Cutting hair at home.
I have to say, I'm not really a big fan of doing this. There are frugal things I don't mind(making yogurt, baking bread, watching sales, shopping clearances), and then there are things I do only because it saves me money. Haircuts definitely fall into the latter category. But, save me money they do, and so I soldier on with my razor and scissors.
I don't cut my own hair(I'm just not that skilled!), and I don't cut my older daughter's hair(it's too thick, and it was sort of a disaster the last time I tried). So, we go to a friend who cuts hair at her home. She does a fabulous job, and it only costs $25 for both me and my daughter to get a cut. This is 25 well spent dollars in my opinion, and since my daughter and I both have longish hair, we only have to go twice a year or so.
I've been cutting Joshua's hair since he was a baby, and I've been doing the same with Sonia and Zoe. Sonia has very thin hair, so it's pretty easy to cut, and Zoe's hair is wonderfully curly, which means that any mistakes I made are very difficult to see! More recently I've started cutting my husband's hair too.
He used to pay $25 a month to get it his hair cut, and I figure I'd have to spend another $10 a month on haircuts for Joshua. So, even without counting the money I save by cutting Sonia and Zoe's hair, I'm saving us $35 a month, or $420 a year.
I just use a basic razor and scissors kit, which cost me about $25 at Target. That's the price of one haircut for my husband, so the kit paid for itself almost immediately.
Even if you aren't brave enough to foray in the world of home haircuts, consider buying a pair of hair-cutting scissors to do some trimming in between haircuts. Girls' bangs are fairly easy to trim, and boys' haircuts can be stretched out farther if you do a bit of trimming around the ears and neck. I do this with Joshua when I don't have time to give him a full-blown haircut and it buys me another couple of weeks.
I cut H's hair too! Every 2 weeks. It saves us about $500/year! Well worth it 🙂
New to your site. I totally agree. My husband asked me to cut his hair early in our marriage since we had moved to a new state and would have to find a new barber. I have been clipper cutting his hair ever since. The first haircut paid for the clippers. I do it every 6 weeks or so and estimate that I have saved us about $400 dollars for him alone. I only goofed once and nearly scalped the man. But we laughed so hard that it made up for it. All the guys at work asked if he was joining the military. I won't cut my own though...
My goodness, FG! His hair must grow even faster than my husband's. I have to give my husband a trim around the ears in between haircuts, but I can get away with doing a full haircut only once a month.
Christine, thanks for stopping by! I'm always glad to see new faces.
I cut my own hair but send DH and the boys to the barber. They go every six weeks and pay $30 for all three hair cuts.
I cut my DH's hair and he cuts our boys hair. I used to take them to get it done, to a place that only charged their age, so it wasn't a bad price. But this is free and you gotta save every little bit you can! I get mine done professionally but it's been over a year since I actually got mine trimmed at all. I really need to do that soon.
You are right. This is a huge money saver...AND, it is a miserable chore!
I have found that Wahl brand clippers are the BEST. I have had to replace clippers over the years and currently I have had my Wahls for at least 4 years. I got them at a beauty supply shop. They are heavy duty and still sharp.
Having a cosmetology degree will save me money some day! Once I pay back the loan. LOL My son has gotten buzz cuts since he was 18 months, my daughter has thin hair that I can cut (even though she wiggles) and I can do a decent mens' cut as well. I'm the only one who gets trips to the salon. Definitely a money saver.
Amber, I'm impressed that they can make it six weeks. My son and my husband would be lookin' very shaggy in that amount of time! lol
Shasta, I'm terrible about remembering to get mine done. I've been a bit better since I found out how cheap my friend cuts hair, though!
Maddie, I'll keep that in mind. Mine are getting pretty old, and I think some new clippers would make my job easier. And I'm glad to hear that someone else hates doing this! :p
Jessa...that's awesome that you have a degree in this. I've just sort of learned by trial and error, and I think I'd be a lot more confident if I'd had some training.
Oh! I've been wanting to do this. My husband's hair grows so so fast, but I am too nervous that I'm gonna mess it up. Maybe I'll just go for it!
Having long hair really saves money. I wish I could cut my partner's hair or my own, but I"m just not that skilled. Luckily I can go about 6 months without a hair cut. In the past, I had a very straight forward cut and I would get my mom to give me a trim. I've also relied on those cheap haircutters that cost about $10 (or less with coupons). They worked out fine since I just needed a simple trim. Now that my hair is layered it's a little more complex so I spend about $35 at a downtown salon - still much cheaper than doling out about $150 for a cut and colour like many of my friends do.
Rachel - if you screw up, there's always the option to buzz him bald! 🙂
My wife has been cutting my hair for a while now. It looks decent. I may not get on the cover of GQ, but if my wife likes the way that I look and we save money, then I am happy 🙂
I have been cutting my husband's hair for about 10 years. I also cut my sons' most of the time. I have long, curly hair, so I can go about 2-3 times per year. This is one area where we really save money.
jack loves his haircuts and I can't bear taking that luxury away from him... maybe down the track. My hair grows like a tortoise and I'm not really fussed about the latest trends or styles so I can usually get away by not cutting my hair for up to a year or more. There's quite a bit of saving!! 🙂
I have cutting my husband's hair because he squirms around and freaks out like I'm going to cut his ears off. But I've been doing it for 4 years now, every two weeks. His hair grows really fast and I usually have to shave his neck once a week. I'd never cut hair before I started cutting his (with a pair of clippers), but people compliment him all the time and ask who is barber is. Probably because I take about 45 minutes each time (maybe the reason he squirms? lol...) and really blend and layer it. The trick is to use a lot of different sized attachments and get the ears right. One buzzed-looking length all over and gross ear/neck lines scream "did it myself!".
If you're just starting, I'd recommend going to a barber he likes and watching very closely a few times to see what they do.
BTW, Saver Queen, I totally agree with you. I think a lot of women (especially younger) could get away with longer hair and it would look better than a short style that's lost it's shape due to procrastinating a hair cut. I've never cut my hair, and it will only grow to just above my waste. It's naturally wavy/curly and I deep condition the ends to keep them smooth.
Oh yes. I have long-ish hair(below my shoulders, usually), and I can go for a long time in between haircuts. I hardly ever go more than twice a year, and often it's less than that.