The soap bug is back...

I went about 5 years without buying any soaps. I would get 1 or 2 per year at Christmas or my Birthday. Then I started a YouTube channel and my wife became my biggest enabler, encouraging me to finally start spending a little more money on my hobby. I bought 4 Stirling soaps at the end of last year, 3 soaps from The Razor Company at the beginning of this year, and I just picked up 11 more over the past few days. I'm still under 50, though...

I went about 5 years without buying any soaps. I would get 1 or 2 per year at Christmas or my Birthday. Then I started a YouTube channel and my wife became my biggest enabler, encouraging me to finally start spending a little more money on my hobby. I bought 4 Stirling soaps at the end of last year, 3 soaps from The Razor Company at the beginning of this year, and I just picked up 11 more over the past few days. I'm still under 50, though...

Wow, that's quite the opposite of what typically happens. Most start out, go crazy, admit they have a problem and then begin to fix it (to various degrees of success).

I need to work on being where you were 5 years ago.

I went about 5 years without buying any soaps. I would get 1 or 2 per year at Christmas or my Birthday. Then I started a YouTube channel and my wife became my biggest enabler, encouraging me to finally start spending a little more money on my hobby. I bought 4 Stirling soaps at the end of last year, 3 soaps from The Razor Company at the beginning of this year, and I just picked up 11 more over the past few days. I'm still under 50, though...

An enabling partner.... Dangerous.

I went about 5 years without buying any soaps.  I would get 1 or 2 per year at Christmas or my Birthday.  Then I started a YouTube channel and my wife became my biggest enabler, encouraging me to finally start spending a little more money on my hobby.  I bought 4 Stirling soaps at the end of last year, 3 soaps from The Razor Company at the beginning of this year, and I just picked up 11 more over the past few days.  I'm still under 50, though...

An enabling partner.... Dangerous she's a keeper!

Fixed that for ya! 

Well, the bug got me. Here's the list of purchases from Top of the Chain:
1. HSSC Silence (Unscented)
2: A&E Spartacus
3. Stirling British Leather Bath Soap
4. Stirling Ramblin' Man Bath Soap
5. Stirling Agar aftershave sampler.

Someone made the very good point of going for samples: I just didn't quite have the self control. If the soaps don't work out, guess I'll trade/sell them.
I'm looking forward to Spartacus: I really like Stirling's Executive Man, but I think the Almond Oil in Stirling's base doesn't agree with my skin, especially with shaving. The Bath soaps were an add-on to get free shipping: The scents seemed interesting: I kind of like the leather/oud/kind of spicy cologne scent profile, so we'll see how they go!
I also love the "Matlock" description of Stirling British Leather: I would watch that show growing up and had a smile when I saw that.

Amazing gwsmallwood that you managed to go so long holding off soap purchases but if you currently has less than 50 now I’d think that means somewhere over 40 at least. If you don’t have any Ethos your face (or other shaven body part) is missing out. The lather is smooth slick and hydrating yet the entire experience shines when the corresponding skin food is used in the post shave. Frank Dragonsbeard now has a website and he is easily reachable - be warned he is passionate and will spend lots of time discussing his products and anything shaving related. Being Frank his customer service dedication is exceptional and now you can get his products directly from his website, personal contact and several vendors including from Canada. His scents are magnificent with GreenFresh and the DFS Colonia being recent well reviewed releases complementing the Pineapple Noir (his take on Aventis), Lavender (very popular) and Clean (unscented for sensitive skin/noses). There are other great scents and he always seems to be working on something new and exciting. IMO these Ethos soaps are top tier and excel with their complementary skin food.

Amazing gwsmallwood that you managed to go so long holding off soap purchases but if you currently has less than 50 now I’d think that means somewhere over 40 at least. If you don’t have any Ethos your face (or other shaven body part) is missing out. The lather is smooth slick and hydrating yet the entire experience shines when the corresponding skin food is used in the post shave. Frank Dragonsbeard now has a website and he is easily reachable - be warned he is passionate and will spend lots of time discussing his products and anything shaving related. Being Frank his customer service dedication is exceptional and now you can get his products directly from his website, personal contact and several vendors including from Canada. His scents are magnificent with GreenFresh and the DFS Colonia being recent well reviewed releases complementing the Pineapple Noir (his take on Aventis), Lavender (very popular) and Clean (unscented for sensitive skin/noses). There are other great scents and he always seems to be working on something new and exciting. IMO these Ethos soaps are top tier and excel with their complementary skin food.

I'm getting closer to 50 with all of the GIT soaps I bought for my Tweeds of March. A handful are boutique soaps that will probably end up in the shower, and another handful are probably going to be sold or given away on my YouTube channel. I'm committed to staying under 52 (excluding samples).

To the OP, I was doing well the start of the year as well. I decided kinda on a whim to throw in some Zingari Man samples with a Maggard order of Explorer and Magician and I loved both of them, bought full sized pucks along with Asian Plum from A&E. Then I went on a sampling spree and I've bought two more soaps (Oceana B&M and Navigator from Zingari Man) and tons of samples from Spearhead, 345, Hub City, Stirling.

Its weird how something suddenly grips me when I can be totally fine with what I have. It happened with Razors last year and I ended up buying a Henson Mild and Medium Aluminum, Yates 921M, Karve B/C and a Titanium Timeless.

EDIT: Oh and after using primarily two band badgers, I decided this year I was going to buy a bunch of boars. So yeah thats happening.

To the OP, I was doing well the start of the year as well.  I decided kinda on a whim to throw in some Zingari Man samples with a Maggard order of Explorer and Magician and I loved both of them, bought full sized pucks along with Asian Pear from A&E.  Then I went on a sampling spree and I've bought two more soaps (Oceana B&M and Navigator from Zingari Man) and tons of samples from Spearhead, 345, Hub City, Stirling. 

Its weird how something suddenly grips me when I can be totally fine with what I have. It happened with Razors last year and I ended up buying a Henson Mild and Medium Aluminum, Yates 921M, Karve B/C and a Titanium Timeless.

EDIT: Oh and after using primarily two band badgers, I decided this year I was going to buy a bunch of boars.  So yeah thats happening.

I too seem to be doing well and controlling things and then all of the sudden I started cycling through stuff to aquire again. Fortunately I'm starting to feel the need to hold back again.........hope it sticks

To the OP, I was doing well the start of the year as well.  I decided kinda on a whim to throw in some Zingari Man samples with a Maggard order of Explorer and Magician and I loved both of them, bought full sized pucks along with Asian Pear from A&E.  Then I went on a sampling spree and I've bought two more soaps (Oceana B&M and Navigator from Zingari Man) and tons of samples from Spearhead, 345, Hub City, Stirling. 

Its weird how something suddenly grips me when I can be totally fine with what I have. It happened with Razors last year and I ended up buying a Henson Mild and Medium Aluminum, Yates 921M, Karve B/C and a Titanium Timeless.

EDIT: Oh and after using primarily two band badgers, I decided this year I was going to buy a bunch of boars.  So yeah thats happening.

I too seem to be doing well and controlling things and then all of the sudden I started cycling through stuff to aquire again. Fortunately I'm starting to feel the need to hold back again.........hope it sticks

I've said this on the forum before but I firmly believe (and this is the right shoulder evil part of me talking) that hobbies are meant to be pursued and hobbies are meant to be enjoyed. And oddly enough, that is usually the rationale I use to purchase more stuff I want but don't need. Oh and I was able to use many soaps up over the past year so I felt like I really needed to replace them!