Shave more off the budget

I have yet another frugal revelation that I think should turn into a revolution! I think it's obscene how much those razor cartridge refills cost and how quickly we go through them. Even if I suffer the effects of trying to stretch their usefulness, they are still ridiculously expensive. I can say this with great confidence now because I have found a solution that works equally well for a fraction of the cost.

Years ago, J decided to try a double-edge safety razor and old-school shaving soap. He really liked the results, but I never thought to make the idea my own until he suggested it recently. I was timid at first because it really is a razor blade snapped into a steel handle. Surely, I'd bleed out on the shower floor. Nope! I got a really smooth shave, no agitation or razor bumps, and maybe two nicks in the month that I've been using it (pretty normal for me).

Here's how it works...the safety razor has a little screw at the bottom that you turn to open the butterfly closure that holds in the blade. Take the old blade out, set a new one in, twist the handle to make it close. We wrap the old blade up in a tissue before throwing it away just so we don't tear a hole in the bag or worse, have little fingers reach in the trash can and get cut. Between uses, I leave the razor open so it can dry thoroughly. I'm still using my can of shave gel because I've got it, but I've tried the shave soap and it seems to work well. As always, I slather up with lotion when I get out of the shower.

The only inconvenience is that I'm using J's razor handle since I haven't splurged on my own yet. So I toss the blades after each use so he doesn't have to deal with a dull blade. But I'm okay with that, because the blades cost less than $0.20 each!! That's right...10 blades for about $1.84 at the handy-dandy Wal-Mart. Eventually, I will need to invest in my own razor, like this one or maybe this one with a little extra bling to it. Aw, who am I kidding? I'm not paying extra for little blue stars.

So, rise up and revolt! Refuse to pay exorbitant prices for frilly razors in cute colors that promise airbrushed legs for real women! I will not pay extra for cucumber melon fragrance or a "lotion strip" that still leaves my legs requiring lotion, and I certainly don't need my disposable razor to require batteries! No ma'am, I will not buy into your ridiculous marketing. I can handle a real blade, thank you very much, and I'll keep the change. Who's with me?