Hawk it is only cheaper if you stick to the same gear! You may have trouble with that...
It takes restraint. I love to try a wide variety of soaps, creams, aftershaves etc. I've only got one Vulfix best badger brush and a Merkur DE though. I like to keep the hardware simple and then splurge on the rest.
I'll probably try my hand at the straight razor one of those days, but for now I am content with the double edge razor.
There is a lot of technique involved so I am happy with taking it slow for the time being.
Tabac shave soap is my favourite, though, and I love bay rum aftershaves.
I'm using Feather blades lately; so far they are my favourite. They have a reputation for being the sharpest blades out there.
I used to use Astra SP but I like the Feathers better; they offer cleaner and closer shaves. Both are superior to Derbys IMO. I used to think I was doing a terrible job because I had a lot of irritation but as soon as I tried another blade from my sampler pack I had most problems solved...
(The worst thing about Astras is the damn glue residue. I run my new blade under hot water to soften the glue and then I use my old blade to scrape it off. They are very good value, though)
Switching to DE turned a hated chore into a much loved pastime. Prior to that, I had already given up on Mach 3 and was just using an electric trimmer to keep the brush cut to a manageable level...