So many of us enjoyed (or endured) the Gentlemanly Restraint Until Christmas purchase sabbatical that we decided to start a quarterly restraint. While the big dogs have their yearly restraint, breaking up the year into smaller chunks seems to work well for those of us without a cavern to contain our shaving supplies!
What I found in my first sabbatical was that I was focused more on using up what I had, giving forgotten razors and brushes a new chance, and finally dumping what I didn't like (often in trades for new stuff). Not to mention saving money on impulse purchases, instead focusing on what we REALLY want to try during the "reloading" phase.
It seems that a nice way to do this would be to break up the year into seasons:
GRU Spring: Jan 1st - Mar 20th
GRU Summer: Apr 1st - Jun 21st
GRU Fall: Jul 1 - Sep 23rd
GRU Christmas: Oct 1st - Dec 24th
That gives close to three months of restraint followed by 7-10 days of purchases to prepare for the next restraint.
To copy the rules from Catherix in the GRUC thread:
THE RULES:
There are no prizes for making or breaking the pledge, but it's a matter of keeping your word and making a commitment. If nothing else your wallet will be better off.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
If you're interested, reply here and let us know. With your post, please let us know what your one exception item will be. I will maintain a list of the entrants throughout the restraint period. We'll use this thread to help each other out like the other restraint threads. Feel free to chat here about your great shaves, post pics of your pre- and post-restraint purchases, pics of what dropped you out of restraint if you don't make it, encourage each other to continue on to the end. IF YOU FAIL THE RESTRAINT BY PURCHASING AN ITEM PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU PURCHASED HERE IN THE THREAD! On occasion we'll also ask for a checkin to ensure we haven't lost anyone. If you don't answer I'll mark you DNF (did not finish) until we get an update.
THE LIST:
I'll track everyone who has joined the restraint thread, their exceptions, and if they are in or out. I'll periodically post a link to a Google spreadsheet and/or post the current list.
What I found in my first sabbatical was that I was focused more on using up what I had, giving forgotten razors and brushes a new chance, and finally dumping what I didn't like (often in trades for new stuff). Not to mention saving money on impulse purchases, instead focusing on what we REALLY want to try during the "reloading" phase.
It seems that a nice way to do this would be to break up the year into seasons:
GRU Spring: Jan 1st - Mar 20th
GRU Summer: Apr 1st - Jun 21st
GRU Fall: Jul 1 - Sep 23rd
GRU Christmas: Oct 1st - Dec 24th
That gives close to three months of restraint followed by 7-10 days of purchases to prepare for the next restraint.
To copy the rules from Catherix in the GRUC thread:
THE RULES:
- Gentlemanly Restraint starts at 12:00:01am on Jan 1, 2014.
- Gentlemanly Restraint ends at 11:59:59pm on Mar 20, 2014.
- Start and end time are based on your local time zone.
- Gentlemanly Restraint is restricted to shaving items only, though you can avoid other purchases as well.
- No purchases are allowed during the restraint period. NONE. No purchases even if you get a gift card to WCS. 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 3 months of shaving.
- There are three exceptions to the purchasing of items (see rule #5):
- ​B&B Group Buys or B&B Branded Items, because some are limited edition and all are good deals. They must be advertised on behalf of B&B to qualify.
- One named item of your choice. This is your personal exception. You must name the item before the start of Gentlemanly Restraint. It has to be relatively specific; no blanket statements qualify (e.g. "a razor or a brush" is too vague"). Use your best judgement here.
- Sue Moore Auction Items. This is a great cause and we should all try to participate in it if possible.
There are no prizes for making or breaking the pledge, but it's a matter of keeping your word and making a commitment. If nothing else your wallet will be better off.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
If you're interested, reply here and let us know. With your post, please let us know what your one exception item will be. I will maintain a list of the entrants throughout the restraint period. We'll use this thread to help each other out like the other restraint threads. Feel free to chat here about your great shaves, post pics of your pre- and post-restraint purchases, pics of what dropped you out of restraint if you don't make it, encourage each other to continue on to the end. IF YOU FAIL THE RESTRAINT BY PURCHASING AN ITEM PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU PURCHASED HERE IN THE THREAD! On occasion we'll also ask for a checkin to ensure we haven't lost anyone. If you don't answer I'll mark you DNF (did not finish) until we get an update.
THE LIST:
I'll track everyone who has joined the restraint thread, their exceptions, and if they are in or out. I'll periodically post a link to a Google spreadsheet and/or post the current list.
