I naturally tend to do thing on my own as opposed to buying in anything I do. When my kids were in diapers we made homemade wipes. I will build something if i need it, instead of buying it at a store. I will fix my own car instead of taking it to a mechanic. Often times these are cheaper than going out and buying things. On rare occasions it is not cheaper when you have to buy a large amount of items to even get started. But usually will be cheaper in the long run. I have a lifetime of shaving ahead. I dont ever plan to have facial hair, so I know i will be shaving a lot. That was my initial interest in starting to use a straight razor in the first place....to not buy razors. So buying such expensive soap seems like its contradicting to the purpose of starting. However i have come to love shaving with a straight razor that i will never go back.

Ive actually never heard of an alum block til now. I will also check out Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap. Thanks for the tip.