The want list

When I find something new I'm interested in, I don't click buy. I add it to a plain text file with the date, and I close the browser tab.

Then I wait.

The wait

I like to wait at least three to six months before buying anything off the list. That's long enough to find out whether I actually need it.

In the moment, every idea feels like a need. Time is the cheapest filter I've found.

Plenty never make it off the list. There have been countless times when something sat there for six months or more, and I realized it just wasn't something I needed.

Making it past the wait doesn't mean I buy it either. I have items on the list from two years ago that I'm still interested in, but not ready for.

The research

If something is still on the list and I still want it, I research it until I'm sure. I read the reviews and compare alternatives. I check it against the budget I set myself.

I do this whether it's a new bike or a $20 gadget. It makes obvious sense for a bike or an espresso machine. It feels like overkill on a small purchase.

I'd argue the opposite. Some of my best finds have been in the $20 to $50 range. A cheap thing that fixes a daily annoyance is worth the same homework.

A side benefit

Because I note a price next to each item, I always have an answer when someone asks what I want for a birthday or Christmas. I send over whatever has outlasted the wait.

Where it led

My everyday carry is a good example. I didn't swap it out to collect gear. I changed it when the small annoyances added up, and I'd lived with them long enough to know they were real.

That's the point of the list. The things that earn a spot in my life have to outlast the feeling that put them on it.