{"id":42062,"date":"2020-08-24T16:49:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T20:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/142.93.176.215\/?p=42062"},"modified":"2023-06-24T22:01:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T02:01:38","slug":"grooming-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toolsofmen.com\/grooming-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Ways To Cut Your Grooming Expenses Quickly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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According to the market research firm Statista, the men’s grooming industry is expected to grow to $81.2 billion USD by 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/287643\/global-male-grooming-market-size\/<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The number of items found in a men’s grooming routine has expanded significantly in recent years.  Rather than just relying on a few simple products and calling it a day, men are now finding that their grooming routine entails several products, which includes facial cleansers, exfoliators, beard oil, manscaping products, manicures, and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here’s the deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it’s an uncertain economy, sudden unemployment, or you are merely looking to be a bit more fiscally responsible – it’s a good idea to step back and take an objective look at your grooming routine as a whole every now and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, I will cover 11 ways to optimize your grooming routine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Approaching Your Routine Objectively<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First off – you need to write down your routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This helps you to clearly see all the products and what can and cannot be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help save you a bit of legwork, I put together this Google Sheet template that encompasses many of the steps found in a man’s grooming routine along with some ballpark expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View the Google Sheet here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: When you open the sheet, you will want to make a copy of it to your own Google Drive so you can make edits to the document.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this sheet do?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a calculator that helps you see your grooming expenses on an annual basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When using this sheet, you can put in the prices of products along with how long each product typically lasts for you (Current Price & Current Restock Time):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While this is helpful in seeing your current expenses on an annual basis, you can also estimate your savings if you were to make a few changes to your routine by either going with a cheaper alternative or simply extending the time between restocking (Estimated Price & Estimated Restock Time columns).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To better explain how this sheet works, let’s walk you through two scenarios.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 1 – Downgrade My Razor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am currently using a standard cartridge razor that costs about $10 per pack in blade refills.  This pack of razor blades will typically last me about 30 days before it needs to be replenished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I make the change over to a cheaper cartridge razor ($5 for a refill pack) and purchase a refill once every 45 days, this spreadsheet will help show me that I can expect to save about $80 for the year from this simple switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 2 – Swapping Out Similar Products<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grooming products like aftershave balm, pre-shave oil, and beard oil are nearly identical products.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They all rely on a carrier oil that provides the skincare benefits (more on this in a minute).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than owning three separate products, I could just buy a bottle of carrier oil (i.e., something like jojoba oil) and use it in three different ways.  This little change in the data provided above would save me a whopping $430 in over a year <\/strong>($180 savings on aftershave, $140 savings on pre-shave oil, and $110 on beard oil).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s huge!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, within the sheet there is a simple chart if you like to see things in a visual manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just simply visit the ‘Chart’ tab on the sheet and you can see how each change makes a difference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Again, the Google Sheet is available here<\/a> free for your own personal use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: If you find that a product or service is missing, you can simply insert a new row immediately after row 2 and it should update the formulas accordingly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. DIY When Possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you start to make products yourself, you begin to realize just how much you were overpaying for a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, when you make products yourself, you also develop a deeper understanding of the product and what goes into the manufacturing process.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not every <\/strong>grooming product can be made at home (i.e., razor blades, exfoliators, etc.), there are several that are worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I touched on earlier, products like beard oil, aftershave balms, and pre-shave oils are identical products.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mainly relying on a blend of carrier oils, essential oils, and some vitamin oils, you can make your own DIY version of these products for a low price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I outlined in the beard oil recipe guide<\/a>, the price of DIY beard oil is about $5 per ounce \u2014 an average savings of $10 to $15 per bottle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the significant savings, you also can customize the oil to suit your style and preferred scent.  After doing this a few times, you will likely never want to go back to paying full retail again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-shave oils and aftershave balms are nearly identical to beard oil and are also extremely easy to make at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Know the Active Ingredients & What They Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Active Ingredients Found in Supergoop! Sunscreen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When trying to find savings in your grooming bill, it’s essential to know the products and what they do; specifically, it’s necessary to understand the active ingredients<\/strong> that are responsible for much of the benefits of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, antiperspirants primarily rely on an aluminum compound to stop you from sweating.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Active Ingredient Found in Old Spice Antiperspirant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take this pricey stick of Jack Black Pit Boss Antiperspirant & Deodorant<\/a>.  They rely on Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%).  This particular stick of antiperspirant from Jack Black is pretty pricey.  According to their website, one 2.75oz stick will cost you $19.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look for this same active ingredient on Google or even online retailers – you will get some great results.  In a quick search, I came across this Mitchum Antiperspirant Deodorant Roll-On for Men<\/a>, the same exact active ingredient<\/strong> of Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%) found in the Jack Black stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guess how much that Mitchum was?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 bucks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and the size…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.4oz.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a savings of $14 and a bigger antiperspirant by .65oz!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s significant<\/strong>, especially if you look at this on an annual basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now this example was only for an antiperspirant – which admittedly is a pretty cheap grooming product compared to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the underlying thought process here is what is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you are buying an anti-dandruff shampoo, hair regrowth product, or whatever it may be, if it has an active ingredient, search for it in Amazon or Google<\/strong>.  You will often find several cheaper substitutes for these products that will provide you with big savings.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a list of some other active ingredients that are common in men’s grooming products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n