Homespun Haircuts

Not everyone is comfortable with the thought of haircuts done at home. We all want to look our best and you can easily wind up looking your absolute worst with a botched up haircut. I know. Been there!

But giving haircuts to your family at home can be a real money saver. And time saver when you factor in making appointments, driving, waiting for the barber/stylist, etc. 

When my husband and I were newly married, we had very little money and I did all I could to be frugal and thrifty. So one day I bought a clipper set at Target that came with a free how-to video. I watched the video and it filled me with confidence.  "I can do that," I said to myself. And I did. Nowadays the clipper sets don't seem to come with videos anymore, but you can find them all over the internet, so that is just as good, if not better.  

Anyone with a little coordination and an ounce of artistic expression can give a decent haircut. 

My husband was a willing and ready participant.  This spoke nothing of my skill, only of his total aversion to barbers and salons! :)  So I experimented and buzzed and clipped away.  I have been giving my husband and kids haircuts now for 18 years and that is a lot of saving racked up!  

I invested in a better clipper about 7 years ago and it's been great. It is an "Andis" brand and cost about $80.  The only thing I don't like about it is that after three haircuts in a row, the metal body of the clipper can become very hot. But I'm learning to wield a pair of scissors pretty well now so I use the clippers just for the base, back and sides of the hair and scissor cut the tops.  

I have long hair and typically get it cut about 2-3 times a year and since my husband and sons have no desire to cut my hair, I get it cut professionally or at a Salon School very inexpensively, usually for $5 or $10. 

If you're interested in saving money (and we all should be) and expanding your homemaking skills, watch some good hair cutting tutorials and see what you think. It's actually fun and easy. I'm currently researching ways to cut my own hair because I can never seem to get the cut I want from the stylist. One of my favorite hair styling tutorials is over at thesmallthingsblog. Finally someone who shows us how to style side swipe bangs correctly! Woopee!

So factoring the math, this is the savings that home haircuts have afforded my family: 



Husband
18 years
6 haircuts per year 
$15/cut
$90
$1620
Son 1
16 years
6 haircuts per year
$15/cut
$90
$1440
Son 2 
14 years
6 haircuts per year 
$15/cut
$90
$1260


Total Savings = $4,320.00!!


That represent a pretty substantial nest egg - enough to pay for a couple of nice vacations!  

I wish I'd have plunked fifteen bucks into a jar every time I gave a haircut. But alas, the extra money went for a bunch of other little things. 

I have had my share of boo boo's and once my husband had to wear a hat for 3 weeks (I told him not to move!) heh.  But that's to be expected. I've learned to have a steadier hand since then.  :-)

Do you give your family haircuts?

Comments

Jessica K said…
I cut my son's and husband's hair. It would cost $360 a year to get it professionally cut! I do an 8 on top, 4 on the sides and back, 6 on the back of the head (otherwise my husband and son both get a very Dennis the Menace-like cowlick right there!) Easy peasy.

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