Thursday, March 18, 2010

Saving Green on Haircuts

So, almost a year ago we bought a Wahl haircut kit at Big Lots for about $15 with grand visions of my cutting Benny's hair to save us some cash and give a little more wiggle room (and savings) in our budget.

Well, the kit sat under the bathroom sink for about six months before I took the plunge and tried to cut Benny's hair over Christmas. The first time, his sister had to clean things up a bit. (He had more specific ideas about what he wanted than I could provide with the kit and guards.)

Last night, things were much more successful! I set up shop in the bathroom with a kitchen chair, a bath towel as a drape, and plugged in the razor with the 1 inch guard attached. I took off much of the length, and then went to the 3/4 inch guard (he wanted it short for spring). I used the razor with no guard to clean up the neckline and around his ears. He trimmed things a bit more after his shower this morning. Overall, he was very pleased and told me numerous times how much he liked the cut! Not too bad for a haircut at home... with one cut, we had the razor paid for! (Funny little story...when I switched guards, the 1 inch fell on the floor. I thought Benny had picked it up, he thought I had it... we later found it on the bed, having been chewed to bits by none other than Lavender! So, I guess we'll have to buy another 1" guard.) Knowing that I can successfully cut Benny's hair makes me even more confident that I will be able to cut our kid's one day, assuming we have a boy (and that he's cooperative about the haircut).

I have been working toward growing my hair out a bit more, though I haven't decided how much. I like it short, but I miss being able to pull it up too. So, at this point, I'm in that weird stage where I want to get it cut, but if I wait a few more weeks, it will be long enough to manage again. So, I think I'll just hold out. When I had long hair, I'd get it trimmed about twice a year. I'm thinking that having it longer will definitely save us on my quarterly haircuts, and I'll enjoy it being that long again.

With our savings on haircuts, we've been able to add to our emergency fund more and pay to have Lavender's nails trimmed at the vet (we tried doing it ourselves, and it was just too hard on all of us and we didn't keep up with it like we should). The cost of a haircut for us equals what a nail trim for her is, so it all evens out and we're not spending more than we were before we had her for those grooming things.

So, how are you creating more wiggle room in your budget? Have you had success with at-home haircuts? I'd love to hear from you!

Sharin' the green love and savings!

1 comment:

  1. Cool-I tried cutting Ryan's hair once-it didn't turn out so well (we'll just say he had a patch at the bottom of his hairline for a while). I cut my hair all the time now (& the children's too). Sometimes it turns out great & sometimes I just have to keep telling myself that it will grow out. Saves $30-$45 per cut for me & another $15 each for the children! Good for you! And I want to see your long hair-you've had short hair ever since I can remember.

    ReplyDelete