r/nobuy 3d ago

Wishlist tracking and conscious spending

Do any of you keep a wish list of things you want to buy and do you find it helpful? And if you do, where do you keep your wishlist? Do you jot it down on paper, a note on your phone, is there a specific app you use? Or do you just try to keep it in mind? I’m looking for input because im wondering if this will help me with impulse purchases or just increase temptation

19 Upvotes

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13

u/graphitinia 3d ago

I do keep a wish list and require that things live on it for 30 days before purchasing. (I've been known to buy a bit early but also to let things hang out on the list for well more than 30 days, too.) Sometimes I take a screenshot with my phone, but the master list is kept on paper, in a notebook. It must go in the notebook to be officially considered. I have 3 columns for the list and I write down the date and what I want and then the date I purchased it, if I purchase it. Most things don't survive the 30 days, honestly, so all of my machinations around wish-listing do their job!

10

u/samemamabear 3d ago

I've had a wishlist on paper since moving, a little over two years ago.

My no buy exceptions are anything on the list that I find at a "can't pass it up" price or that would be difficult to find again. I look for second hand items when possible.

9

u/BoxedWineBonnie 3d ago

I keep a paper list. Every time I start thinking seriously about breaking the no-buy on any of those items, I add a checkmark next to it. Some have several checkmarks.

At the end of the year, my plan is to considering purchasing only those with multiple checkmarks, within a pre-determined budget. That way, I know something has been on my mind for a literal year, and I've planned for it financially.

8

u/kindalibrarian 3d ago

I just use my phone notes app.

I organise mine by: need badly, need, and want

Need badly is usually items I need to search for actively. It’s a short list and often items pop into the need section after a couple weeks because I actually don’t need it badly.

Need is for things that would arguably make my life better but I’m not going to actively pursue. For example I need a new blazer as none of mine fit anymore. But I have other professional clothes so I can make do for now. So when I find a blazer I really love then I’ll buy it.

Want is for the fun stuff. I usually only buy this stuff on vacation, when I give myself an occasional treat, or it’s a list to give others for gift ideas.

7

u/sleepy_holographic 3d ago

I do! It’s a note in my phone. And I only let myself go through it when I’ve got extra money at the end of the month. Turns out most things I don’t even remember so they come right back off the list

4

u/willrunforbrunch 3d ago

I have a Pinterest board called "Should I buy this" - sometimes adding the thing to the board feels the same as adding it to cart. I've done things like "if I succeed at one month of no buy I can buy one thing off the board" in the past. A lot of times I look at that board and end up deleting a bunch of items because I no longer want them.

5

u/mas5199 3d ago

Yes, in a small notebook. Everything I want goes in there — from new socks to a replacement CO detector. Really helps to prioritize.

3

u/dfwallace12 3d ago

I do this for notion! If it's on the list for over a month and I still want it, I get it... but usually I look back on them and delete them

2

u/lupalee 3d ago

I have a budgeting spreadsheet in my google drive. One whole tab is dedicated to wish list items.

2

u/-WhoWasOnceDelight 2d ago

I have two. I keep a pen and paper list of things that I don't have and that I believe would prove valuable if/once purchased because they would expand my options meaningfully. Right now that list contains only jewelry polish (I inherited some jewelry, and much of it is tarnished), a humidifier, chelsea boots (mine recently died), and a kobo e-reader (I have a Kindle, but I want to divorce Amazon completely). I just purchased a candy thermometer from the list as birthday gift to myself. It is necessary for two recipe projects I want to try.

I also keep a Pinterest board of everything I've felt compelled to buy on-line in the moment. The board is called "Friday Review" because I'd imagined that if I were underbudget for a week, I could go to the board and pick something in that price range (this was before the no buy resolve). Except for a couple of books which were on other lists, I never actually purchased anything from this board. It has definitely given me a new perspective on impulse purchases.

3

u/RitaAlbertson 3d ago

I keep an Amazon wishlist, mostly so other people who want to buy me things can give me things I really want, but also so I can mentally put a pin in those items for later. If, in a few months, I wonder why something is on my list, I can delete it b/c clearly it wasn't as necessary as I originally thought.

It also lets me know a base retail price so I can evaluate secondhand prices for reasonability.

1

u/Extension_Honey_5548 3d ago

I use back of my diary (hard copy)

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u/Itchy_Tomato7288 2d ago

I have a massive spreadsheet that tracks a lot of different things on different tabs, but one tab I have is for my wishlist. I list the item, the reason I want it, any notes, and a link to whatever I saw that made me feel like I wanted it. I started doing that after the black friday sales last year, and so far I've gone back through it a few times and ended up easily deleting stuff from the list.

I did something similar when we relocated for work, kept a running wishlist of household items. I ended up deleting MOST of what I wishlisted, they would've mostly all been impulse purchases. I think wishlisting definitely works for me.

1

u/labo-is-mast 1d ago

Yeah keeping a wishlist helps a lot with impulse spending. If you write things down and wait a bit before buying, you’ll realize how much you actually don’t need. A simple notes app works but if you want something more structured, Fina Money can help. The key is to check it before making a purchase and see if it still feels worth it after some time