Introducing the 2024 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Year's End RElief
Join the members of the Badger & Blade community for the 15th annual Shave Purchase Sabbatical, held since 2010. Remembering all those who were successful, those who are still toughing it out, those who signed up, and those who fell to temptation, @Guido75 presents to you, the Badger and Blade 2024 Shave Purchase Sabbatical, aka The Gentlemanly Restraint Until Year's End RElief thread.
I know who have gone before me and I have big shoes to fill with this event, but with 2024 approaching fast I thought it would be a good idea to get the thread up. This is also my way of committing myself! And if the community believes a better host should lead this restraint - by all means I am more than happy to step aside - as my CV (I made it to May 2023 and let's not talk about GRUME!) is not exactly speaking in my favour :blush.
I want to express our thanks to @KQY61 for excellent leadership and restraint insights in leading the pack these last two years. He will remain a participant in these restraints. And hopefully a backup to bring in historic perspectives on gey areas and other questions (notwithstanding rule 14).
This year's GRUYERE theme will be based on that classic 1980’s television show MacGyver.
The original series ran from 1985-1992 where we are witness to the adventures of Angus MacGyver (born and raised in Mission City which I thought would also be an aptly name for this thread) and his Swiss Army Kife. MacGyver was intelligent, aware of his environment, and usually with great resolve fought for the greater good. He was also very creative in coming up with solutions to all kinds of challenges. I read that most if not all of his creations are backed by science. Very international, speaking multiple languages, and always clean shaven! Liked to be outdoors and partaking in skiing, mountain climbing, parachuting or rafting. These are all quality traits that are also present in the B&B community.
MacGyver always made do with what was available. With all our shaving hardware and software we sometimes still - yours truly definitely included! - fall victim to our wants and needs, FOMO, latest and greatest and every other temptation thata makes us buy more things!
Wouldn't it be great if we activated our inner MacGyver and use what is around and make that work to the best of our abilities?
Will you take up the 2024 GRUYERE? Resign from buying shaving stuff and so wind up in Mission City?
And now to the rules and regulations. Lifted from last year, of course. We tend to not change these from year to year - but I have added some clarifications.
The sabbatical is open to all ascetics, gluttons, minimisers, denizens of the doghouse, hecklers, reformed treewhalers, Darth Lords, trolls, and folks with nothing better to do. We're all about cheap thrills in the sabbatical. Cure your _ADs ("blank" acquisition disorder), prime your 3017 campaign, learn your current setup, enjoy what you've got, protect your paychecks: we walk many paths on the same road.
New to restraint? The ground rules are simple: You don't purchase shaving related goods for a calendar year (12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 525,600 minutes). We start when 2023 becomes 2024, and we end when 2024 becomes 2025. It is not for the faint of heart, the Rules cover a wide area, to help with the goal of saving money. We are all here to save money, to stop filling every nook and cranny of our humble abode with shaving related items.
The Rules
*Oscar Wilde Clause ("Everything in moderation, including moderation"): If you elect to do so, you may state one specific personal exception when you sign up. The personal exception is a onetime one item purchase (one razor, or one soap, or one box of blades). You can also use the Bingle Buddy Gift Exchange as your exception.
What say you? Are you in?!
Join the members of the Badger & Blade community for the 15th annual Shave Purchase Sabbatical, held since 2010. Remembering all those who were successful, those who are still toughing it out, those who signed up, and those who fell to temptation, @Guido75 presents to you, the Badger and Blade 2024 Shave Purchase Sabbatical, aka The Gentlemanly Restraint Until Year's End RElief thread.
I know who have gone before me and I have big shoes to fill with this event, but with 2024 approaching fast I thought it would be a good idea to get the thread up. This is also my way of committing myself! And if the community believes a better host should lead this restraint - by all means I am more than happy to step aside - as my CV (I made it to May 2023 and let's not talk about GRUME!) is not exactly speaking in my favour :blush.
I want to express our thanks to @KQY61 for excellent leadership and restraint insights in leading the pack these last two years. He will remain a participant in these restraints. And hopefully a backup to bring in historic perspectives on gey areas and other questions (notwithstanding rule 14).
This year's GRUYERE theme will be based on that classic 1980’s television show MacGyver.
The original series ran from 1985-1992 where we are witness to the adventures of Angus MacGyver (born and raised in Mission City which I thought would also be an aptly name for this thread) and his Swiss Army Kife. MacGyver was intelligent, aware of his environment, and usually with great resolve fought for the greater good. He was also very creative in coming up with solutions to all kinds of challenges. I read that most if not all of his creations are backed by science. Very international, speaking multiple languages, and always clean shaven! Liked to be outdoors and partaking in skiing, mountain climbing, parachuting or rafting. These are all quality traits that are also present in the B&B community.
