The problem⌗

I get invested in the act of buying something.

Let’s say I decide I want an MP3 player, I don’t just google for 5 minutes and select the best one in the range I want. No I research, I research the tiers of MP3 players, watch youtube, look at forums, learn the technology, and dig into the feature set. Once I have spent far to many hours into researching something I start to feel invested in the product and suddenly not only does my urge to buy increase, but also the cost at which I am willing to go.

Now for something like cars and houses, this becomes an advantage. I know in that case I won’t spend out of my range and they are big ticket items. For something small where the price might go from $30 to $150 that’s a big deal.

This all means I have a the problem of too much stuff.

Solution⌗

First and foremost, I have put a moratorium on buying things from Amazon. This is not the only reason, just one of many. If I find something I truly need I will order from somewhere else, even if that means waiting a few extra days or paying a few dollars more.

Also I will endeavor to just buy less. I have numerous USB-C chargers, keyboards, pens, even computers. I want to pare down that collection, along with all the cruft. I threw away over 100 random cables, which at some point will bite me in the ass, but I know it’s worth it.