Drive further to pay less?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
May 30, 2009 9:10am CST
I have 4 boys and their hair grows really fast! Keeping them looking nice costs a lot of money.
I know of a salon that cuts boys hair for only $5. Most other places charge around $10. Heck, one place I know of charged me nearly $20 to cut my oldest son's hair!
So, for quite a few years now, I've been driving to this $5 haircut place. The problem is, it's nearly a half an hour drive.
Sometimes it's not so bad, because there are other shops in that area I like to visit, that are either better than those shops closer to home, or I don't have those particular shops close to home. So driving out there isn't a total waste.
Today my 6 year old needs a cut. Unfortunatly I don't have money to go spending on shopping, so when I go out, it will be to get my son's hair cut and that's it!
I called around and there is a barber shop up the road that will cut his hair for $7. I think I'll spend the extra $2 and go there instead of driving half an hour to save the money.
Would you drive 20 minutes or half an hour to save money? Does it depend on how much money? How much would you be willing to pay for a haircut?
5 people like this
25 responses
@schulzie (4061)
• United States
31 May 09
Well, I think it is a great idea for you to take all 4 boys to get their hair cut at such a great savings, however since right now you only have 1 child that needs a haircut I would just go to the other place that charges $7.00. I think you will end up spending the extra $2.00 on gas going there and coming back, besides you have to think about wasting 1 hour or more on the commute to and from there.
I am like you in that I am always looking for a way to save some money, every little penny counts. However you have to look at the whole picture.
Good luck with the haircut, hope it turned out good.
[b]
Have a great day and happy myLotting!!![/b]
@theonerm5 (365)
• United States
31 May 09
I used to get my head nearly shaved completely but now I never get my hair cut at all. I have long hair now and people seem to like it except for the people that call me a hippy as I pass them by on the street. But look at all the dollars aI save from it! Insted of letting my hair grow I could have been getting it cut once a month for $10 I've saved over $200 so far! And you could be saving money too by switching to geico!
1 person likes this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
1 Jun 09
we will do that to save money on some groceries. i find that sometimes we are in the neighbourhood anyways, so we will get the stuff there. we go to a big box hair cutting place and fortunately, its near our house. we go there all the time, so they know us but its not that cheap. its about $12 to get a cut.
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
31 May 09
Like you said if they all needed a haircut at one time it would really be a thrifty way to go....but when you spend the extra on gas then you have to consider if you are really saving money. I do try to be frugal when it comes to certain things...like buying soda. I have to drive a about a mile from where I usually shop to buy my diet coke. It's $3.29 where I buy it and $4.69 at my usual place....so when I drive out there I buy a bunch.....I pay quite a bit more for a haircut.....because I do like a good cut. I probably would drive the 20 minutes just to have it done right..
1 person likes this
@Annie2 (594)
• United States
31 May 09
With gas prices these days, it costs to just drive the 1/2 hour there and 1/2 back, so the extra $2 for the convenience of being close is probably worth it. I have cut mine and my daughter's hair myself for free always; and I also cut my dog's hair for free.
1 person likes this
@psychotaz206 (2086)
• United States
1 Jun 09
it depends on how much money i would save but when it comes to getting my 3 boys hair cut i just do it myself because they like it shaved to my husband got a hair shaver and i just cut his and my 3 boys saves us a lot of money, my daughter only gets a little trim i also do that myself she just turned one so the only time i pay for a hair cut is my own every few months but for other things if i am going to save a good deal of money i would take the drive,
1 person likes this
@Bevsue (251)
• United States
31 May 09
Certainly you have to factor in the cost of gasoline and the cost of your time etc. There are different levels of bargains in everything we do and it is not always just the cheapest price that ends up being the cheapest thing to do.
If your boys are still little you might think about getting some hair clippers and doing it yourself. With four of them it would pay for itself in a couple of times. This may not work with teenagers or junior high boys, however. Little kids usually don't mind it though.
1 person likes this
@sarkar1 (336)
• India
30 May 09
Ha Ha Ha, when I was small my mother used to cut my hair. I had this bad habit of continuously shaking my head, and she feared the barber might cause some injuries to my little head.
Hmmmm regarding the question you posted, if I was in your place I would choose such a time to go to the $5 shop when I have other work in the same area. If there is nothing to do and the haircut is impending, then I would go to the $7 shop.
1 person likes this
@savetheunlikely9 (390)
• United States
31 May 09
At one points, I was paying over $30 for myself, that's way too much.
I haven't been able to find any place where I really like it where I live, so I wait until I drive back home to visit family.
there's a place about 5 minutes away from where I stay, and they charge $10, which is really good for women in my area.
@taface412 (3175)
• United States
31 May 09
Why don't you just go buy some really nice hair clippers and do it yourself at home. My mother cut all of our hair when I was growing up. The boys was the easiest. I was the only girl so she had to be a little more precise with the cuts.
1 person likes this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
31 May 09
I definitely would...and actually have! If you have 4 boys and could save a minimum of 5.00 per child...that is $20.00! That is a lot more than what the gas would cost you. I live very close to another state. One state has a much higher tax rate than the other. We used to drive 30 minutes to shop at the Wal-Mart in the other state, just to save on items in the store. Plus the other state charges no food tax...people thought we were crazy, however over the course of 1 year we saved hundreds of dollars. People don't laugh at us now! Go for the save...look how much extra money you would save over a course of 1 year. Keep that extra 20.00 in a piggy bank for an extra mini vacation or something fun for the family.
1 person likes this
@aikhong (661)
• Malaysia
31 May 09
Yeah, it is indeed not an easy decision to make. I think you've to consider between the time spent for driving and the hair cut cost. Besides, you'll have to spend on the car petrol too if you drive. So, if the barber shop can offer about $7 for hair cut and it's not too far from you, then i think it is wise to go for it, instead of going so far just to save the extra $2.
