I’m bald. 40% due to heredity, 60% Bic razor. Ok, maybe its 60-40, the other way. Forget the Oil-Owning Billionaires or Tech-Tycoons, I think the real money is made in shaving products. The evolution of the razor blade has ballooned the man-care industry. When I first started shaving, there were only 3 kinds: electric, disposable and your standard double-blade cartridge. Today, there are more models of the Fusion for me to choose from to shave with than there are standing ovations at a State of the Union address. Next, consider all of the complimentary product they’ve rolled out for men. It used to be just aftershave. My dad used Old Spice. Now there is pre-shave hair softener, dozens of shaving creams and gels, and more flavors of post shave cooling moisturizer than Baskin Robbins has scoops and cones. For the rant it seems I’m on, I admit I use them all. For all the money I’ve saved not needing shampoo and conditioner or trips to the barber, I think I’ve spent just as much if not more making the folks at Gilette filthy…nay…shiny, clean, baby's-bottom-smooth rich.
The good news is that Riley and I have budgeted for my grooming, kind of like we did for the dogs. For 2011, we set a few of the standard New Year’s resolutions. Thanks our Microsoft Kinnect, we haven’t yet given up on our get in shape goal. The second January first usual suspect was to make a meaningful effort to manage our money better. We built a simple Excel spreadsheet, estimated our expenses and have plan to monitor it all monthly. January didn’t go quite as fiscally planned. But for the most part, I am not complaining. We kicked off the New Year at a Chairman of the Board tribute concert, and a few weeks later, took a last minute trip to Chicago for the NFC title game (the outcome is the part were I have a few complaints…but I’m not ready to talk about the game yet, too soon). We booked a February trip to Florida to see my family as well. I think we’ve taken a step in the right direction to managing our money and January was more the exception not the rule. To help the cause though, I cut back on cutting my beard and let my traditional Thanksgiving-to-Christmas beard last well past MLK day this year. Coincidentally, January marks a 3 month low for shares of Proctor and Gamble, the controlling interest of the Gillette Company.
