Spending $25 Saved Me $1,500 On My Boys

What used to cost me more than $60 a month?

It’s something that everyone needs to make sure that they look her best. It’s haircuts. More specifically haircuts for the men, even the mini men, in your life.

Haircuts can really add up. While guys’ hair is really easy to cut, it needs to be cut and up kept frequently in order to avoid looking sloppy.

I have two sons and a husband who need regular haircuts. If each of them needs a haircut only once a month although usually it’s more than that, I’m looking at around $15 per boy and $30 for my much pickier husband. Right now, for my family of 2 boys and a husband, I’m looking at $60 each month! WHAT?!

I knew something had to be done about that crazy expense.

I have zero hair-cutting experience. If it was possible to have NEGATIVE hair cutting experience, I would have it. I was absolutely horrified to use clippers for fear of chopping off my husband’s ear. Because of my fear, I sent my husband out to get his hair cut.

For a while, I made sure that he got to a barber at least twice a month. That was back when we didn’t have any children and expenses didn’t really matter. When our first son was born, all of that changed.

Hair cutting soon fell into this weird, messy category in our budget that we didn’t know how to handle: a necessary luxury. It needed to be done, but the now outrageously high cost made it a luxury.

Off I went to buy $25 clippers with the extended clipper set for different lengths. With a lot of helpful instruction from YouTube, it has helped me save $60 a month for the past two years alone.

Never cut hair before? Me neither!

But haircuts can be as difficult or easy as you make them. I have all 3 of my boys (husband included) with short back and bottom, and long on top. It’s a low maintenance cut and it doesn’t take long at all. After years of practice, I’ve gotten the routine down to about 5-10 minutes for the boys, and 10-12 for my husband.

Not too shabby for someone whose haircutting experience used to consist of that one time in kindergarten when I decided that I needed to have bangs, huh?

All you will need for your own barber station are:

Clippers (here are my handy dandy clippers that have been with me for 5 years)
A comb
A towel
A wooden or metal stool or chair (so that the hair doesn’t get stuck in the fabric of a nicer chair)
An iPad (for kids)
A broom and vacuum

Sit the ~~victim~~ guy down in the chair with a towel cape. For the kids, turning on the iPad with a movie keeps them occupied and helps them to not be so scared of the clippers (you can use this for fidgetey or overly picky husbands, too). Start with a long comb. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back on (take it from someone who learned that the hard way)!

Start with a long comb. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back on (take it from someone who learned that the hard way)!

Once you’ve found the right comb length, write it down on a piece of paper and leave it with your clipper case. This way, you’ll never forget which size comb you used last time.

It is well worth it to watch instructional videos on YouTube and to try it for yourself. And honestly, your first one, two, or five haircuts may not be awesome. But eventually, you will get used to using the clippers and it will be well worth the $25 investment to save you a lot of money.

Check out this amazingly easy video tutorial from Millenial Moms. Jordan makes it so easy to cut your little guys’ hair that you’ll be wondering why it took so long to try on your own!

How do you take care of your sons’ hair?

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Cheryl says

April 3 at 11:53 AM

Yes, home haircuts save a lot of money. I think you are underestimating the total cost though. My husband cuts my hair, has been doing so for me since we first started dating, and he gives my two boys their monthly haircuts. The $30 for two haircuts, plus tip and transportation cost at 56 cents per mile, cost me $55 a month, my haircut every other month factoring the costs, plus a more expensive haircut was $80. So I save over $1100 a year. We bought a couple capes at Sally’s , a good set of Wahl clippers, and the neck strips. Haircuts for the boys are out on a chair with a board on it to sit them higher, and clean up is a hop in the shower, and the leaf blower to clean off the patio. Cold weather we use a stool and vacuum up the clippings with a shop vacuum. And it is so convenient when the Bo’s need a haircut to just set up the chair and have the two haircuts done in 20 minutes, with better results than I got taking them to the barber. My husband sets out a stool for me, capes me than sections, pins up my hair and trims each successive layer, taking off only a 1/2″ or less, as I ask, not several like the scissor happy stylists that never listened. I have even gotten my husband to color my hair with henna when I started seeing too many grays. I told him colorist comes with being my stylist. My neighbor pays $130 every six weeks to get hers cut and colored. My costs are under $50 a year, and I get compliments on my hair all the time. I don’t have the time for the hassle of the salon, and I like the savings of my husband being the family barber. He has been doing all the haircuts at home for nearly five years. If I put the money in a jar and saved it rather than spend it on clothes, groceries and gas for my car, it would pay for a very nice vacation or used car. I’m with you, it is a very smart move to do the haircuts at home. I’m fortunate my husband has a knack for it. I can’t imagine having to go the salon and barbershop route again, I have gotten spoiled.

