This restraint is for November 1-30, 2023.
If you're seeing this late and you've made no purchases in the Restraint Month, feel free to jump in. Registration closes on the 15th.
Have what you need and use what you have.
That is our definition of "Restraint". The idea is to use, learn about and enjoy what you have, restraining yourself from making frivolous purchases. This monthly restraint is perfect for those who want to practice restraint in bite-sized chunks, or have failed the yearly or quarterly sabbatical and (still) want to curb their ADs despite the setback. Keep fighting the urges!
If you fail out of the GRUME, please tell the group, take your (friendly) lumps and continue to play along at home. There will be Roll Calls during the restraint, whenever there is a failure; a perfect GRUME would be one in which there are no Roll Calls! Check-ins, especially with SOTD info and pics, are encouraged and mutual support is appreciated.
All are welcome!
Rules:
1.a. If you were in the October GRUME, 11/1 is your restock date* for any needed product (i.e., it's not an excuse for treewhaling).
1.b. If you were not in the October GRUME, you do not get a restock date in November; plan ahead and see Rule 1.c., below.
1.c. Members should have the necessary supplies to last the duration of the Restraint, but this is a Restraint, not a Sabbatical. If something breaks or runs out and you have no suitable or usable replacement, it can be replaced.
2. No personal shaving purchases in the month. Members may purchase shaving related items for others to encourage the hobby/lifestyle (PIF or Gifting) for people new to our way of shaving, though one GRUME member cannot buy anything on behalf of another GRUME member. Members are not allowed to request any form of compensation in return, nor are they allowed to sample or test those gift items.
3.a. Gift Cards (including eBay bucks, Amazon gift cards, credit card reward points, etc.) cannot be redeemed for shaving items, even if the cards were purchased and/or received in previous months.
3.b. The "Birthday Rule": Members are not allowed to ask for (or even hint at) shaving gear as gifts or PIF requests for any occasion or reason.
4. Any shaving-related services, like replating or restorations, cannot be arranged in the month of the restraint if they are not strictly necessary. Paying for honing service, so that your SR is usable, is acceptable.
5. You are encouraged to engage in trades (especially with each other), but don't enter any PIFs. Signing up for a product waitlist puts you out, and you may not bid on auctions for shaving gear in the GRUME month (though you may pay for your waitlist item or winning bid from a previous month without issue).
6. If you have to ask, it probably will put you out. That said, this is a Gentlemanly Restraint - use your own best judgement and integrity to self-assess based on the rules above.
Exceptions:
1. Members may participate in B&B Group Buys or B&B branded shaving item purchases, because these may be limited items and all support this common ground. They must be advertised on behalf of B&B to qualify. In an effort to stay true to restraints commitments, please limit B&B purchases to one (1) shaving item per month, including contributions to B&B! (All Non-Shaving B&B items are fair game.)
2. During the season, Sue Moore Items are all exempt from the-no buying rules. Treewhaling on anything Sue Moore-related is encouraged.
3. Members who are in a Quarterly or Yearly sabbatical are allowed to exercise their documented exceptions for those events without failing the monthly restraint. Please note your participation in these other restraints when you add your name to the list.
Tips:
Check out this Wiki article for tips on how to survive a Restraint (or GRUME). It includes a comprehensive checklist to help you figure out whether you've got everything you need for the month.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Help:...ve_a_Restraint
In addition, mute (or, better, unsubscribe from) all those tempting email lists. Get rid of your eBay alerts. Tune out the promotional messages. If you don't look, you won't buy.
*If you have usable gear, there's no need to "restock" it because you haven't run out. Buying more stuff just means you're choosing to buy more stuff rather than using what you have. That's not restraint, that's casuistry as a path to giving yourself one treewhale day per month. The restock date - specifically for those rolling from one GRUME to the next - is for making sure you have enough blades, witch hazel, balm, soap or whatever to make it through the month. If you want something else, work out a trade that helps you to continue to thin the herd.
