4 Ways Scissors Can Save You Money

by April Serock

Are you looking for ways to cut expenses? Here are four ways scissors can literally help you do just that.

Scissors have been around for at least 3,000 years, and you probably used your first pair of safety scissors before you even started school. Scissors are useful inventions that can save you both time and money, but having the right tool for a job is essential.

Here are four times having the right pair of scissors can save you some serious cash.

Haircuts

A good pair of hairdressing scissors will often pay for themselves with one use. Hair scissors average between $9 and $25 on Amazon. Average salon prices for women’s cuts range from $14 at a chain like Great Clips to $50 or more at a boutique salon, not including the tip. With a sharp set of hairdressing scissors, you can cut those costs, sometimes by as much as 100%.

Even something as simple as trimming bangs at home can extend the time between salon visits. With some YouTube videos and a little practice, women can easily trim bangs and split ends. In time, you may feel confident enough to maintain a simple cut. If you’re feeling extra brave and frugal, buy a Crea Clip, forgo the salon altogether, and cut your own hair. It’s surprisingly simple, and the results are beautiful.

Though men’s haircuts sometimes cost less than women’s, between $14 at a chain salon and $35+ at a high-end barber or salon, men tend to get haircuts more often. Learning to trim men’s hair can save not only money but also time spent driving to the barber or salon and time spent waiting for a chair to open up.

The same goes for kids’ cuts and trims. Even pets can go longer between grooming appointments if you trim around the eyes and other trouble spots between visits. (See Do-It-Yourself Dog Grooming: A Pretty Pet for Less.)

Related: DIY Home Haircuts

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Getting Every Last Drop

Many of the products we buy, like toothpaste, shampoo, and lotion, come in plastic tubes or bottles. Getting all of the product out of those tubes and bottles can be quite a challenge. That’s when a good pair of heavy-duty household scissors or kitchen shears come into play.

Open up an “empty” toothpaste tube, and you’ll often find enough toothpaste to last another week. Consumer Reports testing found that as much as 25% of the products we buy get left in the tubes or bottles they’re packaged in. That means that for every $10 bottle of lotion, $2.50 is being wasted.

Cut several “used up” lotion bottles in half and scrape what’s left into another container. This also works well with shampoos, conditioners, creams, and ointments. After all, you paid for those products, so you might as well use them.

A pair of Henckels shears with a 5-star rating can be had for less than $20, and according to reviews, it will last a decade or more.

Sewing, Crafting and Recycling Fabric

Want to see a seamstress or a tailor freak out? Try cutting a piece of paper with their sewing scissors. Paper dulls scissor blades, so a pair specifically designed (and used only) for cutting fabric and thread is crucial. If you’re a frugal fashionista who haunts thrift and consignment shops for quality clothing, sewing scissors to help you adjust a hem or change out buttons could save you big bucks over buying clothes at retail or paying someone to alter them for you.

Fabric scissors are also essential for DIY crafts and gifts. Try cutting the edges of thick fleece for a tied blanket with your regular scissors for a quick demonstration of the importance of sharp scissors.

When your clothes have seen their last wearing or your towels become threadbare, fabric scissors make short work of turning those pieces into rags that are useful all over the house for replacing paper towels and disposable cleaning pads. (See Will You Throw Away $500 in Disposables This Year?.)

Cooking Convenience With Kitchen Shears

A good pair of kitchen shears can certainly save you time in the kitchen, which can ultimately save you money if you can prepare meals at home more often than ordering in.

Much of the time involved with home cooking is meal prep. Kitchen shears can make snipping the end off of green beans and asparagus much faster. You can also quickly cut a head of broccoli or cauliflower into small pieces. Or quickly chop fresh herbs.

If you find a great deal on whole chickens, use your shears to quickly cut them into pieces or simply to butterfly a bird and reduce cooking time (and energy costs!).

Kitchen shears can even be used to slice a homemade pizza or to cut the crust off of bread for picky eaters.

Be sure to get a pair that easily comes apart for thorough cleaning and that is dishwasher safe.