Instead of my usual whiny
rants against unfair layoffs, nasty bosses, douchey clients, and blatant ageism in
hiring practices, I’d like to discuss another favorite topic: How to save
money
when you are unemployed and have no steady income.
I’ve touched on this topic
previously, detailing how you can convert credit card points and frequent flyer miles for gifts and trips. I’ll spare you the obvious
money-saving tips like coupon clipping (which you should be doing whether
employed or not) and seeking out discounts whenever possible.
When you are a long-term
unemployed loser, you must be more resourceful than that. Just this week, I
used some creativity to save myself an enormous amount of money on a hair cut
and color.
It had been almost two years
since my last visit to a hair salon, and, frankly, my hair was getting unruly.
It had grown to waist-length, and to be honest, I’m well past the age when
flower-child, long, flowing locks are appropriate. It was a tangled mess, and
oof — the gray! But I avoided the hair salon because paying rent and buying
food took priority.
Yet it got to the point where
I could no longer ignore the matted mishmash at my crown. It was weighing me down —
literally and figuratively. I have thick, wavy hair — the kind everyone thinks
they want until they realize it means a five-minute blow-dry every morning,
gets knotted easily when too long, and frizzes like a Brillo pad in the
humidity.
What could I do? My regular
hairdresser charges $140 for a cut and color. Too expensive. Heck, that’s too
pricey even when I did have a job.
I checked Super Cuts, which
would have brought the cost down to $70. Cheaper, but could I do better, I
wondered?
Then I remembered how dental
hygienist schools sometimes give low-cost teeth cleanings as a teaching tool
for their students. Might not a beauty school do the same?
So, through the wonder that
is Google, I found a beauty school near me. Yes, its salon welcomed clients,
and the price list on its website was more than reasonable. I called and was
told to come for a skin test to ensure I didn’t have an allergic reaction to
their products. I did so and saw no bad reaction.
Once I got payment for a
freelance job, I called for an appointment. My hairdresser was a student, but
she was near the end of the program. That makes sense — doubtful the school
would unleash a new student on a salon client.
Further, the instructor —
the flashily dressed Miss Sue — supervised every step of the cut and coloring
process while fluttering around on electric-blue, seven-inch heels. A person
like her could only exist in Jersey. Yet underneath her frosted crown of hair,
she obviously knew her job and was a top-notch teacher. I felt assured my new
hairdo would be professionally done — which is not something I can say of every
salon I’ve visited in the past. I’ve endured some terrible haircuts by
indifferent and sometimes downright nasty hairdressers that left in me in tears
and took nine months to grow out. In college, one “hairdresser” scowled at me
while he hacked chunks of my hair in willy-nilly fashion. Unbelievable. I left
feeling it was my fault because I had “bad” hair.
Because of those frightening
incidents, I usually request a blunt cut, nothing too fancy. So, I knew going
in I wasn’t asking for anything too elaborate and definitely something a
student hairdresser could handle. I merely wanted a trim and a dye matching my
natural hair color to cover the gray. I couldn't look any worse than I did before I entered the beauty school salon.
Now, she was deliberate, as
you would expect (and want) a student to be. The whole process took over three
hours, longer than a normal salon visit that typically takes two.
Now to the best part: the cut
and color cost $34. With a $12 tip (okay, I could have given more, but
remember, I’m still unemployed), the entire bill came to $46. Not bad, and the
results are excellent. My new hairdo looks as if were done by a professional —
and it was.
I would definitely recommend
contacting a local beauty school if you want to save a lot on a hair cut and
color. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try. If you want a more
elaborate hairstyle for a special occasion, then go to a professional salon.
But for a basic cut and color, a beauty school is a great option. Hey, if it
doesn’t look good, you can always go to a regular salon for a redo; but as my
experience shows, that won’t be necessary. Choose a well-established, national
chain, as I did, not some fly-by-night cosmetology school. Do your research.
When you are unemployed, you
must get inventive to find ways to save money on so-called non-essential items.
Will a new haircut and no grays help get me a job? Who knows? Solve my
financial problems? No. However, I feel a tad better about myself, and even the
smallest boost in confidence can’t hurt at this point.
Now, about that mani-pedi...
It really is interesting to learn all the different ways that people are able to make money. Something that really stands out though is that you mentioned a very extensive interaction that you had with hair salons. I really like the idea of being able to have some kind of way to know where to find out where you can go to test out hair products with others. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thejaxandking.com/en/
It really is interesting to learn all the different ways that people are able to make money. Something that really stands out though is that you mentioned a very extensive interaction that you had with hair salons. I really like the idea of being able to have some kind of way to know where to find out where you can go to test out hair products with others. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thejaxandking.com/en/