If you're seeing this late and you've made no purchases in the Restraint Month, feel free to jump in. Registration closes on the 15th.
Have what you need and use what you have.
That is our definition of "Restraint". The idea is to use, learn about and enjoy what you have, restraining yourself from making frivolous purchases. This monthly restraint is perfect for those who want to practice restraint in bite-sized chunks, or have failed the yearly or quarterly sabbatical and (still) want to curb their ADs despite the setback. Keep fighting the urges!
If you fail out of the GRUME, please tell the group, take your (friendly) lumps and continue to play along at home. There will be Roll Calls during the restraint, whenever there is a failure; a perfect GRUME would be one in which there are no Roll Calls! Check-ins, especially with SOTD info and pics, are encouraged and mutual support is appreciated.
All are welcome!
Rules:
1.a. If you were in the October GRUME, 11/1 is your restock date* for any needed product (i.e., it's not an excuse for treewhaling).
1.b. If you were not in the October GRUME, you do not get a restock date in November; plan ahead and see Rule 1.c., below.
1.c. Members should have the necessary supplies to last the duration of the Restraint, but this is a Restraint, not a Sabbatical. If something breaks or runs out and you have no suitable or usable replacement, it can be replaced.
2. No personal shaving purchases in the month. Members may purchase shaving related items for others to encourage the hobby/lifestyle (PIF or Gifting) for people new to our way of shaving, though one GRUME member cannot buy anything on behalf of another GRUME member. Members are not allowed to request any form of compensation in return, nor are they allowed to sample or test those gift items.
3.a. Gift Cards (including eBay bucks, Amazon gift cards, credit card reward points, etc.) cannot be redeemed for shaving items, even if the cards were purchased and/or received in previous months.
3.b. The "Birthday Rule": Members are not allowed to ask for (or even hint at) shaving gear as gifts or PIF requests for any occasion or reason.
4. Any shaving-related services, like replating or restorations, cannot be arranged in the month of the restraint if they are not strictly necessary. Paying for honing service, so that your SR is usable, is acceptable.
5. You are encouraged to engage in trades (especially with each other), but don't enter any PIFs. Signing up for a product waitlist puts you out, and you may not bid on auctions for shaving gear in the GRUME month (though you may pay for your waitlist item or winning bid from a previous month without issue).
6. If you have to ask, it probably will put you out. That said, this is a Gentlemanly Restraint - use your own best judgement and integrity to self-assess based on the rules above.
Exceptions:
1. Members may participate in B&B Group Buys or B&B branded shaving item purchases, because these may be limited items and all support this common ground. They must be advertised on behalf of B&B to qualify. In an effort to stay true to restraints commitments, please limit B&B purchases to one (1) shaving item per month, including contributions to B&B! (All Non-Shaving B&B items are fair game.)
2. During the season, Sue Moore Items are all exempt from the-no buying rules. Treewhaling on anything Sue Moore-related is encouraged.
3. Members who are in a Quarterly or Yearly sabbatical are allowed to exercise their documented exceptions for those events without failing the monthly restraint. Please note your participation in these other restraints when you add your name to the list.
Tips:
Check out this Wiki article for tips on how to survive a Restraint (or GRUME). It includes a comprehensive checklist to help you figure out whether you've got everything you need for the month.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Help:...ve_a_Restraint
In addition, mute (or, better, unsubscribe from) all those tempting email lists. Get rid of your eBay alerts. Tune out the promotional messages. If you don't look, you won't buy.
*If you have usable gear, there's no need to "restock" it because you haven't run out. Buying more stuff just means you're choosing to buy more stuff rather than using what you have. That's not restraint, that's casuistry as a path to giving yourself one treewhale day per month. The restock date - specifically for those rolling from one GRUME to the next - is for making sure you have enough blades, witch hazel, balm, soap or whatever to make it through the month. If you want something else, work out a trade that helps you to continue to thin the herd.
