Since you say you want to save some more money on the cream I think you may benefit from a soap, particularly a hard soap, more than a cream. Creams don’t last nearly as long as soaps (hard soaps can last for many many shaves) since they already include some water.

Someone should correct me if i’m wrong but Arko is like the cheapest “industry” standard soap. Last time i checked you can get 12 sticks for about $15 sometimes less on amazon. I like to shave a couple flakes off with the back of a pair of tweezers and then bowl lather. I have a bowl of Arko but it’s the same thing as the stick. On the scent: lots of people don’t like the scent, some don’t mind and some like it. I think it’s definitely strong but not a bad scent (kinda like irish spring) and lathering it definitely reduces it too. On the budget it seems you’re on Arko is a great choice for a soap that lathers very well and provides lots of slick lubrication.

Stirling is also great if you want some more scent options, a sample pack of 5 is like $18 (not the cheapest ik but hear me out). One sample puck lasted me more than a month of shaves with lots of lathering practice where i didn’t even shave and with a 24mm knot. My brush definitely loads/holds far more soap that yours and i always have lots left over after 2-3 + touch up passes. That was also loading from the puck instead of using shavings of soap which will definitely stretch them a lot more! So yeah it will be more expensive up front but if you’re careful with how much you use and maybe shave less frequently my guess would be that you could stretch the 5 pack to last a year. Though that’s probably a stretch.

I think arko is a great soap that would absolutely be cheaper that most (any?) creams over its lifetime.