It was time for me to pick up a pack of new razors today, and so while browsing through the selections at Target, I narrowed it down to two choices. I have no built-in brand preference for razors, it seems like I choose randomly whatever pack of razors catches my fancy at the moment.
A four-pack of Gillette Sensor 3 razors was $5.99 while a three-pack of the Gillette Fusion5 was $11.99.
Being a good accountant, and a cheapskate, I started doing some calculations.
The Sensor 3 worked out to about $1.50 per blade, and assuming I get a week out of each blade, it’s a little over 21 cents per day.
The Fusion 5 on the other hand worked out to about $4.00 per blade, and assuming I get a week out of each blade, it’s a little over 57 cents per day.
However, replacing the Fusion 5 does require buying a whole new handle and razor blade; you can buy an 8-pack of replacement razor blades for $27.99, or about $3.50 per razor or 50 cents per day.
I was all set to buy the cheaper razors, but then I asked myself: “Isn’t my face worth an extra 29 cents per day, assuming that the higher price is somehow a reflection of a higher level of quality?”
I also realized that while 29 cents per day may not sound like much, that is an extra $105 per year, not an insignificant amount of money for a cheapskate.
In the end, I decided to treat myself and go with the higher-priced razors.
Of course, I have spent the rest of the day trying to think of where I can make up that $105.
I think I’ve settled on buying one less cup of coffee per week from Dunkin’. At a cost of about $2.85 per cup, I will make up the difference in just 37 weeks.
What can I say, it’s not easy being a cheapskate accountant…
*images from Target and Walgreens
My entire thought process is “which shaves smoother”… big talk for a woman who hasn’t shaved her legs since… I dunno… and who uses a razor for months. I tend to buy the girly ones with lubricating strips so that I replace them when the strips are gone.
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I guess I should keep track of how well each razor does, but that seems like too much work, that is why I am always buying different razor blades…
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I generally buy into “the more blades the better.” I tend to buy “mens” products cause they’re cheaper and have more product. But floofy women’s razors, with the moisturizer strips, are great for fast shaving legs without a shower.
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it seems they charge more for more blades, which might be another sign of higher quality…
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Or of corporate greed based on effective marketing.
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there is always that possibility…
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LOL! Oh see the struggle numbers bring. So how many cups of coffee do you buy a week? 🙂
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I might buy two cups per week…
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So you aren’t one of them that is in line every morning at 6am? LOL!
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maybe when I retire; I thought I heard that McDonald’s offers free coffee for seniors…
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There you go, something to look forward to.
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it’s what keeps me going through those long days of grading tests… 🙂
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Just give them all A’s and B’s. Make it easy on yourself. LOL! I would have loved to have seen an A in my Accounting class. Though I would have wondered about the teacher for I did know enough to know I couldn’t get A’s in that class.
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we already give lots of As and Bs. I think colleges everywhere have experienced grade inflation over the years…
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Obviously I went to school at the wrong time!
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same here!
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😂
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Or you could go electric and never buy razor blades.
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for whatever reason, I’ve always been hesitant to try the electric. My assumption was that it never could do as good a job…
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Stubble is in. 😜
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works for some people; I don’t think I’m one of them…
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You could make it up by not using deodorant for a year.
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Are you suggesting that he moves into the garage for a year and perhaps teaches his class by Zoom?
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Of course
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Could get lonely and cold in the garage. In the summer I guess he could pitch a tent in the yard.
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my wifi reception may not be too good in the tent…
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How sad! LOL!
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🙂
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come on, I shower once a week 🙂
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I stopped using that a few years ago…
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That makes scents
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plus it has the added benefit that people don’t bother me when I’m trying to get work done…
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I define being frugal and being a cheapskate as two different things. I have a feeling you are frugal, not a cheapskate.
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it’s probably a little of both…
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I haven’t brought Gillette razor’s since they had that woke ad https://youtu.be/RJzdSch3hAE
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I had forgotten that ad, but even then, I don’t see anything in there that would cause me stop buying their razors. thanks for the link to the video.
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Why not simply give up cleaning your teeth? You’ll save on paste and brushes and floss and make up in no time for the more expensive razors.
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that’s a good idea, plus I go to a dental hygienist every four months to get my teeth cleaned, so that should be suffificent
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Be sure to factor in the amount and value of your time spent on calculations to save money.
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the value of time is a round five to ten cents an hour…
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When they start putting you on the face of GQ, you’ll be glad you invested the extra 29 cents.
