoyed because when you die I am sure if saved a lot of $$$ you will leave a lot of $$$ behind and that $$$ left behind could be enjoyed by someone who never saved $$$. Think about that!
Enjoy your $$$! Don’t let it control you!
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:21 am
To see true savings you have to have a wife who is as a thrifty as yourself, speaking as a wife. We actually do the opposite - I have my husband cut my hair, and he typically gets a quick clip every six weeks at a $13/cut place. I grew up with a mom who spent $100s/month on her hair, and from my infancy nearly, spent tons of time on my hair. I thought I was “cursed” with curly hair, and would get up for school an hour early to straighten it out like she had trained me. Then I moved away to college and smartened up… I let my bangs grow out and let it be naturally curly. My husband loves it this way, and with curls, you can’t tell if it’s cut even or not, so when I feel like there are dead ends, I comb it straight out and hold it while my hubby snips along with the scissors. I have been to a salon only twice in our four year marriage, and this last time the lady thought I had been getting proffessionally groomed because it was so even.
I also save a fortune not buying into this crap about needing to change my hair color or highlight it… a huge fortune and something that has to be maintained - CRAZY! (we’ll see what I say if I ever get any gray hair) People love my hair and I think part of it may be that it’s not overprocessed like every other woman I know!
One last tip - use the razor to trim up your long haired dog. Our shih tzu prefers the at home cut, and it saves us $40 a cut.
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:42 pm
I went to a barber shop last time I argued with her.
March 23rd, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I can’t believe what I am hearing. Cutting your own hair with a cheap $10 thing is just ridiculous, have you looked in the mirror lately? Do you guys actually care how you look like?
There is a limit to frugal living…
I go to a barber shop ever 3 weeks, cost me about $15. What’s the big deal? What’s the point of saving $250 a year but looking like a dork all the time? I wouldn’t be surprise of you actually loose money over your lifetime by not getting a job or a promotion, because the manager thinks you are just too goofy looking. LOL
March 23rd, 2006 at 1:39 pm
I get 3 haircuts a year for about $10 each, so my potential savings isn’t all that much (also, I don’t have a wife).
March 23rd, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Hey now! In defense of your wives who use expensive shampoo, it?s a whole different ball game if you have more than an inch of hair. Brcmapgirl is right. Suave can ruin your hair especially if your wives have highlights.
I spend $160 every two months for highlights and a cut and it?s totally worth it. But I make sacrifices elsewhere (I don?t have a TV, iPod, computer, cable, Internet, etc.) like I?m sure your wives do too. It?s just a matter of financial priorities.
March 23rd, 2006 at 3:57 pm
Honestly I not big on how my hair looks. 75 % of the day I were a hard hat at work. That kills anythingyou do to your hair in the morning. When I don’t have the hard hat on I typically were a ball cap. Outside of work I spend almost all my free time staying home with my wife and 2 year old daughter.
I also have my wife cut my haiir because of the above. It’s not hard to do #2 on the sides and back and leave it an inch or so up top. Definatelly not worth $15 or more. That $250 I save a year goes into an account for my daughters education, clothes or even toys.
March 23rd, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Yes, I agree, it’s all about priorities. (I certainly wouldn’t trade my high-speed internet for nicer hair.) My haircut is simple, and I would bet $100 that nobody could tell if I went to a salon or my bathroom to get a haircut. My wife goes to salons because her hair is hard, and that’s fine by me.
Interesting all the cracks on Suave though. All those commercials about how it’s high quality is all crap, eh?
March 23rd, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Isn’t Pert a bit extravagant? VO5 Blushin’ Apple and Tangerine Tickle smell pretty good at $0.79/15 oz. on sale. Honest, my hair was gray BEFORE the VO5.
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:27 pm
I don’t get hair cuts anymore. I’ve been growing an afro for the last 2 and a quarter years.
Before that my dad cut it. I got my hair cut once at a hair place. He cuts the whole family’s hair as well as his own.
Dave
March 24th, 2006 at 12:07 am
I really like the graphics…I think that really illustrates the cost difference in that fancy stuff and normal people’s shampoo.
March 24th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
—-
This is crazy!
You guys are concerned about hair cut savings!?
It’s just too much, life is to be enjoyed because when you die I am sure if saved a lot of $$$ you will leave a lot of $$$ behind and that $$$ left behind could be enjoyed by someone who never saved $$$. Think about that!
Enjoy your $$$! Don’t let it control you!
—-
agreed, saving money seems to be an addction these days.
March 24th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
No Thanks.I still have nightmares about my father buying his first haircutting kit almost forty years ago.I was his first test case.I ended up with the most hideous crewcut imaginable.And no,he never did improve.
March 24th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
It’s me, without the leading ‘brc-’ this time. I think these are some of the funniest comments I’ve read on your blog. People are so touchy and think you’re being cheap because you wanted to save money on a haircut. I don’t know what to tell them. I went 2 years without a haircut and cut my hair tonight for free by myself. Sure it’s not a great cut, but I wear a simple hairstyle where I can get away with some uneveness. I just have other things I’d rather spend my money on, like saving it up for retirement or really expensive shampoo. *winky*
It’s funny how such a small mundane thing like a haircut or shampoo turns into a huge argument.
March 25th, 2006 at 5:58 am
Suave (or any crap) on guy’s hair = fine
Suave on female hair = no no
March 29th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
—-
This is crazy!
You guys are concerned about hair cut savings!?
