Save $5 for the barber and $3 for myself
Posted by Frugal on April 26th, 2006
This weekend I just had a haircut after several months. I have been too busy with work and the new blogging activities such that my hair was simply too long. My wife saved me a coupon for Great Clips, which was expiring really soon. So I do what I always do, washing my hair before going to barbershop. Yes, it’s a little bit of wasting water and shampoo indeed. But since I don’t like touching dirty hair, I assume that barbers don’t like to do so either. I have full respect of all professions and people who earn their own money and perform their duties on their jobs.
The regular cost of a haircut at Great Clips is about $13, I believe. Without this coupon for only $4.99 haircut, I wouldn’t have gone to Great Clips. I usually go to another run-down barbershop for a $6 haircut.
At the checkout, I paid $5 towards the franchise owner, tipped the barber $5, and still saved myself a good $3, paying the same $10 that I almost always pay at another barbershop, except with a different split of $6 bill/$4 tip.
When I went out of the barbershop door, the mid-aged lady barber called me “Hon, thank you very much, please come back in a month or two”. I hurried out of the door, thinking to myself: I’m not sure how to tell you this, but I don’t get haircuts that often so that I can save a little bit of money by going to barbers less often.
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April 29th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Interesting experience… I recently recommended a friend to go to Atlas Barber School to get a haircut for $4 after reading about it on the internet (apparently, it is $5 now). I wouldn’t go there myself but I wanted to see the results and my friend wouldn’t get a haircut for a long time because he didn’t want to pay. Anyway, the students were excited when he came in because of his hair type but they didn’t do a very good job. I think he’s going to go to a regular $10 barbershop next time.
May 2nd, 2006 at 11:41 am
Good plan.
I cut my husband’s hair myself. We paid for the clippers in two cuts.
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:18 pm
I cut my husband’s hair, too–we just buzz it all over. It looks really good on him.
My stylist WANTS me to come with slightly dirty hair. It helps the highlighting take better. He yells if it’s too clean.
May 2nd, 2006 at 10:40 pm
My wife cut my hair several times, and got all the money for the clipper back and beyond. But these days I don’t want her to cut my hair because I don’t want to tire her down just to save $10. She is already too tired taking care of two small kids.
Didn’t know about that slightly dirty hair will help highlighting. That’s interesting to know.
May 7th, 2006 at 6:32 am
My sister and sister-in-law have become pros over the years with their clippers on anything that needs cutting, even the dogs. I got brave with a good pair of scissors and do my own. I actually get more compliments now than I used to when I blew the bucks at beauty shops and enjoy cutting my own. There are a few good books at the library, even a few videos you can check out. Over time, you get a feel for doing your own, fear not.
May 7th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Sounds like you must be cutting really good hairs. Practice makes perfect. I admire all those tireless wives who build the wealth for the family cut by cut, penny by penny.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:56 am
I cut my own hair for about a year. I bought clippers at Wal-mart for $25, they paid for themselves in 2 cuts. With the guards, it’s pretty easy to cut your own. Since I like mine short, I have to get it cut every 3-4 weeks so it got expensive.
Now, I’ve started bartering my haircuts. I have a friend who is a hair stylist at Great Clips, but she cuts and colors for friends at her home. She only charges half what Great Clips would and she still makes more money. I barter with her, I’ve worked on her computer, dog sat, picked her up at the airport, etc.
December 12th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
Way to go. Bartering is the best way to save on taxes (both sale & income taxes), and government hates that.
December 1st, 2007 at 5:41 pm
My wife and I own the Only Beauty Salon in the world with all natural artesian spring water. It give the hair a healthy feel. She says, it’s the conditioner the stylist is complaining about, not the clean hair. It depends on the hair also. Every case is different to a degree, but slightly dirty hair is an interesting metaphor for don’t use conditioner. By the way it’s calle The Raspberry Cottage, in Sapphire, NC.