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that would be the last issue of GQ ever published…
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Your drop the mic moment of fame.
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it’s more like they would have to declare bankruptcy…
a moment of shame…
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I do stuff like that also and it drives my son crazy when he is at the shops with me.
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goodto know it’s not jsut me. I spend way too much time thinking about saving a couple of dollars…
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Full beards seem to be in style as of late. Maybe you should skip shaving all together. Just think of the money you would save.
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I tried a beard a few years ago, and it was fun to have it for a couple of months, but I don’t think I’ll try it again 🙂
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being a juggler, i’m sure you know it’s like that classic juggler query – which is more important, the razor or the coffee?
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it would be nice to live in a world where I could have both 🙂
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I like the cut of your jib. But if you really want to save money on razors, do like I do. Don’t shave.
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I had a beard for a couple of months a few years ago. It was fun while I listed, but it’s not me.
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Nor a lot of people. They don’t like the itching, I guess.
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that was part of it, so were food crumbs…
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They attract birds. Which is great if you’re an ornithologist.
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or if you don’t wash your face…
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Or if you like to snack all day.
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it could actually come in handy when you run out of snacks…
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Your face can feel the difference between the cheaper and the more expensive blades. I don’t think you need to worry about making up the difference. DD coffee is too good to omit.
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maybe I can cut back on having to pay people to leave comments on my blog 🙂
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Hahaha!!
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Here’s the problem with your assumptions… a razor a week? I used to intentionally force a 12 pack to last me a whole year (I always got razors in my Christmas stocking). After blogging about this and receiving a bunch of chastising remarks that a razor should only last a week, I vowed to move down to a razor every two weeks. But then I felt like I was throwing away perfectly good razors. Now I just throw them out when I think they are getting old which is probably around every three weeks (but I really don’t know). It sort of detracts from the excitement of getting a new pack of razors every Christmas when I’m complete out of spares, but my face is marginally happier. Of note, I don’t shave every day. I would estimate 4 – 5 times a week.
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I think I used to try and go that long with a single razor, but then when Is shortened it to a week, my face felt so much better. And just a couple of weeks ago, I decided to stop shaving on weekends. I’ll see how long that lasts…
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Clark Howard makes a razor last 12 months. https://clark.com/family-lifestyle/how-to-make-razors-last-longer/ And oh yea, he’s worth $15 million.
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thank you for that link – I will have to check it out. sounds pretty impressive!
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What if you shaved every other day?
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I just started taking weekends off, so that may help a bit 🙂
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Laughing. Love it.
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thanks, David!
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I too am frugal and justify my purchases. If I save this much I can this or if I spend so much I won’t get that! Crazy but somehow it works for me!
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ok, good to know it’s not just me who thinks like this!
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Stop shaving on weekends and when you retire you can reduce your shaving schedule more.
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I just started doing that a couple of weekends ago, and so far, I am enjoying it quite a bit…
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Live dangerously.
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this is dangerous, for an accountant…
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I’m no accountant, but I do find myself adding up pennies in the grocery store.
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I find myself pinching them too…
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Except, you should get 30 days of shaving from the splurge if you look at the advertising on the package…
PS, I also splurge even though the calculations I did said I should go with the cheaper blade.
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You read that more carefully than I did! I can’t imagine going for one month on one razor…
glad to know someone else does these calculations…
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JIm, you are hilarious. I am sure like most accountant’s you are penny wise and pound foolish, especially when it comes to cars.
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you know me too well, Robbie! 🙂
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Lol, thanks for sharing the inner workings of your mind. I myself tend to err on three blades and up (even for my pre-pubescent stubble) because the two-bladed ones drag like a mofo. That means I too tend to splurge on razors. Maybe I should get a straight-edged razor and be done with it. Anyway, thanks for this humorous post!
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thanks, Stuart. and I should probably keep better track of which razors I buy and how well they do, so that I don’t have to deal with this conundrum every time I go to buy razors!
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I came here for donuts and got razors instead? AND you took coffee away, too? (Not that I drink coffee, but still.) I’d like to speak to your manager!
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I’ll make it up to you; I’ll splurge on some coffee and donuts today…
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I’m glad you came to your senses.
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thank you for putting me back on the right path…
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Okay, this must be an accountant thing because I feel like I just read all the thoughts that typically run through my husband’s mind LOL… he always focuses on the VALUE of things too LOL.. not always a terrible thing 😉
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maybe it’s a guy thing 🙂
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