Your glass ceiling for purchases

I remember when a wooden bowl and two replacement pucks of a rose scented soap, once tallow and now fallow arrived. Friends and family were aghast I spent $40; no doubt with some dollar store bath soap as comparison. It took a few years, but my own such measure slowly crept up with
3.4 oz bottles of aftershave pushing a like amount. I'm not even thinking of a approximate value of all the loot I've bought, traded or been gifted over the years.
I abandoned firearm collecting when .455 ammunition for my Webley-Fosbury approached $1 a round and a friend who cast his own bullets was diagnosed with lead poisoning dementia. I've managed to avoid British Empire colonial rebellions and lived on the sale for a frugal year.
But I just splashed on some PENHALIGONS Opus 1870 and damn, but I love this stuff. I looked at the price again, $128 USD plus sales tax if I don't
gamble on EBAY counterfeits. That's a bottle of Laphraiog and groceries for a week. I could even buy some blended stuff and three weeks food, but I do have limits.
I'm not complaining. In my value system it's worth it. But I fear the same social stigma a lot of these nouveau rich locals grinding gears on a new Maserati elicit from us unwashed masses in the 'fight for fifteen' waiting for a bus our execrable public disservice runs hourly. I get many compliments: until some lady asks what it is and where to buy it. I'm honest and they do a double take.
I think I should start using something less expensive, lower that ceiling and potential targeting by future flash performances of les Miserables.
At least my self tipped ties are unknown to most people.

My glass ceiling has continually inched up. No I haven't spent $100+ on a splash and at this point that is well above my ceiling for that particular facet of this hobby, but there was a time when I made fun of my buddy for spending $80 on a razor. I have spent more than that on razors many times now. Last week I spent about $195 on a razor.

I remember when a wooden bowl and two replacement pucks of a rose scented soap, once tallow and now fallow arrived. Friends and family were aghast I spent $40; no doubt with some dollar store bath soap as comparison.

For most people, that is an insane amount of money to pay for a shaving soap. It is a natural reaction to what they perceive as a huge ripoff. Most shaving soaps and creams sell for no more than a few dollars each, and it is those products with which the general public is most familiar. For example, one of the Van Der Hagen soaps, Williams Mug Soap, or Col.Conk. It is not just you and not just your $40 soaps that elicit that reaction, it is any item perceived as being greatly overpriced and someone actually purchasing it. A $300 fountain pen? "Holy #$&%, you paid HOW MUCH for that pen?!?" would be a common response. Most folks see everyday items as mere tools, not the focus of a hobby or through the eyes of an enthusiast.

"Holy #$&%, you paid HOW MUCH for that Art of Shaving soap / cream / Fusion razor handle / vibrating brush / whatever ?!?" A common reaction from people on wetshaving forums. We aren't all that much different from anyone else. And your $40 luxury soaps and Penhaligon's Opus 1870? I don't think many people here would even bat an eyelash over that. It is all about perceptions and the value placed on a particular product by individuals.

But I just splashed on some PENHALIGONS Opus 1870 and damn, but I love this stuff. I looked at the price again, $128 USD plus sales tax if I don't
gamble on EBAY counterfeits.
.
.
.
get many compliments: until some lady asks what it is and where to buy it. I'm honest and they do a double take.

A C note and change for Opus 1870 doesn't seem unreasonable at all to me. For the most part, luxury brand perfumes, colognes and aftershaves are hella expensive. For someone used to el cheapo drugstore scents or of limited finances, spending $128 might seem nuts. "Nouveau riche" denotes poor taste, bad attitude, and a sense of entitlement. It is much different than simply having disposable income and buying expensive goods. Buying pricey shaving gear makes one well groomed and sweet smelling, not nouveau riche.

My ceiling for purchases? That depends upon the product. Usually $10 or less for a shaving soap, $20 or less for a bottle of aftershave, $35 for a razor, maybe $20 for a mug. One hundred fifty buck for a bottle of cologne. I believe in value for the money, but not to the point of being cheap. Being wasteful or spendthrift is just as bad as being miserly. For me, a happy middle ground is the sweet spot. But that is just me.

BTW - Try the Old Western Scrounger for the .455 ammo. Proper ventilation when soldering or casting lead objects of any sort is a must. I thought everyone knew that.

The WF sold for a ridiculous amount even by today's appraisals when Sean Connery wore a fake ponytail, loincloth and said weapon in a gawdawfull movie called Zardoz. It was like the old buying frenzies for S&W .44 magnums after each Dirty Harry movie came out. I only retained my russian Shashka, and a Sykes-Fairbarn commando dagger for the revolutilon. As Obi Won Kenobi said ' a more elegant weapon.'

I guess sometimes the glass ceiling can come down a bit. My Somerset Simpsons, Rooney's, Thater & Shavemacs sit quietly most days as I reach for large knot modern day synthetics. They just perform better and cost pennies compared to more gaudy offerings floating in the Irish Sea.

Another example is the Rockwell 6S. The ceiling could easily have been risen and shavers would still grab that great razor.

It's not as much cost as what I might be getting for that amount. Spending a grand on a stereo amp and preamp seemed outrageous to my father back in '85 but he is long gone and I'm still listening to that same system.

Without exception, most things can be had and a much lower cost for the unwashed masses who just want a "thing" and are not concerned about the snob appeal

Glass ceilings are in my rear-view mirror, I hope. I've learned a lot and hopefully am a better-educated man for the experiences. I still have most of my small number of extreme purchases. I've never felt I spent too much, but I have been disappointed a couple of times.

I have no regrets at all about past spending on dozens of straight razors and all of the associated maintenance and restoration supplies and services. The vintage straight razors and all their stuff are a significant tangible piece of history that I'll never part with.

My current ceiling on new purchases has reduced itself to only about a hundred dollars a year. I get far more fun out of using up my stuff these days.

It's a happy man who finds what pleases him; happier still if he can afford it.

I guess sometimes the glass ceiling can come down a bit. My Somerset Simpsons, Rooney's, Thater & Shavemacs sit quietly most days as I reach for large knot modern day synthetics. They just perform better and cost pennies compared to more gaudy offerings floating in the Irish Sea.

Another example is the Rockwell 6S. The ceiling could easily have been risen and shavers would still grab that great razor.

Maybe not the same since I never developed a love of synthetics, but my cheap Semogue boars (even the 2030B with the metal handle) are seeing more action than my badgers nowadays.

My ceiling now is very low. I may buy expensive colognes if I can get in on a cheap split. Otherwise I've spent way too much on this hobby and for the most part, there is a low limit to "you get what you pay for." And I certainly don't need another razor or brush for the rest of my life - and from the way my stash has been depleting, maybe not need to buy any soap either.

I guess sometimes the glass ceiling can come down a bit. My Somerset Simpsons, Rooney's, Thater & Shavemacs sit quietly most days as I reach for large knot modern day synthetics. They just perform better and cost pennies compared to more gaudy offerings floating in the Irish Sea.

Another example is the Rockwell 6S. The ceiling could easily have been risen and shavers would still grab that great razor.

+1 Totally agree.