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Razors and Money


saving money on razorsI admit it - I get hooked into the free razor give-aways. The fact is that the reason that razor companies can afford to give away razors is that the place they make their money is selling you the blades (a lot like printers and printer ink). And with blades on the latest and greatest razors costing a few bucks a piece, shaving can get fairly expensive when added up over the year. The problem was that I could never find a disposable razor that I was able to use. There were two main problems with them for me:

1. I have a nice scar under my chin from stitches I got while I was a child. Disposable razors always seems to cut this scar every time I used them

2. Disposable razors only last a fifth or less of the time a regular razor lasts me. That means that even though they are less expensive on an individual basis, I have to multiply the cost by 5 or more to get a fair comparison of the prices.

When taking these two issues into account, I always opted to pay a little more for the fancier razors that left me with a smooth shave without the cuts — until last month. I finally found a disposable razor that gives a pretty good approximation of my regular shaver and lasts just as long without cutting me - the Schick Protector Disposable with safety wires. I know this is not new, but it just happened to be the first time I’ve ever used it and I have myself a new, low cost, shaving device.

The safety wires prevent me from cutting my scar and they also seem to help to make the blade last longer. The best part is that I can get a 5 pack for about $2 instead of $12+ for a five pack of the razors I had been using before. That’s quite a bit of savings.

Here are a few more tips on reducing the cost of razors:

  • If you shave in the shower, don’t leave your razor in the shower. The steam will reduce the life of the blades. Storing it outside the bathroom area can more than doubled its life.
  • Opt for disposables if appropriate. They are much less expensive that standard blades.
  • While initially more expensive, electric razors are much cheaper over the long run if they work for you (they make me break out for some reason…)
  • If regular razors are the best option for you, don’t automatically go for the refills. Because the razor manufacturers want you to switch to their brand and razors, it’s sometimes cheaper to buy a new razor (with starter blades) than to buy refills.
  • In the same light, always take the free razor offers when available. When a new model razor debuts, it’s fairly easy to get these for free.

    And last but not least, hide your razor from your wife ;) After 6 years, my wife still doesn’t think I’ll notice when she uses my razor and she will if I accidentally leave it someplace where she can easily use it. One round with her legs and the razor is worthless…



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    I will have to try those razors that you mentioned, because it is getting expensive to shave these days. I got suckered into buying that new Gillette Fusion Power and almost died when I saw how much refills were. I actually had to take out a HELOC just to get a pack of refills. It was either that or just go with the Grizzly Adams look.

    “And last but not least, hide your razor from your wife After 6 years, my wife still doesn’t think I’ll notice when she uses my razor and she will if I accidentally leave it someplace where she can easily use it. One round with her legs and the razor is worthless…”

    This is absolutely classic!!! Seriously though, it’s dead on accurate. My SO thought it was perfectly acceptable to use my disposable razors and put them back (and not buy more when she used them all). Needless to say, after a while I became very annoyed and switched back to using an electric razor. Although it doesn’t shave as close as a blade (despite what the Remington advertisements say), it does a decent job since I know that I’ll need to shave again the next morning.

    Let me tell you I’ve got the reverse problem. My boyfriend uses my razor. I never thought that would ever happen. He shaves his arms and chest. Well he just loves my razor because it’s duller than his. He says it works better. So my legs don’t get a good close shave.

    Ohhh.. Gillette has made sure we suffer our beard growing.

    Anything by Philishave works like magic if you’re into not getting cut or break out, but the downside is not a very close shave. Good enough for a regular day at work, but not good enough for a job interview.

    Greetings. I really have to disagree with you. I used to use the Gilette Sensor Excel, however I have found that with the kind of beard I have I am forced to shave daily. This, at the current rate they cost me here I was spending $10 per paycheck just on razors. So, I decided to look for an old fashioned safety razor (you know, like double edged razor blades.) I usually get two uses each off of each blade and a package of ten costs me $3 at my local drug store. The razor itself I had to buy from an import store because I could not find an american manufacturer. If one is interested in who I used, they can drop me a line. Its bad ettiquette to put a link on someone elses site ;-) I know guys who can resonably go two or three days or even can reuse thier cartiges once or twice, but not me.

    Wow. I shave every morning but can use the same blade for at least 2 weeks. I cannot imagine having to change blades or razors a couple times a week!

    I am too cheap to pay for any fancy razors but have found that the single blade disposables will nick me every other day so go for the double bladed ones just because they seem to be constructed better.

    Festival of Frugality

    Welcome to this week’s edition of the Festival of Frugality. For those of you who don’t know, this carnival is about frugal living and saving money. Somewhere this got lost in the translation since I received entries that weren’t about

    I have a nice Braun electric shaver I got as a gift. You might break out at first because it takes your skin a week or so to get used to the electric shave. But once you’ve adjusted, it’s great. I love that thing.



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