When is enough soap, enough soap?

I was rearranging my shaving cabinet last night. The thought struck me as I was looking at stacks of soaps, how much more do I need? I've got my favorites that are in a semi-regular rotation and soaps on the bottom of the stacks that don't ever see the light of day. I counted 17 soaps that I've used only once or twice. I suppose I should sell them but that's a hassle. I think I'm "soaped out" for a while and just use up what I have.

I reached this point about a year ago. What I love is trying new things and using my top favourites when I know I need that great shave.

I now have about 5 absolute stunners that I keep which to me are the full package. I then buy and sell, some soaps I will keep for longer and others will get a few uses to test them out. I don't need much more to gauge how good it is or is not!

I did get a tad bored of selling soaps singularly because it was taking up a lot of time and a lot of trips to the post office. I turned to the bay and when I have 5 or more soaps I don't want I will sell them as a lot, makes life very easy.

In my eyes there is not much point keeping soaps you will use once or twice a year so you have two options -sell them or give them away, whatever floats your boat!

Good luck

Stormtrooper,

Hang in there. I was there maybe 5 years ago, culled back, and added a bit more during 2015. Down again to 2 soaps. Haslinger for 2016 and I have both Czech & Speake Valobra soaps stored away for the new year in 10 months time. Feels so much better. The donkey milk soaps, Nuavia Red, artisans & other commercial soaps are fun but the two mentioned above top most if not all for me.

Selling isn't so bad. Take a bit of a loss but when your done you'll feel like you lost ten pounds!

I know it goes against the flow of the forums but I wouldn't want to go back to 20 soaps in the den like before. That was just too much and frankly a bit odd. Good luck!

As long as you aren't buying them with money you don't really have, and until you say it's enough, it isn't enough. But the very fact that you're questioning it tells me that it's either enough now or will be soon.

You can just sense it, and it will be different for everyone. For me, I stay in the 15-20 range. I shave everyday and this lets me give each soap around 20 shaves per year. I think it's reasonable, and I do finish off a few soaps per year. Last year I did not buy a single soap, and this year I bought a few and sold a few. I'm a couple over 20 right now, so anticipate selling a few at some point.

Challenging question and one you'll have to answer for yourself.

I only have one soap, but way too many pucks of it.

I was rearranging my shaving cabinet last night. The thought struck me as I was looking at stacks of soaps, how much more do I need? I've got my favorites that are in a semi-regular rotation and soaps on the bottom of the stacks that don't ever see the light of day. I counted 17 soaps that I've used only once or twice. I suppose I should sell them but that's a hassle. I think I'm "soaped out" for a while and just use up what I have.

You are not the only one.  I have enough soaps to last a lifetime. That's exactly what I'm doing, using what I have. I only picked up a few soaps that were not going to be reproduced, but that's about it.

As much as I like to try new things, it just don't make any sense to me to buy more. I have been retired for three years, so I don't necessarily shave everyday.

Its like driving on the highway and feeling like you have to pass every car out there and you can't pull over for a rest stop because all the cars you already passed will pass you and you'll have to pass them again. Surprise! There are unlimited numbers of cars out there and you will never pass them all and if a car you passed passes you and you have to pass it again, how is it any different from any other car you haven't passed - they're all cars and you're never going to pass them all so just relax, slow down and enjoy the drive. There will always be another great soap coming down the pipe and you are never going to have them all and even if you do get every soap out there, its only for a moment and the moment's gone - there's a new release tomorrow and now you're left out again!!

Any of you that had kids and watched the Veggie Tales series might remember the exchange between Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber at the beginning of Madame Blueberry:

Bob: Larry, how much stuff do you need before you'll be happy?

Larry: I don't know Bob, how much stuff is there?

Relax, slow down and enjoy the shave.

Marko

When it takes you longer to pick out your soap than it does to actually shave, you probably have too much soap.

celestino your "one soap" comment made me LOL .

For me, I am not quite a minimalist, but I do want to limit the number of soaps that are in my rotation. If it gets excessive and I start to feel that soaps are being neglected, I'd certainly alter my purchasing behavior. So far I've been very careful about purchases, so the size of my rotation has not been too large to manage.