Personal Care Spending Patterns

The story in Real Simple magazine on what people spend on average in certain categories is intriguing. (see post from April 2nd, 2009). I had no idea I spent more than the average bear on personal care!

Mint.com has a nifty feature where you can analyze trends in your spending by category, comparing it to other cities and the US as a whole. According to my Mint.com program, the US is spending between $89-$120 per month on personal care...which includes hair cuts. It seems hair cuts/color, etc., is the big swing factor. My highlights run about $120 every six weeks, and a cut is about $35. I've gone an extra week between coloring before, which could save me $120 a year.

Shampoo is pretty expensive too, especially if you color your hair -- that investment has to be protected! Real Simple Magazine editors suggest measuring the shampoo used very carefully. A quarter sized dollop is about all you need.

Personal Care spending is not an area I want to skimp on too much. It's important to take care of yourself, is my mantra. (because then I can take care of others, too). But, at the same time, what's the point of wasting money or products?