This isn't prompted by the recession, but six months ago I decided I would no longer pay someone to have control over my appearance. I am almost hilariously nearsighted, and find it quite difficult to ensure that I'm walking out with a haircut I won't be disappointed with when I get home and get a chance to see it up close where my eyeballs work. As a result, I have to trust that my barber didn't do anything that will be a problem to fix later.<p>After a two consecutive bad haircuts where the barber apparently ignored the one thing I asked for and I had to fix it myself at home, I bit the bullet and bought myself a cheap pair of clippers. I'm married with a newborn baby, and am as close to "off the market" as a man in his 20's can be. Having a hairstyle straight out of a magazine picture is the least of my concerns right now. I now ask my wife to trim me up every weekend and I couldn't be happier. My hair looks the way I want it to, I save $15 a month, and I no longer have to wonder "what corners did this scissor jockey cut to move on to the head after mine?"