There’s something oddly liberating about deciding to take control of your own grooming routine. Maybe it’s the dad in me, or perhaps it’s just reaching that age where practicality trumps vanity, but I’ve joined the ranks of blokes who’ve embraced the DIY haircut life. Every couple of months, out comes the clipper for a good buzz cut, and every fortnight or so, the facial hair gets trimmed back to respectable stubble.

There’s something uniquely Australian about the ritual of stockpiling household essentials when they’re on special. I’ve been thinking about this lately after stumbling across a discussion about facial tissues that really struck a chord with me - not just because it’s cold season, but because it perfectly encapsulates the quiet frustration so many of us feel about the steady erosion of value in everyday products.

The story sounds familiar: someone who’d been loyally buying Kleenex Everyday tissues for years, remembering when 250-sheet boxes regularly went on sale for $2. They’d stock up, buying 10 at a time like any sensible bargain hunter. Fast forward to today, and those same boxes now contain only 200 sheets and cost $3 or more. It’s shrinkflation in action - that sneaky practice where products get smaller while prices stay the same or even increase.