Comments

Leah says
March 25 at 10:20 PM

Yes! I so needed this. My son is 1, and his hair is starting to get really long. For his first haircut, I might take him somewhere, just because getting rid of his baby hair will be so emotional, but for the rest I’d really like to get in the habit of doing it myself.
Eventually, I’d like to cut my husband’s hair too, but he’s a lot pickier. It’s nice to read about someone else with no experience being successful at this!!

Emily says
March 29 at 9:55 AM

Cutting hair has always been intimidating to me. Lord willing, if I get married, my mom can teach me how to do it. 🙂
#totallyterrifictuesday

Cheryl says
April 3 at 11:53 AM

Yes, home haircuts save a lot of money. I think you are underestimating the total cost though. My husband cuts my hair, has been doing so for me since we first started dating, and he gives my two boys their monthly haircuts. The $30 for two haircuts, plus tip and transportation cost at 56 cents per mile, cost me $55 a month, my haircut every other month factoring the costs, plus a more expensive haircut was $80. So I save over $1100 a year. We bought a couple capes at Sally’s , a good set of Wahl clippers, and the neck strips. Haircuts for the boys are out on a chair with a board on it to sit them higher, and clean up is a hop in the shower, and the leaf blower to clean off the patio. Cold weather we use a stool and vacuum up the clippings with a shop vacuum. And it is so convenient when the Bo’s need a haircut to just set up the chair and have the two haircuts done in 20 minutes, with better results than I got taking them to the barber. My husband sets out a stool for me, capes me than sections, pins up my hair and trims each successive layer, taking off only a 1/2″ or less, as I ask, not several like the scissor happy stylists that never listened. I have even gotten my husband to color my hair with henna when I started seeing too many grays. I told him colorist comes with being my stylist. My neighbor pays $130 every six weeks to get hers cut and colored. My costs are under $50 a year, and I get compliments on my hair all the time. I don’t have the time for the hassle of the salon, and I like the savings of my husband being the family barber. He has been doing all the haircuts at home for nearly five years. If I put the money in a jar and saved it rather than spend it on clothes, groceries and gas for my car, it would pay for a very nice vacation or used car. I’m with you, it is a very smart move to do the haircuts at home. I’m fortunate my husband has a knack for it. I can’t imagine having to go the salon and barbershop route again, I have gotten spoiled.

- Caroline says
  April 3 at 1:52 PM
  
  Wow Cheryl! You’re so right! That’s so great that you were able to find such a great way to save money on your own hair as well!
  
  - Cheryl says
    April 3 at 7:51 PM
    
    Actually I had him cut my hair because I hated going to the salon, and he offered to cut it for me. He did such a great job, he became my stylist. When the boys got a couple really bad haircuts in a row by the barber, I asked him to help me do them, and the boys fired me, and he got the job. Getting decent looking haircuts was the reason we started, the money savings wasn’t the reason, but looking back, I am glad we did because it does save me a lot of money. I get mixed reactions when I tell people my husband cuts and colors my hair. Some say I am brave to let him cut my hair, they would never let their guy cut theirs, and others have said he does great work, including my neighbor who worked in a salon, and asked if he takes appointments. But I advise them he only cuts mine and my children’s hair. I don’t want people just popping in and wanting a haircut.
    
Suzanna says
April 3 at 4:47 PM

I’m a little spoiled. My husband cuts the four boys’ hair and he also does his own. I don’t want to think about all the money we’d spend if we didn’t do it on our own.

- Cheryl says
  April 5 at 9:12 PM
  
  Easily over $1000 each year. That is no chump change, a significant percentage of your annual income NOT spent at the barbershop. Very smart move indeed.
  
Emmy @ Club Thrifty says
April 26 at 5:10 PM

Love this! My hubs usually pays $10 for his haircut, so not bad, but the real issue is he is SO busy that he is usually a shaggy monster before he finally goes in. I’m totally going to buy a clippers and get clippin’!

Katie says
July 13 at 3:52 PM

Great ideas! I recently bought a pair of $12 hair cutting shears at Target and watched a good Youtube video and now I can trim my own hair as often as I want. I only trim about an inch off each time so it’s not noticeable if I make a mistake. 😉 Women’s haircuts can be at least $50-60 each so I’m saving a lot of money!
Katie recently posted…College Packing List

Dwight Bullock says
June 21 at 9:32 AM

My wife cuts my hair at home. She also does this to our children. It really helped us save money. We have five boys and I can’t imagine how much it would cost if all of us would visit the barber shop and pay. Great post!

Spending $25 Saved Me $1,500 On My Boys

Spending $25 Saved Me $1,500 On My Boys

What used to cost me more than $60 a month?