Well, it was the first really warm day of spring here in Montana. As I spent the day lounging in the sun with my kiddos, I was suddenly thankful for my frugal “do”.
This winter I decided to make a rather drastic change to my look. I went from being a ditsy, yet fun-loving blonde to being a smart, serious and professional brunette. (Okay, at least that was the “look” I was hoping for.)
There were a few reasons I made the change. First, I’ve been going through a bit of a pre-mid life crisis. I was invited to my ten year college reunion a few months ago and I am suddenly feeling a bit…well, old.
I also dyed my hair out of convenience. While I am a natural blonde, I am also a natural dishwater blonde. In the summertime, my hair bleaches out leaving me looking like a sun-kissed Pamela Anderson (without the face or body). In the wintertime, however, I look a bit more like a dishwater blonde skunk when my darker roots start to spring up.
My drastic hair color change was also a nice bonus for my budget. Rather than trying to curtail the “skunk” look (by dying my roots every few weeks) I’ve been able to forgo that process altogether with my brown locks. While it might not seem like a considerable amount of savings, I imagine I am saving at least $10.00 per month during the winter months and another $60.00 when I decide to splurge and get my hair highlighted and “fixed” professionally.
While my “do” has always been pretty low-maintenance (I insist on simple, long hair that can be pulled into a ponytail) I have a lot of friends who spend a considerable amount of money maintaining their locks. I have one friend whose style requires her to get a professional cut bi-monthly at nearly $20.00 per visit. I have a relative with naturally blonde (okay, dishwater blonde) hair like mine that dyes her hair monthly at nearly $60.00 per visit.
If you’ve been giving some thought lately to reducing your expenses, have you stopped to think about what your “do” costs you? When we think about our expenses we often look to the obvious ones like utility bills, cable bills, lighting costs, and grocery bills. Perhaps it is time to think about how much your locks are costing you.