It’s just too much, life is to be enjoyed because when you die I am sure if saved a lot of $$$ you will leave a lot of $$$ behind and that $$$ left behind could be enjoyed by someone who never saved $$$. Think about that!
Enjoy your $$$! Don’t let it control you!
—-
agreed, saving money seems to be an addction these days.
—-
If we truly enjoy saving money, then what harm is being done?? Personally, I get a huge thrill over saving money, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. If you like blowing your money, more power to ya!
I’ve been cutting my own hair for the past 8 years with a $30 clipper set. AND I use the same set to give haircuts to both my dogs (two small Maltese). For me, it saves about $12/month, and for them it’s a $48 savings every 6-8 weeks.
I’ll let ya’ll do the math!
April 1st, 2006 at 4:52 pm
If you can rock a shaved head, like I can, go for it. All I have to pay for are razors…and I like it more that any other hairstyle I’ve had.
April 3rd, 2006 at 9:19 am
My wife has been cutting my hair for about 5 years now, using the Wahl hair clipper kit we bought from a local drug store for about $8. Maybe once a year we get so busy that she doesn’t have time to cut my hair and I must visit the local barber, but otherwise my wife cuts my hair for the most part. It has saved us a lot of money, but just as important, my wife now cuts my hair better than the barber shops. She already knows exactly how to cut my hair, so I don’t have to sit and explain what I want done, like at the barber shop. So I’ve never felt that I’m compromising or getting anything less by having my wife cut my hair, if anything, it’s better.
And to the comment about enjoying my $$’s? I don’t understand how paying for a haircut is enjoying my money. By paying for a haircut, I’m not enjoying it any more than when I get a free haircut from my wife, so I don’t understand the desire to pay money for it. There’s a lot of other things I’d rather do with that $14 that I’d enjoy a lot more than a haircut.
$14 per haircut * 10 haircuts per year * 5 years…hmm, looks like that $8 Wahl clipper kit has saved us about $700 so far!
April 8th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
I am an African American male and a college student. About three Christmas holidays ago, my dad got me a hair clipper set as a gift. I would have to say that this is the best Christmans present I have gotten yet, as it has save me so much money. I no longer go to the barber. I’m the kind of person who looks good bald and with low haircuts. Buy cutting my hair with a tenth of a cent worth of electricity and cleaning up with about two cents worth of water and soap, I have save hundreds.
I no longer need to go the barber or ask a friend or relative to cut my hair. With a wall mirror and the mirror on the medicine cabinet, I can do it myself with no problem.
With this extra saved money set aside, I have bought $100 worth of stock, upgraded the RAM on my 4-year-old computer, and bought school supplies.
This is indeed a really nifty idea!
September 7th, 2006 at 6:38 am
You pay for shampoo?! I travel on business a lot and have this compulsion to grab the soaps, shampoo, and conditioner from my hotel stays. I have a drawer full of unused Aveda products from Kimpton Hotels, Neutrogena from Hilton Hotels, and the Heavenly bath products from Westin Hotels. I haven’t paid for soaps, shampoo, or conditioner in 10 years.
September 7th, 2006 at 11:26 am
For those who are makin’ fun of us gettin our haircuts at home listen up!
It is one thing if it is just you and your spouse.
Try 3 kids! Get out those calculators!
My sons hair is cowlick possessed and has to be clippered every two weeks. My youngest daughters bangs have to be trimmed every two weeks as well. My oldest can go about every month between getting her ends cut.
Heres “our” savings breakdown:
Husband - shaves head bald every week - actual cost $30 a year
Wife gets a $10 cut by hairstylist friend 4 times a year - $40 a year
Oldest daughter monthly trim at home by mom - Free
Son haircut every two weeks - Free
Youngest daughter bang trim every two weeks - Free
Husbands cuts $8.00 x 52 weeks = $416
Wifes cuts $13.00 x 4 times a year = $52.00
Oldest daughter cuts $13.00 x 12 = $156.00
Sons cuts $8.00 x 26 weeks = $208.00
Youngest daughter cuts $8.00 x 26 weeks = $208.00
Total $1040 - $70 (what we actually pay) = $970.00
So the next time you make fun of people trying to save a dollar think outside the box for a moment and you might learn a bit.
$970 a year hmmm… that will do nicely in my Sharebuilder account thank you!
Please don’t respond with the whole “Sharebuilder fee”rantings; without Sharebuilder I would have NEVER learned how to invest and would have never gotten the SWEET Costco promotions that have given me plenty of FREE money!
November 9th, 2006 at 8:10 am
I take it one step further, and handle my haircut every morning with my shave. It’s not for everybody, but for me a chrome dome will look better than any haircut. Saves money on shampoo, as well.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Thats great i do a high and tight i trim it up once a week. i also do my 3 roomates heads plus i cut all of our gfs hair, and even do my grandads, dads, and 2 roomates dads. so figure up the price savings there (all milatary) that part means a haircut is about 15 dollars apiece for us. and i do em all atleast once a month im the only one that doas it every week and thats just becuz i am trying to impress the crap otu of everyone and always look sharp. o and as for shampoo pert plus will do fine for a lady. my gf moved in and i told her straight forward how my house is kept and i dont like a bunch of stuff in my way in the shower, so she uses my pert plus, and trades good shampoo cond. for permission to have a cat in the house.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
why try that stuff why dont you try my stuff its called styling hair and it has hair dye in it and everything so that you dont have to get all messy