If you ever heard I stretch a buck just a little past the point of ridiculous, well, it could be true!
Years ago, a listener called up after I had talked about the razor wars with Gillette or Schick rolling out their latest model with 14 blades or whatever it was at the time. I was making fun of their marketing ploys and high prices by talking about my cheap disposable razors.
So a man calls me up who was an engineer and said that he had the real money-saving secret when it came to razors. He told me that by drying my disposable razor after each use, that would make it last for months or even years.
Blades degrade from moisture, as the man explained, not so much from the actual friction or wear of shaving stubble.
Follow this method to extend the life of your blades
I tried blotting my disposable razor dry on a towel after each use. That's not the way the caller suggested I dry it, but I opted for a lazy man's approach and it has worked for me. (Others recommend using alcohol or a little drying machine you can buy at the drug store.) I found that with drying the blade on my towel, I could go 6, 8, or even 10 months on a single disposable razor.
Then just last year, I was doing an affiliate radio station visit in Greensboro, N.C. and a morning show guy gave me "a lifetime supply" of 10 disposable blades because he thought my whole deal with using a razor for so long was funny.
I started using the first of the radio guy's free razors, and now I have finally crossed the 12-month mark with it! In truth, the blade started declining about 6 weeks ago, and one day I actually did nick myself, but I wanted so badly to reach that 1 year milestone!
I know this might all sound crazy to you. But if you're used to using a zillion dollar Gillette or Schick and you can stretch it for weeks or even months, we're talking about real dough you're saving. This is just 1 example of a way to make a difference in your wallet. That money feels better in my wallet than in Gillette's or Schick's.
A better solution for the rest of us?
I understand my whole thing with drying the razor is more OCD than most people want to be. So for everyone else, there's a service called DollarShaveClub.com.
This razor club for men and women will put you on a monthly subscription plan and send you a new razor each month. There's a $1/month razor plan, a $6/month plan and a $9/month plan. It lets you lock in low costs without having to dry the blade after each use like me.
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