Simplifying things a bit - Part II

I am feeling a overwhelmed..

What was supposed to be a cost cutting process has turned into various strains of Acquisition Disorder...  Razor Acquisition Disorder (RAD), Shave Brush Acquisition Disorder (SBAD), Blade Acquisition Disorder (BAD), Soap and Creams (SCAD)...   and a recent inventory, though not entirely complete, has confirmed that some drastic steps need to be taken...

I am beginning to formulate a plan.  What follows is my initial brain dump...


I've separated my den into two initial categories...  Hardware and software.

The software consists primarily of consumables.. the creams, lotions, balms, soaps and ancillary stuff like oil and glycerin.  Blades are technically hardware but are certainly consumables.  I'm just sayin...

The hardware, logically, consists of the brushes, stands, blades, razors, mirrors and such.  The stuff that would take eons to actually wear out..

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Ironically, as I write this article about downsizing and simplifying I am shopping the web for a vintage Barbicide jar to use to disinfect my kit post shave...  So, I wonder, is this series of disorders something I can actually be cured of or will I just find a routine of buying, selling and PiF'ng to keep the herd in check.. (PiF = Pay it Forward.  The act of getting rid of stuff you don't use by giving it to someone else who needs or wants it)

To make matters worse, I just PayPal'd $7 to a forum member for a lot of 70 Derby blades..  that's $0.10 each.  Since I can get about five shaves from a blade, that equates to $0.02 per shave, versus a couple of bucks for the current cartridges on the market.  So though it counts as BAD, it also supports the cost cutting intent of all of this... 

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Anyway..

The hardware and software must co-exist.  Each plays a critical role in the experience with technique being the glue that binds them.  That said, I don't need so much of each.  Many wet-shavers get by with just one razor, one brush and one cream.  That shaver ain't me.

On the hardware side, I don't see anything in my den that I dislike enough to get rid of.  If pressed to replace one of my razors, it would probably be the Merkur Futur and if I needed to make room in the brush rack, I think the iKon Silvertip would be on the bubble.

Software?  I've struggled with the Cella Crema de Barba so that might be in relative jeopardy, but the rest of what I have is labeled "keeper".  Whether I replace it once it's gone is another story...