2023 DFR (Damn Fine Restraint)

Non-Shaving acquisitions have continued.....

Tree climbing monkey-beaver? I think I’ve seen it all now. Is it really restraint if you’re just redirecting your spending urges??

Losers and haters are always going to hate LOL 

Heading out the door to the doctor to have him jerk gauze, stitches and splints out of my nose. I'll deal with you later Mark 

Ouch. I’m just looking out for you. Hope the unpacking goes smoothly!

Tree climbing monkey-beaver? I think I’ve seen it all now. Is it really restraint if you’re just redirecting your spending urges??

Losers and haters are always going to hate LOL 

Heading out the door to the doctor to have him jerk gauze, stitches and splints out of my nose. I'll deal with you later Mark 

Ouch. I’m just looking out for you. Hope the unpacking goes smoothly!

Waiting rm boredom..... I know you were joking but I'll address anyway. Restraint is attempted for different reasons but each person. Mine wasn't for fiscal reasons but a slowing of ridiculous shave spending. The correction I know has already helped my view on what future purchases should be so I don't go crazy again. Never intended to halt buying items in life. Again, I know you were joking but thought I'd just highlight what my goal was which I feel was successful in getting a reset in mindful/thinking of purchases rather than automatic mindless buying. Cheers Buddy 

Losers and haters are always going to hate LOL 

Heading out the door to the doctor to have him jerk gauze, stitches and splints out of my nose. I'll deal with you later Mark 

Ouch. I’m just looking out for you. Hope the unpacking goes smoothly!

Waiting rm boredom..... I know you were joking but I'll address anyway. Restraint is attempted for different reasons but each person. Mine wasn't for fiscal reasons but a slowing of ridiculous shave spending. The correction I know has already helped my view on what future purchases should be so I don't go crazy again. Never intended to halt buying items in life. Again, I know you were joking but thought I'd just highlight what my goal was which I feel was successful in getting a reset in mindful/thinking of purchases rather than automatic mindless buying. Cheers Buddy 

This I think goes for a lot of us. While I should slow all types of spending to keep a sound fiscal picture, my finances aren't in dire straits or anything. My main concern is similar... "Why do I need this level of excess". I don't typically buy a lot of anything else, so cutting back on this 'weakness' helps my whole picture, in the end.

Of course, it would go a lot better if I didn't keep shopping. I don't think I've made any purchases since it crossed to 3/1 (everything that has come in was pre -March). So, I'm 7 days back on the bandwagon. Wonder how soon I'll fail again? Lol.

This brings up a question for the masses: I've failed, but I'm trying to get back into not shopping still. So, I ask: does buying hand soaps for the bathroom - not excess, just a bar or three for the spring, count as breaking a restraint? I'm currently using a cold weather soap and my only backup left is a bar of Stirling Pumpkin spice... Probably not enjoyable for me or the wife come April.

What do y'all think?

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Yes I was kidding and I know you were too. I’m doing what our UK friends call “taking the piss” and don’t ask me how they came up with that term for giving people a good natured hard time.    

Absolutely it’s a good idea to step back and assess what we’re doing and how we’re living every now and then and with this seemingly addictive acquisition of shaving related stuff maybe more so. There’s this perfect storm confluence of men as hunter gatherers, online shopping, explosion of products and forums to display your trophies and see what you don’t have that you obviously need. I tell ya, the cards are stacked against us. Or for us depending on your perspective.  Despite the fact that I fell off the restraint wagon early and hard (that Ti Vector wasn’t cheap) I’m still trying to restrain myself. It’s hard, like being a recovering alcoholic or smoker the temptation will always be there. I still recall at the very start of all this when I still had one brush, one razor and used one soap until it was gone. I had picked up some eShave stuff at a farmers market. A really cheap badger brush and nice shaving cream and aftershave lotion. I was looking for more but it was only available in the US and was pretty spendy with shipping FX and all. I was talking to a guy at work who it turned out was a wet shaver. He told me about some online vendors in Canada, Fendrihan and Italian Barber, then he looked me straight in the eye and said “be careful, it’s a deep, dark hole.” I laughed, nervously because he had that haunted look in his eyes. I seriously thought he was kidding. He wasn’t.  I learned about that deep, dark hole and have been trying to claw my way out ever since. If you’d told me back then that I’d have however many soaps, aftershaves, razors, blades, brushes that I have now I’d have probably been confused. Why on earth would anyone do that? Who needs that much stuff?

Nice thoughts Marko and love the story about the guy at work

Ouch. I’m just looking out for you. Hope the unpacking goes smoothly!

