Learn to give yourself a decent haircut and save a huge amount of money and time.

Your first reaction to “cut your own hair” is probably to release a long, hissing breath and do something condescending with your eyebrows. That knee-jerk — brow jerk? — response is costing you an obscene amount of money.

I’ve been cutting my own hair for half a year now and I will never stop. All you need is a cheap electric clipper set, a hand mirror, and a YouTube tutorial. When you get the hang of it, it looks exactly like a professional cut.

You’re supposed to get a haircut at least once a month. Let’s assume you’re paying $40 per, including tip. That’s $480 a year. That might not seem like a lot of money to insure you don’t end up looking stupid.

Consider, though, all the times you’re probably going to procrastinate on getting the monthly cut. A free 8/10 haircut, maintained in a perpetual state of neatness (I cut mine every two weeks), is superior to an expensive 10/10 haircut you get sporadically.

Here’s my regimen: run clippers over my head with the longest attachment. Separate the hair on top from the sides with a comb. Run the clippers up the sides in decreasing size increments. Clean up the neck and the ears. Yell four-letter words at my cowlick until it obeys. Shower. Apply styling paste and blow dry. Takes about 20 minutes.

It’s like mowing the lawn or cleaning your toilet. Just another chore. As it should be. I love the autonomy, it feels like cheating. Don’t fear the learning curve. It took me around three cuts before it looked polished, but the first couple weren’t bad.

Some people will think you’re weird. That’s worth $480+ a year.

The video I learned from is “How to Cut Your Own Hair,” on the Tips for Clips YouTube channel.