I can count on one of my hands the number of time I have been to the barbers for a haircut in the last 5 years. However I have been having my hair cut for free since I was in my early teens and has saved me and my family quite a bit of money and time having my haircut.
The Costs
The average cost of a haircut in my area for men is £11 (average haircut price varies greatly over the UK), and what I need is a cut and tidy not a new style or anything more complicated. If I got my hair cut at the barbers once a month then that would be cost me £132 over the course of the year! A guy I used to work with usually went every two weeks to trim and style his hair which would be around £286!
As you can imagine I would rather have that money for other more fun things (computer games, spoiling my wife etc). It is cheaper to have a student cut your hair instead as when I was at university there was a barber shop made up of learners who needed a head to practice on – a very welcome thing for a student wanting to save money.
The only thing I had to pay for was a hair clippers box set (which is similar to this set) with all the sizes needed, which at the time paid for themselves after a few haircuts. I still have those same clippers, so there are not something you have to replace too often.
History of having my hair cut for free
I first started having my hair cut by my sister when I was in secondary school. She needed a guinea pig for hair cuts as she was learning to do the basics for tenants at the care home she worked at back then. At the time we lived in a small hamlet around 5 miles from the nearest barber shop. With only one driver in the family, I realised that to save my parents time and money I could let my sister practice on me. Eventually, it became the norm, and my mum also learned how to use the clippers.
Whilst at university I had my hair cut a few times on campus at the university hairdressers, which had mainly learners needing a head to practice on and I also had a NUS discount making it so much cheaper. This was an easier option for me to use at the time, as I couldn't go home every month and didn't wish to ask my university friends, as they weren't big on the money saving.
When we started dating, Emma was fascinated when she first found out that I had my hair done at home for free! After all, she loves a bargain. She did end up coming over to see me and to watch me have my hair done. When we first moved in together though she really wanted to try doing my hair and although nervous she did a great job, now she has the confidence that you would never believe she was once nervous at all.
One of the only times I have gone to the barber during our relationship was to have my haircut for our wedding day, although I think I should have gotten my mum or Emma to do it as I think they would have done it just as good. However they were both really busy – Emma with wedding prep and my mum made our gorgeous wedding cake.
Having my family and wife cut my hair really has saved me money over the years, especially when I was unemployed and looking for work, trying to make money stretch was very important. I would imagine that all in all since I started having my hair cut at home by family and then Emma I have saved well over £1,000 – with the same pair of hair clippers!
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