I'm curious as to how you guys, and girls, set your allowance for purchasing Wet Shaving items? Do you have a weekly cap, a monthly cap, a yearly cap, spend what's left after bills, etc.
Pretty much if I have some extra cash from paying bills, If there is anything out there that I want. Dave
Unlimited budget for me. Since I already have two razors, two brushes, and a shaving mug, my only expenses are consumables. Because I don't need 5 million of everything, I have just one soap, cream, and aftershave at any given time, and razor blades by the 100 count are dirt cheap. Thus no need for a budget limit as there are no great expenses. I just buy new consumables when the old ones run out. Saves space, prevents clutter, and I don't have to worry about spending too much. Those things together brings peace of mind.
After bills and savings I allocate a fun budget. Out of the fun budget comes entertainment, travel and shaving goodies.
At this point, my razor purchases have slowed down. However, I'm always on the lookout for that razor model I don't already own and I'm always up for a new soap or aftershave. I don't have a budget for razors and consumables, but I do keep my purchases to no more than one item per month now.
No set allowance or cap; at least not one that's written down. We've almost always lived well within our means at my house so while we do keep track of income/expenses, it's not necessary to have set allowances for a lot of things since we just seem to have a natural sense of financial control and don't carry any debt. I certainly spend way more than necessary on shaving items (because it's a hobby) but there are lots of things that I have no need for (that others deem necessary) so it seems to balance out. Plus I have weird habits (maybe not so weird...) like squeezing the toothpaste tube to death, rinsing the last drop of laundry detergent from the jug, setting the thermostat low in the winter, shopping at thrift/consignment stores, turning lights off, etc.; and yet, I'll buy a steak dinner in an expensive restaurant and not bat an eye. I've convinced myself that all that toothpaste tube squeezing pays for the dinner and maybe it does. Same thing with shaving stuff. I won't pay for cable TV but I've got a bathroom full of razors.
When I first started "traditional" shaving I had RAD, SAD BAD and ASAD really bad. and so I did need to control spending! Now other than replacement of the things(blades, soaps, AS) I use and like I barely buy anything at all. In the last six months or so my only shaving purchases have been 2 slant head razors a PPA bakelite and a Maggard, I use the Maggard daily. My most recent grooming purchase's are some really good scissors(ty @PLANofMAN ). I can honestly say that for the most part my AD's have calmed down greatly.
I am very budget minded, so it's a matter of looking at shaving needs, then budget funds, then shaving wants. I generally don't stock up on a lot of soaps, although I am buying more samples these days just to try various scents. The last order (yesterday) was about $40,but that includes a container of soap for one of my sons (hooked him on DE shaving yesterday), a few samples for my wife (both wife and daughter use DE razors), and a few samples for myself, along with a refill puck. Sent via Tapatalk
No budget except for bills. But if I see something I like, I usually get it...if the price is right. If it isn't, I'll look for a cheaper one. Like Shaver X, I have enough brushes & soaps. I've also enough blades to last a few years. I've bought about all the razors my (grandson's) collection needs, so it has to be an oddball for me to buy any more. I'm down to culling out the last 13 I have, working my way to the best 3 or 4 keepers. I'm about done with purchases except for consumables.
No shaving budget for me. I'm fairly well set on everything for now. I'll pick up something new occasionally if it sparks my interest. Over the last couple of years, I have generally tried to keep my shaving supplies inventory (hardware and software) constant or slightly decreasing by using up what I have and gifting some stuff. Right now, I get the most fun out of mastering the tools I have.
I try to avoid buying an item over $20. I may end up spending over $20 for an order,, but that would include 2 or 3 items.
Really don't have a set budget for shaving related items. As long as the bills are paid, it just depends on what I feel like buying.
No budget. I returned to wet shaving over a year ago and after the initial spending spree - I have now settled on a couple razors, blades, and brushes that I use for about 90% of my shaves. I have not bought anything new for several months. Soaps are my weakness. I have about 40 or so soaps that I rotate through and may buy a new one every so often. But still - compared to my other hobbies and interests - DE shaving is very inexpensive.
Odd that you mention me in this thread. I asked my wife if we could afford the RazoRock Mamba. I was told not at this time. Maybe next week.
I have a bank account setup for shaving. I automatically put in $15/month to it. It's kind of taken a hit at the moment, purchasing some soaps recently, but if it is there I can spend it.
I don't budget my purchases, which is why I have much more shave gear than I need (but probably much less than some). But on average, I spend less than $10/month. It is just SHAVING after all. I am a bargain hunter, and many times will purchase something that I don't need when the price is irresistible. But I am also frugal (cheap), and have a tough time spending what I would consider an extravagant amount on any single SHAVING item. I talk myself out of buying a lot of SHAVING items, because I don't feel comfortable with what I would consider obsessive expense on a luxury item. That means that there are MANY high-price SHAVING items that I will never feel comfortable buying just for personal hygiene. And I'm OK with that. There is a preponderance of readily available, reasonably priced SHAVING products that perform really well. I enjoy the hobby, and the diversity of the market, but I got into this hobby TO SAVE MONEY. That remains a primary motive after 7+ years. I mainly enjoy this forum because I can find very diverse opinions on a wide variety of different shave products - expensive and cheap. But I do appreciate this forum partly because I can vicariously sample the many available products through the experiences of others here. I am always glad to hear from the members here. and sometimes I will buy a product that others have described, because of their convincing testimonies. But I confess that many times, I just don't see the value of many of the higher priced luxury items - for me. Yet, I really do enjoy reading about them and seeing the many great pictures of these high quality items. Thanks for sharing!
