On the matter of cheap or not, I was shaving my first 2 or 3 months on a kit that cost less than $50. If I wanted to continue, add a barber hone for touch ups, so +$10-$20ish, and maybe a second razor to alternate, so, +$15-$30ish. That would be all I needed to shave for life. Now on the other hand, I like COLLECTING razors. I don't think I have RAD, just I-Wish-I-Had-That-Disorder, as I'm too cheap to shell out much for a razor. My only two razors that cost more than $15 were because they were deals I couldn't pass up ($200 razor going for $35, and a real beauty at that!, $100-$200ish razor going for $80 that I really really wanted). I just spent some money on a barber hone and a few finishers, and am about to buy a basic workhorse set so I can sharpen my collection. But all that is definitely not necessary, and by no means a rush. I save for a couple weeks, then buy a razor or a hone.