I Decided to Splurge Today

happiness, humor, lessons learned 1 Minute

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

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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89 thoughts on “I Decided to Splurge Today”

  1. 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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      1. 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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      5. 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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  14. 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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  15. 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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    1. 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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  24. 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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    1. 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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  26. 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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