For me, i'll always consider these factors, such as the time needed to go there, and the cost of the service provided and also my convenience to get there. I usually make a rough budget on my haircut too. It is fine for me to hair a hair cut for $10 or below it, better still. If the service provided and the skills of the barber are good, then i think it is worth the price.
@trishalf (3)
• United States
30 May 09
i've never really cared about my hair (sort of rare for a girl!) so i always go to the cheaper places to get it trimmed. the cheap place is farther than the expensive place, but since i save about 30 bucks, it's worth it :) plus my car gets good gas mileage! i don't know if i would make the trip if i was only saving less than 5 dollars though.
you should try cutting your sons' hair yourself! it sounds harder than it actually is. my boyfriend bought a hair trimmer for about $15... & after a few practice runs, i've become quite good at it! now he gets all of his haircuts for free. saves a lot of money in the long run!
my sister has a 2 1/2 year old son, & she usually cuts his hair herself. she says the hardest part is just getting him to sit still!
1 person likes this
@3orabi (529)
• Jordan
31 May 09
I have many hairdressers in my area ... and all of them are not apart too far ... it's enough to walk for 10 minutes to reach all of them one by one ...
Some of them cut my hair for 5$ , some for 7$ and some for 20 ... nevertheless I don't go to cut my hair in that salon who takes 5$ because he is not professional ... I cut my hair in his salon for two times and for the two times he cut it too short ...
the point which I mean is :- you should look for the quality besides the cost ... because HOW MUCH YOU PAY , HOW MUCH YOU TAKE ...
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
30 May 09
Since it is summer why not get a set of clippers and learn to cut your boy's hair yourself. With 4 boys it would really pay for the clippers in no time. My grandson got a pair of clippers for Christmas and has learned to cut his hair him self. But he like a marine cut so it is easy. When he is done I go back and get the hairs he missed. The clippers have different sized combs that attach to the main clipper so the hair can easily be kept even.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
30 May 09
I tried that a few years ago, all my boys ended up bald. Seriously! They were laughed at in school and had to wear hats for a couple weeks while it grew back. I learned my lesson and will never try that again!
1 person likes this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
30 May 09
I guess it would depend how far and how much money I would be saving. If it would be worth the drive then I would do it. There is a place across the road here that charges $7 for a hair cut. I believe that is the price for everyone not just kids. The places in town charge around $10 for kids cuts, $20 for adults. I usually try to find someone who will cut it for free. My mom's friend used to cut ours. I've had her do mine a few times since we were kids. My sister's MIL used to have her own shop and I got her to do mine and the younger two's around thanksgiving. she didn't charge us anything.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
30 May 09
Years ago I had a neighbor who would do it for free, she did my oldest's a couple times, and it looked so much better than any cut he'd gotten before. But then I had a fight with a different neighbor, and that one chose the other side, so the free cuts were gone. Since then I haven't found anyone else to do it for free.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
30 May 09
My son is 9 and he has only ever had one professional hair cut. The rest of the time either my mother or myself has done it and my daughter has never had a hair cut. Heck it has been 2 years since I have gotten my hair cut anywhere. I don't even know how much a haircut costs around here.
If you were taking all the boys to get their hair cut then it would make sense to do the extra driving, but since only one is getting a hair cut the money you would be spending in gas would make up the $2.
If I am going to only save a buck or two then I normally don't go out of my way, but if I am going to be saving a lot of money then I will. I just realized the other day how much I would be saving getting a Sam's Club membership for my toffee supplies. I am planning on getting a membership even though I would have to drive 20-25 minutes to go there because I would be saving about 50% on those items not to mention the other items I could save on.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
30 May 09
I agree on the Sam's Club membership.For the past couple years I have been shopping there for food every week. I mostly buy meats there, laundry soap, cat food. I can spend about $100 a week.
Anyways, my closest Sam's Club is over near the $5 hair cut place, so about a 20 minute drive. I got the youngest 2 boys their haircuts on the same day I went to Sam's club, because I was already in the area.
I do have a BJ's that's closer than Sam's. I went there once to see if that membership would be similar. I didn't like them as much. They had a lot more stuff, but I had the impression I'd end up spending more there!
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
3 Jun 09
I think i would if it was a significant amount like more than it costs me to drive there. If im only saving 5 dollars and it costs me 10 to go there and back the cheaper hair cut really costs me an extra 5...
I do drive about 1 1/2 hours to go clothing shopping and grocery shopping one in a while because prices are better as well there's less tax in alberta as compared to Sask - if im spending alot then it saves me money in the end...but I also go with my parents or a friend and we split the cost of gas. Otherwise i just shop in town after work for groceries.
@4ofmyown (1119)
• United States
30 May 09
I would pay the $7 if I was only taking one of the boys. I try and take all 3 of mine at the same time but sometimes it just doesn't work that they all need a cut at the same time. Everywhere around here charges at least $13 per child and that does not include the tip. The guy we go to has a salon in his house and it is a little further so he will all 3 for about $30 and he won't take a tip...at all! I would rather drive a little further and get them all done at the same time and save a little money, no doubt. I love going to this guy because if we all need a haircut at the same time then all 6 of us go together...it takes about 2 hours and cost about $80. Not bad for 2 adults and 4 kids.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
30 May 09
I split them up because I can't always afford $20 at once, plus tip. $5 is a lot easier to afford than $20, so I take 1 child per week.
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
30 May 09
It would depend on how much I would save and if I had any other shopping to do. If it was just for the haircut I would probably just have it cut a salon closer because what I would pay in gas would probably take up what I would save for the haircut.
1 person likes this
