Saving a Small Fortune on Haircuts

thebbqguy · Post by **thebbqguy** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:56 am

About three years ago, I could no longer justify the traditional monthly haircut because I had so little of it to cut. More and more of it fell out and there really isn’t much left anymore. So I purchased my own set of hair clippers and now my wife trims my hair on a weekly basis using the 1/16 inch guard that accompanied my Wahl Balding Clippers.
The clippers cost me $32. Based on the $15 haircuts typical at many of the franchised hair salons I visited, the clippers paid for themselves in the 3rd month. That $32 investment has saved me $510 so far. Carrying that out over another 20 years, I’ll save more than $4,100. That’s a 12,812% ROI if my math is correct, and by math I mean the formula I typed into Microsoft Excel to calculate it for me.
Wow! There aren’t many other investments you can make that will generate ROI anywhere close to that. And that’s before you factor in the cost of transportation to the salon, shampoo, combs, brushes, hair dryers, etc.

llorona · Post by **llorona** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:12 am

Hair clippers are an excellent investment. My husband doesn't have much hair to cut, but I've been giving him haircuts for the past four or five years. There was definitely a learning curve -- at first he walked around with some interesting divots in his hair, but that was just the first two or three times.

thebbqguy · Post by **thebbqguy** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:17 am

@llorona Originally I also shaved my head with a razor, but that costs too much. A buzz cut is much cheaper.

Post by **jacob** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:21 am

I haven't paid for a haircut since 1993...

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:44 am

We've had a similarly good ROI on a pair of professional-style hair styling shears. A scissor cut takes longer but seems to pass for "normal" easily.

henrik · Post by **henrik** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:08 am

It took a few tries to learn to do the buzz cut on my own, but once you get it, it's easy and 5 minutes. I guess a second mirror would make it even easier:) I use it for facial hair as well. Going out for a haircut was always uncomfortable and annoying, not to mention expensive.

bulgaria · Post by **bulgaria** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:10 am

My hair was ERE before I knew about it.
What I made of it:
I'm so smart that my brain needs to be air cooled.
The reality:
I'm bald.. just like most of the men in my family.
So I don't pay much money; something like 50 euro's every 5 years for an electric clipper. And I can do it myself.. although from time to time I miss a patch.

GPMagnus · Post by **GPMagnus** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:31 am

LOL ... I used to go to the barber 3-4 times a year. It was about USD 20 + gas + parking + a lot of time ... a few years back my DW (when she was only my DGF) bought me a nice electric hair clipper (I think it cost around USD 100) and ever since I have not visited the barber - DW cuts my hair in about 5-7 minutes!
And while the hair on my head remains, I actually use it more often for trimming my beard

rikimaru_gaisen · Post by **rikimaru_gaisen** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:03 pm

Funny thread. I cut my own hair also since I have social anxiety and don't go outside much other than to work. My bathroom has a 3-fold mirror so it is very helpful for me.

lilacorchid · Post by **lilacorchid** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:13 pm

Yep, I cut my husband's (and shortly, my son's) hair and have for years! He just likes it buzzed, so it's easy. I did have to get creative when I cut his hair before the Christmas party... I took a piece off the front and I realised I forgot to put the guard on! I had to learn on the spot about transitioning hair lengths. HA!

dot_com_vet · Post by **dot_com_vet** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:04 am

DW has been cutting my hair with clippers too. It saves so much time and money. No more spending Saturday morning waiting in a queue of chairs.
I do miss gabbing with my small town barber.

Seneca · Post by **Seneca** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:26 pm

"The true home of the free and the brave is the barber college. Everything is free there. And you have to be brave. " -Ernest Hemingway
http://ehto.thestar.com/marks/a-free-shave

thebbqguy · Post by **thebbqguy** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:58 pm

@Seneca I love the quote.

C40 · Post by **C40** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:26 pm

I only had my hair cut at a barber for a few years of my life.
I have a Remington Precision HC-8017 that is very good. I think it was cheap ($15) and it has outlasted numerous other clippers. I think I've been using it for 10-15 years. Looks like this model is not made any more. There is an HC-8017B but I have no idea how good it actually is. I tried to get better clippers - more like the type used at barber shops (that could cut my hair a little bit shorter than the cheap ones, and hopefully last very long), but the one I tried failed surprisingly quickly.

thebbqguy · Post by **thebbqguy** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 1:31 am

I use a Wahl clipper. I've had good luck with it. Plus they are Made in USA.
If I ever upgrade, I'll give serious consideration to the new Wahl Lithium Ion Clipper, but for right now they cost too much to justify the purchase since my Wahl corded clippers are still working extremely well.

Jen10 · Post by **Jen10** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:49 am

We use a Wahl for our two boys and my husband. Great investment (my brothers kids were going to those special kid haircut places where you sit in a car and watch tv; we bribe our kids with a piece of candy to get them to sit still). However, we ended up paying $4 to replace a guard that one of the boys dropped. And now on the boat I'm just waiting for something to fall in the water. To me, the clippers are a no brainier. My long hair is a different ball game. DH learned how to do a basic long hair cut from the Internet. I'll be keeping it shorter with water preventing the long showers that are not an issue on land.

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:26 pm

Question: how do others clean up the hair trimmings after DIY haircuts? We put down a bath towel before the cut, but it never catches all the hair and shaking it out is difficult. I try to sweep up the hair on the floor with a dustpan but I always miss some. There's got to be a better way. Any tips?

Seneca · Post by **Seneca** » Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:43 pm

This feels really personal. Heh.
I keep my hair buzzed, and my wife always complained about the mess too. We now trim it in the shower. Sweep up the big chunks and rinse the rest down the drain when I take a shower to hose off the loose hair from myself.

J_ · Post by J_ » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:13 pm

My DW does mine and I does her hair, with scissors. We do it outside the house, no problem with the hair trimmings. (birds use them I suppose to line their nests)

KevinW · Post by **KevinW** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:08 am

Thanks for the suggestions, though unfortunately neither will quite work due to the physical layout of our house. Maybe I should just get a big tarp and shake it out outside.