I probably spend about $20-$30 a year on personal care. Lots of people probably spend more than that on just a haircut. Cutting my own hair is one of the ways I keep my personal care costs down. I bought a $10 razor* in 2006 and have been using it to cut my hair ever since. The razor has paid for itself many times over. Since I keep my hair buzzed it is easy to cut my own hair. I realize not everyone has this option, but if you do it is a great way to save money. *To make the razor deal even better it was bought with a free $10 gift card my local CVS was giving away as part of their grand opening.
Another plus of having a buzz cut is that you don’t need to use much shampoo. If I’m using body wash, it works fine as shampoo too. And shampoo works fine as body wash too. In a pinch, you can even use bar soap to wash your hair. Using less is a strategy that works for most personal care products. It probably takes less than you think to get clean.
Another way I save money on personal care is by using an old-fashioned safety razor. A safety razor
I used to take advantage of the drugstore deals for free personal care products. That can be a good way to save money on personal care, but the time investment wasn’t worth it for me. You can get shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and more for a $1 or less regularly priced. I know people will disagree, but I don’t think there is much difference in quality.
The fitness center I’m working out at now provides free shampoo, body wash, deodorant, shaving gel and q-tips. Since I already have a supply of all my other personal care needs I probably won’t need to spend any more money on personal care this year.
The money I spend is enough for me to be clean, have a neat appearance, not smell, and even occasionally attract members of the opposite sex. That is good enough for me.
That is great! I spend way too much on personal care.
It can add up pretty fast.
I’ve found that if my body wash or shampoo is a squirt kind, that half a squirt is usually enough. The manufacturers want you to do one or two, but that’s way too much. Alka Seltzer doubled their sales when they advertised with the slogan “plop plop fizz fizz”. Before that people would just use one tablet and it still worked.
Toothpaste is over used too. It should just be the size of a pea, not the entire with of the brush.
Now, I’ve heard of people going to the magazine section and pulling out a perfumed insert and using that. But, even that is too far for me. Do they even have those inserts anymore?
Take care and save money!
You’re right, it only takes a little bit to do the job. Of course, the manufacturers would like you to use more.
I also have a buzz cut. I’ve been doing that for around 15-16 years, and it’s amazing the money you save just by doing that. I just had to buy my second pair of clippers ever a year or so ago & for around $18, so it defintitely does allow you to save a good bit of money.
You’ve had a buzz cut for a long time. You’ve probably saved hundreds of dollars so far.
Wow! I never really thought about this expense category before – always considered it pretty mandatory and standard. You gave me a new perspective, especially on the razor.
Let me know if you give the razor a try.
We easily spend a TON more than that. I think we budget $50/month for hygiene (toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc), and $75/month for haircuts.
$1300/year compared to $20-30 is quite a big difference.
It is a big difference. I forgot about toilet paper when I was estimating my expenses. It is definitely necessary for hygiene and you don’t want to go too cheap. Now that I’m living in my van, I don’t have a tp expense.
Or, you can give up shampoo all together and joing the no-poo movement. I use baking soda to wash my hair, and also use it t0 make my own toothpaste. Baking soda is a weak alkali and reacts with the oils in your hair to form a soap. Some people use apple cider vinegar as a conditioner, I’ve tried it, but you end up smelling vinegar-y. To make toothpaste I mix a little baking soda, water (also has fluroide in it of course) glycerin, mint oil, and a pinch of salt. I store it in a capped off 35 ml syringe, it dispenses just the right amount.
Thanks for the ideas. I’ve heard of those but I’ve been too lazy to actually try them.
for the razor blades, is that eight cents per side (a double-sided blade)? where can you find a safety razor? how frequently are you shaving?
That is eight cents for the whole blade or just 4 cents a side. I got my razor from Amazon. I usually shave every other day.