Waiting rm boredom..... I know you were joking but I'll address anyway. Restraint is attempted for different reasons but each person. Mine wasn't for fiscal reasons but a slowing of ridiculous shave spending. The correction I know has already helped my view on what future purchases should be so I don't go crazy again. Never intended to halt buying items in life. Again, I know you were joking but thought I'd just highlight what my goal was which I feel was successful in getting a reset in mindful/thinking of purchases rather than automatic mindless buying. Cheers Buddy 

This I think goes for a lot of us. While I should slow all types of spending to keep a sound fiscal picture, my finances aren't in dire straits or anything. My main concern is similar... "Why do I need this level of excess". I don't typically buy a lot of anything else, so cutting back on this 'weakness' helps my whole picture, in the end.

Of course, it would go a lot better if I didn't keep shopping. I don't think I've made any purchases since it crossed to 3/1 (everything that has come in was pre -March). So, I'm 7 days back on the bandwagon. Wonder how soon I'll fail again? Lol.

This brings up a question for the masses: I've failed, but I'm trying to get back into not shopping still. So, I ask: does buying hand soaps for the bathroom - not excess, just a bar or three for the spring, count as breaking a restraint? I'm currently using a cold weather soap and my only backup left is a bar of Stirling Pumpkin spice... Probably not enjoyable for me or the wife come April.

What do y'all think?

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

People may see it differently than me but it's hand soap. Just because a Shave Vendor sells it doesn't make it a bad buy or failure. We prefer you wash you hands Paul

Waiting rm boredom..... I know you were joking but I'll address anyway. Restraint is attempted for different reasons but each person. Mine wasn't for fiscal reasons but a slowing of ridiculous shave spending. The correction I know has already helped my view on what future purchases should be so I don't go crazy again. Never intended to halt buying items in life. Again, I know you were joking but thought I'd just highlight what my goal was which I feel was successful in getting a reset in mindful/thinking of purchases rather than automatic mindless buying. Cheers Buddy 

This I think goes for a lot of us. While I should slow all types of spending to keep a sound fiscal picture, my finances aren't in dire straits or anything. My main concern is similar... "Why do I need this level of excess". I don't typically buy a lot of anything else, so cutting back on this 'weakness' helps my whole picture, in the end.

Of course, it would go a lot better if I didn't keep shopping. I don't think I've made any purchases since it crossed to 3/1 (everything that has come in was pre -March). So, I'm 7 days back on the bandwagon. Wonder how soon I'll fail again? Lol.

This brings up a question for the masses: I've failed, but I'm trying to get back into not shopping still. So, I ask: does buying hand soaps for the bathroom - not excess, just a bar or three for the spring, count as breaking a restraint? I'm currently using a cold weather soap and my only backup left is a bar of Stirling Pumpkin spice... Probably not enjoyable for me or the wife come April.

What do y'all think?

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

People may see it differently than me but it's hand soap. Just because a Shave Vendor sells it doesn't make it a bad buy or failure. We prefer you wash you hands Paul

My thought exactly!
And I agree with you, Paul, regarding restraining purchasing versus no purchasing to prove a point. All things in moderation is part of my restraint motto!

I would say money may have been a minor factor especially over the holidays and the price of food and other things going up. I don't own too many razors, a few more brushes but all reasonably priced. A decent amount of soaps though don't feel that weird about it but I think I have reached a saturation point. I do like a little variety but I try not to buy soaps with a similar vibe. I'm actually not all that crazy about many of the recent scent offerings and more times than not it was the new or updated base I was interested in trying. On the plus side I usually post in just the soap and frag of the day so following this thread has been fun for a few laughs.

I just finished reading the Bay Rum thread the other day so I may come off to purchase one of those soaps as I've never tried one. Great job on that thread Mark hard to believe that was back in 2019.

Scott

Well, i made it two months and one week

I was checking out the Ethos Grooming website and, lo and behold, there was a Sandalo Artistico AS available. Since I missed the drop awhile back, I decided it was time to ease up on the 2023 restraint.

Well, i made it two months and one week

I was checking out the Ethos Grooming website and, lo and behold, there was a Sandalo Artistico AS available. Since I missed the drop awhile back, I decided it was time to ease up on the 2023 restraint.

Two and a quarter months is a good run. Just because you shopped doesn't mean you can't go back to no more purchases, or reduced purchasing... Still keep the spirit of the restraint going.

I went to the Ethos site the other day and realized how few soaps Frank has in stock. They fly off the shelf!

I also realized that samples seem to be a thing of the past at Ethos. Sad, as I was hoping to try a few in the near future: mostly the bergamoto and maybe the Tonka bean. The Bergamoto sounds like a sweet, juicy citrus. I might have to take the risk and grab a whole tub... when they ever come back in stock. At least I'm safe from that urge for now. Lol.

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