I was unhappy with the walk in places so I bought a clipper and got some books from the library and taught myself how to cut hair for my dh, dd, and ds. I have a girlfriend cut my hair (which is done free because we barter services). Haven't pd for a haircut for the fam for over 5 years I think. cutting it yourself is actually pretty easy. The clipper we bought has different guides to help you. I practiced on my son. I always thought it was just hair so it wouldn't matter if I screwed his up. figured I could always shave his head if it didn't turn out right.