Frugal Tip: Cheap or Free Haircuts

Welcome to the kickoff of Frugality Month at The Kerrie Show. By the end of this month you should pretty much figure out that I'm so tight I squeak when I walk. The reason for this is that I do not like to feel out of control as far as money goes. I like to have zero debt and money saved. I do know how to enjoy myself and how to treat my family to some fun, though. Read on ...

Callie after Paul Mitchell cut



Joel is happy to get his Mommy-cut

Why not let the 3-year-old try hair-cutting?

Better yet, let the 1-year-old give it a shot!

We love to do at-home haircuts. We spent about $20 10 years ago on a clipper set and have saved hundreds of dollars. I cut my husband's hair, as well as my two sons' hair. Sam will be next! I do bang trims on myself and my girls. Callie has only had 2 real haircuts in her life, both at Paul Mitchell school for $10 each (sounds expensive!). I get my hair layered MAYBE twice a year at the rate of $13 per cut. No coloring needed for me yet, thankfully (heck, I'll just do it at home out of a bottle anyway!).

Don't forget that lots of places will give you a FREE haircut if you have a bunch of hair to chop off and donate to Locks of Love. I've done this THREE times (not for the free cut but because my hair grows fast and I want to help someone out). Start by contacting Great Clips for this, but some high-end salons will also do this for kid, women and men.

No photo of me to share this time around, folks, because I asked for a shaggy, messy haircut and now look a lot like Jon Bon Jovi's long-lost sister. I'm trying to rock my new style, and thankin' God at the same time that my hair grows 1/2 inch a month. Whew.

It’s no secret that I like to save money on some things so I can spend them on others. That’s why I was THRILLED when we got an electric hair cutting thingie about 8 years ago. Aron guided me through cutting his hair, and it looked pretty good.

In the years since having 2 boys, the hair cutting thing has paid for itself over and over and we’ve saved probably close to $1,000* on haircuts. Pair that with nursing and cloth diapering, and I’ve saved this family thousands of dollars (yes, I’m proud of it). I know someone who has formula-fed and disposable diapered TEN – count ‘em – TEN children. They could own an island by now had they been more awesome like yours truly.

So the thing about giving a haircut is this:

You always have to say, “Oops!” at some point in the haircut. This gets my husband every time. Sometimes it’s a true Oops, but usually I’m just messing with him.

*I estimate I’ve cut Aron’s hair 40 times, Joel’s 20 and Michael’s 12. Let’s say a haircut is 10 bucks even, including tip (I’m probably being cheap, too). That totals $720, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Update as of November 5, 2018 ... I grew out my bangs, which I had been cutting myself anyway, and started cutting all my hair. I toss it up in a ponytail, bend over, and cut away. I end up with a lovely shag that I could never get even when I was begging and explaining and showing pictures and paying $50 ... and I do it myself in about 2 minutes and it's FREE. Do you know how good that feels?!

Naked Toolbench Baby

Sam is such a character. He loves to be naked and he loves his tools. This is the toolbench Santa brought him last Christmas. It sits right next to my writing desk. I love to watch him play, and he always makes me laugh.

The Bucket Kid from Parenthood

Remember that movie Parenthood? Remember that kid who liked to put a bucket on his head and ram into things? That was Eva one day, and I had to get a photo. Parenthood is truly like a roller coaster. This is what I love about having a big family ... life is always fun and challenging and rewarding and crazy and chaotic. I don't think it's for everyone, but it definitely works for us.

Frugality Tip: Do It Yourself

Generally we play it safe around our house because we aren't sure if we'll be moving someday. We love our house but live on a busy corner. So our other rooms are pale green, pale brown, etc. We did get crazy with "the baby's" room in 2001 and made it shocking lime green with a beach mural on one wall painted by my husband. Then the girls' room is a cool turquoise and purple. Anyway, we went nutty and chose the color POINSETTIA for our upstairs hallway. I highly recommend it, even at 3 coats.

We save a lot of money by doing our own house projects. Don't forget May is Frugality Month ... coming up!

We Love Jordan

One night I went to a baby shower. Eva got sleepy early, so Jordan held her while she fell asleep.

Jordan loves Sam in onesies and convinced me to buy him a few at $1.50 each at a used kid clothes store. This one is like a nametag that says his name is Mr. Adorable.

Jordan always has fun with the kids, and we love her so much! Sam likes her piggyback rides!