Hardware

I use a new blade every 2-3 shaves but then they're 12ct each (BIC). Decent safety razor costs ~35 Euro (Merkur 23C, unchanged for more than a century now), cheap "vegan" (i.e. plastic) brush what five bucks, two small stainless steel bowls (one for soap, the other for foam) in a three pack from the Euro store, soap costs are negligible even if you go a bit fancy (but do use shaving soap, foams and glides much better than hand soap). Alum as astringent, store-brand glycerine/aloe vera face wash. Advantage over alcohol-based aftershave being that you wash off the alum, stopping the skin irritation.

Never, ever, buy a safety razor from a brand that sells cartridge blades. I have a Wilkinson, cheap plastic which isn't the actual problem the bad part is the geometry: They seem to have specifically designed it to make safety razors look bad, the blade angle isn't right, the gap isn't right, it doesn't tension the blade properly. The Merkur isn't high-end (chrome-plated brass and zinc) but has very good geometry, hence as said unchanged for a century.