MacGyver always made do with what was available. With all our shaving hardware and software we sometimes still - yours truly definitely included! - fall victim to our wants and needs, FOMO, latest and greatest and every other temptation thata makes us buy more things!
Wouldn't it be great if we activated our inner MacGyver and use what is around and make that work to the best of our abilities?
Will you take up the 2024 GRUYERE? Resign from buying shaving stuff and so wind up in Mission City?
And now to the rules and regulations. Lifted from last year, of course. We tend to not change these from year to year - but I have added some clarifications.
The sabbatical is open to all ascetics, gluttons, minimisers, denizens of the doghouse, hecklers, reformed treewhalers, Darth Lords, trolls, and folks with nothing better to do. We're all about cheap thrills in the sabbatical. Cure your _ADs ("blank" acquisition disorder), prime your 3017 campaign, learn your current setup, enjoy what you've got, protect your paychecks: we walk many paths on the same road.
New to restraint? The ground rules are simple: You don't purchase shaving related goods for a calendar year (12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 525,600 minutes). We start when 2023 becomes 2024, and we end when 2024 becomes 2025. It is not for the faint of heart, the Rules cover a wide area, to help with the goal of saving money. We are all here to save money, to stop filling every nook and cranny of our humble abode with shaving related items.
The Rules
- Read all of the rules. From #1 through to and including number 16.
- Start and end time are based on your local time zone. Or, UTC (GMT), if you prefer.
- Gentlemanly Restraint is restricted to all items related to shaving and the shaving hobby; though you can avoid other purchases as well.
- No purchases of anything to do with shaving are allowed during the restraint period. NONE.
- No purchases even if you get a gift card to WCS, ebay, Amazon, etc.
- If you need something you may trade for it; that's why you are a part of a community that can help you out.
- This also means that you have enough stuff to see out about 12 months of shaving.
- Gifts. You cannot ask for, solicit, hint at, etc., gifts in any way.
- PIFs. You may OFFER PIFs (including associated shipping costs), but the PIF excludes those B&B members who are part of the annual sabbatical. You may not enter or request a PIF.
- To clarify, not buying anything means not spending money (or redeeming gift cards) on shaving goods, period. This includes blades, cream, soap, brushes, scuttles, any type of cartridge, aftershave, stone, strop, lapping film, scuttle water heater, kettle for the bathroom, shaving related books, pictures, knick-knacks and on and on. You get the idea. You spent money on it? You haven't shown restraint. *
- There is some accounting involved though as committing to a purchase, but having to settle the amount later is allowed. The reasoning behind that is when you committed (the intent) to the purchase is when you actually (already) spent the money. The bank transfer at a later date doesn't change that. The payment is only of secondary importance.
- So signing up for a product list puts you out as does bidding on auctions during the restraint period, but you may pay for waitlist items and winning bids from a period prior to the restraint period.
- In 2023 we have aligned GRUME rules to reflect this accounting principle.
- Plan your year carefully. Think ahead to make sure you have the razors, blades, soaps, creams, aftershaves, scuttles, towels, travel gear, dopp bags etc. for the next twelve months. If you travel, pick up a couple of the dreaded disposables. You can always ask before the start if you are not sure how much you will go through.
- You must check-in on the 2024 GRUYERE thread during the specific times listed
- March 29th to April 7th
- June 28th through to July 7th
- September 27th through to October 6th
- January 1st 2025 through to January 10th 2025
- However, at other times please feel free to post and let us know how you are doing in your goal of abstaining.
- If a shaving item breaks in the restraint and you have no backup handy, one replacement may be purchased as an exception (example if the knot comes out of your brush when traveling, a cheap brush or superglue to fix broken brush is deemed acceptable in the 2024 restraint). Forgetting to pack your gear does not count, that will put you out.
- The fine print on the grey areas:
- Functional maintenance, such as straight razor honing, does not count as a purchased good. Since we're all gentlemen here, we leave it up to you to decide if PIF purchases for others count as purchases.
- Gifts you receive are also dicey. Because these and other fuzzy areas may pop up, let's agree to be gentlemanly in our appraisal of still In or knocked Out. In other words, you're In until you say "I'm Out" and you're Out if you spent money! If you buy something, announce what you bought so we can get our vicarious thrills at your expense and strike you from the list in an exciting chapter of our ongoing storyline.
- Only if you succeeded in the 2023 Sabbatical, you have from January 1-14, 2024 as restock window.
- If you have to ask for clarification, you probably should not be doing it.
- Read rule number 1.
- ALL Badger and Blade branded items including B&B Group Buys
- Sue Moore Memorial Auction items
- Badger and Blade contributor badge
*Oscar Wilde Clause ("Everything in moderation, including moderation"): If you elect to do so, you may state one specific personal exception when you sign up. The personal exception is a onetime one item purchase (one razor, or one soap, or one box of blades). You can also use the Bingle Buddy Gift Exchange as your exception.
What say you? Are you in?!
