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October 2020 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

Still in. SOTD - 20 OCT 2020

SOTD 10202020.jpg


Wonderful shave today. SOC boar continues to feel great on the face, with just enough scrub to notice it. 1st time use of Lord Platinum blades today: Worked well but I feel slight roughness with it. Tad smoother than Shark SS blades but there are better options for me. Finished with some chilling Osage Rub.
 
Preshave: Hot washcloth, Nuage oil
Soap: Arko, bowl-lathered
Brush: Wilkinson boar
Razor: GC.68, Astra SP #5
Post-shave: Brut AS, Nivea Balm.

Finally beat the Arko tub from August. It went out with a bang — enough lather for the whole barber's shop. Time to make a new puck.

Got a near-BBS again with the GC.68. It felt too mild when I bought it (and so the .84), but you can't argue with the results.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Another terrific mid day shave. The Fatip Grande OC with a GSB; the incredible Simpson Astor LE in Best felt so good face lathering the Proraso 'red' Sandalwood soap from the tub; the kanon Norwegian Wood for the finish. I love traditional wet shaving.
Still in.
 
Still out - but I’ve been reflecting on my second fail in a row here.

At first, I was thinking I wouldn’t bother with these any more. I don’t love failing, or feeling guilty. But it turns out I don’t really feel guilty. I love the stuff I’ve bought. And, although at the micro-level I did fail, I’m thinking the macro-effect might actually be positive. Being in the GRUMEs has definitely discouraged impulse buying, and I can think of a number of items I thought about getting but didn’t. So, I’m thinking it has helped me at least be more deliberate about my purchases. And that‘s a good thing.

So ..... I’ll keep an eye out for the November thread. Thanks, Gents.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Still out - but I’ve been reflecting on my second fail in a row here.

At first, I was thinking I wouldn’t bother with these any more. I don’t love failing, or feeling guilty. But it turns out I don’t really feel guilty. I love the stuff I’ve bought. And, although at the micro-level I did fail, I’m thinking the macro-effect might actually be positive. Being in the GRUMEs has definitely discouraged impulse buying, and I can think of a number of items I thought about getting but didn’t. So, I’m thinking it has helped me at least be more deliberate about my purchases. And that‘s a good thing.

So ..... I’ll keep an eye out for the November thread. Thanks, Gents.
I'm in my 4th or 5th month of GRUMEs. I have been successful in all but one, and when I fell out of that one it was to buy a LE Simpson M6 in faux ebony, one of the few non-ivory resin handle options I really like. So I bought it. I bought nothing else that month, so even at the time I looked at it as a month in which I restrained myself for 30 days out of 31, and even then it was only one purchase. Now that may sound like a rationalization, but to me it is a recognition of my frailty and that I am seeking progress, and not perfection. If I had looked at that Simpson purchase in August as a "failure," there would have been no reason to prevent turning that one purchase into a big 'ole treewhale, with perhaps 3 more brushes, a dozen soaps and creams, and 5 naggins of aftershave. But that didn't happen, because my perspective had changed. To be honest, most of the purchases I've made over the past 4 or 5 years were each gonna be "the last one for a good long while," but they never were. As a result, I was never really able to enjoy all the shaving kit I bought because each purchase brought not only a new brush or soap or cologne but also a bundle of shame and regret. I think that's why so many guys in restraint comment on how they're "enjoying what I have right now"- because if they're anything like me, their enjoyment was always dulled by guilt, remorse, and regret, and now that they're in restraint, some of those negative feelings melt away and they're able to appreciate what they have.
So now, even though the M6 that knocked me out of restraint in August was a "failure" of sorts, I ditched the regret and remorse and I've been able to appreciate and enjoy the brush. And it's been years since I was able to feel that way.

That is ultimately why I am doing these restraints.

M6 crop.jpg
 
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^^^ Very nice looking brush! Enjoy!

[...] As a result, I was never really able to enjoy all the shaving kit I bought because each purchase brought not only a new brush or soap or cologne but also a bundle of shame and regret. I think that's why so many guys in restraint comment on how they're "enjoying what I have right now"- because if they're anything like me, their enjoyment was always dulled by guilt, remorse, and regret, and now that they're in restraint, some of those negative feelings melt away and they're able to appreciate what they have.
So now, even though the M6 that knocked me out of restraint in August was a "failure" of sorts, I ditched the regret and remorse and I've been able to appreciate and enjoy the brush. And it's been years since I was able to feel that way.

That is ultimately why I am doing these restraints.

Thank you for sharing these thoughts! I can relate to that. Even though in most occasions, I wasn't buying multiple items at a time, the idea of getting the nth brush when there's so many in my kit was enough to trigger the guilt.

GRUME is a format I really like because it is gives you a feasible short term target. One month at a time.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
^^^ Very nice looking brush! Enjoy!



Thank you for sharing these thoughts! I can relate to that. Even though in most occasions, I wasn't buying multiple items at a time, the idea of getting the nth brush when there's so many in my kit was enough to trigger the guilt.

GRUME is a format I really like because it is gives you a feasible short term target. One month at a time.
Yours is my favorite Greek name- Σωτήρης - it means "Saved"
 
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